On our last overseas day of this long adventure, which had started in Japan about seven weeks earlier, before traveling to Shanghai, Tibet, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Brunei, and finally here to the Philippines, Steven and I took an Uber from our hotel in Manila's Ermita district to Quiapo Church. Known officially as the Minor Basilica of St. John the Baptist, the church is famous for being the home of the Black Nazarene, a "miraculous" wooden icon believed to have arrived on a Spanish galleon in 1605 and enshrined in 1787. Quiapo is possibly the most visited church in the Philippines.
It was impossible to miss the large No to Divorce banner prominently displayed out front.
The church was massive, no doubt to accommodate some of the 200,000 barefoot Catholic worshippers from all over the country who gather each January 9th for the Feast of the Black Nazarene! Even as an observant Catholic, I find such numbers and demonstrations of faith extraordinary.
The lifesized image, clothed in red vestments, presided over the church from behind the altar. We witnessed some devotees on their knees as they made their way to the altar to express their faith & pray for specific petitions.
As we left the church via the rear, we saw a bronze statue of St. John the Baptist in Plaza Miranda, a public space for community festivities and assemblies behind the church.
Miranda Plaza looked like a large market, not a church space.
Fortune tellers in the plaza:
Surprisingly, one side of the church looked far more elaborate than the front, had few people, and no vendors.
A typical street scene:
Two views of the Don Roman Santos Building, described as a "notable neoclassical structure" in the Santa Cruz area of Manila. Perhaps "notable" in the sense of being borderline decrepit?
Our Lady of the Pillar Church:
The nearby Carriedo Fountain was also listed as a historical landmark in Santa Cruz, but it was also sketchy in our opinion.
Across from the fountain was the Arch of Goodwill, which marked the end of the Santa Cruz district and the beginning of Chinatown. The distinctive landmark was a symbolic reminder of the historical friendship and intertwined fates of the Filipino people and Chinese immigrants. We had come to the famously crowded, vibrant center for trade operated by Filipino-Chinese families to look for a gold bracelet for my BIG birthday that had been a few days earlier.
When you look up "bedlam" or "chaos" in the dictionary, these should be the images that come to mind! Seeing a nearly naked baby in the entrance of one shop and very young children begging was like a slap in the face of the rough and tumble area we were in.
We checked out several gold shops, but each one sold gold jewelry by the piece and wouldn't provide the weight. We had checked what gold was selling for that day, but had no way to determine whether the items I might like were at a "fair" price. We've bought gold jewelry in other countries, but had never come across this way of selling gold before.
We did purchase a pretty Chinese enameled dish, similar to those we found in Hong Kong, so all was not lost!
The abject, unrelenting poverty and squalor were so off-putting that I am glad in hindsight that we didn't buy a bracelet, as it wouldn't have been associated with happy memories.
The area had been so upsetting that both of us were relieved to leave Chinatown via the Binondo Chinatown Arch, a gateway to the world's oldest Chinatown. Binondo was established in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement near Intramuros, but across the Pasig River for the Catholic Chinese.
Another view of the arch:
The Filipino fast-food chain, Jolibee, was well represented in Binondo!
Sadly, it was common to see both tanks on the streets and machine-gun-toting guards in front of banks in the more affluent Binondo area.
In the heart of Chinatown stood a monument honoring Roman Ongpin, a prominent Filipino-Chinese businessman and philanthropist. He was a key figure in supporting Filipino revolutionaries during the Philippine Revolution against Spain.
One of the reasons we'd chosen to explore Binondo was the always-buzzing Binondo Church, officially known as the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz. It stood on the site where Dominican priests established their church in Binondo upon arriving in the late 16th century.
Steven entering the church's Porta Sancta or Holy Door:
The church had a tough history: it was destroyed by shelling in 1762 when the British invaded Manila, forcing the Dominicans to leave. When the Dominicans returned in 1842, the church was rebuilt in its current form. It was badly damaged again by bombing in 1942 during the war, but was repaired.
The church is well known throughout the Philippines because its namesake, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the country's first saint, served as a church sacristan or layperson, responsible for preparing the church and sacristy for liturgical celebrations. When the Filipino-Chinese Ruiz was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard in 1630, he was encouraged to go to Japan. After being arrested five years later for spreading Christianity, he was executed for refusing to renounce his faith. He was canonized in 1987.
A view of the gaily decorated rear of the church:
Murals on the ceiling depicted the Assumption of the Virgin and ...
... the Life of Jesus. Unlike ceiling paintings virtually everywhere else, however, these weren't painted on the ceiling; they were painted on the ground and then hoisted up and affixed to it.
The pillars reflected Ruiz's mixed heritage.
Paintings on the domed ceiling depicted angels.
Before getting another Uber driver, the church guard, noticing my slow mobility, promptly went out into the major intersection and stopped traffic so it was safer to cross the street. "Go slowly, be safe," were the kind words my guardian angel told me. Based on our extremely limited experience as of two years ago, Manila was an abysmal city to get around in if you're handicapped.
We asked the driver to take to the monumental Chinese Cemetery, established in the 1850s by rich Chinese businessmen, since the Spaniards forbade foreigners from being buried in Spanish cemeteries.
This section of the cemetery resembled so many others we've explored in other parts of the world, with small niches for loved ones' remains.
The Arch of Heroes at the cemetery exit honored Chinese youth living in the Philippines who fought alongside their Filipino brethren against the Japanese invasion. I was surprised that their acts of bravery weren't acknowledged in a tangible fashion until 1993.
The cemetery looked, for all intents and purposes, like another affluent Manila suburb with grandiose homes, rich cars parked on the streets, and wide sidewalks! We have toured literally countless cemeteries on our travels to all the continents and well over 100 countries; however, even among the more grandiose ones I've posted about, none came close to Manila's Chinese cemetery.
We saw lots of cars on a few of the streets, but nary a "soul" for a long time as we wandered through the cemetery with our mouths agape.
One of the craziest sights we noticed anywhere must have been a woman lying on a chaise lounge inside one of the "homes."
Quite a few of the "homes" had fountains, balconies, and in one case, even a small swimming pool! Many even had air conditioning for relatives who visit on All Saints' Day, when lavish feasts are laid out around the graves, with chairs left vacant for the dearly departed!
This section of the cemetery resembled so many others we've explored in other parts of the world, with small niches for loved ones' remains.
What a telling indictment of Manila's housing crisis that a popular joke is that the "accommodation" in the Chinese cemetery is among the best in the city.
It was sad that some parts of the cemetery were very poorly maintained, with leaves everywhere and a general sense of neglect. I'm not sure whether that was the fault of the cemetery staff or the family members.
I mentioned in the other post on Manila about the persecutions experienced by the Filipino Chinese at the hands of the Japanese invaders in World War II. That was why the Filipino-Chinese Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall caught my attention. As it was closed when we tried to visit, I read that the complex serves as a tribute to the Chinese diplomats and guerrilla fighters who resisted Japanese occupation during the war.
The Arch of Heroes at the cemetery exit honored Chinese youth living in the Philippines who fought alongside their Filipino brethren against the Japanese invasion. I was surprised that their acts of bravery weren't acknowledged in a tangible fashion until 1993.
While waiting for another driver to pick us up, the cemetery's guard advised us to always lock car doors, so no one tries to get our phones or anything else that might be handy. He also said never to talk to strangers, which this Chatty Cathy would have a tough time with, since I always chat with people!
On the way back to our hotel to pick up our bags and go to the airport, we passed by the striking Bonifacio Shrine and Kartilya ng Katipunan Monument. It was designed by renowned artist Eduardo Castrillo and inaugurated in 1998 as a powerful tribute to the Filipino revolutionaries who fought for freedom against Spanish colonial rule.
Adios, Manila, and on to San Francisco to hold and hug our grandchildren for a few days!
Next post: Flash forward almost two years, when we started another overseas trip two weeks ago in Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco, where our son and his family moved to several months ago. I hope you'll agree that the Bay Area is always a lovely place to visit!
Posted on April 9th, 2026, from Motueka, on New Zealand's South Island, after taking a ferry today from Wellington on the North Island. Thank God that the US, Iran, and Israel agreed to at least a temporary ceasefire in the war in the Middle East before more destruction was wrought on innocent lives. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
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