Before heading out to Zamboanga, I made sure I did a little research on the places I should see, the restaurants I should visit, etc. Unfortunately, I was only there for a couple days. Not enough for me to leave the city and explore the beaches.
I arrived in Zamboanga just in time for their Hermosa Festival also known as Fiesta Pilar held in honor of Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pilar). I had no idea what activities were happening. Too bad I missed out on some good ones.
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| Regatta display in Lantaka Hotel |
After settling in our hotel, I left my parents and walked around the city. A lot of the roads were closed or turned into one way streets to ease traffic and give way to pedestrians.
I started off at Fort Pilar, one of the historical forts in the Philippines. Along the side of the Fort is a small entrance and sign leading into their National Museum. I was so excited to learn more about Zamboanga and what their museum has to offer.
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| National Museum Zamboanga City |
It feels a lot like Intramuros but on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, the museum was under renovation during my visit and only two exhibits were open to the public. These were small but information packed exhibits.
There is also a ramp inside the premises that lead up to the walls of the Fort.
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| Fort Pilar |
The Fort presents a beautiful view of the city. On one side you have the ocean and Paseo de Mar and on the other side you would be able to spot the barangay hall and Sta. Barbara school (where the siege happened). The other sides were closed due to renovations.
The only problem I encountered was going down the ramp. You see, I was wearing sandals and the ramp was pretty steep. I wasn't sure if I was going to slide or roll down, if ever. Good thing I was able to make it down on my feet. lol
Right beside the Fort is the shrine of Nuestra Señora del Pilar. This place was packed with people and it wasn't even the feast day yet. There was a long line in front. People were lining up to be able to pray to and touch this miraculous statue.
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| Viva Nuestra Señora del Pilar |
Every other chair was occupied by someone either praying or waiting for someone praying. The volume of people was quite overwhelming, or so I thought.
The next day, during the feast proper, the place was beyond packed at 6AM. People made sure to attend the first mass before the statue was taken out for the procession in the afternoon. I was surprised at how the place was already like a can of sardines and yet people just kept coming and going in the shrine. I couldn't figure out how they fit.
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| Prayers and Intentions |
I was wonder why almost everyone came with a balloon or two in hand. Some of them were busy writing, forgetting to listen to the homily, while some of them where busy keeping it away from their kids. Sometime after the homily the priest told everyone to release their balloons along with their prayers and intentions. Pretty creative, except it's bad for the environment.
Making your way out of the shrine is easy though, there is a path that will lead you to the exit. Thankfully, people were kind enough to step aside and not block the exit. There was a monument for the last bells of, I guess, a bell tower standing there before. There is also a nice surprise by the exit - two bird houses.
In the morning, these birds come down to the ground and it is absolutely beautiful. I should have taken a photo but I left my camera. It was 6AM. Right beside this is Pase de Mar. It is a gated park by the ocean with food stalls and restaurants. It's a great place to hang out or go on a food trip. And what really caught my attention was:
This gigantic bra made out of bras! Finally, a bra that comes in my size! lol This display was made for Breast Cancer Awareness month and they have a whole exhibit of decorated bras for this. I think it's a great idea to raise awareness and turn used bras into art.
Just a couple blocks further is the city hall. I love how they preserved (and maybe enhanced a little) the facade of the establishment. It really makes you feel like you have time travelled to the Spanish Era. Most establishments near Fort Pilar kept and enhanced the facade of their buildings.
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| Zamboanga City Hall |
I wasn't able to go inside and take a tour but it definitely looked secure from where I was standing. In Zamboanga, they don't have just the police. They have military men to aid the police. You'll see trucks and trucks of these men in camouflage going around the city with their long firearms. It somehow makes me feel a little safe and unsafe. lol
Another place I made sure to visit was the Barter. My mom loves this place, whenever she visits Zamboanga, she would always pass by and buy some goodies from the Barter. I would say that this place is the perfect example of perfect competition most (if not, all) stalls sold pretty much the same things and all their prices were the same. It was just a matter of making good friends with your favorite stall and asking for friendly prices.
The Barter offers a wide variety of goodies. You can find almost everything there, well maybe except for love.
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| Cloth, clothes, scarves, etc. |
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| Pearls |
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| Chocolate |
Malaysia, being closer to Zamboanga than Manila, is the main source of these goods. I almost lost hope in looking for my favorite instant Malaysian coffee. Fortunately, there was one store that beat all of the other stores because it sold my favorite coffee.
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| Coffee |
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| More Coffee |
Be prepared to spend hours in the Barter just going around, looking at the goods sold, trying to haggle, etc. Time easily flies by when you're here.
I missed out on a lot of other things but I guess I'll just have to reserve them for when I come back.
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