Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

Date: April 24th, 2011

Sunday, the concluding seventh day of my first week in Philippines. Today’s itinerary involved meeting my friend Aimee, and then letting her show me around Manila’s famous landmarks.

UN Avenue metro station Manila Philippines — Aimee asked me to get down at U.N. Avenue MRT station (taken on my Nokia E72)

After meeting her at a nearby 7-11, we stocked up on fluids and Aimee told me why its named U.N. Avenue.

UN Avenue Manila Philippines — The World Health Organization has an office here

Aimee first took me to Rizal Park, one of Manila’s largest public parks.

Rizal Luneta park Manila Philippines — It's also called Luneta Park

Rizal Park islands geography display Manila — This used to be filled with water. When viewed from higher ground, it's the geography of the Philippines

Rizal Park Sunday morning Manila Philippines — We just walked through the park

National Museum Rizal park Manila Philippines — The National Museum building

Rizal Park Lapu Lapu statue Manila Philippines — That's a statue honouring Lapu Lapu, considered to be Philippines' first national hero

The Orchidarium Manila Philippines — The Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion

Rizal park Philippines National heroes Manila — More national heroes

Chinese garden Rizal park Luneta Manila — The Chinese Gardens. They have a Japanese garden too.

Rizal Park Luneta monument Manila Philippines — This monument is in honour of Philippines' greatest patriot, Jose Rizal. It was on these grounds the revolutionary was executed by the Spanish, who colonized Philippines at the time.

Rizal park map layout Aimee Marie Manila Philippines — Aimee checks where we are

Jose Rizal park Luneta monument Manila Philippines — It was time to leave Rizal Park

Rizal Luneta monument Mithun Manila Philippines — Aimee took one of photo of me and we moved on

Kilometer zero Rizal park Manila Philippines — The clock structure you see on the left is called Kilometer Zero. It serves as a point from which every road is measured.

Horse chariot ride Roxas boulevard Manila Philippines — They have horse cart rides around this area, in which they take you all the way to Intramuros and other tourist attractions

Manila Hotel Roxas boulevard Philippines — The oldest hotel in Manila. Manila Hotel has seen everybody from The Beatles to John F. Kennedy among other famous guests. In other words, a very expensive place to people like you and me.

Plant trees outside Intramuros golf club Manila Philippines — We walked to Intramuros next

Tree plantation Intramuros golf club Manila Philippines — There's a golf course just outside Intramuros

Intramuros pavement sun shade Manila Philippines — It was scorching hot by the way

Intramuros main entrance Sunday Manila Philippines — There is no entrance fee for Intramuros

Intramuros entrance panorama Manila Philippines — Panorama comprised of 9 shots

Intramuros literally means “walled city” and was created during Spanish colonial rule. It’s the oldest district in Manila and one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. It was built to keep invaders away, although, it eventually failed to do so as years progressed).

College of Nursing Intramuros Manila Philippines — There are many colleges and other educational institutions in Intramuros

Colegio De Santa Potenciana Manila Red Cross Intramuros Philippines — This building was formerly the Colegio De Santa Potenciana, the first girl's college in Manila. Now it's used as the office for the Philippines Red Cross.

Patio Victoria Intramuros Manila Philippines — This is a really popular venue for weddings and events

NCCA office Intramuros Manila Philippines — Office of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Intramuros filipino children playing Manila Philippines — A few people still call Intramuros their home

San Agustin church back walls Intramuros Manila Philippines — There are two main attractions inside Intramuros. One, the Manila Cathedral and two, the above -- San Agustin Church, the oldest church in Manila.

Urdaneta house Intramuros Manila Philippines — Intramuros still retains many of the colonial architecture

Jojie's jasper classic photography building Intramuros Manila — Despite the modern offerings, the overall classic look is still retained

San Agustin church cars parked Intramuros Manila Philippines — I wanted to check out San Agustin church, but unfortunately (for me) there was a wedding scheduled for today, being a Sunday that too.

San Agustin church world heritage site Intramuros Philippines — San Agustin church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Barbara's hotel Intramuros Manila Philippines — Hotel Intramuros inside

Ironcon builders road to Manila cathedral Intramuros Philippines — We walked towards the Manila Cathedral

Manila Cathedral front Intramuros Manila Philippines — We went in

Manila Cathedral hall praying Intramuros Philippines — While Aimee prayed, I continued shooting

Manila cathedral hall gothic architecture Intramuros — I love gothic architecture. Heck, I like all good architecture.

Manila Cathedral interiors ceiling dome Intramuros Philippines — Panorama comprised of 8 shots

Manila Cathedral mother mary statue glass art Philippines — Panorama comprised of 4 shots

Manila Cathedral organ pipes panorama — Panorama comprised of 6 shots

Manila cathedral Christian glass art window Philippines — I have always been enamored by glass art like this

Manila Cathedral pipe organ history — A little bit of history about the very old pipe organ

Manila cathedral pipe organ musical scores — There's a section of the church dedicated to historical trivia and relics

Manila cathedral glass painting church Philippines — More wonderful glass paintings

Manila cathedral pillars panorama — Panorama comprised of 5 shots

Manila Cathedral hall benches Intramuros — We decided to leave

Manila cathedral door carving Philippines — Carvings on the heavy wooden doors of the cathedral

Manila Cathedral Intramuros Philippines panorama — Attempted the fish-eye look

Walking out of the cathedral and past some of the ‘No to RH Bill’ banners around, I couldn’t help but turn the conversation about the controversial RH bill. Aimee told me how, even to this day, the Catholic church has such an influence over the people and policies in Philippines. The RH bill is basically aiming to promote the use of contraceptives and family planning in a bid to control population growth.

But what was even more shocking news to me was when Aimee told me divorce is yet to be legalized in Philippines! I mean, I considered a predominantly Christian country to be far more progressive in many regards, besides being educated. Clearly that wasn’t the case in Philippines. Now all the single pregnant women I saw across Philippines made sense. It’s like men abuse the law (or the lack of it) because they know there is little the woman can do.

Intramuros way to Fort Santiago Manila — Aimee took me next to Fort Santiago. Entrance fee was a steep PHP75.

Fort Santiago wall Intramuros Manila Philippines — The fort is of historical importance because it was where national hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned before his death

Fort Santiago wall path Intramuros Manila — We walked along the walls

View from Fort Santiago Manila — The view from the Fort

Fort Santiago prison cells Manila — Chambers used to hold prisoners

Pasig river behind Fort Santiago Manila Philippines — Got distracted by Pasig river

Pasig river slum children swimming Manila Philippines — There were children jumping into the river for a swim

Anyway, back to Fort Santiago.

Fort Santiago coins prison Manila — People throw coins into these chambers now... I don't know why

Fort Santiago dungeons Manila Philippines — Walked around to the side where you had these dungeons

Jose Rizal statue Fort Santiago Intramuros Manila — The man himself, Jose Rizal

Jose Rizal's steps Fort Santiago Philippines — They re-trace Rizal's final steps before he was executed by the Spaniards

House near Fort Santiago Intramuros Manila — We left Fort Santiago

Manila Cathedral zebra crossing Intramuros Philippines — We walked past Manila Cathedral again

We walked back to San Agustin church hoping the wedding would have been over by now…

San Agustin church door wooden carving Intramuros — ... but it wasn't. So I took a photo of the door and left.

Marine Officer's Seamen Union Philippines Manila — HQ of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen's Union of the Philippines

Houses Intramuros Manila Philippines — We decided to have lunch

Filipino food chicken gravy beans rice Intramuros Manila — Stepped inside a small eatery and had some Filipino food. Totally came to PHP62 ($1.4/€1)

Intramuros alley Manila Philippines — We resumed our walk

Intramuros exit entrance Manila — We finally decided to leave Intramuros

Intramuros entrance under the bridge Manila — We left via another exit

Manila post office building fountain Philippines — Manila Post Office building

Manila Metropolitan Theater Philippines — The Manila Metropolitan Theater, renovated many times over but hardly in use nowadays

Way to Chinatown Manila — Aimee and I now walked towards 'Chinatown,' known locally as Binondo

Chinatown bridge Manila — We walked across a bridge

Bridge to Chinatown graffiti Manila — The bridge was decorated with lights...and graffiti

Pasig river Manila Philippines — Pasig river

Way to Chinatown fountain Manila — Not a very glamorous entrance, but apparently Manila's Chinatown is the oldest in the world

Arch of Goodwill Chinatown entrance Manila — This is the most famous street in Chinatown

Ongpin street Chinatown Manila Philippines — Ongpin is what it's called

Ongpin jewelry center Chinatown Manila — A lot of jewelry stores here

Chinatown betting OTB locals Manila — Betting on horse races is a popular pass time for many (broke) locals

Hopia mooncakes Filipino sweets Chinatown Manila — We (okay, okay... I) got distracted by the sweet smell of fresh hopias (mooncakes) being made at this bakery. Ended up buying a pack.

Aimee Marie Chinatown vegetable market Manila Philippines — Aimee, my wonderful 'guide' throughout Manila. She enjoys walking a lot just as much as I do.

Election posters criminal mugshots Chinatown Manila — Those photos make them look like wanted criminals. Oh wait, politicians, same thing.

Manila Chinatown Mithun Divakaran Philippines — One shot of yours truly before leaving Chinatown

Chinatown purple fire engines Manila — Chinatown gets cool looking purple fire trucks!

Chinatown Ongpin street security cameras Manila — Since a lot of affluent businessmen in Manila are Chinese, kidnappings are high. Aimee told me they have security cameras installed on this street.

Binodo church Ongpin street Manila — At the end of Ongpin street is Binondo church, also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Binodo church Sunday prayers Manila — Today was Easter Sunday

Binondo church Chinatown Manila Philippines — The church was first erected in 1596, making it one of the oldest churches in Manila

Aimee decided it was enough of walking. She and I got into a jeepney and we thought of watching the sunset at Manila Bay.

Pedro Gil road to Robinsons Place Malate Manila — We got down near Pedro Gil MRT and walked up the road

Philippines Supreme court Manila Malate — Passed by the Supreme Court

Robinsons Place mall Malate Manila Philippines — We went inside one of Manila's most popular malls

Robinsons Place mall Cabalen Malate Manila Philippines — Plus we felt like soaking up some a/c

Robinsons Place mall elevator fountain Manila — Despite being a few years old, Robinsons Place is still very popular

Malate jeepney trike — We stepped out of the mall and made our way towards the bay

Roxas boulevard road Manila bay evening — Roxas boulevard

We sat on the ledge and gave our feet a break.

Manila Bay American Embassy Philippines — The white building is the United States Embassy

Manila Bay sunset Aimee Marie Manila — A big thanks to this girl for making the most of my day. I don't think I could have seen everything that I saw today for less than 100 pesos if it weren't for her.

Hotel H2O Manila Ocean park Philippines — That's Hotel H2O, part of Manila Ocean Park

Manila sunset golden sea Philippines — The sunset was wonderful, as always. Look how golden the water is.

Manila Bay Dog walking Philippines — The whole experience is a nice one, even for dogs

Except for a tiny incident which abruptly disappointed me… but I promised Aimee I wouldn’t mention it in the blog. So anyway, time to leave.

We walked back to Malate.

Malate Church manila bay Philippines — Malate Church

Malate Church sunday evening mass Manila Philippines — Easter Sunday prayers still going on

Robinson Place levels Manila Philippines — We went back to Robinsons Place because I now needed to look for something for my lens *cough*Aimee'sfault*cough*

Robinson Place mall stores Manila Philippines — Scanned a lot of electronics stores but no luck

Jailbreak services chicken Robinsons Place mall Manila — By the way, saw this at some store at Robinsons. I get everything mentioned here... except for the 'chicken' part. Could somebody tell me what it is?

We eventually left the mall as it was getting late for Aimee. We said our goodbyes and she told me which jeepney to get into to head back to Pasay, where I was staying at the Kabayan Hotel.

So that was my Sunday in Manila. Lots of photos, I know! Tomorrow, I begin the second leg of my journey across the Philippines and for the next seven days, it’s all islands. So here come the blue waters!

Previous posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 6 – Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches

Philippines 2011: Day 11 – Arriving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 12 – Puerto Princesa Underground River tour, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 13 – Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus

Philippines 2011: Day 14 – El Nido island hopping tour A and sunset at Las Cabanas beach, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Back to Manila, shopping, and my final thoughts about the country (Last post)

7 Comments

Charles
05/10/2011

GREAT pictures. I lived in Manila for one year, your pictures were my daily sites. You made me homesick, but I was so glad to take your photo tour. Thank you so much for the post. Charles
Paul
21/11/2011

Some solid pics but a lot of them could be better. Consider taking a photography class.
doi
06/12/2011

hahaha. i laughed hard at the chicken.
thefloatingclouds
18/01/2012

You took us on a long tour through your pictures. You could consider breaking these into multiple posts, perhaps next time. The Kilometre Zero is interesting. And what happened to the first girl’s college!
Sarah
25/05/2012

Great pictures. I love the way you vividly describe your trips-detailed and lively. I went to the Philippines last year and I stayed in the Manila hotel. It was not an expensive hotel but I can tell you that it is one of the best hotels that I’ve ever stayed so far in the whole world.

Mithun Divakaran Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 10:45 PM
Oh, given its vintage repute, I figured the Manila Hotel would be really expensive.
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23/09/2015

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Comments are closed.

7 Comments

Paul

Sarah