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May 4, 2008. Sunday

A very special day for my Wife because it is her nth Birthday so I decided that we go to Antipolo, Rizal and attend mass at the religious shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, popularly known as the Virgin of Antipolo (Birhen ng Antipolo).

Pinoy ingenuity at work started when riding an FX at Santolan MRT station terminal, the Driver told us that he changed his plate number to color white so we could stop and unload near the church. “And that we are travelling as a group of local tourist and that our driver’s name is Toto”. That completed the script he had written and Directed. True enough, upon reaching a checkpoint that showed a sign of “Do Not Enter”, our driver told the person manning it that we would just park our FX near the gasoline station. It Works! We disembark a few steps near the church.

Every month of May, this legendary town of Antipolo becomes a beehive of activity and vibrancy as thousands, from all walks of life, flock to this lovely place to pray and join in the festival atmosphere.

This pair of dancer gamely dances to the tune of “Tayo Na Sa Antipolo” song despite bathing with perspiration. They gamely pose for this eager photographer.

Then there is also a hammock where you can ride and would be carried by strong young man up near the Church stairway. These would cost you P50.00. There were other people who tried it for experience but a lot were contended with having their picture taken. This is free! This shows another example of Pinoy ingenuity. Maybe they should charge P10.00 per photo shoot just like in Baguio. The group might have earned more. Hehehehe!

What caught my eye? An old lady is selling “palayok” cooking set. I told her I would buy after the mass but I got lost on our way back. We rode a tricycle in front of Footstep Store to be brought to FX terminal but it is already late when I learned that there is a different terminal for Cubao passenger. So I failed to buy one as a souvenir. Hehehehe!

After hearing the mass we decided to go to our Branch and pass by a lot of stalls selling different souvenir items.

I noticed one family having their picture taken with the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal. I ask my wife to take my picture also so I gamely posed near the monument. To my surprise, Dr. Jose Rizal in not included in the frame. This is the stolen shot of the Birthday celebrant because she is camera shy. Hehehehe!

Happy Birthday Evelyn!

If you have time, Please go and visit Antipolo Church and experience the very festive atmosphere all over the place.

Thank you Cynthia (our Branch Manager in our Antipolo Branch) for the sumptuous snacks and for the take home “suman” and “kakanin” complete with special coco jam.

Here is the photo of our branch in Antipolo.

But wait before I forget:

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