HYDERABAD: Manila, the capital city of the Philippines holds a not so enviable title of the most densely populated cities in the world (we are not far behind, our amchi Mumbai is the second runner up!). The city is a mix of old and new: where the modern skyscrapers vie for attention with Spanish colonial architecture, even as the much polluted Pasig River flows by helplessly. Overriding all this, it is the quaint charm of the old city: the numerous churches and remnants of the Spanish rule that appeals to a sensitive traveller. Like all cities, Manila lives in its unforgettable history and the footprints left by various invaders.
Tourism is a vital industry in Manila, attracting more than one million tourists annually. Top in the major tourist attractions is the walled city of Intramuros, the historic centre of Manila, whose architecture reflects the Spanish colonial and the American Neoclassical styles: the Philippines was a colony of Spain and the US before it was granted independence in 1946.
The traffic jams in Metro Manila give you ample time at traffic signals to do some people watching and buy rice cakes from the vendors. Red, my driver (yes, that’s his name - just Red), endowed with a warm smile and equipped with authentic information on local attractions, was too eager to show me his city. Talking about the Philippines and explaining the topography he said, “We can travel either North or South in my country. If we move East or West, we will end up in the ocean.”
Rizal Park
As we entered one of the largest urban parks in Asia, the beauty of La Madre Filipina statue in pure white struck me. Situated by the Manila Bay, it is an important site in Philippine history: the execution of national hero Jose Rizal in 1896 triggered the Philippines Revolution against the Spanish rule. Rizal Park honours his memory and the bronze-and- granite Rizal monument is among the most famous sculptural landmarks in the country.
Fort Santiago
The defence fortress Fort Santiago is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as Intramuros. One of the most important historical sites in Manila, several lives were lost in its prisons during the Spanish Colonial Period and World War II. The dungeons that were used as prison cells were damp and scary.
Jose Rizal, one of the Philippine national heroes, was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896. The Rizal Shrine Museum displays memorabilia of the hero in their collection and the fort features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his footsteps representing his final walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution. Seen from here, the Pasig River in the foreground sadly reflects the high-rise buildings and the transformation the city has gone through over a period.
Intramuros
The city was the capital and seat of Spanish sovereignty in the Orient for over three hundred years. Threats of invasion by Chinese and Japanese pirates prompted the construction of defences consisting of high stonewalls, bulwarks and moats. The area consisted of residences, churches, palaces, schools, and government buildings. Entry was made possible through gates with drawbridges that were closed before midnight and opened at the break of dawn. Thus the city earned the name Intramuros, meaning “within the walls”.
It served as the political, cultural, educational, religious, and commercial centre of Spain’s empire in the East. The riches of Asia were gathered in the Walled City (as Intramuros was later known) and loaded on galleons for transport to Acapulco, Mexico. After surviving a number of earthquakes, typhoons, fires, and wars through the centuries, Intramuros took the deathblow when the Americans liberated the Philippines from the Japanese in 1945.Artillery shells reduced the walls and buildings to ashes. Thousands died during the eight-day siege, making Intramuros a dead city. Today the place is buzzing with tourists, and the former residents are busy running shops and restaurants.
Casa Manila
This interesting “colonial lifestyle” museum within Intramuros reflects the living style of the affluent during the Spanish colonisation. Situated close to the historic San Augustan church, this antique looking building was built recently by Imelda Marcos. Made of stone and wood, the sprawling, quaint mansion is filled with beautifully crafted wooden furniture, highly polished mirrors, fine porcelain, exquisite tapestries, and curios. The beautiful courtyard, well-equipped kitchen, and the well on the top floor are simply charming!
We breezed through the busy Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, the city’s centre of commerce and trade for all types of businesses run by Filipino-Chinese merchants with a wide variety of shops and restaurants.
I dedicated the next day entirely for shopping as Manila is regarded as one of the best shopping destinations in Asia - quality goods, trusted brands, all at reasonable prices. I entered the Mall of Asia and was lost in that mysterious world of shopping: it is one place where a woman is at peace with herself.
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)