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Metro Manila / Shopping / Sightseeing / Rizal Park / Grandstand Area

Along the harbor front in back of the grandstand, people picnic, swim, stroll, sit, sleep, and wash clothes. It is also a place where many like to watch the famous sunset over Manila Bay. There are two playgrounds (6,7) for children, and several refreshment stands. A comfort room and a police outpost (8) are located under the grandstand.

At one end of the sea front there are boats for the harbor and sunset cruise (9) as well as cruises and guided tours to Corregidor. Monday through Friday Golden Horizon Cruise Services operates a sunset cruise in the evening. On Saturdays there are two morning cruises and two evening trips and on Sundays and holidays they have 5 morning trips and 4 afternoon and evening trips.

Also along the sea front is a commemorative (10) in honor of the first landing of the China Clipper in Manila November 29, 1935. The clipper used to pull right up to the side of the Manila Hotel.

Today the site is a dock for the MV Island Cruiser which makes tours to Corregidor daily at 7:30 and returns at 12:20. On Sunday there is a trip at 13:30 with return at 17:50. For reservations and further information call Sun Cruises Inc Tel 50-66-11 to 18, 58-88-09, 521-07-91, 521-07-92. Often there are small groups of evangelists (11) with loudspeakers in this area. There are several restaurants (5) which extend over Manila Bay.

The Quirino Grandstand (12), is the site for big political demonstrations. During the last weeks of Marcos' rule, this was where Cory Aquino's huge rallies were held reportedly attended by up to two million people. Even if this figure is exaggerated, the rallies were definitely gigantic. 500,000 people is still an enormous crowd. Some of the more successful and commercialized evangelists also talk to their audiences at the grandstand. And the grandstand is frequently used as the start and end point of marathons. Sometimes it is the site of Ati-Atihan contests.

In front of the grandstand is a large field where many teams of various kinds of sports practice and play. The area is big enough for several soccer fields. Just opposite the Manila Hotel is the Rizal Park Post Office (13).

Statues of a carabao (15), the water buffalo which still does most of the work in rural areas, and a Tamaraw (15), the small-sized wild buffalo in the Philippines, may be seen on the stairs which lead to the grandstand portion when coming from Roxas Blvd. Along Roxas Blvd, double deck buses can be boarded for rides to Baclaran, all the way along the sea front.

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Actually this was great for all of us, because we got to hear most of the conference presenters speak their minds fluently and clearly in their native language.