Monday, September 7, 2015

Jose Rizal @ Fort Santiago - Manila

Everywhere you go in Philippines, you will see landmarks, roads and buildings being named after their National Hero - Jose Rizal (1861 - 1896)
Jose Rizal was a man of incredible intellectual power, with amazing artistic talent as well. He excelled at anything that he put his mind to - medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, sociology... the list seems nearly endless. 




1. We are glad that our tour guide driver brought us to visit Fort Santiago 
which is located in the historical area of Intramuros in Metro Manila.





2. There is a nice landscaped park outside the Fort with horse carriages. 
When you see horses anywhere in Manila, that is definitely a touristy area.






3. In the nice green landscaped gardens, my wife sat down in deep thoughts 
with the heroes of Philippines. 




4. Some cute Pinoy gals were playing with birds. 
I was also looking at different birds. 
Do you know that 99.9% of the ladies in Philippines have straight permed hair!
It must be a trend there to have neat and straight hair.





 5. The pools of emerald green water at the gates leading to Fort Santiago.





6. The ruins of the fort as it is today.



7. I have the habit to snap their sign boards to remember the facts
for my blog writing.




8.  Fort Santiago is a citadel first built by Spanish conquistador, 
Miguel López de Legazpi for the new established city of Manila. 
The defense fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila.




9. The prominent statue of Jose Rizal.
 He was imprisoned and kept inside the prison cell at Fort Santiago
from October till December 1896.






10. The entrance leading to Jose Rizal's memorial museum.





11. As you know, I snapped a 100 photos since the digital camera requires
no films but I am just posting what deems as interesting
enough to be shared with my dear readers.




12. The First Day Covers that commemorated Jose Rizal heroic deeds.




13. Old bank note currency of Philippines which included the
Japanese's Banana Money. I have a few of them too.
They might be more valuable than our ailing  ringgit. 





14. On the roof top of the Fort Santiago, there is a panoramic
view of Metro Manila.



15. The whole roof top was an escape exit and storage area for the soldiers.




16. On my way out, I spotted some ancient cannons and bombs.




17. This old canon is huge.





18. An old historical complex outside the Fort Santiago.




19. If I don't jump, I could stand on my toes!
I think I can dance ballet.




20. The official office of the Governor of Manila.




21. The beautiful Manila Cathedral. I did not snap photos inside
as there was a mass prayers inside with many people.





22. The famous old Augustinas Church is just nearby too.
It was built in the year AD1571 and that makes it 444 years old.






23. The old giant door with beautiful carvings still looks strong
and good after surviving many harsh wars and typhoons!





24. This must be the Holy Saint.





25. This must be the Holy Mother Mary. 






26. We ended our tour at the Jose Rizal Monument.
Jose Rizal had to march from his prison cell at Fort Santiago 
to this spot several kilometers away where he was sadly
executed by the Spanish Firing Squads.
That was the early morning of 
December 30, 1896.



*********



47 comments:

  1. #1.. did Anay and Letchumy get there before or after visiting the chinese tomb houses?? should be before huh?? since you can't catch the LRT to leave the tomb houses..

    #2.. did that guy blind the horse with the red stuff on his head?? oooh, how pity.. and Anay just took a photo without riding the carriage.. more pity!!

    #3.. Letchumy looks like she wanted to pee urgently as well as suffering from a diarrhoea with that pose.. muahahahahaha!! :D

    #4.. oooh, Letchumy has long straight hair!! she must have attracted many Pinoy hunks there whistling at her??

    #5.. Thambee hopes Anay didn't fall into the water because he walked too much until his legs become like jelly~~ :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey you were confused about my itinerary. We took a normal taxi to the Chinese Cemetery the day before and tried taking the LRT back but failed. I would not do that if my paid tour guide driver was showing us around. He only fetched me the next day.

      I also felt sorry for all their horses with half blinded visions to make them walk and run straight. They probably do not want the horses to see pretty gals from side views which might excite the beasts!! Muahahaha

      Oh yes, I forgot about their construction workers who wolf whistled at Letchumy everyday!!!!

      Delete
  2. #6.. why is this photo senget?? must be Anay fell into the water and he took this photo while he was climbing up from the pool.. muahahaha!!

    #7.. OMG!!! Anay is cut into halves!!! help help help..his head and legs were moving out from behind the signboard, where was his minions body??!!!! *twilight zone music*

    #8.. why was there only one guard?? should have two guards each standing at one side of the gate.. Anay asked the other one to take a photo for him with the other guard?? :D

    #9.. you know what is missing in this photo?? missing Anay posing the same as the statue with the statue together!!! ish~~

    #10.. i like the brick walls!! looks nice.. original or renovated??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The brick walls are original as you can see below that old plaster that was still intact.

      Hey, I also realised most of my outdoor photos were senget because I could not see the "Image capture" under the bright blazing sun light glares in my camera. Simply snap snap and out comes senget images!

      There were 2 guards stationed at the fort's door but he disappeared somehow.

      Delete
  3. #11.. 100 photos snapped in there!!! so how long have Anay been staying in the museum??

    #12.. nice stamps.. and is he still being printed in the postage stamps now??

    #13.. definitely!! keep your banana money generations after generations and they can be antiques as valuable as hippomamah's diamond rings!!

    #14.. what was the old man doing behind the pretty gal?? ooopsss~~

    #15.. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was inside there for over 2 hours! So much things to see and they actually repeated the contents! Can you believe that? LOL

      I am not sure about their stamps today.

      I will keep my banana money but I doubt it would fetch any price as it seems like a rubbish to collectors.

      That horny old man was my tour guide driver showing Letchumy around. He hardly talked to me!!

      Delete
  4. #16.. wah!!! the bombs are still there!! but probably just the shell huh?? Thambee has seen many canons in old forts, but all are just with the canon not the bombs dei.

    #17.. Anay, you didn't ride on the huge canon and take a photo as if you were "shooting"??

    #18.. the building looks so majestic!! nice shot..

    #19.. errr, were you jumping or were you just standing on your toes?? hahaha.. ooopss!!! Anay wanna become a ballet dancer?? is there tights that can even fit him in?? muahahaha~~

    #20.. very nice building, compared to our DBKL building~~ :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that most DBKL buildings here are not attractive at all. Something is wrong with the architects here.

      Me floating on the air when I don;t jump. Can you do that???

      It is true that we often see old canons everywhere but with their bombs beside was definitely an unusual sight.

      Delete
  5. #21.. very beautiful cathedral.. and Thambee sees there is one statue of a saint at every pillar, nice!!

    #22.. wow!! 444 years and it is still looking so beautiful, well kept heritage of the nation.. so unlike our government who likes to destroy old things and replace with new!! haiz~~

    #23.. the old-time craftsmanship was indeed a lot better and durable.. guess we all now have only machinery rather than craftsmanship, which probably last not longer than 10 years..

    #24 & #25.. wow!! Thambee is impressed.. such details really require a very skilful craftsman, look at the details of the face and also the costume, they are amazing, don't you agree??

    #26.. hmmm, now i wonder if jibbychicken and hippomamah would one day going to march from dataran merdeka into kajang prison, receiving applause from people all around the nation??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are silly and funny Thambee!! I would never have thought of getting this Jibbychicken and his Hippomamah to march from Dataran Merdeka into Kajang Prison! That day the sun would rise from the West.

      I agree that the old craftsmen did a very good job!

      I must allocate more time to go to that Cathedral again someday and see the tombs below as seen by FoongPC.

      Delete
  6. So many photos! Reading about Jose Rizal brings me back to my school days where we learnt the history of the Philippines. I see that you are jumping again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I could bake so well like you, I would jump even higher!

      Delete
  7. Hahaha, in that photo it looks like you are floating in the air with the tips of your feet touching the ground. I don't remember learning about the history of Philippines at all so I don't know Jose Rizal until I read about him here and on other blogs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must start jumping and floating in my future photos otherwise my blog would be boring like a corpse.
      I also had little knowledge of Jose Rizal until I visited his memorial.

      Delete
  8. Thanks for the great introductions, need to read more about Jose Rizal to know what were the great things he has done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I didn't write much about him as I was not exactly sure about his entire contributions as he was being wrongly accused. At the end of the day he was hailed and respected as the National Hero. We need to read up more.

      Delete
  9. Oh you went to Manila! This post reminded me of my Manila trip back in 2011! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes I remembered your trip which was beautifully written in many posts.

      Delete
  10. Did you sit that carriage driven by the horse?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would never pay the owners and sit on their poor animals! I have legs to walk lah.

      Delete
  11. Not bad lah this Fort Santiago. A must-visit for first timers to Manila.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will visit Manila again and cover other places!

      Delete
  12. Oh did not go inside Manila Cathedral? I remember there were tombs underneath the cathedral. Gave me the creeps a little. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I went inside for a while but there was a big crowd of worshipers in mass prayers so I didn't want to be rude and intrude inside. Maybe I should visit again next time since you mentioned the tombs below!

      Delete
  13. The place looks a bit like A Famosa minus the ruins in Melaka. Did you sense anything in the fort? hahaha...
    Yeah, agreed with Kucing, must visit place in Manila. I must ask my pinoy and pinay friends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes there were lots of unseen friends inside the museum.
      You are a Christian and would definitely appreciate the beautiful historical churches everywhere! Quick go to Manila !

      Delete
  14. TM so cute hiding behind the signboard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah TM was so cute hiding! I hope you saw my potato head there! This Princess Ribbon saw a headless one.

      Delete
  15. Eh, the one behind the signboard without the head, only the legs, creepy but sexy, wakakakaka.. Thanks for sharing wor, call me jakun, never heard of Jose Rizal before.. Looks like a bit of Fort Cornwallis+a bit of A Famosa, like Chris said, teehee..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You funny Princess! Muahahahah!! How can you not see my potato head there?
      I am less jakun and heard of Jose Rizal but had no idea who he was. So I do my part to share with everyone a piece of their history.

      Delete
  16. Good morning TM... Hot weather in Singapore... 3 more days to go and it's Polling Day in Singapore on Friday...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weather has been cool here due to rain and the sun has been blocked by the haze! How come Singapore has no haze this year?

      So are you standing for MP this Friday???

      Delete
  17. 2. I will be very excited if i see the horse and will go over and said 'hi' to it, haha...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go to Manila quick. The horses are everywhere and they will love you saying "Hi".

      Yeee Haww!!!

      Delete
  18. 7. Same here, i will snap picture of the signboard to remember the facts, for an absent minded person like me...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so young and forgetful?? Cannot be lah. Only Anay is old and needs to write down everything.

      Delete
  19. Thanks for sharing and taking a photo of signboard helps to recall the place and its history. The carving on the church looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you will visit Manila as the many old & historical churches there might interest you.

      Delete
  20. I basically reached picture #4 and then lost interest with the rest of your post. Pinoy girls are really hot!

    And, if the day really comes where Japanese Banana money is worth more than the ringgit, I will hunt you down and slap you for being celupar and jinx!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Alo....so fast you are back. Wah evrywhere got his name ah? Must be quite a man.

    ReplyDelete
  22. 1. .you suggested or the tourguide suggested

    2. Would be nice to hav a horse ride

    3. LOL....3rd talent on the bench

    4. Lucky tarak kena letchumi pulas telinga

    5. Lovely shot

    6. still well kept

    7. a very good habit. I should do that too. but why are you at the back of the signboard?

    8.LOL...why you suddenly stand so "gentlemen" (si mun) leh

    9. oh

    10. I like the arch there. Like arrow

    11. now with digital camera easy la. justtekan snap then done

    12. nice to zoom in the first day covers. I used to collect but now no more

    13. Very valuble now

    14. why is that man eyeing letchumi?

    15. fancy that they let visitirs go up there. I thought they would be afraid that visitors may marr the place

    16. Guess those bomb are just "for illustration: gua. Wont go kaboom

    17. Can see that., Fancy you didnt go and do funny pose

    18. errr.... okay looking gua.

    19. tippy toes? JUmp la your signature pose

    20. looks quite modern

    21. looks different from ours here. love the arches. Not easy to build .

    22. 444....hmmm....

    23. you'll be surprise that some religions buildings will survive all sorts of weather and Acts of Gods

    24. Not sure but Bluedreamer would know

    25. could be

    26 . sad ending . May he rest in peace

    .




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahehe.. thanks Small Kucing... yes, I know those images depicted in that carved door... the male one is St Augustine (it's Saint Augustine Church after all).. the lady however is not Mama Mary but Saint Monica... she's the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo ^_^

      Delete
  23. Hi! Various kind of beautiful photos. I caught cold after that. Sorry not visiting your post soon.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Intramuros is my target place to visit next year.. i really want to explore this historical place ^_^

    ReplyDelete

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