Almost right after we dropped our things off at Vista del Mar, we immediately started touring around. And bear in mind, most of us had only four hours of sleep at most; some of us, none at all! Surprisingly though, no one seemed to mind. Especially with our incredibly energetic ready-for-anything-guide, Milabelle! Sadly, I couldn’t take a photo of her because she just moved really fast! Oh well…
Our first stop was at the Metropolitan Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception. This is known as the most modern church in the Philippines. It’s the only one with an elevator, as well as a cross on the roof that lights up beautifully at night!
As you can see, it’s architecture is tinged with modern influence. Old meets new in this beautiful facade! :)
Next is Fort Pilar. It’s now mostly a shrine dedicated to Our Lady Of The Pillar. Which is why if you look at the photos below…
There are a lot of people that come here to pray other than relax at the beautiful park. Our guide didn’t really explain the reason behind this putting-the-hand-on-the-fire tradition, but then again, that could just be me with my lack of knowledge regarding Catholicism. Judging by the way people do it though, I assume this is some sort of way to “burn” away our sins to gain absolution.
Anyways, moving on…
The National Museum of Zamboanga City is just a stone’s throw away from Fort Pilar. Literally! I only got to admire the rustic walls since the museum was closed for renovations that day. Talk about bad luck!
The Scout Training Center is where we headed next and it is definitely known for JUST THAT. Here, aspiring scouts were taught the essential survival skills when in the wild. If you look at the following photos, you’ll see that they meant business!
Now, it’s used to honor the top scout, a native of Zamboanga, who died in the historic plane crash that brought scouts from all over the world to their bitter ends.
To steer our minds away from the gloom, we headed to the Butterfly Garden! If I’m not mistaken, this was developed in honor of one of Zamboanga’s most loved leaders.
As you can see, gorgeous greenery EVERYWHERE! How could I resist NOT taking photos of these beautiful flowers? Too bad though that I didn’t get to snap a photo of a butterfly! That’s something I definitely need to practice. LOL
As I waited for the rest of our group to return to bus, I did get to snap this from my seat. I just had a random thought as to how appropriate this is for a Philippine Tourism Ad. Hahahaha!
More posts to come! :)
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