Quiapo

Why do I love Quiapo? Despite the heat, the filth and the crowded alleys that would turn you into an instant claustrophobe, Quiapo has its charms found nowhere else in the country. Filipinos from all walks of life gravitate towards Quiapo. Here you'll find Philippine Culture in vivid color: folk religiousity centred around the Nazarene Jesus--you still find some devotees kneeling their way towards the altar inside the Quiapo Church; Muslims staking their place in the sun--mainly around the Golden Mosque area-- you can find them everywhere, Maranao and Tausug are familiarly spoken like Tagalog. And then the ubiquitous peddlers and hawkers of religious items-- life-size statues of the Virgin and the Saints, crucifixes and medallions-- alongside herbal abortifacients in liqour bottles (if you look closely enough, guys are the main customers), exotic fruits from China (dragon fruit, anyone?), sex gadgets-- plastic phalluses, some with batteries--don't you get electrocuted using these?--as well as "rings" and other USOs (unidentified sex objects) made from horse hair; tiaras for would-be beauty queens; voodoo paraphernalia-- hideous looking dolls and pins, for crying out loud; pirated DVDs including full season episodes of popular US and Korean hits as well as Wagner's and Puccini's operas; and of course, the hard-to-find, uhm, porno DVD copies all the way from Japan, the US or even Germany!

And get this, there is even a music shop that specializes in classical music! Yup. Beethoven and Mozart piano sonatas and complete Chopin waltzes and impromptus, although the albums and the pieces were published way back in the 40's and 50s'-- you can tell from the yellowish color of the pages--it doesn't matter, it's classical anyway. It's like a time warp. You just have to navigate through the maze of back alleys and rows and rows of shops that keep Edu Manzano and his anti-piracy team busy conducting blitzkrieg raids.

Also, you can always bump into that funny Celdran guy conducting his walking tours around Manila, who, If you ask me, is single-handedly doing a valiant job raising awareness of our historical heritage, and which would put the people at the Tourism Department to shame.

You can also find faith healers and psychics ready to predict your fortune and future, the Jesus wannabes or the Second Messiahs preaching their brand of religion and curiously, even fire eaters (that's right) which makes the place a sort of an everday feria.

It's all crazy. It's chaotic. But a wonderful mess. It's Quiapo.