Feeling relaxed and a bit Zen-ned
from the yoga session we had at the Community Fitness in Pasig, myself, Christine and Ferdz—who was also our Yogi teacher that morning—decided to
do some urban exploration. “I have a barber appointment in Marikina plus a
friend is inviting me to try out the James Dean Café, you can come with me”
Ferdz told us. So, off we went to the city known for its shoe industry,
city-wide bike lanes and a thriving food scene.
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| Groovy sighting near the entrance of the Book Museum |
My first time in a Book Museum
After our stop at the
barbershop for Ferdz’ haircut, we proceeded to the James Dean Café—Pornhub
viewers, Dean is different from James Deen alright—which was named after the
1950’s Hollywood idol who starred in classic films such as East of Eden, Giant
and a Rebel Without a Cause before a car accident took his life at a young age.
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| Lively murals near the entrance of the Book Museum |
Turns out the café is owned by
REX Bookstore founder Mister Dominador Buhain, and located next door to it, is a
Book Museum housing a stunning collection of rare volumes spanning genres of World literature.
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| An old printing press machine is also displayed in the Book Museum |
According to one of the staff
of the Book Museum who also stood as our guide, Mr. Buhain opened the museum in
2013 because he wanted to share his collections of books collected from his
worldly travels. A life of endless journeying that took him to at least 215 countries in the world and all of
the provinces of the Philippines. It has become a habit of his—an expensive yet
fulfilling one—to score a rare book as one of his travel souvenirs.
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| First edition Harry Potter book. Photo courtesy of Travel Habeat |
The entrance to the museum was
already popping with visual pleasure. There is a statue of Mr. Buhain’s parents
standing atop a stack of concrete books and a wall featuring a stunning spread of
vibrant murals depicting Marikina's several landmarks and cultural
symbols—painted by distinguished Filipino artist Leo Aguinaldo—leading to the
entrance.
Miniature books and other limited edition collections
I am a proud book junky and if ever
I have any material things I’d bring in a tiny home by the beach, it would be
my own collection stacked on my shelves. Imagine finding myself inside a book museum, reading titles that says first
edition and even the ones that are too small to read. Indeed, because Mr. Buhain’s
impressive collection includes miniature books.
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| "Each substance of a grief has twenty shadows" - King Richard II. Miniature Shakespeare books |
Among the tiniest books you can
see here are the Lord's Prayer printed in Gutenberg Museum and all of 3.3 mm x
3.3 mm in size, the smallest edition of The Little Prince and a collection of
William Shakespeare's 40 published works all in their miniature editions.
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| Another tiny book. |
Other limited and first edition
copies includes Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the
Doctrina Christiana—considered as one of the earliest books printed in the
Philippines and several more.
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| The smallest book in the world. This is the Lord's Prayer book |
The Ethnology Center’s Cordillera artifacts
After being wowed by the Book
Museum’s worldly collection of literature works, the guide led us next door to
another fascinating room. This time, another museum doubling as an Ethnology
Center focusing on the history, culture and people from the Cordilleras and
Southern Philippines, awaited our eager minds.
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| A wooden carving depicting an Ifugao Head Hunter |
Inside, one can see an
impressive set of Cordillera and Southern Philippines artifacts—which includes
numerous 7th-10th century stone sculptures found in Gigantes Islands. The guide
told us how these items displayed are very important for Mr. Buhain to impart
to visitors. "He wants more people to learn the culture of the Cordillera
people through these artifacts devoid of foreign influence".
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| An old Maranao Chess Board |
There's a life-sized Lungon or
the Wooden Coffin prevalent in Sagada back in the old days when the locals used to bury their love
ones on hanging coffins. There are also a collection of necklaces, head crowns,
and other body aesthetics worn by the feared Igorot Head Hunters of many
centuries past.
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| Old knives used by the Maranaos |
The manner to which Mr. Buhain
collated all these historical and cultural items reminds me of similar
meticulous curating done by Don Ado in his family’s museum at the Villa Escudero. The Southern Mindanao collection displays the weapons, jewelries and
clothing worn by the royalties of various tribes in Mindanao.
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| There at least several dozens of prehistoric sculpted stones discovered in Gigantes Islands displayed at the Ethnology Center |
On our way out, a rack caught
our attention. Colorful headwear and hats not only from the Philippines but,
from all over the world are displayed. Caps, bonnets, sunhats, fedoras,
trilbies, boaters, you call it what you want, it’s all there in different
shapes and colors.
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| Just some of the many worldly hat collections inside the Book Museum cum Ethnology Center |
The three of us; me self,
Christine and Ferdz agreed that this Book Museum cum Ethnology Center in
Marikina is a much underrated place that more people should know about. The
amount of information housed inside its walls are astounding and may serve valuable
knowledge not only to young students, but to grown-ups as well.
