I'm recounting a day trip I did in Manila and this is Part 2 of that day. I would suggest that you read my previous post on the National Museum of the Philippines first so that you don't miss out on the basics and full itinerary =) The Part 1 has the lunch suggestion, museum info, the artworks at the National Art Gallery and my wild wooden crates experience. This Part 2 has the artefacts and the objects-for-the-curious you can find as well as the dinner suggestion!
Mid-Afternoon Treat - The Museum of the Filipino People
"To fortell the destiny of the nation it is necessary to open the book that tells her past." - Jose Rizal, our National Hero
We ended with the Philippine National Herbarium Collection (plants) in the last post. I haven't told you about the Philippine Zoological Collection (animals) yet! Again, I bet this was part of the restricted section and the crates had something to do with this haha. I have below pictures of the ones in public display at the Museum of the Filipino People.
There are fish in a jar,
birds,
butterflies,
other sea creatures,
crustaceans, etc.
Almost everything I saw were from the Philippines, most of them preserved and life-like such as this huge Philippine eagle
and this type of monitor lizard endemic to the Sierra Madre area (a bit small compared to the komodo dragons I saw at Labuan Bajo / Komodo National Park in Indonesia).
"You are an integral part of nature, and your fate is intimately linked to biodiversity to provide you with food, water, fuel, medicine and life's other essential services. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at an alarming rate due to human activities. The Earth's life support system, on which we depend, is weakening its ability to respond to such threats as climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification."
"Preserving Our Heritage - The Philippine Islands have a rich and varied heritage beginning with the earliest presence of man some 750,000 years ago. Our cultural heritage is a non-renewable resource which must be protected and properly managed... An organized and concerned effort by Filipinos will ensure the protection of our heritage and worldwide appreciation of our cultural past, present and future."
The exhibits in the Museum of the Filipino People included archeological sites all over the Philippines, some artefacts and our cultural heritage. There are anthropomorphic jar covers on display and some of our history explained.
How archaeologists came across and processed these caves, burial sites and areas were also shown. A kid seeing these displays at a young age, with an adult who can explain it well / read the explanations for the child, might dream and grow up to be a Pinoy archaeologist or scientist someday.
There are modules on underwater exploration,
mighty ships,
and trade routes on display.
"The Ocean is the largest museum in the world."
I just wish they had more interactive (and working) displays and free guides.
Here are some of the other things and exhibits I found interesting:
spoon made of shell found in Albay,
bones from elephants, rhino, turtles, etc. found in the Philippines,
the Buhay na Yaman (Living Treasures) of the Philippines exhibit,
maps of tribes in the Philippines (this is just the coastal),
a super large old grater! (haha),
super goggles and swim gear! (so creative yah? haha),
a map of the groups of Filipino people in the Philippines,
the Marble Hall (huge and welcome-party hall made of marble..),
giant crab!,
galleon ship replicas and tales,
old maps of the world,
old voyager maps of the Philippines
and the San Diego wreck site exhibit.
I was happy with my pace and didn't realize that it was almost closing time. I had to get my bag from the National Art Gallery. By the way, the Department of Tourism building (soon to be Manila's Museum of Natural History) is just nearby.
We also had a little more time for some orange Twin Popsies, a childhood favorite! There's a manong selling it a bit more expensive. Haha.
There are also some kalesa rides available if you miss it or haven't tried it before. Bet it costs a little more now and this is for a leisure ride, not like a mode of transportation like in nearby Binondo.
Dinner: To make the long story short, I did drive to Illustrado but they were already closed (early on a Sunday, I think 5 p.m. and it's just across the National Museum) and they didn't have the adobong balut anymore in the menu. I guess Seafood Wharf and adobong balut will only remain as memories for now.. We headed to the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo to get a feel of this new mall by Megaworld. I found this guide for the Lucky Chinatown Mall transportation and store list. We ate at Kirin Szechuan Restaurant and this spicy eggplant I would recommend =)
I hope you've enjoyed this short day trip of Manila. Tell me below if you found the time to visit it and if some exhibits have been changed =)
Details:
Kirin Szechuan Restaurant
G/F Lucky Chinatown Mall
Opens Mall Hours
Reina Regente corner De La Reina Streets,
Binondo, Manila
516-8333
Open Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
