Don’t capture the artwork itself, but your experience of it.
Even before I majored in Politics and got obsessed with history, culture, anthropology, and the arts, among others, I have been visiting museums since time immemorial because I feel intelligent about it. We all have our experiences going to museums for educational trips in school, but my most memorable one was when our high school quiz bee coach brought the team to the Tanauan City Museum and Library.
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Since then, I vowed to visit as many museums as I can. I don’t care what kind of museum they are, as long as I’ll be a different person when I come out of it.
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Art museums are comforting and brain-twisting places. It induces our imagination and lets us reflect about ourselves based on how we interpret every piece of art. As a creator and consumer of the arts, I’m aware of the wide range of experiences that art museums can provide to the people.
Taking pictures is a way of connecting to and participating in the art.
I have an overwhelming amount of photos from different museums I visited all over Asia, and honestly I don’t know what to do with them. Nonetheless, I believe one day I’ll be glad I took lots of photos of them so that I have something to go back to.
I’ll be reflecting again on the museums and artworks I visited if I have time and I want people to have a second hand experience of my own, so watch out.
Not gonna lie, but I’ve been telling everyone that prior to visiting Surabaya, I don’t know much about the place and the fact that most historical events in Indonesian politics actually took place here. After attending a conference at Universitas Airlangga, I had the chance to explore the city, more particularly, its museums. The first museum I was able to see is House of Sampoerna, a tobacco museum.
THE LOVELY FACADE OF HOUSE OF SAMPOERNA.
INDICATIONS THAT HOUSE OF SAMPOERNA WAS DESIGNED IN ACCORDANCE TO THE CHINESE FENG SHUI.
MAP OF INDONESIA AT HOUSE OF SAMPOERNA.
SOME ARTWORKS TO TOBACCO PLANT AT HOUSE OF SAMPOERNA.
THE HOUSE OF SAMPOERNA MUSEUM EXHIBITS DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOBACCO COMING FROM VARIOUS INDONESIAN PROVINCES.
THE SITE OF THE FORMER FACTORY WHICH IS NOW AN EVENTS HALL.
SEJARAH CITA RASA TINGGI. This is an Indonesian counterpart to the Philippines’ “Sari-Sari Store”. It’s funny to know that the word “tingi” is part of the sari-sari store culture of the Philippines. It means “retail”, while the Indonesian word “tinggi” means something else.
SEPULUH NOPEMBER OR INDONESIAN NATIONAL HEROES’ DAY.
Are you visiting Legazpi City soon? Get to know the city better by visiting Legazpi City Museum!
As a history buff and history professor, my number one agenda whenever visiting a new place is to check if there are museums that can be visited.
I scored a very cheap flight going to Legazpi City via Cebu Pacific where I also had the chance to fly on a holiday, hence I don’t need to file for a leave of absence from work. To be honest, I am not in any way looking forward to visit the city in the past, but after several visits, I fell in love and I kept on coming back over and over again.
Upon arrival at Legazpi Airport, I rode a tricycle going to the Legazpi City Hall because I saw online that there is a city museum in the building. Apparently, the Provincial Capitol of Albay was also in the same vicinity. I went to the City Tourism Office to ask for information, but sadly they were a little surprised to know that some crazy girl came all the way down to the city just for a little museum excursion.
“Saan ka pa nanggaling niyan?” (“Where did you travel from?”) The employee from the tourism office asked me, since I’m still carrying my JanSport backpack with me. Hey, I came straight from the airport. 😀
I answered, “Sa Batangas po.” (“From Batangas”), but I actually came from a flight from Manila. I mistakenly mentioned that I traveled from my hometown, so the officer assumed I took the bus going to Legazpi.
“Ang layo naman ng pinanggalingan mo.” He replied. Despite my “surprise” visit that day, they happily accommodated me and opened the museum exclusively for my visit.
Anyway, let’s skip to the more important part, they pointed me to the other building (the City Hall Annex Building) where the Legazpi City Museum is located. They also told me that there is a museum at Tabaco which I was not able to check out.
It turns out that the Legazpi City Museum is the only public museum in Bicol Region. It houses several archaeological artifacts, religious items, as well as old photographs and artworks by Bicolano artists which showcase the rich history of the region.
I could tell that the museum was not really that maintained and not that promoted, hence not known by locals and tourists alike. As of writing, I think the museum was already renovated and reopened to visitors.
Different artworks such as photos, paintings, and sculptures are present that depict the Bicolano history and culture.
It’s also amazing to see vintage photos of Mayon Volcano featuring its past eruptions and its very beautiful perfect shape. Btw, Mayon Volcano eruption has been attracting foreign tourists in the past. Yes, tourists would travel to Bicol to watch the eruption of Mayon Volcano.
I have a very blurry memory about the epic Ibalon from my Grade School Filipino class, but I can still remember that Bicolanos have a reputation being mighty and strong since they have fought a lot of battles in the past and they have been resilient against different natural disasters such as the past eruptions of Mayon Volcano and regular typhoons.
I suggest both Bicolanos and non-Bicolanos should check this place out to have a glimpse of the rich Bicolano heritage, including their history and all the cultural identity that they have today. I also hope that more artifacts and artworks by Bicolanos could be displayed here for viewing, assuming they were properly preserved.
LEGAZPI CITY MUSEUM: Information
Legazpi City Museum
For more information about Legazpi City, feel free to visit their website at https://legazpi.gov.ph/
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As I was going around Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur, I cam across a group of museums that are next to each other. As I was also beating the Malaysian heat at the same time, the museum enthusiast in me did not hesitate to check out these museums (which are free entrance, btw) and one of them is Music Museum Malaysia or Muzium Muzic. Below are some photos I took inside the museum which highlight the musical heritage and influences of the different federal states of Malaysia. Enjoy!
Music Museum Malaysia: Photo Gallery
I found out about the sad closing down of Music Museum Malaysia through the article from The Star Malaysia entitled The Day the Music Died.
It was a little sad for the museum enthusiasts community to know a museum is closing down because there will be a lot of missed opportunities to educate travelers and other people about the history of Malay musical heritage and influences. However, I am hoping I could see all the installations in other museums around Malaysia. Fingers crossed!
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The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. There is at least one Catholic Church in every town or city in the country. The Nuestra de Senora de Manaoag Church is one of the most popular churches in the Philippines which can be found in the province of Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region in Northern Philippines, and they have Museo de Nuestra Senora De Manaoag, a museum where you can learn a lot about the history of the church.
But before anything else, you can check out this restaurant we dined in at Pangasinan, just in case you need to look for a place to eat after your visit at Manaoag:
Having born and raised in a predominantly country like the Philippines got me exposed to a lot of Catholic practices, including visiting different churches around the country. One Sunday, my family decided to have a mini-road trip from Manila to Pangasinan to visit the famous Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine. It will be my first time in Pangasinan, but I ahve been hearing that Manaoag Shrine performed a lot of miracles. In fact, the Manaoag Shrine was brought to our church in Batangas when I was in grade school and a lot of people came to visit her.
Thankfully, the Manaoag Shrine and Parish Church has a museum, and with that I will be able to get to know Manaoag Shrine more. Getting to know about it means getting to know more about Pangasinan’s history during the Spanish colonial period. The Museo de Nuestra de Senora de Manaoag is located just beside the church. It houses several church paraphernalia and religious items.
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
This is the welcome sign of the Manaoag Museum.
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
Here are other interesting paraphernalia at the Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag:
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
The Manaoag Museum houses statues of other famous saints, such as St. Lorenzo Ruiz, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Vicente Ferrer, among others.
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum): St. Lorenzo RuizMuseo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum): St. Catherine of Siena
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum): St. Vicenter Ferrer Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum) Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum) Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum) Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
There is a section in the museum where devotees can write their intentions for The Our Lady of Manaoag. Some of them are exhibited inside the museum.
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
Papers like this are available to write your own personal intentions for the Our Lady of Manaoag.
Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag (Manaoag Museum)
Overall, I had a meaningful visit to the Our Lady of Manaoag and the Museo de Nuestra Senora de Manaoag, and it was nice visiting another new church. Visiting shrines like this reflect a lot about the Filipino Catholic culture. Moreover, it is enriching to observe how heavy the Spanish influence on the Philippines is with regards to teaching us the Catholic faith.
(Pasig City Museum is just one of the historical museums in Manila and it’s definitely worth checking out!)
Whenever I have some free time from my full-time job, like the weekends and public holidays, if I’m not spending it in another town or another country, I’ll be spending it exploring museums in Manila or nearby provinces. Back when I used to live in Pasig, I tried doing a simple research on museums to visit there, and luckily there are some! The Pasig City Museum is owned and maintained by the city government of Pasig and I am very certain that it’s a historical museum, so I did not hesitate to pay a visit there. After all, from the place where I live, it is just a short jeepney ride.
PASIG CITY MUSEUM: HISTORY
From the outside, Pasig City Museum looks like a typical old school mansion. This place actually used to be a mansion of the former Mayor of Pasig City, Don Fortunato Concepcion. The house served as Mayor Concepcion’s gift to his wife. Felizardo Dimanlig, a Pasig native, was the designer of the building. In 1937, the construction of the building got finished. Hence, it depicts a lot of Spanish architectural features. Rumor has it that some of the parts of the mansion are actual pieces from the old Pasig Cathedral. The City Government of Pasig eventually bought the building and inaugurated as a museum in 2001.
Several historical events actually happened in this very building, like the visit of former President Manuel L. Quezon, the conversion of the place by the Japanese soldiers into a detention center during World War II, and the hoisting of the American flag to signify the liberation of the country from the Japanese forces after the war.
PASIG CITY MUSEUM: WHAT TO SEE
The museum basically showcases information and artifacts related to the history and development of Pasig City. There are also artworks and memorabilia which I think belongs to the Concepcion family. I went there on a weekday and it is indeed open. When I stepped inside the museum, no one was there to guide me. After a while, a lady showed up from somewhere and asked me to sign in on a logbook. The museum I think is not used to having solo visitors because seeing the photos in their social media page, they mostly welcomed group tours and field/educational tours in the past. I kinda looked like the weird lady randomly entering places hahaha but I did not mind.
Here are some snippets of what to see inside the museum when I tried going around:
The Mutya ng Pasig
Mutya ng Pasig is a statue of the mermaid which was said to be the one responsible for the cleanliness of the Pasig River during the early times.
Historical Development of Pasig City During the Different Periods
Nagsabado sa Pasig Diorama
Other Historical Photos/Information
Different Paintings
Remember this? The Story of the Moth with Dona Teodora and the young Jose Rizal
Other Beautiful Artworks
Visit Pasig Museum, you guys!
How to get to Pasig City Museum? Ride the MRT 3 Blue Line and get off at Shaw Boulevard Station. Take the EDSA Central Exit and look for jeepneys going to ‘Pasig Palengke’ and ask the driver to drop you off at Pasig City Museum. It’s right across the Pasig Cathedral.
PASIG MUSEUM CONTACT DETAILS
Plaza Rizal, Barangay San Jose, Pasig City, Metro Manila Open from Monday to Saturday, 8AM to 5PM Facebook: www.facebook.com/pasigmuseo Email: pasigmuseo@gmail.com Website: www.pasigcity.gov.ph (632) 641-0211 Admission to the museum is free, but donations are accepted.
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GOOD MORNING, BAGUIO CITY! It may not be the sunniest day this day, but it just made the weather even colder (which I totally love, btw!). And look at those houses by the mountains! They look like the Brazilian favelas I see in photos and in TV. It looks so stunning for me because I don’t see things like this where I live. So ladies and gentlemen, this is why I travel.
Baguio City is dubbed as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines”, and this is because of its high altitude location which therefore gives it a very cold and cozy weather, almost all year round. Filipinos and other tourists would visit Baguio City mostly every summer to escape the heat in their own respective hometowns. Back in the day, it was also the favorite vacation spot of American colonial government officials, that’s why a lot of remnants of the American colonial rule can be found here. I had the chance to visit Baguio City, and naturally, my agenda would compose of visits to museums. Baguio is home to several museums, and by the time of my visit, the very beautiful BenCab (Benjamin Cabrera) Museum just opened its doors to the public.
HELLO, THERE, ROOSTER! From my humble homey hotel, I took two jeepney rides to go to BenCab Museum. It could be hard to go to if you don’t know the route and the right public transportation to take. Inside the jeepney are the typical scene of locals checking in their products (usually crops), and look, there’s even a rooster inside our jeepney! Reminded me of the jeepneys in my hometown.
WAITING FOR THE OPENING OF THE MUSEUM. I arrived very early (before the 9AM opening) so that I could go around the galleries with less people. But obviously, it was a long weekend/holiday that time, so a lot of people went up to Baguio for a quick getaway, like me. Not complaining, though! But as usual, I’m the loser solo traveler in a swarm of big groups and families (I’m being sarcastic with the ‘loser’ tag, I love being the solo traveler in crowds like this). Manong Security Guard is monitoring the vicinity of the place because the museum is by a National Road.
SABEL. BenCab’s wife’s name is Sabel, and a lot of his artworks are inspired by his wife. This super elegant mural will welcome you as you enter the museum, as if Sabel is welcoming you to their home. What you’re seeing are Sabel’s ‘portraits’ painted in ceramic tiles, and BenCab sells reproductions of these.
SOMETHING COLONIAL. You see, this is one of my weaknesses when visiting museums. For one, I only get to document artworks that moved me (especially if the museums are very big, of course), but I tend to forget to take note of the artist and the title of the artwork. (This is a lesson for next time). What you’re seeing, obviously, is an American flag which has a lot of symbolic things painted on it. There is also an (American) eagle on the top of it.
BUL-UL. Whenever you’re anywhere in the Cordillera regions, you will never, ever miss seeing Bul-ul statues. It is also known as Bulul or Tinagtaggu, which were believed to be wood carvings of the ancestors of the people of Cordillera region. They also serve as the Gods protecting the rice crops of the residents in the region. This is very iconic and if there’s one takeaway you can bring home from a trip up to the Cordilleras, it’s your knowledge about the bulul.
A MUSEUM WITH SO MUCH NATURE! BenCab Museum has a freaking Nipa Hut in the middle of a duck pond which is very tranquil! The museum complex is so big and upon reaching the back part, you will have a view of this beautiful sight and you can even go down there. Now I know why people love going to BenCab Museum. I mean, look at this view!
CAFE SABEL. Cafe Sabel is your Museum Cafe with a very colorful and modern interior. I love museum cafes, they are the most classy ones on earth (even if they serve the most expensive food, I mean sipping coffee inside a museum? Awesome!). I just forgot to take a photo, but their strawberry milkshake is superb! You can’t afford to miss anything with strawberries when in Baguio City, okay? You just can’t.
SNAPSHOTS: ASIA Trailer
SNAPSHOTS: ASIA Photo Essay #10: GETTING CULTURED AT BENCAB MUSEUM (PIN IT! )
Baguio City in the Cordillera region in the northern Philippines is dubbed as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” that is why people flock here throughout the year especially during summer to escape the heat in their places of origin. We are very lucky that a lot of museums in Baguio City are built around to showcase the art, history, and culture of the region. Aside from the cold weather and museums, amazing views, and good food, Baguio City also presents a unique cultural heritage that is distinct from the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, here are some of my other posts about Baguio City:
BenCab, or Benjamin Cabrera, is a National Artist for Visual Arts, is the owner of this majestic museum. It houses several of his contemporary art collections and own works. You will also see many bul-ul (a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crops by the Ifugaos) installations here.
“Sabel” a common theme in BanCab’s works, is actually inspired by a real-life scavenger. A coffee shop is located at the ground floor of the museum which he also named “Sabel”. An eco-trail outside Sabel Café where traditional Cordillera houses can be seen can also be explored for a separate fee, just ask the café staff to avail. Nature and art combined indeed. Entrance fee is Php100 (Php80 for students and senior citizens).
The Tam-Awan Village or the “Garden in the Sky” is a depiction of a traditional Cordillera community. It’s not a typical museum where artifacts and artworks are installed in one building. It is more of an outdoor museum with steep trails.
Typical Ifugao and Kalinga houses can be seen here along with different artworks. In here you can also find a dream catcher art area.
It building façade has an Ifugao-inspired architecture and it showcases the culture and heritage of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), by province. It also has dioramas (like that of Ayala Museum) depicting the daily lives of the different tribes and ethnic groups.
This museum also houses an actual mummified human body, which by the way is prohibited to be photographed. Scary!
SLU MUSEUM OF ARTS AND CULTURES Saint Louis University, Bonifacio Street, Baguio, Benguet Monday-Friday, 7:30AM-4:30PM (074) 442 2193
7. BELL HOUSE
MUSEUMS IN BAGUIO CITY: Bell House Library and Museum
The Bell House is named after General J. Franklin Bell who developed Camp John Hay into a military recreation area. The House contains a library and a typical American interior and architecture with different memorabilia from the American period.
BELL HOUSE Camp John Hay, Baguio, Benguet Monday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM
BAGUIO – MOUNTAIN PROVINCES MUSEUM Harrison Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
9. GALLERIA DE POTENCIANA BY ARCA’S YARD
MUSEUMS IN BAGUIO CITY: Galleria Potenciana by Arca’s Yard
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Arca’s Yard is a mini-museum, mini-library and café located at Ambuklao Road. It houses different books and sculptures which depict the Cordillera culture and some contemporary artworks. The view here is spectacular, I promise.
GALLERIA DE POTENCIANA BY ARCA’S YARD 888 Tip-Top, Ambuclao Road, Benguet Monday-Sunday, 9AM-5PM (074) 665 4298
