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I was looking forward to our trip to HCM simply because I wanted to see the Notre Dame Cathedral in person. The photos I’ve seen didn’t do justice to how beautiful the cathedral was. It was simply breathtaking…

Peaceful and somber, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City is an easy place to escape the maniacal buzz of motorbikes for a few minutes. Constructed by the French in the 1800s, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City appears strangely out of place with its Gothic and Roman-style architecture. Twin towers reaching to 190 feet capture the interest of people strolling by. SOURCE.

And look at these photos taken by the Hubby…

Beautiful, isn’t it? I would highly recommend that you check it out too!

Notre Dame Cathedral
Bến Nghé, Quận 1,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
+84 8 3822 0477

After our trip to Singapore Zoo, we went back to the hotel to freshen up then went to hear mass at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. Yes, it was a Sunday! So the church was packed but we were happy that we were able to fulfill our Sunday obligations at the church.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District and affords a welcome respite from the city.

Bounded by the parallel Queen and Victoria Streets, and Bras Basah Road, the Cathedral sits within well-shaded grounds. Much of its architecture is reminiscent of two famous London churches namely St Paul’s, Covent Garden and St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore and the seat of its archbishop. It is the final resting place of Bishop Edouard Gasnier, the first bishop of the revived Diocese of Malacca and aptly houses the relics of Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert, to whom the Cathedral owes its name. SOURCE.

The church was huge and it was nice to be able to hear mass in a different country.

Cathedral of Good Shepherd
Museum Planning Area
Bras Basah Road
Singapore

I won’t leave my home town without hearing mass at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. This is a Monastery run by the Benedictine monks. And ever since I was child, we would hear mass here every Sunday at 8AM.

Such a breathtaking site! This photo didn’t do any justice to the Church!

This pyramid-shape monastery is located in between the hills of Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. No wonder the mass is very solemn. You would see wonderful views of the mountains when you are at the church. It is quite popular in the province. The new church was designed by the National Artist for Architecture, Mr. Leandro Locsin.

The fun thing about my visit to the Church was the brunch we had with the Monks right after mass. It was sponsored by my cousins so we had free meals. I was able to try the Callos, Pansit, Fried Chicken, and Beef cooked by the monks. Of course there was Monk’s Blend Coffee and ginatan – something that I missed eating so much. A comfort food.

Recently they had built a new museum that visitors can see.

A Priest’s Sultana Made of Pinya (Very Nice!)

Pinya and Abaca Collection

I’m glad that they were able to build this Museum. It is something that tourists can see after they hear mass. A little bit of history about the Benedictine Monks who built this compound.

The Monastery of Transfiguration
Address: San Jose, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon
Tel. No.: +63.88.221.2373

Mass Schedules:
Daily masses at 5:20am
Sunday Mass at 8am

Here’s the how to get to Malaybalay, Bukidnon (**Grabbed from www.BackpackingPhilippines.com**):

There are no direct flights to Bukidnon, so you need to book flights to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) or take ferries going there from various other ports. From airport or pier, hire a taxi to take you to CDO Agora Bus Terminal (this is quite far about 15 kilometers) then commute by bus to Davao (via Malaybalay) or Valencia, Bukidnon (buses leave the terminal every 30 minutes). The two hour trip that passes by Del Monte pineapple plantations and the zigzag roads of the plains and breathtaking terrain and Mt. Kitanglad (ideal for trekking/hiking). In Malaybalay, you will need a motorcycle or a car to take you as there is no public transport to take you to the place on a hill.

Boy, these sure looks heavenly!

I can’t imagine how sweet this would be! I haven’t tasted it but from the looks of it, this won’t be good for diabetics, I assume. I am one of those (almost) diabetic but I would want to try one at least. Because just looking at the photos makes my mouth water already! I don’t like that SUPER sweet desserts though (that’s why I still wonder up to now why my blood sugar went up), but Hubby does so maybe he can eat the half of my donut?

Here are the chocolate donut selections:

For more, visit ChocolateKarnival.com.

ETA: Hubby and I couldn’t help it. We gave in. We tried these donuts last night and boy, it was heavenly! I liked the one with vanilla kreme filled most. Yum!

* Photos grabbed from ChocolateKarnival.com.

Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica or known as Manila Cathedral is one of the oldest Cathedral in Manila. It has been a Cathedral since 1581 during the Spanish Era. Yes, this church is that old! It is also one of the biggest too so most couples love to have their wedding ceremony there. It is old yet classic.







Hubby and I were able to explore this church once again last weekend when we happened to pass by the area. We took some photos and we had a grand time exploring the place. Weddings and Baptisms can be held here but I suggest that you register a year before because they are always fully booked! My highschool friend had her wedding here a couple of years back and it was wonderful! A bit big for my taste though but the classic feel of the church made the ceremony more solemn and romantic.

There was a wedding held when we passed by last weekend and somehow “gatecrashed” and entered the church and took a few photos. (*grin*)





Nice isn’t it? I love the flowers all over too!

Here are more photos that Hubby took.











For more information, visit their website here.

This is the most memorable place for Hubby and I since January 30, 2005. We got married at St. Pancratius Chapel which is inside Paco Park. This is also the church where my Mom and Dad got married so it was a nice choice for us.

What I liked about this Chapel was it was small which made the masses held here very solemn and peaceful. We had 300 guests during our wedding but it was a bit early (8AM) so the Chapel was not jampacked that much.

The only problem we had was the guests didn’t know where exactly was Paco Park and some even got lost going there and ended up in a certain “Paco Church”.

I would recommend this Church for wedding ceremonies. And oh, they also has a nice garden outside for wedding receptions.

Here are some photos of our wedding taken at Paco Park.

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to University of Sto. Tomas (UST) hospital chapel to attend my Lola’s memorial mass. It was raining hard but good thing that the roads along Espana were not flooded at all.

According to the History of UST, the University of Santo Tomas is actually the oldest existing university in Asia and in terms of student population, the largest Catholic university in the world located in one campus. That explains the old buildings in the campus particularly the Church. Too bad it was raining hard that we weren’t able to take some photos.

I love the facade of the church and makes me think of the Spanish era. There are so many things that you can see inside the campus which include:

Arch of the Centuries
Benavides Monument
Main Building
The Cross
Statues atop Main Building
Beato Angelico Gallery
Central Library
Central Seminary
Santissimo Rosario
UST Botanical Garden Museum of Arts & Sciences
Publishing House
Rector’s Hall

I have yet to explore more about this campus and hopefully will be able to get photos the next time we will visit the place. But for the mean time, if you are interested in enrolling in this school or would want to hear mass at the church, you can visit their website here.