(Originally posted in December, 2013).
I know this is embarrassing to confess but I really often find myself yawning 10 times and even fall asleep during our History class back in high school. It was only until college that I have learned to appreciate the essence and the beauty of our past.
It is an enormous honor to think and know how our ancestors made great contributions to our country and to the whole world as well! Filipinos are capable of making history and this thought simply makes me proud of being one!
All by myself, I went to Intramuros, Manila last December 2013 to do a simple photowalk since it was my rest day then. Let me share you the photos that I have captured in this old, yet beautiful city.
Treading the path that our National Hero once stepped on towards his heroic death.
Old buildings are almost everywhere; I felt that I suddenly “time-traveled” to the past. The artistry and the grandeur shown by these buildings left me in awe and I am so amazed, for real!
The patterns, the shapes, and the styles of each detail signify ageless beauty. Renaissance-like.
I like the designs of this gate. If she was a woman, she is a sure beauty queen.
I also saw the famous Manila Cathedral there. Unfortunately, I was not able to get inside because it is under reconstruction.
One can definitely see how wonderful these designs are! Really critically made!
The facade of the cathedral says it all!!
Since I was already in the area, I made sure that I get to visit Fort Santiago which is a few kilometers away from the cathedral.
Here is a little run through of the facts (Source: Wikipedia):
Fort Santiago (Spanish: Fuerte de Santiago; Tagalog: Moog ng Santiago) is a citadel first built by Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi for the new established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as Intramuros (“within the walls”).
The floor tiles we’re amazing.
I am glad that they have installed fountains inside the park! It is so refreshing to look at them after hours of strolling around.
Of course, my favorite subjects will never be forgotten in every photo-walk that I do.
There are also some statues in the place. I do not know exactly who they were. Some statues were seated on a bench, as if they are really sitting next to you. Of course, they were installed for photo-ops as well.
The Franciscan friars.
Okay, so let’s enter the heart of the fort now! Here’s the famous citadel:
A tourist thoroughly checking the architectural style of the wall.
Here are the footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal on his way out of the Fort. A Filipino tourist commented, “Kita sa mga footsteps ni Rizal na takot siya. Ang lalapit ng agwat!”. That is a stupid joke of course. One’s bravery can never be measured by the distance of his footsteps. It is how much courage it takes for one to accept the end of his life through a firing bullet.
I am not sure if this is the captives’ prison or the hiding place of the soldiers themselves. Or both maybe.
From the grounds of Fort Santiago, you can also see the open view of Pasig river and the busy city across.
A “kalesa” driver waiting for tourists.
***
It is never too late for us to revisit the past; the past that made us, atleast, what we are now. This is the place that witnessed our race’s defeat and triumph.
This is our heritage. This is our history and it is undeniably an important part of our purpose as Filipinos. We make history. We are history.
Exiting the gates of Fort Santiago, I felt how rich our culture is.
We may go around the world, know different cultures and learn the history of other countries, but we should not forget our very own.
As Filipinos, we are somehow responsible in preserving, promoting and letting the world know how rich and vast our culture is in any ways that we can.
Rediscover our country! Revisit historic places and learn what our past was like! After all, it is never a waste of time to travel and learn, right?
A tourist guide in Fort Santiago requested me to promote the said place through my blog. I am not sure if he is following or reading my blog, or I think he just assumed that I have one. So Kuya, if you have landed here on my page, here it is!
JHONN ROBERT 