Girls' Day Out

Yamane girls Sylvia; Stacey, 10; Skylar, almost 3; and I had a blast yesterday.  Our day began at 5:05 am (that's right) and ended at 6:05 pm.  

We went to many different places in Manila and I rode the LRT (Light Rail Transportation) for the first time.  I also rode an air-conditioned bus for the first time.  Most of the 13 hours were spent on the road, riding a jeep, a tricycle, the LRT, or the bus. 

An hour or so was spent with the Yamane grandparents at their house. Two hours were spent at the optometrist where Stacey had an eye appointment.  We waited for her new pair of eyeglasses to be made. Another big part of our day was spent from store to store looking for pasalubong. 

Of course we brought Flat Stanley with us.

I had wanted to take a picture at the start of the day,
but since it was still dark....

This picture was taken as we waited for the LRT, it was about 6:30 am.

The following pictures were taken from the LRT.

The sweet fragrance of incense attracted me to go inside the temple.  I was met with beautifully carved and decorated altars to the Chinese gods.  There was a huge statue of Buddha surrounded with flowers and candles.

As always there were vendors everywhere luring temple goers.

Sights and sounds, smells and feelings associated with Divisoria,
one of the largest outdoor markets, hadn't changed in the
40 plus years since I was here as a child.

On a weekday and non-holiday, it was quite bearable.

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This view was taken from the side of the church on the way to the Black Nazarene.

Quiapo Church, people stop when they can.  They are not waiting for Mass or any organized religious service to start.  They, like the Yamane girls and I just wanted to say hi to "Papa" Jesus.

 Finally it's lunch time!

At the end of the day, our first leg of the journey was riding the air-conditioned bus.  I'm not really sure why Flat Stanley and Skylar still have smiles on their faces!

Worn out, at the end of the day...

Sylvia holding the freshly picked and washed makopa...