The Day the Galleon Came

"The Manila Galleon was the first medium to reduce the world to a village."

-Nick Joaquin in "Manila My Manila", 1990

Who would have thought that in this day and age, galleons still exists? Recently, a replica of a Galleon made a visit at the Port of Manila so I, along with the rest of Manila's populace, went to check this fragment of Philippine history.

The long queue of people who went to see Galleon Andalucia which somehow reminded me of this year's election.

Perhaps the organizers didn't foresee the number of people who will attend?

In spite of a number of this announcement, I've noticed that a lot of children actually went. A few people (to my surprise) even carried their pets which made me shook my head. MOVING ON...

..

A few of the merchandise on sale inside the waiting area.

The "Pre-departure Area" before heading to the Galleon Andalucia.

Such a relief to see this as a sign of things to come.

So, this is were they "park" those Luxury Cars huh? It was my first time to enter the Pier but I kind of expected to see it

The Galleon Andalucia from a distance.

Getting closer......

...and closer.

On board. Like most people, I was in awe of the structure. I personally tried to decipher how they managed to maneuver such a colossal vessel back in the day.

I noticed this bell which came from the region of Umbria in Italy.

Antonio, who I mistook as the Captain, is actually one of the Marines. He then informed me how they "shipped" the Andalucia to the Philippines.

The hallway which lead to the cabins.

A display which include Andalucia's Coat of Arms.

A view of where the crew sleeps.

View from the Lower Deck.

The day ended with me dog-tired (and hungry), but looking back at all the long queues and what seemed to be endless hours of waiting, I have to say it is all worth it. Besides, its not everyday one get to see an actual galleon, right? This is definitely an addition to my bucket of experience but for now its: "Hasta La Vista Andalucia!"

*According to Antonio, after its Manila leg, the Galleon Andalucia will be heading towards the South: in Cebu then Bohol. Overseas, Taiwan is the next location in its itinerary.