Manila Central Post Office compound, Manila Philippines
It was a bright sunny day on November 23, 2011 when a small group of post card and stamp collectors met at the main lobby of the Manila Central Post Office more popularly called Lawton, Post Office .
P.O. Boxes
The author arrived past 8:00 am then followed -by Mr. Jonathan Blaza a postcard , stamp , coin collector . Aside from these collections , he also had other hobbies like orchid growing , breeding African love birds , scorpions and spiders. He was soon followed by Ms. Julie Flores , Mr. Jong Esteban Caytiles and Mr. Edge Azurin who was the last to arrived . He seems to be lost in the chaotic streets of Manila. 
L-R Mr. Jong Caytilles , Lawrence Chan , Mrs. Elenita San Diego -Manager Postage and Philatelic Department , Mr. Jonathan Blaza and Ms. Julie Flores
The small group was also welcomed by Postage and Philatelic Department -manager Mrs. Elenita San Diego.
One of the first agenda of the meet was the short lecture to be conducted by the marketing and administration personnel of the post office, After a brief question and answer portion. the group led by Ms. Annadel Bangalisan who toured the group in the post office operations. 
L-R Mr. Edge Azurin , Mr. Jonathan Blaza , Ms. Olive Valderama Operation Officer , Ms. Julie Flores and Mr. Jong Caytiles
section where letters are sorted
According to the group discussion , some of the unusual packages and letters that were received by the post office were pornographic materials, semen samples, drugs , illegal weapons, firearms and even marijuana . The most recent was the anthrax scare in January 7, 2009 were about a dozen postal employees were said to be expose on the substance . The package contained a powdery substance, which according to our resource person , said follows a trend of 70-plus hoaxes sent to several US post offices and missions. Most of the items were confiscated by the post office. 
boxes of business class letters ready to be sorted and delivered
registered mail service by the Philpost from a well-known insurance company
A short lecture by Ms. Olive Valderama was conducted . Mostly on the operations of the post office . The small group also went to the section for sorting of letters and registered business mail
Grendizer TV anime and manga character by Mr. Go Nagai
This life-sized statute was initially shipped to France, Its total mail cost which included air- freights and custom duties reached well over 14,000 pesos ! However the recipient in France did not accept the package and was returned back to the country.
Dead Mail Section
Dead Mail Office / Section A letter or package becomes “dead” when neither its sender nor its recipient can be identified, most often because the delivery address is incorrect or absent and the return address is also incorrect or absent. 
Morie the sender address the letter to Mr. Philip Dari- this postcard unfortunately never made it to the recipient ( maybe without stamps )
The dead mail office in which undelivered letters and parcels could be found (In the Philippines, it would take at least 3 times for these items to be delivered by postal employees to the recipient before they end-up in this office . )
United States Postal Service adopted the more politically correct name “mail recovery center” to refer to what had been gloomily known as the dead letter office. Besides giving a positive outlook to the concept of a dead letter office by focusing on the mail that is actually recoverable, the other change in the name – a shift from “letter” to “mail” – since the US postal service also included parcels. 
bust of batman
These are some of the reasons ‘why” the letters or parcels may not be able to reach their owners.
a.) Insufficient address – Senders use an incorrect recipient address and omit a return address / change of address without proper notification to the postal workers or to the community.
b.) In-legible handwriting- sometimes ink smeared beyond recognition is the culprit .
c.) Fictitious name and Fictitious address . Some of the recipient would put Bugs Bunny, Santa Clause, Count Dracula etc….
d.) Refusal to accept by the recipient of the letters / parcel
e.) Items are mistakenly dropped into mail boxes with other mail.
f.) Illegal items like drugs
space rocket made from wood
Before these items are properly auctioned -off to interested buyers. This usually takes several months . Then , the small group went to the small air conditioned eatery at the back of the post office to eat the lunch. Some of the group started arranging their giveaways and postcards items for swapping .
PEDCO eatery is one of the few canteens located within the post office compound
This so called eyeball / meet-up or swap meet was organized by some members of the Post Crossing Philippines and Post Crossing Enthusiast face book members . Unlike regular meetings of other societies and clubs , most of the interactions made was by internet and Facebook , swapping with fellow postcard collectors. Most of the physical activities are intermittent since most of the members are busy and out of town.
postcards from the dead mail section of the post office
Postcard Collecting or Deltiology is considered as one of the popular hobbies in the country . It caters to travelers , students , diplomats, post card and stamp collectors but due to changing times, postcard collecting is slowly confined to a small community and sometimes few vintage pre-war postcards items would also be sold in some collecting group like Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club , Bayanihan Collectors’ Club or Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society during their monthly meeting. 
giveaway for the attendees
Postcards and stamps compliment each other. Both tell a story , both are used as a form of communication. while postcards serves as an open type of letter and stamps are also used as a proof of delivery rendered by the post office. Some may say that due to the internet age , just like snail mail, post card swapping and collecting is slowly dying . But , this eyeball meet may prove the skeptics wrong . At around past 1:00 pm members of the group started arriving at the postal museum and library .
The 20 plus members of the group were very friendly and some came from as far as Cagayan de Oro City, Baguio, Laguna and United States of America .
Ms. Ruby Ricafrente is the founder of the group
A blogger , post card , key chain and fridge magnet collector. She hails from the city of golden friendship Cagayan de Oro City.
Ms. Jenny Dominguez is from Baguio City and took time to attend the swap meet and eyeball
She usually makes and design her own postcards using cute comic characters like Hello Kitty . She also collects vintage postcards
for those interested in swapping with her . Contact Information: P.O. Box 728 Baguio City 2600 Philippines
Mr. Ceferino Francisco III nickname: Von Francisco loves to collect ” Map Postcards” , stamps and pen pals for those interested in swapping items with him :
Contact Address: Block . 148 Lot 10 Central Bicutan , Taguig City , 1633
Ms. Arlene Colado is From Iligan City
for those interested in swapping with Her Ms. Arlene Collado c/o Ms. Ester Vergon (Iligan Post Office 9200 Iligan City ) She is also a blogger.
Ms. Hazel Holbrook
Address:11203 Water Oak Drive 3605 80th Avenue SE Flint Texas
75762 Jamestown , North Dakota 58401
For those interested in swapping with her, She collects banknotes, stamps, fridge magnets, postcards and even small glasses
She gave away interesting magnets from North Dakota , small glasses and postcards from North Dakota . She has a sunny disposition in life and her warm smile kept everyone happy.
Ms. Gennie Corbito or ( Ms. Gene)
Ms. Gene is interested in postcards and old Manila Contact information: 158 O. De Guzman Street IVC , Marikina City 1802
Ms. Ria R. Romero C/O MTCC BR I. Naga City Camarines Sur 4400
Ms. Ria collects stamps, postcards and coins. She also customizes postcards and had a blog about postcards.
Mrs. Christine Yao Amador with her daughter is from Laguna . She started to collect postcard more than 10 year ago upon joining the group, she again restarted the passion to collect postcards .
Mrs. Willa Castro- Stock is from Malabon
For those who wanted to swap with her. Address: #3 White Lily Street, Araneta Village , Malabon City 1474
She collects postcards , maximum card and a postcard blogger .
Mr .Edge Azurin
Mr. Edge Azurin is a registered nurse and collects postcards and stamps.
For those interested in swapping with him.
Contact Details: #3 Orkidia Ext. Street. Pembo Fort Bonifacio, Makati City
members of the group pose for a souvenir shot
It was past 4:00PM when the group ordered a simple snacks which consists of pancit palabok and soft drinks at the nearby eatery.
pancit palabok ordered from PEDCO eatery
There were mini- raffles , postcard swapping and a lot of chit chat with fellow collectors. The group then quickly send their postcards in order to beat the 5:00pm closing time. The original plans of touring Intramuros particularly Fort Santiago , San Agustin Church and Museum was shoved off due to time constraint . I missed -out a few personalities during the eyeball since everyone is quite busy and press for more time.
At past 6:00pm, the small pack decided to have an impromptu food trip in Binondo. The group walk towards Quintin Paredes ( Rosario) street then proceeded to Eng Bee Tin bakery and several more restaurants within the vicinity.
Mr. Von Francisco and Jonathan Blaza taking picture of the dishes
The group then ordered one of the in-house specialty of SuZhou Dimsum . According to Ms. Doris Chua the manager of the restaurant, Su Zhou is located in Jiangsu province is known not only for their food but also beautiful women in China. She also told the group that their Mabini branch is open 24 hours and also accepts orders and catering services.
sour sauteed shredded potato
These pale-looking, spaghetti-like thin strips are shreds from a potato . The potatoes are blanched then sauteed in hot peanut oil , sliced green and red bell pepper, vinegar, spring onion leaves and fresh chillies.
Oyster omelette best accompanied by banana ketchup
The group then ordered oyster cake or oyster omelette . The dish consists of an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small oyster ( talaba ) starch (typically potato ) is mixed into the egg batter and spring onions , giving the resulting egg wrap a thicker consistency. vegetable oil is often used to fry the omelette. Depending on regional variation, a savory sauce may then be poured on top of the omelette for added taste.
Contact Information:
Address: 807 Sabino Padilla (Gandara) Street, Sta. Cruz , Manila
Telephone: 309-73-02 / 733-0530
Store operations: 11:00am to past 10:00pm ( variable)
Ambos Mundos Restaurant at night
The group then proceeded to Salazar Bakery for another round of sampling of their products. We walk towards the Sta. Cruz area and went to one of Manila’s famous restaurant landmarks Los Ambos Mundos and Sun Wah Restaurant.
list of menus listed in blackboard- reminiscence of 19th century Manila
Ambos Mundos was first opened in the late 19th century, Some say that it dates back to 1888 while some old-time residents of Manila say the restaurant was opened sometime in 1890’s which was originally located at Estero Cegado
Calle Cegado – from the Spanish word estero cegado meaning a ” closed -up estuary ” .
The estero was gradually filled up with soil and rock and was renamed- Calle Cegado . The street is located in between present day Isetann Quiapo and SM City- Quiapo near Plaza Goiti ( now Plaza Lacson) and specializes in Filipino- Spanish cuisine. There were two other restaurants located in Ermita and Carriedo looked after by the three sister of Mang Domeng the great grand father of Mr. Gaudinez. Over time, they had to closed the two because of personal reasons and changes in business interests.
According to one of the staff, they were forcibly moved from Calle Cegado for a planned light railway transit station. Their new restaurant closed when the family immigrated to Winnepeg, Canada in 1993 and reopened in 1997 when Mr. Gaudinez retuned .
signage
The origin of the word which means “both worlds”, is considered one of the oldest still existing restaurants in Manila. It is owned by Mr. Greg Gaudinez, a Spanish mestizo and his wife Mrs. Kathy Leung- Gaudinez who is of Filipino- Chinese descent. According to the staff of the restaurant , the original Ambos did not served Paella moreso and asado rolls but the closest Chinese cuisine that Ambos served then, was pancit (bihon or canton). 
group picture
As the fourth generation successor of the family business, Greg decided to move Ambos Mundos from its original location to a new one along Florentino Torres Street where it would be made more visible to the curious passers-by . The location of the new restaurant is near Claro M. Recto Avenue and about 5 minutes walking distance from LRT line 1 ( Doroteo Jose station ) and about 8 to 10 minutes walking distance from LRT line 2 ( Recto- Isetann station).
Among this restaurant long list of celebrity clientele includes Dolphy, Chiquito ,German Moreno, Philip Salvador, Alona Alegre, Pacquito Diaz, Rene Saguisag among others.
Address:750- 752 Florentino Torres St., Sta. Cruz , Manila 1003 ,Philippines
pot-belied pigs greeted visitors to the restaurant
The group noticed two pot bellied pigs at the entrance of the restaurant. These pigs serves as an unofficial ambassador of goodwill to all customers and passers-by . They also serves as good luck for the restaurant. Living nearby at Tomas Mapua street in the early 1990’s . I remember that those pigs were not yet part the the restaurant and maybe acquired in the late 1990’s . The author inquisitively asked one of the restaurant staff on what food do these pigs eat ? one of the staff told me that these pigs are well-taken cared for by the owners and they are not given table scraps .
Arawana fish on display
Tourist Attraction: is not only well known for their foods but also for their added exotic animal display.
Mr. Jonathan Blaza pose with WWF stamps ( Photo credit : Ms. Julie Flores)
Exotics animals like python, saltwater crocodile, fishes like eels, freshwater fishes, carps, African lovebird , budgerigars , skink , pet dogs among others in their restaurant.
entrance to Sun Wah restaurant with two security guards
Tragic Story: According to the restaurant manager , the old restaurant ( made from wood) got burned to the ground after a gas tank leaked from a nearby company sometime in 1993 . Four of their cooks got third degree burns and were hospitalized for a month. The family decided to rebuild the restaurant within just a month after the fire.
going upstairs with vintage flamenco dancers poster
After the tragic incident , The restaurant status was change into a family corporation and the old name was changed from Sun Wah Panciteria to Wah Sun Cantonese Restaurant before returning back to its original name . Later, Mr. Benjamin Leung daughter Kathy married Mr. Greg Gaudinez, a fourth generation owner of Ambos Mundos. Since then, Ambos was transferred from Quiapo and rebuilt in front of Sun Wah. Then in the year 2000, Mr. Benjamin Leung was shot dead by a thief in front of the restaurant. According to some eyewitness account , the thief might be surveying the locality . Things dramatically changed for the restaurant.
pork asado with sweet sauce
Despite the tragedy, life went on inside the restaurant and the five siblings teamed up to run the place that has become their father’s legacy. What is notable is both of the restaurant had survived despite tragedies like the last world war , fire and the death of its owner/founder.
pork asado with pickle relish- one of the restaurant specialties
fried rice with shrimps and pork
The group also ordered their fried rice served in a medium sized bowl. The serving looks deceiving small but all 6 of us were able to eat . For budget travelers, it is wise to pool in money before ordering the food . The food of both restaurant (taste) , ambiance , history and experience is a must for all . After more than 12 hours of tour, food trip, historical trivia, eyeball , raffles and games, the small group parted ways at around past 9:00pm.
Address :747 Florentino Torres St. Sta. Cruz, Manila ( just beside the Ambos Mundos)
Telephone # (+ 632)733-67-09 , 733-67-18, 734-1160 Telefax (+632) 734-4101
Store operates : from 8:00am to 11:00pm both restaurants ( everyday ) except Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
Filed under: event, people, Place, postcards | Tagged: Alona Alegre, Ambos Mundos Restaurant, Bayanihan Collectors' Club, Chiquito, Dead Mail Office, Deltiology, Dolphy, Ermita, Estero Cegado, event, exotic pets, eyeball, Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club, Florentino Torres street, Gandara street, German Moreno, Grendizer, Intramuros, Jiangsu, Lawton, letter, Liwasang Bonifacio, Mang Domeng, Manila, Organizations, Pacquito Diaz, people, Philip Salvador, Place, Post Crossing Philippines, Post Office, postcard, Postcard collecting, Rene Saguisag, Sabino Padilla, Sta.Cruz, SuZhou Dimsum, swapmeet, Wah Sun Restaurant | Leave a comment »
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