We started our day at the Coconut Palace.
The Coconut Palace is a palace commissioned by former First Lady Imelda Marcos for Pope John Paul II's visit in 1981. However, he declined the offer, saying that it was too ostentatious a place to stay while in the poverty-stricken Philippines. The Palace's architect Francisco Manosa, later claimed that the Coconut Palace - a showpiece on the versatility of the coconut and its viability as an export - was planned long before the Pope even decided to visit the country.
The Coconut Palace is made of several types of Philippine hardwood, coconut shells, and a specially engineered coconut lumber apparently known as Imelda Madera.
This decorative lighting system in the main dining room consists of a combination of Philippine hardwood and coconut shells. The light bulbs/lamps are sitting on coconut shells cut in half and then overturned like a plate.
The huge table in the main dining room has seating for 22 guests. Our guide at the palace sounded proud when she said, "the detailed shapes in the table are polished coconut shells that have been cut and then placed into the table's top by children. We used children because their hands are small enough to do the work.' My cousin and I looked at each other and you could tell we were both thinking, "isn't that called child labour?"
A closer look at the table's 'child designed' detail.
Leading up to the second floor...Each of the suites is named after a specific region of the Philippines and displays some of the handicrafts these regions produce.
The upstairs has 7 guest rooms.
The swimming pool in the back of the property is shaped like a coconut that has been cut down the middle then opened. The star shaped decoration in the forground is called a parol. It's a Filipino Christmas lantern. It's a popular decoration you start seeing all over the country as early as September 1st.If you were to continue up to the third floor you would find several offices as well as Ferdinand Marcos's Office.
The palace celebrates the coconut as the ultimate “Tree of Life”. From the coconut's roots to its trunk, bark, fruit, flower and shell, the palace's design, form and ornamentation echo these elements.
The Coconut Palace has been a guesthouse for many guests, including Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, Brooke Shields and George Hamilton. Now, it is a museum, with a butterfly garden and an orchidarium.
On leaving the Coconut Palace I stopped by to say hello to an old friend.
Our next stop is the National Museum of the Philippines. The museum houses many artworks of past and present Filipino artists. The world famous painting The Spoliarium, a painting by Filipino artist Juan Luna which he completed in 1884, is displayed at the museum.The Spolarium measures four meters in height and seven meters in width. The canvas depicts a chamber beneath a Roman arena, where bodies of dead gladiators are being dragged into a shadowy area, presumably to be put in a bigger pile of dead bodies. But sadly, no cameras were allowed in the museum so you can't see the painting here. You'll have to travel to the Philippines to see it for yourself!
Outside the National Museum is this statue of Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines.
Our final stop for the day was at the Paco Park Cemetery. This sign pretty much sums up what makes this cemetery famous. Jose Rizal is a Philippine national hero and leader.
Jose Rizal was buried here from December 30, 1898 to December 29, 1912.In 1912, burial or interment at the Paco Park ceased. It had been the burial ground for several generations and descendants of those who were buried in the park had the remains of their ancestors transferred.
The body of Jose Rizal is now buried in Rizal Park, under a national monument.
Behind me is Chapel of St. Pancratius.
During the Second World War, Japanese forces used Paco Park as a central supply and ammunition depot. The high thick adobe walls around the park was ideal for defensive positions of the Japanese.
The Japanese just before the liberation of Manila in 1945, dug several trenches and pill boxes around and within the Park with three 75 millimeter guns to defend their fortification against the charging 148th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Battalion of the United States Army.
Paco Park’s grandeur was slowly restored after the war.The park was converted into a national park in 1966 during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal.
Besides being the first resting place of national hero Jose Rizal, Paco Park has recently become famous for another reason. Last week's episode of The Amazing Race Asia had its Pit Stop right in front of the Chapel of St. Pancratius. One of the Filipino teams came in first! The contestants ran where I WALKED!! So exciting!
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