V for Vina: the tour that was

the tour that was - part two
Friday, September 08, 2006

final stop of last saturday's northbank walking tour of carlos celdran was quiapo.

with all the warnings and horror stories i (or we) have heard about quiapo, it was good timing that señor enrique, his nephew, edick, and i were finally "united", since a buddy system was required. ha! i had two buddies, front and back, while maneuvering ourselves through the stalls of what-have-you's, out to quiapo church and the plaza.

aaaaah, quiapo...

quiapo is certainly a feast for the senses....an experience on its own.... more popularly, it is a contradiction of religious sorts, for believers of all kinds and classes.

here, you could pray for someone to love you, or you could just buy a love potion or light a (red) candle. you could pray for protection and good health, or you could just buy an amulet or light a (pink) candle. you could pray to be blessed with a child, but you could buy a bottled remedy to "fix" the "problem". hell (no pun intended), you could probably buy something for redemption and to fast-track salvation!

to seal the quiapo deal and wrap-up the tour, carlos had us enter the side of the church, take a few steps up a spiral stairway, and touch the feet of the Black Nazarene. wow, the Black Nazarene!

so i walked up the stairs, touched a foot and prayed. who was i to question all this craziness and hullabaloo in the world?

it was a fun and interesting tour, to say the least. more than two hours of carlos bringing us back and forth to the old and new manila, dropping a few juicy tidbits here and there, making us laugh, sigh and hope, if not contribute, for a renewed and better home that is manila and the philippines.

thank you to gracious host señor (and to edick) for the company, and to myself for finally, finally, making it a point to join a tour.

posted by vina @ 12:18 PM

19 Comments:

At 7:23 PM, September 08, 2006, ladybug said...: Wow! Nice pics you have here. I'm glad to see na mukhang nag-enjoy kayo sa tour. :-)
At 8:38 PM, September 08, 2006, Nick Ballesteros said...: Oooh I have heard of the Carlos Celdran tours for Quiapo. I have been thinking of joining one pero hanggang thinking pa rin. Wala kasi si wifey dito sa Manila. Maybe one time, when she's here.
At 10:42 PM, September 08, 2006, Anonymous said...: The place of Quiapo always gives me a headache. It's always full of people! But at the same time, you can buy many things there just like what you've mentioned. Quiapo is a place for numerous pirated DVDs also! I just hate the traffic that is occurring always on Fridays.
At 12:05 AM, September 09, 2006, HiPnCooLMoMMa said...: no buddy system when i go to quiapo...i used to be scared the first few times i've been there, but now no more...batang quiapo na yata ako...lol
At 5:43 AM, September 09, 2006, dreaming-neko said...: what should i get for 'good luck' in love? the potion or a prayer? :P
At 9:20 AM, September 09, 2006, Señor Enrique said...: Seriously speaking, Vina, you have an eye for photography! Galing ka pala!

Oo nga, a cop came over to warn me to be mindful of my backpack kasi dami daw mga snatcher roaming around the plaza.

Watson: You have got to experience a tour with Carlos. I was with him again yesterday for the Cultural Center of the Philippines tour. Another wonderful tour, indeed! The guy is really good.
At 12:25 PM, September 09, 2006, Anonymous said...: Quiapo Church is the place to find the many jeepneys whenever I get lost in Manila.

The place looks better na compared 10 yrs ago. Safe na diyan sa loob? Does Jollibee still exists nearby?
At 7:16 AM, September 10, 2006, c o n s u e l a said...: vina-vina...those are some cool shots! :) how are you dearie? the tour sounds like a lot of fun...something which I need...plenty of FUN and no school!!!!!

happy weekend!! *hugs*
At 9:23 AM, September 10, 2006, Anonymous said...: Ate Vina,

I was wondering, is Quiapo inside Intramuros itself or both are different places?

Well, I'd love to see the Black Nazarene statue. Read the history of it and I'm amazed! (:

And good to hear that you had fun and the pictures are nice!

Happy Sunday!
At 8:25 PM, September 10, 2006, vina said...: LADYBUG> thanks! had fun, indeed!

WATSON> do!

JV> yes, i saw the dvds! grabe ang dami!

HIPNCOOL> haha, weirdly, i imagine you na nakasabit sa jeep...
At 8:27 PM, September 10, 2006, vina said...: NEKO> i'm sure you don't need either!

SEÑOR> thanks señor! not as good as you and sidney, though!

K> yes, i still saw jollibee, and carlos said the whole area actually improved. it's much cleaner and more organized now.
At 8:30 PM, September 10, 2006, vina said...: CONSUELA> i'm good, thanks for asking! *hugs back*

KYELS> quiapo is a different area than intramuros kyels, but they're both in manila. maybe you could visit both when you visit in december.
At 10:56 PM, September 10, 2006, HiPnCooLMoMMa said...: hhhmmmppp...nakasabit nga sa jeep pero naka blahnik or choo naman...bwaaaahhhh....
At 11:34 AM, September 11, 2006, Gayzha said...: Nice fotos :) Kewl blog!

Can I link u up?
At 1:03 PM, September 11, 2006, tin-tin said...: wow! may talent ka pala sa photography ha. so what did you pray for? :)
At 2:45 PM, September 11, 2006, Anonymous said...: Vina,

Yep, I shall do so when I go over in December.

XD
At 3:05 PM, September 11, 2006, vina said...: HIPNCOOL> haha, ang hirap nun ha!

JASE> hehe sis, have you run out of anything to say?

TIN> world peace! honestly...

KYELS> but don't go alone!
At 10:02 AM, September 12, 2006, Sidney said...: Did you purchase an anting-anting for the young & new drivers? ;-)
At 10:17 AM, September 13, 2006, vina said...: SIDNEY> now why didn't i think of that?

V for Vina

the tour that was - part two Friday, September 08, 2006

19 Comments:

the tour that was - part two
Friday, September 08, 2006