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Super late post!!!

A replica of a 17th century galleon, Andalucia, is floating around the Philippine shores. It first docked at Pier 13 in the City of Manila. The mobile exhibit, Dia Del Galeon Festival 2010, is brought to us by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in remembrance of how the Philippines participated in the galleon trade. They’re now making this project as part of protecting our seas from the impact of climate change and global warming.

Here are the complete details of NCCA’s project:
http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/dia-del-galeon/dia-del-galeon.php

There were LOOOOTS of people, students and teachers mostly. Some were stuck for 7 hours in line just to get in. I think the time the galleon spent in Manila isn’t enough because more people wanted to get in and it could only accommodate 100 per tour. It left Pier 13 last October 10 and arrived at Cebu’s shores on October 14.  It is open for viewing at Pier 1 till October 18.

These gorgeous photos were taken by Aliza Conde, who is also a Lumix user. I was too stupid — forgetting to charge my camera.

I love the composition of this photo. Beautiful sky, beautiful ship. See how the colors compliment each other.

Going near the ship. You can see the frontal details up close. All these make me wonder how long it took before this replica could be completed.

Kids playing a musical tribute. They’re so cuuuuuute. There were also police officers around, not on duty, but were there to watch the parade.

This reminds me of that last scene in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. These breathtaking details look like they were screen shots from an actual movie!

Left photo: my sister Alex going down to the main deck.

Right photo: I think that anchor looks really thin, but Aliza said that it was heavy. I took her word for it.

Kiddies playing with the helm. I’d like to pretend I was a pirate ship captain, too, but I remember reading about women bringing bad luck on old ships.

This was where the crew ate. I had to remind myself that Andalucia is a replica because I was thinking, “Gosh, those people must’ve been small!”

Left: I’m not sure if that’s the foremast but that shot, emphasizing the dark contrast of the ship against the blue skies, is just something to behold.

Right: My sister going down into the gallery.

Details! Details! How did the ship’s crew survive such a dark and dank looking space…? Also imagine that they would be traveling for a long long long long time.

Heck, it took the ship four days to reach Cebu. Sulpicio lines and Super Ferries usually reach Cebu (from Manila) within 24 hours.

Left: Elegant dining area.

Right: That is obviously a cannon. Aliza said she wanted to try firing one.

Some visual information about the ship could be found here. This is quite interesting. A small map also displayed which parts of the world the galleon has already touched.

Pristine quarters. I doubt they were really this clean during the 17th century. But I like the gusot na kumot  effect. Hehe.

End the day with a bowful of bulalo at the Singing Cooks and Waiters restaurant, which is also located in Manila.

Yeah, my sister eats this much. My family members are relatively known for having 5-6 stomachs. Like cows.