Our Annual Zamboanga Trip- 2012

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Every year, since my Amah died, we would travel to Zamboanga to celebrate her death anniversary.  A year before she died, we also traveled to Zamboanga because I wanted to bring the twins to Amah.  The next year she died and we traveled to Zamboanga to commemorate her 40th Day.  We did not go during the wake and the burial as I was informed by my mom that it's not good to bring along kids as they are prone to seeing spirits and ghosts.

This year's travel was a bit special.  It's her babang luksa.  So finally, after 3 years of wearing white, those who have remained a Ruste (those who haven't married or carries the family name of my Angkong and Amah) finally gets to wearing ordinary colors, after wearing Red for the first time.

September 29 was the day.  Itinerary for the day was 6:00am- visit the tomb, 7:30am- breakfast at Jollibee, 9:30am- temple rites.  We did not join the prayer at the cemetery.  Excused since we have toddlers who won't be able to wake up before 6:00am.  We joined them for breakfast instead at Jollibee.  The thing the kids love most about Jollibee Zamboanga is the play area, which is more or less like the play area at McDonalds Bajada (the one near Victoria Plaza).  Look at the kids having fun!



After breakfast, we're off to the temple.  Don't ask me the name because I forgot and it's not an easy name to remember :P  There's an inner temple room and an outer temple room.

This is what greets visitors at the entrance of the outer temple.  This is where we pray and ask for something.

This is the outer temple with Buddha statues.

This is the inner temple.  My Amah's picture was placed near the altar.

The temple is not an ordinary temple.  It houses a school- from pre-school to high school.  So the kids had some fun at the kids play ground.  The temple also has a huge water lily pond where the kids had fun looking for fish.

The water lily pond.

The play area at the back of the temple.
At 9:30am, temple prayers promptly started.  We started praying at the inner temple.  It lasted for more than an hour. My youngest slept on the kneelers (must be because of the chanting) and we were all giggling looking at him.  He looked like he was really having a restful sleep.  The eldest on the other hand was a bit cranky.  You cannot expect toddlers to be appreciative of more than an hour's worth of prayers.  We thereafter proceeded to the outer temple.  This one took a bit long.  But before proceeding there, we were asked by the monks to change in red.  Time to rejoice! At the end of the service, we gave away tikoy, apples and oranges to our guests.  And oh, we also ate some tikoy (gutom na kasi!).  Here's what we looked like after the prayers... All red!


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