I Love Manila

Ipe and I have a lot of differences but if there is one thing we both have a passion for, it’s history – and by extension, we both love museums, old structures, antiques, research, and old books. So one sunny weekend when we found ourselves with nothing to do, we decided to hit Intramuros, the center of all things old in the area.

Of course, before we started our excursion, we had to stock up on energy first so we had a late lunch at Cafe Adriatico:

local hot chocolate drink, salmon, and moist chocolate cake

First stop, Fort Santiago:

Honor Roll: List of all the prisoners held at the Fort

Enlarge the photo and you’ll see a lot of familiar names on the tablet. 😛

mini garden at the left part of the Fort has become a picnic place for families looking for a quiet alternative to Luneta

Cross marking the hundreds, maybe thousands, who died at the Fort during the Japanese occupation

Dungeons, where the prisoners are kept and gunpowder are stored, run under the Fort. Too bad though that it has now become unsafe to have them opened to the public. I would have loved going inside one – a little eerie maybe but still, you get to experience what those POW did. Mystics and psychics would have a field day if these were opened.

adada

Bridge and moat leading from the Plaza to the Fort

entrance to the Fort

See those bronze footprints? They trace Rizal’s path from his cell to Bagumbayan, where he was executed by firing squad

This little gate here is where the British escaped during their brief occupation of the Philippines

A new attraction at the Fort is the exhibit of Rizal’s family’s furniture, which were taken from their house in Calamba. I wonder though, what they could still be exhibiting there if almost everything is here?

Anyway, it’s located near the Pasig River side of the Fort, in a formerly unoccupied decrepit structure, which, I’m surprised, is still actually in good condition.