Modeling in the old Spanish Buildings in Fort Santiago Intramuros

Cash in Hand: P500 ($12)
Day: Balmy Boring Saturday
Inclusive of: Cab fares, Entrance Fees, Souvenirs, and Luscious Dinner at Seafood Wharf

You can already make the most out of 500 bucks! :)

me and janice decided to take some history lessons....
we played tourists in manila and went to intramuros...to check the place...indulge some philippine history, and take a breather...

well...we are just trippin... la magawa sa buhay eh...

and there is also a second agenda...to test our camera's and our artistic abilities..

unfortunately, her camera went dead during the 1st minutes when we arrived in fort santiago...

anyways...let me tell you something about the place

intramuros means "walled city"
this is one of the historical places in the whole philippines.
this has been of existence since the spanish era...
was used by americans...japanese...and etc. (including me) NO!

and this is where our beloved national hero jose p. rizal was imprisoned before he was shot in Bagumbayan..now Rizal Park...but still famous for being knowned as Luneta park

Actually, i've been in intramuros several times before with my ate...
this is where wow philippines used to be held and we have supported
leyte and southern leyte everytime they held a exhibit of our hometown...
i love it!

But i never went to fort santiago...never went to that place before...and i don't have a digicam yet at that time (digicams were still not in fashioned during those years and i was still a poor student)

please bear with me if there are a lot of pics taken in fort santiago

2:00 pm Take a cab to Fort Santiago. The cost of the cab depends on where you
live. We only paid P100 for the cab for this trip. This is inside
Intramuros. Intramuros is a walled city and Fort Santiago is a prison.
This is where Jose Rizal was detained before he was shot in Bagumbayan
now called Rizal Park but still popularly known as Luneta) - Sometimes
I wonder why the Philippine Government love changing the names of the
streets and places.

2:30 pm We arrived in Fort Santiago. Entrance fee is just P40 ($1). Security
personnels who disguises as Fake guardia civils will greet you at the
entrance. They try to give you a Spanish era feel when you get there. With
all the old Spanish buildings and plazas, it surely will make you feel
that way, though.


Kuya, ung kamay nyo po...hmmm


At the back is the prison itself. We were only able to take a picture outside since cameras were not allowed inside. There is no extra entrance fee to be paid but they do collect some forced "donations" from foreign visitors.


These walls have been bombarded by bombs during the World War I and World War II. Spanish troops, American troops, and Japanese troops have occupied these place as their fortress during those times.

I know that this is a funny pic...But I love the kalachuchi background with the Philippine flag. This was taken in the little plaza inside Fort Santiago.

The roads before are made of cobblestones...It felt like we were in Europe.

Lotus? Waterlily? I don't know... I think it was just picturesque...


This is the gate to the fortress where soldiers dwell during war times.

These are the last footprints of Rizal seconds before he was shot in Bagumbayan.



There is a mini antique museum inside the fortress and the entrance fee is just P10 ($0.50) You can check the old books, furnitures, paintings, clothes, and other Rizal stuff. I seriously recommend this place to Rizalistas. :)
check out the arinola in those times...

Outside Fort Santiago, there are more to explore inside Intramuros. After all, this is one of the most historic sites in the whole Philippines and is a must-see for travellers.


This is the San Agustin Church. It was completed in 1607 and is the oldest church currently standing in the Philippines.





We were able to buy some souvenirs in Intramuros at a very low cost of P50 ($1.25) to P100 ($2.50) only. After souvenir shopping in Casa Manila, we were supposed to eat in Ilustrado, unfortunately, the restaurant closed at around 5 pm that day so we have decided to eat somewhere else. I hope I can try to eat in Ilustrado next time.




the caritela costs around P100 ($2.50) from Intramuros to Seafood Wharf. In Seafood Wharf, you can "paluto" some seafood dishes at a very reasonable prize. Meals starts from P150 ($3.25).

CAUTION: a lot of photos are considered not educational!