When I first saw the building structure of the famous Sto. Niño Shrine of Leyte here in the City of Tacloban, I was fascinated and at the same time mystified by it. I kept on asking myself how it looks like inside since I just get information of it by opening the pages of the magazines and newspaper through articles of the said shrine.
Riding through a bus whenever I get a chance to go home during weekends, it is always a route to pass by at the Sto. Niño Shrine. I just glance over the structure and wonder when I will have the opportunity to visit such place someday.
Until, there was an announcement made that we will be having an educational trip at no other than the said shrine which is one of the most beautiful and prestigious shrine in whole Region 8. I said to myself that it was a dream comes true because all I was thinking is that it was impossible for me to visit such place since I have no money to utilize to go visit such place and I have no guts since I’m no tourist after all.
We were 46 in all who participated the tour excluding our mentors. Some of my classmates brought cameras for picture taking as souvenirs, they were allowed but with charge fee. We were ordered to take off our shoes, fall in line and if possible according to them, we should not make unnecessary movements. So, falling in line, finally, we got inside and holding my breath, I can’t believe that I was really inside, I felt like I was dreaming and floating, I tried to rub my eyes off to wake myself up but it didn’t work out, really, I was not dreaming. I know that I am overreacting but the fact that I was inside of the former haven of the famous Marcoses, I cannot be blame for this jittering feeling I felt.
There were no thins that I did not appreciate. All things and every piece were pleasing to the eyes. At one moment, when I look furiously at a certain piece, and in a sudden, when I look at the other way, my eyes would catch its attention. From the local pieces to imported ones, I couldn’t describe much but to my delight, everything seems magnificent, be it sophisticated or somewhat exotic. The Immaculate Mother mosaic, made by broken pieces of mosaic with natural color imported from Italy was the one I eyed most. I’m thinking of myself to have my own sort of mini-museum for housing different collectables from different countries and places.
The fact that me and my colleagues would like to roam around and appreciate keenly every detail and every display of every rooms, we were unable to rotate some of the innermost part of the shrine, we were not satisfied and we were craving for more. The covered time for us to explore the whole shrine was only 35 minutes and it was not enough for such a fantastic tourist spot to be. Another hindrance is the harsh treatment, (call it exaggerated) I say harsh treatment of the ushers or the tourist guide for the reasons that we were given a strict treatment; they were so non-accommodating, unfriendly and arrogant. They don’t deserve to be called tourist guide because they do not know how to promote the goodwill of tourism, they did not even possess the characteristic of being hospitable. They should be thankful for us since aside from patronizing the shrine they’re promoting, they are also earning from us.
So much for the ungrateful ushers, to my amazement, I did not imagine that such a small place brought us to a wholesome adventure. Glancing at the structure from the outside, when one hasn’t entered yet the shrine, it would be unbelievable that there are many things that need to be discovering inside. I was really like I had traveled across the country and as if I had visited other foreign countries too. Now, I had learned more to appreciate and value much the beauty of our country, and indeed, I had discovered many things during my tour to Sto. Niño Shrine. We are very rich in culture and tradition and is a truly mixture of the East and West hemispheres regardless of our economic declination. Indeed, it was terrific and entertaining. What an inexhaustible journey it has been!
Post a Comment