Intramuros

     One of my favorite historic districts in Manila!  I will never get tired of it no matter how many times I walk the walled city of Intramuros.  My love for ruins, fortresses, and anything that have to do with history made me visit this place a number of times.  It was built by the Spaniards on the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasion.  But some of the walls were heavily damaged during the World War II and reconstructed in 1951 when Intramuros was declared a National Historical Monument.

     Inside the walls, I highly recommend to visit Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Baluarte de San Diego, Casa Manila which is an example of Bahay na Bato architecture, and Fort Santiago.  Also, don't forget to photo the Palacio del Gobernador and the Ayuntamiento.  You can also walk on top of the walls.


Intramuros
On top of the Baluarte de San Lorenzo


Reducto de San Pedro at Intramuros
Reducto de San Pedro


Cobblestone road at Intramuros
Cobblestone Road


Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral was reconstructed in 1950s. 


San Agustin Church
San Agustin Church was built in 1607.


Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago, the site of torture chambers and dungeons


Fort Santiago
Inside the Rizal Museum, where mementoes of Dr. Jose Rizal can be viewed.


Website: http://intramuros.gov.ph/

Location: Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila, Philippines

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sagada, Banaue, and Baguio

Image
     My summer get-away for 2010 is quite different.  Why I said so?  Normally I go to beautiful beaches in the country to feel the summer heat of the sun.  This time we explored the Cordillera.      From Baguio to Sagada, we passed the paved and non-paved roads and a never ending curved roads.  Though it took us 4 hours to reach Sagada, the trip was still worthwhile as we traversed the top of Cordillera’s spectacular range of mountains, some mini rice terraces, a river beside a rice farm, and surely a different sight to please your eyes. Trekking and Caving at Sagada April 1, 2010     After a long trip, we arrived in Sagada before noon.  During that time, the town was packed with foreign and local tourists, so it took us some time to look for accommodation.  We booked at Green House Inn at a cheap price of Php 500 per night.      As we walked down the main road leading to the caves, we dined first in one of the best restaurant in Sagada at Yoghurt House.  They served us wit
Read more

Revisiting the Spectacular Banaue Rice Terraces

Image
Banaue Rice Terraces (First View Point)         After 9 hours of travel, we arrived in Banaue, Ifugao at 7:30AM.  Still tired and hungry from a very long trip, we rest for a while at Green View Lodge and had our breakfast.      Green View Lodge is a meeting point for backpackers.  The restaurant was packed with backpackers from all over the world.  We even shared a table with Delfina, a French lady who works at Puerto Princesa, Palawan.  Since, my officemate is very friendly and has a sense of humor; she never failed to amuse Delfina.      After a satisfying meal at Green View, we rented a private vehicle to take us to Banaue Rice Terraces Viewpoint, Bay-yo Rice Terraces, and Sagada.  A group of foreign backpackers from Germany, New Zealand, U.S.A, and Australia joined us.      First stop at Banaue Rice Terraces, my second visit to this place, it still amazed me to see the beautiful rice terraces built by Ifugao tribes 2,000 years ago.  There are at least three view point
Read more

Cebu City Adventure

Image
     Welcome to Cebu City!      It was raining when I arrived in this city on March 14 in the morning.  The airport metered cab took me to the hotel, where my friends booked it one week ahead.      I checked in at Casa Rosario Hotel located at 101 F. Ramon Aboitiz St., Cebu City.  For only Php 1,200 a night it can accommodate up to 3 persons.  The room is nice, clean, newly painted, and air-conditioned.  Location is near from the main road Maxilom Avenue where you can ride public jeep to take you where you want to go.  Also, it’s so easy to get a cab in front of the hotel.  There are coffee shops, convenience stores, and restaurants nearby.  Banks are just a few steps away.  Everything is just so close.      While waiting for my friends to arrive from Davao, I went first to Ayala Center by asking the Cebuano on how to go there the way the locals do.  I was able to save money because of that.      There are big shopping malls like SM, Gaisano, and Ayala Center.  But Ayala Cente
Read more