Travel theme: International Women’s Day

Travel theme: International Women’s Day: This week’s theme is wide open for however you want to celebrate the woman or women in your life, or all women in general. A portrait, essay, something symbolic, or a place that reminds you of someone.

These are the beautiful women in my life here in Metro Manila and cheers to our womanhood!

And don’t forget to check out Where’s my backpack?, the forerunner of this Travel Theme Writing Contest.  Feel free to join if you like.  For more details, click on the name link.

 

It’s More Fun in the Philippines: Vigan Heritage Village

The Spanish era had contributed a lot here in the country.  Their influence was so rich that even now, most of the Spanish culture and traditions are still very well practiced in random parts of the whole Philippine archipelago.  The Spanish language or Espaniol is still partly practiced in Zamboanga City down the southern part of the country which happened to be the only Latin city in the country and Asia as a whole as well.  The culture and some old traditions are still well lived in most of the homes of the Filipino families up North.  The delicacies are still appreciated and served on most Filipino tables as to some ways of living are still observed by most Filipinos.  A lot of prestigious Spanish places are also preserved and open for public views.

Yet, there’s one place in the country that’s indeed the most popular preserved Spanish place for all the buildings and houses up to the streets were purely preserved from the Spanish era.  Though some were already repaired if not reconstructed, the atmosphere itself and the sense of being there indeed takes you back to the Spanish era when they still had the country under their government.  It’s The Heritage Village, Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines.

The above photos are just few of the many outstanding beauty of the Spanish era that still lived and preserved in this certain one-Spanish street popularly known as Calle Crisologo to the locals.  It now served as a Spanish Heritage Village as called for itself where all houses displayed used to be real houses and building enterprises of Filipino residents during that time.

Visit the country this summer and experience the Spanish-influenced atmosphere and get captured along nostalgic lane as you travel back in time.

All the above pictures were taken and captured by Chris Saunil, my teacher friend during his Pilgrimage weeks before Holy Week last year.

 

Daily Prompt: Places

Daily Prompt: Places: Beach, mountain, forest, or somewhere else entirely?

The Forever Historical Hispanic Beauty of Intramuros, Manila (the city within the city)!

The gates of Intramuros, the city of Manila that’s surrounded by thick high brick walls built by the Spaniards.

The remains of the Spanish days.

The Spanish buildings as preserved as they were.

The lay-back community where residents still ride Kalesa or a horse-drawn carriage everytime they commute from one place to another within the city.

Manila Cathedral, officially known as Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Principal Patroness of the Philippines, is a prominent Latin Rite Roman Catholic basilica. The original cathedral was built in 1581 yet destroyed several times. The current cathedral was the eighth and last structure rebuilt in 1958 where the highest archbishop in the country resides.

The present structure was the 3rd Augustinian Church built on the site for the first was made of bamboo and nipa constructed by the Spaniards in 1571 yet destroyed in 1574 during the unprepared invasion in Manila by certain forces, while the 2nd was rebuilt made of wood yet was burned in 1583. It’s one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines.

The memorial monument built to serve as a gravestone of over 100,000 unidentified men, women, children and infants killed in Manila during its battle of liberation between February 3 to March 3, 1945.

All Filipinos are curious of what’s in it.

The front wall of Fort Santiago where Elpidio Quirino, the 6th Philippine President, Jose Rizal, the Philippine National Hero, and other Filipino heroes were imprisoned during the Spanish era.

The pathway on top of the Wall.

One of the hundred sites on top of the Wall.

A real canon gun with all its unused canon balls used by the Spaniards to protect the walled city during their era.

Rizal’s Shrine is a museum where all the belongings of the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal are kept and displayed for public view.

One of the many historical dungeons where approximately 600 unidentified Filipino dead bodies where found during the last days of February 1945.

Intramuros or literally means “within walls” is a city in Manila surrounded with thick brick walls built by the Spaniards during their era in the country.  The walls were built to protect the Spanish Governor-General, its administration and the whole city as well from any possible invasion for they all thought that the city would be forever a Spanish colony therefore they had it as the center of the Philippine-Spanish government.  The walls were never destroyed yet served as remains and attraction of the historical city within a city.  For further details, just click on each picture.