Manila in a Day

Chapter I

INTRAMUROS: Gliding Through the Streets of History

By: Mae

January 18, 2014. Just another ordinary day…or so it seemed.

Joy, my wonderful angel, had a surprise for me that day. With a flash of mischievous smile, she sweetly announced that we were set for an afternoon adventure.

We left the house right after lunch. Up until the last minute, I was clueless as to where we were headed. Joy was determined to keep it a secret and was keeping mum about it. She said that I’ll know about it soon enough.

And so I did. It was a grand tour of Intramuros – with a twist! We’ll be gliding through the historic Walled City aboard an electric chariot.

Cool, huh? Definitely. Except that I didn’t have an inkling on how to use it.  My clumsy self was beside with worry. I was picturing all sorts of disasters in my mind – I might fall flat on my face, bump into a post, get hit by a car or run someone over! Hahaha.

In the end, my eagerness to explore Intramuros, plus the fact that all my other companions were as unfamiliar as I was in maneuvering an e-chariot, toughened my resolve to push through with the tour. Prayer helped, too.

We were six in the tour group: Joy and I, two British, one Singaporean and a Middle Eastern. Plus one tour guide and two safety escorts.

We were each given about five minutes to get acquainted with the e-chariot. After some awkward moments of practicing, our tour guide cum instructor decided that it was time to put into test our new-found driving skills. And so, off we went for the one-hour grand history tour.

The scariest part for me was when we first navigated the narrow hallway of the White Knight Hotel and crossed the busy streets along the Plaza San Luiz Complex. I felt shaky for awhile but I soon got over my initial fear.

We first passed the San Agustin Church, which is a living legacy by itself. It is a four-century structure that has withstood the atrocities of wars and the onslaught of natural and man-made calamities. Its grandeur is timeless, making it one of the favorite venues for traditional weddings.

Soon we were skirting our way to Arzobispo and our tour guide provided us with bits and pieces of information on the rich history of Intramuros and the structures within it.

Intramuros was the seat of power of the Spanish conquistadores in the Philippines. But records showed that it was already a thriving community even before the Spanish colonization.

The incessant threat of invasion posed by foreign forces (Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Portuguese pirates) led to the construction of stone walls (4.5 km in length) around Intramuros. These enclosing stone bulwarks bestowed Intramuros its name, which literally means “within the walls”.

The walls fortified the defense of the 64-hectare commercial district, but it was by no means impenetrable. Invasive forces came and went and inflicted heavy damage to the city’s structures many times over, the most massive of which was during World War II. The Americans successfully liberated the Filipinos from the Japanese in 1945, but at the end of the staged eight-day siege, thousands had perished and Intramuros was reduced to ashes. Thankfully, efforts to restore Intramuros to a semblance of its former glory and preserve it as a heritage site had been undertaken in the recent years.

As we rounded up to the Clam Shell, our tour guide pointed to us the replica of the Muslim houses and the former site of the Ateneo de Manila University, where Dr. Jose Rizal studied. While there, we took a momentary respite from our history lesson and gamely posed for group pictures.

Soon after, we proceeded to the other itineraries in our tour, to wit: Puerta De Santa Lucia, Galleria Delos Presidentes, PC Barracks, Victoria, and Baluarte de San Diego. In each and every site, we were generously provided with details by our tour guide – dishing out even trivial ones. Our favorite was the anecdote on how the Beatles were booted out of the country by an irate Imelda Marcos.

Our last stop was at the Muralla Wall where we saw the remnants of the Japanese canons and the bullet-riddled walls…the mute witnesses of the not-so-distant war. The horrors of war had a sobering effect on us all. Truly, the cost of peace is staggeringly high…and deadly.

As our tour came to an end, we reluctantly made our way back to White Knight Hotel and deposited our e-chariots. I felt proud that I was able to maneuver it without difficulty. The whole experience was fun and very educational. But somehow, I felt that the tour was a bit limited. We only covered a small portion of Intramuros. But it will do for now.

Before heading out, Joy and I decided to have a peek at the Casa Manila Museum.

We were greeted there by a guardia civil who readily posed for a souvenir picture before ushering us to the entrance of the museum.

The museum is actually a replica of the mid-19^th century colonial houses of the Ilustrados.

We explored every nook and cranny of the house and were greatly amazed by its splendor. As with many museums though, picture-taking was not allowed inside.

We started off at the Antesala and then moved to the more spacious Sala. Although both areas are used for entertaining guests, it is in the Sala that VIPs are ushered and dances are held. The antique furniture and decorations are intricately crafted – a work of art indeed.

Moving on to the Oratorio, we were surprised to see life-size images of saints. It sure did look more like a chapel to me than a family prayer room.

There are numerous bedrooms in the house but what truly stands out is the Cuarto Principal or the master’s bedroom. It’s huge as compared to the other rooms and comes with full amenities – a dresser, a washstand and an armoire – all of which are said to be a status symbol then.  A funny-looking arinola (chamber pot) caught our eye, too. Its appearance has definitely evolved.

The Comedor boasts of the family’s precious sets of porcelain, silver and glasswares. But the manually-operated ceiling fan or punkah is as priceless also. Woe to the one assigned to operate this enormous fan. Haha.

Next to the Comedor is the Cocina. On display there are the traditional stovetop, oven, dish rack and nevera (ice box).

The Letrina (toilet) is also very interesting. Toilet seats (so comfortable-looking!) are placed side by side, allowing two people to use it at the same time and exchange pleasantries while doing the thing.

We then took a brief glimpse of the Baňo before exiting in the Azotea with a cheerful smile. We did enjoy the museum tour immensely.

The whole house practically screamed of luxury and extravagance! I later learned that on the average, at least 20 servants are needed to attend to the masters’ whims and needs.  It sure is fun to be rich even in that era!

Looking back, we were greatly enriched by today’s experience. Though there may be so many bitter-sweet memories in our past, reliving them in the present bridges the gap between the generation then and the generation now…reminding us that the lessons in our history should never be taken for granted nor forgotten, for it is the past that shapes up our present and our future.

And so it was, a seemingly ordinary day that turned out to be an extraordinary date – with history!

Chapter II

Cruisin’ Down the Bay

By: Joy

For the second part of our adventure, Mae and I went on the Manila Bay Cruise aboard MV Spirit of Manila.

I have been planning for us to go on this trip since September, and both of us were quite excited to finally try it out. I booked the tickets through Sun Cruise’s sales office in Times Plaza and paid P1,100.00 inclusive of a 1.5-hour Manila Bay cruise and set dinner for two. I reserved a slot for the 6:15 pm schedule and specifically requested for a table on the upper deck to enjoy a better view of Manila’s night lights.

Prior to our tour date, I looked up reviews on the internet and was sad to find that there were lots of negative feedback regarding Sun Cruise’s set dinner. Apparently, many people found the food quite bland and simple. But then again, I figured that for the amount I paid for it, I really couldn’t expect too much. Besides, I told myself that we would be there for the cruise, not the food.

From Intramuros, we took the LRT from Central station to Vito Cruz and rode the orange jeep to the CCP Complex. The Sun Cruises jetty terminal is just behind Folk Arts Theater. When we got there, we received our first surprise of the night: there was an additional charge of P100.00 per person because instead of the set dinner we paid for, Sun Cruises was serving a buffet that night. We gladly paid the extra charge thinking that perhaps we’ll have a better dining experience. We were the first to board at around 5:45pm and waited as the ship filled with passengers. Around us, the sky magnificently shifted hues, Manila bay’s famous sunset adding the perfect backdrop to our dreamy evening.

We left the dock at exactly 6:15 pm and watched as the crew performed the standard safety demonstration. They performed the same safety demonstration for the passengers in the lower deck and after that, dinner was announced. Good thing, too, as I was already quite hungry by that time.

The buffet was laid out at the lower deck so we all had to go down. I was silently praying that we won’t be too disappointed with the food. When we got to the buffet table, lo and behold! The spread was quite fantastic! There was an assortment of food which all looked very appetizing to me. There was pasta, pork, chicken, fish fillet, and two types of dessert (buko pandan and mango jelly). There were even chips and dips, perfect for the beer-drinking passengers. We made sure to get a little of everything (I got both desserts!) and fully satisfy our tummies. I’m pretty sure I had my food-crazed look on as the buffet attendants told us we were free to come back for another serving.

As we were about to go back up, the band started setting up near the buffet table. That’s when I really got jealous of the passengers on the lower deck, they got the buffet table AND the live acoustic serenade. Oh well, I thought to myself, I’d just go back to the buffet table for a second round. At least we got the al fresco ambience and the view. Plus the special attraction I knew was coming up.

We had a very nice dinner on the upper deck. The food was great and the night air was cool. At 7:00pm, the sky erupted in a blaze of colors as fireworks came on at the SM Mall of Asia. SM puts on a fantastic 5-minute fireworks display every Friday and Saturday at 7:00pm, and it was for this reason that I chose upper deck seats and the 6:15 pm cruise schedule. Mae loves fireworks and I knew she would totally enjoy the show.

We watched the fireworks, stunned at the multi-colored tails and flares, palms, peonies, and crackling lights which filled the sky. It was a dazzling aerial display, made more impressive by the fact that we were viewing it from a cruise ship.

When the fireworks display was over, we realized that we hadn’t finished our dinner yet. We happily resumed eating and savored every bit of food on our plates. I swore I would go back for another serving, but incredibly after just one plateful I was already too stuffed. We spent the remaining time of our cruise looking over Manila bay and admiring the sparkling city lights.

Just as the cruise was nearing its end, another pleasant surprise came our way. The acoustic band which performed for the passengers in the lower deck began setting up in front of our table and it was our turn to be serenaded.

The band started off with “Run Away” by The Corrs and smoothly transitioned to Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be.” What stopped my breath, though, was their rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” I couldn’t help but be carried away by the sweetness of the moment. The band played more songs until we docked again at the terminal.

It was truly a wonderful day, one of the best adventures we’ve had so far. I’m looking forward to having more trips and experiences in the days ahead.