Circuiting Manila 7: A Walk Through Manila

I shall end this Manila series with a view of some of the places we’ve literally walked through during our several Manila trips. Again, this is by no means exhaustive, given the present constraints (money, time, the usual things). There is still that plan to walk through Roxas Boulevard, to visit the schools along Taft Avenue, the National Museum, the Manila City Hall, Paco area, Sta. Ana area, Tondo, there are loads of them. Travel (on my definition) seems to me more and more of an activity that is truly non-exhaustive. It is somehow defined on the way you pick up those things that you find relevant, which for my case would mostly concern history. And again I would confess that I am still on the learning period.

* a calesa, one of the many that ply the streets of Manila; they can be hired for at least a hundred pesos I think

* a marker for the Seafarer’s Center

* the Seafarer’s Photo Studio which we had to visit for the required 1 x 1 photo before entering the National Library of the Philippines

* Trailer Pransis, a future seafarer?, let’s see

From a short note on the Seafarer’s Center marker: The center was made as part of the “Buhayin Ang Maynila” Program by the local government of Manila to mainly serve the needs of the Filipino seafarers. The center is equipped with many amenities for the seafarers waiting for their sea trips. The marker was installed on December 22, 2009.

* a building of the Court of Appeals; the guards there were generous enough to allow me to enter, at least for a few steps, within the premises; too bad this shot was not so good

* a snapshot of the Court of Appeals Centennial Building

* the famed Solidaridad Book Shop

* an old house not too far from Robinson’s Ermita

* one old mansion or building on T.M. Kalaw Street, close to Roxas Boulevard; notice the nets covering it: a building adjacent too is currently being built

* one big statue of a charging warrior on a park in front of the Malate Church; I had initially though this to be Lapu-Lapu but it turned out that this is Rajah Sulayman, once leader of the pre-Hispanic Manila

Random Sights

It is good to lose yourself sometimes literally and just enjoy the places that you see. Photos below were taken while lost in a labyrinth of streets in Manila searching for an exit to the nearest LRT station.

* San Andres Sports Complex

* part of the San Andres market

* Paz Building!, found near the Quirino Ave. LRT Station