B.I.O. Quiapo

So the maiden voyage for this blog was done last December 2008. I know, it's been a while and I owe you an update, and part of being a blogger is about catching your attention and keeping it. I probably already lost it, but then again, part of why I did this thing in the first place is to make my life richer by adding new adventures in my list of things to do. :)

Anyways, for the update that I so very owe, here it is:

(By the way, guest adventurers from this trip were Rico, Derek, and Paco.)

From Kari:

"magpahula sa kanto kanto" (have your fortune told by someone from the streets)


Okay, so we basically tried to look for the craziest looking "manghuhula" or fortune teller we could find, and judging by the picture, I'd say we did. Her name was Madam Delea Loren (related to Sophia, perhaps?) And yes, that's Dyesebel the Filipino mermaid on her list of services. She told me about my future, read tarot cards for me, and read my palm. That's not the real story though! She also said that she once told Manny Pacquiao that he would be rich someday. She told him to come back once he was rich, to give her part of his fortune, but apparently, when they had a parade for him in Quiapo, he looked at her as if he'd never seen her in all his life. She swore by this story.

From Jace:

"bili ka rin ng gamit sa hidalgo" (buy something from Hidalgo)


For those who are not aware, a street in Quiapo named Hidalgo is famous for having the lowest prices when it comes to photography equipment. You'll often see the most famous photographers in Manila acquiring their gear here, for the whole street is lined with shops selling anything from vintage cameras (the kind where you have to go under a black cloth to take a photo...that and asking your subjects to sit still for hours) to the newest models of dSLR's. I bought two 1g CF cards.

From Marga:

1. magtirik na ng kandila in different colors tapos bawat isa dapat ipakita mo yung "petition" mo.
(light candles of different colors and for each one, show your "petition" or wish)


In front of the church, you'll see some stalls that sell different colored candles that cater to whatever wishes you may have. You can buy a single candle, or a pack of multi-colored ones for 20 pesos. We were told to light them up, think of our wishes, and leave them to burn until they were done. Having no specific wish in mind (*cough*lovelife*cough*) I just got the whole bunch and hoped that things would go well in all aspects of my life!

2. "maglakad ka sa church ng nakaluhod"
(walk on your knees in the church)

Quiapo church is famous for having some of its devotees walk the whole length of the aisle on their knees, to show their devotion/seriousness/guilt/love/etc.

-Unfortunately, there was mass going on while we were there, so we all concluded that it would be rude to kneel and take photos while that was going on.

3. "punasan mo panyo mo with the black nazarene
- tapos punas mo sa isang tao na sa palagay mo kailangan ng katiting na swerte sa buhay. stranger dapat ah"

(wipe the Black Nazarene with your hanky, then wipe it on someone whom you think needs a little luck in their life)

Believers in the miracles of the Black Nazarene wipe the idol with hankerchiefs, then wipe it on an ailing body part, or someone else. They keep the real one hidden though, so this was a replica. The old woman approached us asking for money to buy food, so we gave her some, and I wiped her with the hanky I used to wipe the Nazarene.






So all in all, save for the CF cards, I ended up spending 200 for the fortune telling, 20 for the candles, and 20 for the old woman. That would bring our total for Quiapo to 240 pesos! I'm glad to say I spent the last 60 bucks on water. :)

If you're planning to go to Quiapo, I suggest a bag that you can keep close to yourself, maybe a face towel to wipe your sweat with, and water. We had so much fun exploring and getting lost in the place, and even if I'd been to Quiapo before, it was nice to go there for a purpose, and experience what it was famous for.

Looking forward to the next bringitong adventure!