m/v doulos

m/v doulos: the floating bookstore

website: http://www.doulos.org/

some facts and trivia:
> the largest floating bookstore in the world
> the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship as per Guinness Book of World Records
> was constructed in 1914
> had sailed under four distinct names and serving various purposes:
a. Medina -> for freighting goods
b. Roma -> for transporting emigrants
c. Franca C -> for cruises
d. Doulos -> as a vessel to bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world
> *total number of countries visited: 103 countries
> *total number of visitors: more than 20 million
> *total number of books purchased on board: more than 14 million

* (as of march 2008)

pamangkins and i were able to visit m/v doulos before it left the philippine shore last month.

it was around 2PM and the sun was grinning eat-to-ear, when pamangkins and i joined the crowd lining up and waiting to board the ship.

entrance fee:

> General Admission: PhP10 (but it seems that 10 UNITS is a standard fee)
> FREE, for senior citizens and those below 17 years of age

operating hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 to 22:00
Sunday and Monday: 14:00 to 22:00

items are priced on a per unit basis, where 1UNIT=1PhP.

items include the following:
> wide range of books - children books, self-help books, reference books and religious books
> doulos souvenirs/memorabilias - bags, pens, cds, id necklaces

the cheapest item that i saw and actually bought was for PhP10, a small activity book (color and color the picture, connect the dots, word puzzles, maze, etc.) for kids.

aboard the ship, visitors can also:
> have their hands painted with a doulos ship icon
> join the games organized by the crew volunteers
> take a tour on some parts of the ship

national musuem: museum of the filipino people

National Museum: Museum of the Filipino People

Address: P. Burgos St. (behind the National Museum: National Art Gallery)

The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30AM until 4:00PM.

Admission:
> PhP100 per Person
> PhP30 for Students (with valid School ID)
> PhP80 for Senior Citizens



Unfortunately, I and pamangkins weren't able to visit this museum and have a look of their collections.

However, the exhibition directory did indicate the following:

Ground Floor:
> San Diego Wreck Site Diorama (San Diego is a Spanish galleon that sunk in Philippine waters after a collision in 1600)
> 23rd National Visual Art Competition (2009-2010 PLDT-DPC Telephone Directory Cover)
> Ifugao House

Second Floor:
> Five Century of Maritime Trade
> San Diego History
> San Diego Treasures
> Linnaeus and the Linnaeans

Third Floor:
> Pinagmulan (Origin)
> Kinahinatnan (Filipinos Today)
> Kaban ng Lahi (Archaeological Treasure)

Fourth Floor:
> Sites of Stone (Philippine Lithic Tradition)
> T/Issue (Southeast Asian Traditional Textiles and Their Complications)



For Advance Booking or Group Tours, you may call +63 2 5270278 from Monday to Friday, during Office Hours.

national museum: national art gallery

National Museum: National Art Gallery

Address: Finance road corner P. Burgos



The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10AM until 4PM.

Admission is FREE.




how we got here:

I and pamangkins rode the LRT-Line 2 (Santolan-Recto) and alighted at Recto Station, which is the last station. From there, walked along Quezon Avenue, going to Quiapo Church. From Quiapo Church, took a jeep bound for Manila Hotel.
(If I'm not mistaken, you can take a jeep bound for the Pier, Kalaw or Harrison-Mabini.)



What's instore for you:

When we visited this last month, we saw the following:

First Floor (where the entrance is):
> Paintings and Portraits by Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo
> J. Luna's Spolarium
> F. Hidalgo’s La Tragedia del Gobernador Fernando de Bustamante y Bustillos
> Old Pictures and Masterplan of Manila
> Manunggul Jar (Burial Jar) and other religious artifacts including a wooden altar from Bohol
> Tau-Tao Exhibit, from the Bagobo mythology


Second Floor:
> Hall for Contemporary Arts
> Hall of National Artists for Visual Arts
- Napoleon Abueva
- Benedicto Cabreras
- Vicente Manansala
- Jose Joya
- Carlos "Botong" Francisco
- Guillermo Tolentino
- Arturo Luz
- Victorio Edades
- Fernando Armosolo
- Abdulmari Imao
- Cesar Legaspi
> Bones and Skeletons of Different Animals:
- horse
- carabao
- cattle
- sea cow
- bat
- deer
- monkey
- tarsier
- stegodont
- tortoise
- rhinoceros
- sperm whale (which suffered from osteoarthritis)
- lancelet
- giant great white shark
- hammerhead
- tiger shark
- marlin
- sea catfish
- stone fish
- porcupine
- barracuda
- toad
- frog
- crocodile
- monitor lizard
- hawksbill
- crow
- heron
- chicken
- lemur
- flying squirrel
- bearcat
- anteater
- small-clawed otter

binondo food trip

when: (2009) January 24 and Janaury 25
where: binondo, manila

we went to binondo last weekend to have a glimpse of how the filipino-chinese community celebrate chinese new year ... and we ended up indulging with chinese cuisines.

here are some of what we ordered/ate/bought during our 2-day binondo walkathon.

SAVORY RESTAURANT
address: Escolta corner Plaza de Moriaga Sts., +63 2 3091053 to 55
half fried chicken: PhP 160

pansit canton guisado: PhP180
personal comment: fried chicken tastes like it was turbo-broiled + roasted + fried and i love the pickled radish that comes as its siding.

SINCERITY RESTAURANT
address: 497 Yuchengco St., +63 2 241990/2419972
fried chicken: PhP300 (whole), PhP150 (half)
pansit : PhP250 (small), PhP360 (medium), PhP500 (large), PhP650 (xl)
personal comment: fried chicken is more of the fastfood type ... because of the breading/coating. the pansit was quite soggy ... but nonetheless, both tasted good. we even got a big bowl of almond jelly dessert for FREE!


SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO
address: Ongpin St. Look for the yellow sign on the picture
bola-bola siopao: Php15
personal comment: it's not really that "fried" ... only the bottom part ... and it's quick fried. if you would compare it with fried dumplings, it's not the crunchy type.



HOPIA at ENG BEE TIN
address: 628 Ongpin cor E.T. Yuchengco St. (beside Binondo Church), +63 2 2429765 to 66
website: www.engbeetin.com
flavors: ube (yam) is one of the best sellers. there's also monggo, choco-peanut, mochaccino, ube-queso, ube-langka, ube-pastillas
prices range from PhP38-above, depends on the flavor
personal comment: i love the ube and monggo flavored hopia.

TIKOY
flavors: original white, ube, pandan, butterscotch
prices range from PhP40-above, depends on the size and flavor


FROGS
address: LSA Fastfood (one of the eateries near the creek ... look for the signage)
fried frogs: PhP110 for 4 pieces
personal comment: my first serving of frogs and they do taste like chicken