MANILA DAY (OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION)

I mentioned in an earlier post that for June 12, 2013, we celebrated the Philippine Independence Day by going around Manila and showing the little lords some of our famous landmarks. At first, we thought of going to various museums, as we have already done before, but we thought, why not go to places we haven't been to as a family? 

So off to Manila Baywalk, Luneta or Rizal Park, and Planetarium we go.

Okay, I know that the PLANETARIUM does not really have anything to do with the country's independence but I included it in the itinerary for my own personal reasons. HA!

So after our Filipino brunch at ARISTOCRAT (SEE HERE), we dropped by Manila Baywalk to look for a loyal steed to officially start our MANILA DAY!

Like our matching Philippine t-shirts? Yup! When we celebrate our Independence and have a MANILA DAY, we do it ALL THE WAY!

MANILA BAY!

Check out my little guy Andrei working it!

I remember walking along Manila Bay with Mati as a little baby with my Mom and Dad. My how he has grown!!! I'll try to look for a picture of that and include it here soon.

By the way, I SHOULD have made him wear a Jollibee cap since we ARE celebrating our Philippine Independence. He he he he!

While Mr. Horseguy was getting ready, I bought some popsicles for the kids to cool them off. It was a very hot day believe me. 

We decided to take a mini-tour first to plot the places we will be going to for the price of P200.00. If you hail a horse at tourist spots such as Manila Cathedral or Fort Santiago, the fare will be close to P500. So I suggest that you look for "karteros" at the unusual places. 

In our case, we got this guy close to Aristocrat. He he he he he!

Don't forget to haggle!! Prices are ALWAYS negotiable!

LET'S RIDE!

Check out Mati being oh so crabby that he was made to sit on front. Ha ha ha ha!

And off we go!

Hello people in PED XING!!!

I really wonder who PED XING is and what he did for our country because his name is at EVERY walking street!!!! So curious!

Tee hee!!!

By the way, lady at 2 oclock... bless you! :)

Hello Luneta!

Hello fruit vendor!

Even if he's hot and sweaty, I can't resist squeezing my little guy Andrei until he can't breathe. He still smells like a baby up to now!

TEAM YAP does Manila!

Yohoo! After our 45 minute ride, we're back in one piece!

Andrei got mad at his Kuya Mati after this picture was taken.

The horseguy was so proud of his loyal steed and boasted that her name was Beauty. I was strongly agreeing with him until Andrei blurted out "She's not Beauty! She's Panget (ugly)!".

Haaaay! Children! They could be so cute and embarassing at the same time! :)

At this point Andrei wanted to dance "Gentleman" by Psy with the guys. Okay then, it IS a holiday after all!

Ever since I heard of HI-5's L-O-V-E song and its corresponding dance steps, I thought of doing the pose for each significant family trip we go to. We started it in Thailand, HongKong, then Tagaytay, etc. etc. So now we're doing it in the busy streets of Roxas Boulevard.

Don't worry I'll hide from my kids once they hate their Mommy from the embarrassment I always make them do. Ha ha ha ha!

Check out my "E". It has been a while since we did this and I forgot how to do it! This pose looks like I want to go to the bathroom or something. Ha ha ha ha! 

Next off in our Manila Day is our visit to THE PLANETARIUM. I know, I know that this does not have any real connection with our Independence but you have got to admit that this place is very synonymous to Manila Field Trips when we were still in Grade School.

Would you believe that this visit to the Planetarium is my first time?

YES!

When I was a kid, I got sick when our class had a field trip here. So imagine my frustration and disappointment when my classmates would rave about their unforgettable trip to the PLANETARIUM. Since then, I really vowed that I will return to this place with a vengeance.

But that day never came even after I graduated College. And I vowed myself that I would marry the guy who will bring me to the PLANETARIUM.

Of course, that day NEVER came as well (because I guess, no guy is as weird as me) so I just left my deep regret that I will never have that "special" day at the PLANETARIUM.

Of course, I was proven wrong. 

I loved that my first time here at the PLANETARIUM is not with 30 other snotty schoolgirls or 1 nympho boyfriend. I was with the 3 most special people in my life and it was enough to make me choke tears back once we stepped inside.

Yes! Believe it or not I was THAT emotional. People who know me would attest how one of my life's frustrations is that I was not able to go to the PLANETARIUM.

And now I did it! With the best company there is... TEAM YAP!

Now enough with the drama...

Space ship display!

What is this, a space ship for ants????

Kidding!

The kids looking at the different planets!

Our galaxy!

The boys checked out the special rock display.

(In a chipmunk voice) : Houston we have a problem!

Mati looking at first men in the moon!

STARS!

Yup! The Big Bang Theory!

We were lucky that there will be a show in 10 minutes so we waited it out in their lobby. 

We enjoyed our time in the PLANETARIUM! Though it may not be as high tech or interactive compared to other space museums, it was still a fun experience to visit a Philippine classic. In my opinion, the space show was better than what I saw in other museums because their dome picture is more sharp and clear. 

Later on we dropped by to say hi to a dear Filipino hero, Lapu Lapu!

I don't know about you but I get breathless looking at magnificent sculpture like that!

Of course this guy deserves our L-O-V-E!

(We would usually bring a tripod with us for trips like these but since it broke in Thailand, we were left to just ask kind passersby! He he he! They would usually find the idea cute!)

My husband and I make it a point to not just have moments with the kids but to have quality and educational time with them as well. I'm glad that the little guys appreciated and had a lot of fun in our mini Manila day trip which was only cut short when it started to rain. It was great too that not only this Philippine Independence Day celebration is something that the kids learned from but it was also very practical trip for us as we only spent on the food and the horse since Luneta or Rizal Park, and The Planetarium (for that day) was free!

I'm looking at making this a yearly tradition for us so I guess you will be wearing those shirts 1 more time. Tee hee!!!

Wait a minute, I just realized... This is NOT a food blog post! OH NO!

Kidding! :)