Holy Week 2010

Filipinos always look forward to the Holy Week for a myriad of reasons. some see it as an opportunity to get out of the city for a little vacation hence the horrendous traffic beginning Holy Wednesday on the major arteries leading out of Manila. i, on the other hand, see it as a chance to spend some time alone in my beloved city, during the one time of the year when the frenzy considerably dies down and everything moves in a muted pace.

Maundy Thursday, my family and i went around Intramuros and Manila for our traditional Visita Iglesia. this time, we decided to do it during the day and take our cameras with us. it was fun doing the rounds and getting out in the sun and snapping away, becoming veritable tourists in our own backyard. it was also a chance to grab lunch at one of manila's most historic landmarks, and if it is to be believed, the home of the best chicken barbecue in town-- Aristocrat right in front of the Manila Bay.


for Good Friday, i decided to accept a lunch date and found myself back in Manila. this time, we went to Adriatico, a place i have not set foot on since my college days. the usual lights and crowds of Malate were non existent on this hot hot day. Malate definitely takes on a different feel without the parties and what nots. of course, there is a certain "ugliness" to the area in the glaring, unforgiving light of midday, but i was in my beloved Manila. if anything, i felt it added to the charm of the city.

Black Saturday, or as my date pointed out the day before, Holy Saturday to the rest of the world, found me in a deserted Makati. it was the perfect time to take my camera out and walk around the usually bustling business district. it was eerily quiet, with just a few people milling about. i love makati, but only on weekends. it empties out, especially on early weekend mornings and gives me the chance to appreciate the gigantic buildings that one could easily find in other financial districts elsewhere in the world.


what surprised me amidst the austerity of the business district were two quaint little parks right in its heart-- the Washington Sycip Park, and the newly landscaped Ayala Triangle right by the Nielsen Tower. the first one offered a respite of greenery in the middle of the concrete jungle, which had me imagining lazy sunday picnics right by the pond and the second one, a blossoming leisure park where kids could run freely in the grass, away from the busy thoroughfares of Makati.


to cap the week off, i took with me about twelve magazines and camped out in cafe breton in greenbelt to catch up on my reading. to ensure no one bugged me, i put my ipod on. it was surreal, being ensconced in my own little bubble as the mall filled with people coming out for easter brunch. it was the perfect ending to a quiet, stress-free week.

i don't regret not getting out of the city for holy week. i revel in it. the love affair i have with Manila intensifies to fever pitch at this time of the year. the out of town trips, the forays into foreign lands, those are for other times of the year. holy week is reserved for me and my city.