Intramuros! (Philippines Part 1)

Mabuhay!

It means welcome in Tagalog. This post will be about my trip to Intramuros the historical and oldest district of Manila. The whole district was fortified with stone walls which gives Intramuros (within the walls) it's name.

The entrance to Intramuros

We stayed in United Nation which is just a few minutes walk from Rizal Park. Instead of walking, we decided to take the motorcycle taxi or also famously known as tricycle in the Philippines. The whole ride costs less than 30 ₱. It may be scary as the cabin is very very very low but it is worth a try.

The tricycle 

Yes, we covered the whole 0.67 sq km of the fortified Intramuros. We ruled out exhaustion because there were lots of things to see! The designs of infrastructures, ancient buildings from as early as 15th century as well as the people and culture in Intramuros. If you're travelling there alone, you have nothing to be worry about because there are guards everywhere. I would definitely vote this place safe for solo female travellers.

Entrance to Intramuros is free. There are couple of schools and universities in Intramuros so you'll be seeing quite a number of students. Oh! Don't be surprised to see a huge number of KOREAN students. They speak fluent Tagalog, butter smooth. Some of them have families who actually owns businesses in Manila so that explains.

There are 3 modes of transportation in Intramuros.

1. On Foot. - We've walked for 80 acres until we decided to take the tricycle. 
2. Tricycle. - You'll have to find good ones like we did. It costs 200 pesos depending on the number of stops you wish to visit. BARGAIN!
3. By Calesa. - Horse-drawn carriage where you'll find waiting at Fort Santiago entrance. 

Most of the entrance fees are the same  75 ₱  (Adult), 50 ₱ (Children), and some are free. So here's a list of must visit places in Intramuros:

1. Fort Santiago  
2. Plaza de Roma
3. Postigo del Palacio
4. Puerta de Isabel II
5. Baluarte de San Diego 
6. Plaza Moriones
7. Plazuela de Sta. Isabel
8. Manila Cathedral
9. San Agustin Church & San Agustin Museum
10. Rizal Shrine
11. Bahay Tsinoy - Chinese Filipino Museum  (100 ₱ for adult and 60 ₱ for children)

Footsteps of Rizal

Entrance to Fort Santiago

Postigo del Palacio

I've never actually studied on the history of Philippines but I've learnt a lot from this trip. Visit all the places listed and you'll get the whole view of how Philippines got their independence and how are they connected to Spanish, American, Portuguese, Japanese and many more. Assuming I am a Filipino, damn hell I am proud of my country's history. It was like a story book to me. My tricycle guide us to every monument telling us the history one piece at a time.

Though the sun was scorching hot, I was so taken away by the story of Philippines. The beautiful scenery and environment made me feel home and relaxed.

Thanks for supporting guys! If you're planning to go to the Philippines, I hope you may find this useful. As always, be nasty, stay happy.

Lots of love, Nath.