Can you spot the Galleon Andalucia?

This was as near as I could get to the famed galleon replica. I was hoping to board it last Saturday along with my friends so we dragged ourselves out of bed to be there as early as 8am. We got to the pier an hour late and we were met with a crowd of thousands. Apparently, even people who got there at 7am were no longer being let in because there were just too many people. It was quite sad because I had wanted to write about the experience for PDI. We consoled ourselves with some halo-halo and putobumbong at the nearby hotel. It was there where I managed to sneak in to catch a glimpse of the galleon.

A lot of people left annoyed and disappointed that day.  A friend of mine was willing to check out other piers or even rent a boat to be able to see it.  I could hear the familiar rumblings of, "Only in da Philippines!" One photographer angrily snap, "Kaya maraming umaalis sa Pilipinas eh" as he was leaving the venue. I think that's uncalled for because this could have happened anywhere. However, I do believe in not letting it happen again so I'm offering some constructive criticism to the organizers.

1. Charge an entrance fee. Students should be free but no one is going to mind paying P50 or even P100 to take part in this. This would have helped manage the crowd and provided some basic amenities like a shady area to wait in.
2.  There should have been other activities near the boat that could have kept people busy. A tent with an exhibit would've done wonders to calm people's nerves and would've gotten their minds off the wait. An exhibit would have also helped to educate people about the galleon trade.
3.  Most people (including myself) are constricted by a 9 to 5 job. So I have no choice to go except on Saturday. It defeats the purpose of Dia del Galeon to sail a galleon all the way here and have it closed off on a Saturday- the day that was sure to attract the most visitors. It should have docked for a full weekend.
4. Lastly, they should have allowed people to line up on the pier so that at least, everyone could have seen the galleon. It can be explained to the crowds that boarding will no longer be feasible due to time constraints. But everyone who made the effort to come should have gone home with a picture of the galleon safely tucked in their mind but better yet, stored in their digicams. No one can be sour when they're posing for a picture!

So for those like me who were shut out, here's a peek from high up and far far away.


I hope that they sort it all out because I for one am looking forward 
to boarding the galleon next year.