Place: San Agustin Church (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 09 August 2008

I was at Plurk and saw a message posted by one of my plurk friends (mirage2g) talk about a new meme, and I thought, “Why not join it, too?” Often times bodies of water are associated with places so might as well use the meme here in my travel blog.

Like mirage2g, it’s also my first try on this meme and here’s my entry:

Yesterday, I posted pictures from the San Agustin Church and Museum, and funny that I wasn’t able to put a photo of the fountain! I guess the fountain was really meant to be posted for Watery Wednesday! =) Located in the center of the museum, this fountain is a very popular spot for tourists to take pictures at. The fountain didn’t have much water, but being someone who loves fountains, I could say that I loved this one.

The Watery Wednesday meme is having problems with Mr. Linky, so I am thankful if you found your way here in my blog. Happy mid-week to all!

*** Jenn ***

Place: San Agustin Church and Museum (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 09 August 2008

After filling our tummies with a light lunch, it’s time for us to continue with the heritage tour. We walked from the restaurant to San Agustin Church, but there was a wedding going on, so we decided to check the museum instead. We paid 100 pesos (roughly 2 USD) each for the ticket, and we’re off to roam around the museum.

Before I give you a tour inside, let me first show you how the outside of the church looks like. It’s essential that I show you the facade of the church, because it would help me tell details of what’s inside.

This was taken 15 June 2008, when the family together with Uncle Pete and his family went to the church. You can read the full story of that here.

Like what I have said in that post (if you didn’t check it out), this church is considered one of the oldest because this is still the original church that was built in 1607. Over the course of time there were changes, yes, but overall, it’s still the same church.

But if you will take a look at the picture of the church, you will notice that the left bell tower was basically missing. That’s because during World War 2, a bomb hit near the church, the bell tower was damaged, but the bell of that tower is what now welcomes you as you enter the museum. The bell on the picture above is the original bell - a survivor of WW2 bombing.

Pictures are only allowed in the halls, but I managed to get a few snapshots. Yeah, I am a bad blogger for breaking the rules, which is why most of the pictures were blurred (bad karma?). Here’s a tour around the museum. By the way, the gray building on the right side of the church was the museum. It’s a very big museum divided into rooms, and the pictures I will share is a collection of pictures from all the rooms.

*** antique statuettes. notice that some are headless. ***

*** robes worn by former priests. ***

*** just one of the many hallways. here tourists can sit if they’re already tired, or take a look at the paintings in the walls. some church materials like the cart for the images are also on display in this area. ***

*** the part where the bomb hit the area was turned into a cemetery, and this is the memoriam for all those who died on that hit. the spanish flag wasn’t part of the memoriam, it was a flag used by the tour guide ivan dy. he was touring some foreigners that time. ***

*** this is what i call, “the passion of the christ.” not a good shot, i was in a rush. ***

There were stairs leading tourists to the second floor where the choir loft was located. Here are pictures from the loft:

*** the pipe organ on the left side and the hymn book on the right side of the picture - which is in the middle of the loft. the red part in the middle of the picture was the altar of the church. great ceiling, eh? ***

*** where the choir members sit.***

*** the pipe organ. i am not sure if it’s still working. ***

From the choir loft, we noticed that the wedding just ended, so we went to the church to take pictures before another wedding commences. I already shared some pictures of the church in my old post, so here are just a few of the final shots:

*** a picture of the church from the choir loft. now i guess it’s obvious why i want to get married here. hehehe. ***

*** the choir loft was the one on the top. ***

*** just a part of the very beautiful door. ***

Whew… sorry for flooding the post with pictures, but come to think of it, I don’t have to say sorry because these pictures are part of the very rich heritage of my country and my religion, and I am more than happy to be sharing it to the rest of the world.

By the way, if you want to get married here, the church fee is about 20 - 25 thousand pesos. I forgot the exact figure. Considering that this is the oldest church in the country, I guess it was well worth it. I am still hoping to get married here, but if my future husband cannot afford it, I will just take him to the church, sit in one of the benches and exchange our vows. After all, it’s not the wedding that’s really important but the marriage and the relationship.

Hope you enjoyed the trip.

*** Jenn ***

Place: San Villa Bar and Resto (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 09 August 2008

There was a space at Barbara’s for us to eat, but when one of us received a call saying that they found a place for us to eat, we decided to walk until we arrive to this yellow building.

There weren’t any people inside, and the one in charge said that it wasn’t really a restaurant, but a school or a training place for people who wanted to work as waitresses / waiters overseas. However, they serve snacks for people like us who would like to eat, so we all decided to stay.

Some pictures around the restaurant:

*** As you enter the restaurant, you will be greeted with this sculpture. Wow! ***

*** The look inside the restaurant. ***

*** The restaurant manager (?) sets up the table for us. ***

True enough, they only have light snacks in the menu, and most of us ordered a pasta dish, specifically Pasta Alfredo. One of us ordered a sandwich and a plate of salad, while the two of us (including me) ordered their Spaghetti with Meatballs paired with pineapple juice.

*** My lunch.

Because this place wasn’t really a restaurant, it took a long time before our foods were served. Some of us were joking that maybe they still went to the market to buy the ingredients, or that they cook one dish at one time, but we all agreed that it was still good that we waited for quite sometime because it was so hot outside and being inside an air-conditioned place talking to each other, sharing a laugh or two, was well worth the wait. After all, their food was good, so all was great.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Barbara’s (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 09 August 2008

Been a while since I last posted for Scenic Sunday… I was always out during Sundays because I joined a Catholic organization (Singles for Christ). We didn’t have any meeting today, so I figured it’s high time for me to get back to blogging every Sunday. =)

Here’s my picture for this week, taken at Barbara’s in Intramuros, Manila. After all the walking and posing and jumping for pictures, all of us felt so hungry and tired. It was time to eat lunch, and since we would be checking the San Agustin Church and Museum in the afternoon, we figured we would eat at Barbara’s, which was very near the church. However, this sight greeted us.. meaning there’s a wedding reception and the whole restaurant is closed to public.

We could only say “Best Wishes” to the newlyweds.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Fort Santiago
Date: 09 August 2008

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The exit door of the Rizal Shrine lead us to a path to the dungeons near the Pasig River. The sight looked great, but I am sure during the time this country was under the Spanish then the Americans, then the Japanese regimes, this place was one of the worst places there is. Too many bad memories, but I am happy that the place was still looking okay for the new generations to see. Places like this one would certainly make people understand and respect how freedom was important. If not for the souls who sacrificed, I might not be here to write this blog entry.

Anyway, here are a few from the last set of pictures from the fort:

Like what I’ve said in my previous posts regarding the place, this was a defense fortress. The “man” in the picture was actually a statue to depict how a civil guard works back in the Spanish regime. The body of water is the Pasig River.

Just one of the many dungeons in the area. Some are used as storage places, while some are used as prison cells.

This cross was seen near the dungeons. According to the information written on the base, this cross marks the final resting place of approximately 600 Filipinos and Americans who were victims of atrocities during the last days of February 1945. The appearance of their bodies suggested starvation and possible suffocation. They were found inside a nearby dungeon (possibly the one on the picture above), which had inner doors of massive iron bars and outer doors of iron plate on wood.

Just an addition, during the World War 2, it was said that Japanese soldiers would pile body after body, and some Filipino would pretend dead so they could leave when the right time comes. However, the Japanese soldiers were very intelligent that they would put a glass or a bottle of water near the piles of bodies, and if they saw that the water was gone, for sure there was an alive body in the pile, and the soldiers would either rain the pile with bullets or burn the pile. Very cruel, but it was part of history. I just hope none of those episodes would come back.

Brother and I saw saw this gallery of Vintage Warcraft scale models, so we entered and took a few shots. The red dot on the aircraft makes me think these were models of Japanese war aircraft.

And here we are, the photographers / bloggers of the Litratong Pinoy meme. It’s a Thursday photo meme exclusively for Filipino bloggers. The one who initiated the meme came back to the Philippines from the Netherlands, and to celebrate her homecoming, we decided to meet up. It was a good way to give a face behind the blogger, too.

From left to right: Keith (Clicking Away), Thess (Thesserie), Arvin (Komski), Pinky - Keith’s wife (Chinois972), me (ShutterHappyJenn), Jeff (Jeprocks), Ronnie (Ronniverse), Lino (LinoPhotography), Marie (Vanidosa), and Girlie (HipNCoolMomma).

This picture was shot by brother, who was not yet a part of the team back then. Now, with the changes he did on his blog, he’s now one of us. =) I am so glad to have met them, but the day was just starting for us. More stories about our Manila Heritage trip in the days to come.

*** Jenn ***

A picture taken from the Surf Break 3 in Brgy. Urbiztondo - San Juan, La Union. A little preview of what’s in store for this blog… this was shot last October, and I am still writing stories about pictures taken last August, so it will definitely take some time before I could do a full write up for this photo and other photos taken that day.

Anyway, I don’t swim, but since I am in the area to visit my dad’s grave in time for All Saints / Souls Day, might as well go to the surf site to check out the happenings. A great day for surfers, and I was a happy photographer that day, despite using a point and shoot camera. I was taking pictures next to photographers with big cameras, massive zoom lens and all, and I just don’t care. =) We were all there to witness the happenings, and I think we were all in equal footing, only that their pictures will surely be much more beautiful than my captures.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Rizal Shrine - Fort Santiago (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 09 August 2008

To continue the post around Fort Santiago, I now take you in Rizal Shrine. Located at the left side of Plaza Armas, first thing to see were the bricked wall ruins, which were originally part of the oldest building in the fort. Built in 1593, the structure was a barracks building for Spanish soldiers. During the American period, army officers and their family lived here, and was destroyed during World War 2.

Next to the ruins was the museum, which was built in 1953. It houses memorabilia of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. It was renovated in 1996 to commemorate the centennial celebration of Jose Rizal’s martyrdom.

It’s divided into different levels and rooms, so allow me to give you a quick tour:

In the lobby, there is this big mural that depicted how the hero was killed in the Bagumbayan Field (now called Rizal Park) at a young age of 35. He was falsely charged with Rebellion, Sedition, and Formation of Illegal Societies.

The first room from the lobby was the Chamber of Text, which not only have columns of engraved metal with some snippets from Rizal’s poems, stories, and other literary works. These snippets were in Filipino, German, and English languages. The room also have different collections of statuettes, pictures, and a copy of his two famous books, “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.”

The Contemplation Room. According to the written tablet on the wall, this was where Rizal was detained from the 3rd of November until the 29th of December in 1896. This cell was in the former “Cuarto de Repuesto” or storage area and pantry. There was a small section in this room that gives visitors a look of how Rizal was like during the time he was imprisoned in this cell. That model was one of the main attractions in the fort.

The Stairwell Gallery. Tourists had to take the stairs going to the next section, and what better way to spruce it up by hanging artworks depicting moments of Rizal’s life.

This floor has the words to Rizal’s valedictory speech. This room was basically bare, and I don’t think anyone is allowed to step on the writings… well, I didn’t see anyone step on it, so I just assume it’s not allowed. =) There are some space around the text, though, where people walk on.

This room leads the people to the souvenir shop and a place where they can sit on and relax a little bit. Some refreshments are for sale as well, and the wall outside was covered with mural of Jose Rizal, of course. I wasn’t able to take a good picture of the wall, so I guess the quick tour of the shrine ends here.

There is still one last section of the fort that I am going to share tomorrow.

*** Jenn ***