Image above: Next to the crematorium, a building contains slots for the ashes of the deceased – each with a personalised faceplate. [Sunday 23 May] | [View all photos]
After all the excitement in Pagsangan the previous day, Ada and I had a more relaxing and surreal day exploring the enormous Chinese Cemetery in Manila.
Taking it easy on ourselves for our last day in Manila we opted for a hotel car to take us through the traffic to the Chinese Cemetery. Along the way, it was fascinating watching life ebb and flow around us as well the iconic aspects of Manila itself.
Arriving at the Chinese Cemetery we engaged the services of one of the caretakers, Jun, to show us around. The place was massive and it’s no wonder its also called the City of the Dead with so many mausoleums around us. Some were hugely decadent, some simple, some in disrepair, and others just sadly poignant.
The cemetery is one of the oldest in the Philippines dating back to the 1850s and during that time there are a wide range of styles from Vietnamese, to Fujian, to animal. Whilst they are some extravagant buildings – some with air-con, toilets, and a kitchen for visitors – all of this was offset by some of the simple gestures of respect in the more basic buildings.
Going through, it was both surreal to be walking through though also interesting too. We noticed more often than that it was the husband that died first leaving a space for the wife to join him. And, in a few places, there was space for the mistress in addition to the wife!
We finished our tour with a visit to the oldest Chinese temple in Manila – Chong Hock Tong temple – before we had to dash back to the airport and head onto Cebu for dinner.
Coming up next … a day trip to the island of Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills.
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