Visita Iglesia 2013: Manila churches

In time for Holy Week, Filipinos usually plan where to spend their Holy week. Being a city girl myself, I really don't have a choice of provinces, and I'd rather stay in the metro, away from all the traffic. 

During Maundy Thursday, everyone is on the road. Just for one reason - Visita Iglesia. It is a part of our Holy Week, where Catholics pay visits to 7 or 14 churches to pray to the 14 stations of the cross. Last year, we were able to do a Visita Iglesia in the churches in Laguna, Batangas and finally, Kamay ni Hesus in Quezon. 

This time, because my mom is busy with her church activities, we only have half of our day for Visita Iglesia. We decided to do a Manila Visita Iglesia. Since we are bound for Manila, we also decided to ditch bringing our own car to lessen the hassle of looking for parking areas and safety. Here are the churches we visited. Directions are also included, coming from Makati and from the last stop of churches. 

1. BINONDO CHURCH: Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz

Located at the heart of Binondo and near Divisoria, Binondo Church is one of the oldest churches in Manila, founded by the Dominican priests in 1596. 

Via commute: 

1. From Guadalupe, Makati take a jeepney bound for Taft-Herran. 

2. Arriving in Taft, take the jeep bound for Divisoria. Jeepneys are aplenty in front of 7-11 in Pedro Gil.

3. Alight in front of Binondo Church. 

2. STA. CRUZ CHURCH: Nuestra Senora del Pilar

Located at Plaza Lacson in Carriedo, Sta. Cruz church was built by Jesuits in 1608 for the Chinese immigrants. 

Via commute: 

1. From Binondo church, walk towards the Divisoria area where you will take the jeepney bound for Quiapo. 

2. Alight at Rizal Avenue, once you see the LRT 1 line. 

3. Walk on your right, and towards Carriedo station. 

4. Once you see Carriedo Station, turn right on the street before it (Burgos street). Straight ahead is the Sta. Cruz Church. 

3. QUIAPO CHURCH: Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene

You will never miss the Quiapo church, since it very well known church in Manila, most especially during first Fridays of each month and on January 9. The church was founded by Franciscan missionaries in 1856 and is the home of the Black Nazarene. Located at the heart of Plaza Miranda, Quiapo church is also along Quezon Avenue. 

Via commute. 

1. From Sta. Cruz church, cross Rizal avenue and walk towards Isetann Carriedo. 

2. Turn at Carriedo Street and walk straight ahead towards Quiapo Church. 

4. MANILA CATHEDRAL: Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion

The most sought after church when it comes to weddings, aside from San Agustin church, is located in the walled city of Intramuros. This houses the Archbishop of the Philippines and located near the CBCP. It was founded in 1521 by secular priests. 

However, during our visit, the Church is closed and is currently undergoing renovations. Sadly, we were not able to see its interiors. 

Via commute:

1. From Quiapo church, go to Quezon Avenue, right outside the church and take a jeepney bound for Intramuros. 

2. Jeepneys will pass directly in front of the Cathedral. 

5. SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

Being the oldest church in the Philippines, built in 1521, it has withstood the test of time, thus, many of couples dream of being wed in the church. It will be celebrating its 450th anniversary, thus, the facade is also in the works. It is conveniently located within walking distance from the Manila Cathedral. 

Via walking: 

1. From Manila Cathderal, take General Luna Street. 

2. Turn right at Real Street and you will find the San Agustin Church. 

6. ERMITA CHURCH: Nuestra Senora de Guia 

This quaint church located in Ermita was founded in 1606 and houses Nuestra Senora de Guia or Our Lady of Guidance. 

Via commute: 

1. From San Agustin church, walk along General Luna street, until you get to the 

2. From the gate, take jeepney bound for Mabini. 

3. Tell the driver that you are getting off at Ermita church. Jeepneys will pass in front of the church. 

7. MALATE CHURCH. Church of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios

Located at M.H. del Pilar Street in Malate, and facing Manila Bay is our last stop for this Visita Iglesia, It was built in 1588 by Augustinian priests. This church is the home of Our Lady of Remedies. 

Via commute: 

1. From Ermita Church, ride a jeepney bound for Mabini or Roxas Blvd.

2. Tell the driver that you are getting off at Malate church. You will not miss it since jeepneys pass in front of it. 

What's In my Smartphone?

Its a cliche of having a blog entry of "what's in my bag", and since everyone of us are stuck with our smartphones, I believe, its time to focus on them.

Being a traveler by heart and as one of my perks in the job, the pen and paper will not always be reliable. I often leave my planner at work (since it is quite heavy) and I have a lot of notebooks inside my bag, I tend to forgot what my trips are. Good thing, there are FREE applications for android phones that can substitute as my travel diary.

So what did I download on my reliable smartphone for my upcoming trips? here's the list:


1. TripIt Travel Planner. FREE ON ANDROID PLAYSTORE.

It basically keeps track of your upcoming travels, including flight time, airline and destination and even who are you with on these trips. If you upgrade on Pro, it will also be able to track your mileage points and share it to your network.

How to use it:
1. Send your itinerary receipts to plans@tripit.com. The soft copies of your tickets, or even your itinerary will be uploaded to your phone and that's it.

You can print this itinerary via wifi connection to your printer.

2. XE Currency Converter: FREE ON ANDROID PLAYSTORE

Every traveler needs one of these converters, especially when you are on your budget trips. I chose the XE Currency Converter app since I find it more user friendly.

How to use it:
1. Choose the currencies you want to track. Just don't forget your local currency for budgeting.
2. You can choose at most 5 of these currencies, and set them into Rates and Inverse (on settings --> currency details --> rate and inverse), so you can keep track of the inversion rates too.
3. You can set the currency you want to keep track of. Since I will be bound for Hong Kong in the next two weeks, I have HKD and Peso on the top of my list.

The XE currency automatically updates itself on current market buying conversion and even tells you when was the last update. Just keep in mind that selling and buying rates are different from each other but at least, you have an idea of how much are you spending.

3. EHK Hong Kong MTR app: FREE ON ANDROID PLAYSTORE

As I have mentioned, I will be going to Hong Kong and since they have a very good MTR system and I don't want to be lost on foreign land, I downloaded the EHK MTR app that can be found in the tourist website of Hong Kong and on the Android Playstore.

I find this app useful on checking how to get into one station to another. It has the different MTR lines, including transfer lines that you need to take from one point to another. Aside from the stations, it is also presents the duration of the trip and the cost.

I have more apps on my phone, but I believe these are the best for travelling.

First entry of 2013: A Recap and What's In Store

Its been a while. A long while actually. I can't believe its March already, and this is my first entry of the year. I have been very busy with work, and juggling some other tough stuff in between and I somewhat forgotten that I have a blog to maintain. Anyway, I would like this to be a 2012 year end entry and a 'whats-in-store-for-me" entry for 2013. So here it goes...



2012: Another year of first times

First international travel. First time to leave a job. First time to apply just like everyone else. First time up north. First time to  stay healthy. First time to gain a lot. and to get a loan. See, a lot of first time.

In the beginning of 2012, I have been looking for another job, been taking exams and interviews. It was my first time, since I was taken into my first job as an intern and absorbed by the company right after graduation. After staying for the company for a good 2 years, I decided that if I will be taking my MBA soon, it would be better if I have an experience from both sides of my industry. Thus, I decided to take my chances on the client side of Marketing Research.

By April 2012, I landed a job in a major beverage company as a Research Associate and here I am -dealing with a lot of beverages, parties, concerts and trips in between. I gained new friends and someone to look up to. I never felt I was a new member of the team, we instantly clicked.

And because of our proximity to the mall, fastfood and groceries have been our bestfriends - thus, my first ever noticeable weight gain. We actually call it "maintain", since we procrastinate on our evening jog but take on a lot during our 9-6 work. everyday.

As part of my job, I was given the chance to work on field, and this simply means, I get to travel for free! My first stop was in Bukidnon - not a first time in said province but a first in Malaybalay. I was also able to revisit my first plane destination, General Santos City. Its been about 10 years since I set foot on that land. It was my first time in Ilocos, and I was able to visit some of Unesco's World Heritage sites up north - Vigan and Paoay Church. I returned to Cebu for a week, and was able to taste some of its famous treats - La Marea's Hot Bwornie Cup and CNT's famous lechon, aside from the Larsian experience.

By August 2012, it was my first trip our of the country, visiting uncommon first international destinations - yes, destinations, not one but 3. It was also my first backpacking experience, well spent with my two favorite people in the world. A visit in Ho Chi Minh's past and present, Cambodia's dark past and its Kingdom and Thailand's Golden Statues definitely made my year. It was an eye opener, and now, I am hooked at backpacking.


What's in Store in 2013?

Travels
One, coming from a great third quarter, just like in a basketball, I am off to Hong Kong and Macau this April with a different set of friends. It felt so good that I was back in the backpacking theme and research. I have been planning this since we got the Airasia's seat sale at 3,500 round trip tickets. (Still quite hefty, but we grabbed it anyway). My travel buddies are first international travelers, so I am doubly inspired. Well, its an additional task to have them hooked into travelling too!

By September, me and my college friends are bound for Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as a part of our annual international trip since our Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand experience. We just hoped the Sabah issue will not be as high as of this month, so we can go on more swiftly.

Profession
By this year, I decided to pursue my MBA application, so I am busy with my reviews for TOEFL and GMAT. I will be scheduling TOEFL in May and GMAT by August. October was my target date for MBA submissions, just in time for the first round.

While juggling this, I tried recently the online courses of EDx so I am sort of preparing for the tests. Aside from this, I have a part time job to do, which will definitely be a plus point for my application.

I am crossing my fingers for a conference in Singapore on my industry. We hope it will be okay.

That's all for now. I should go back to my packing since I am off to Fontana Resort and Casino by Monday for a conference.
Will definitely be back on writing after this entry.