Mar 6 – Manila, Philippines. A Mansion and a Museum and a Folk Show

Another day, another tour.  This tour is of the Old City of Manila. Turns out part of it (Fort Santiago) is a repeat of yesterday.  But there were plenty of new sights as well.  We started out in Rizal Park.  The park is named after José Rizal was a Filippino intellectual and political activist from the last half of  the 19^th century.  His writings were the inspiration for the Philippine revolution, and he was ultimately executed by the Spanish.  He is considered a national hero and martyr.

There were some fountains…

but the main site we visited was the monument to Rizal.  

It is guarded by the Philippine Marine Corp to pay homage to Rizal as well as to protect the monument from vandals. 

The tour involved a several drives through various parts of Manila.  Some photos of Manila…

Jollibee is more popular than McDonalds

and Manila traffic.

Some more photos of Fort Santiago…

and the adjacent prison.

We visited the Manila Cathedral again. 

From here most of the rest of the tour was a walking tour that took us through a neighborhood near the cathedral.

First stop was the Casa Manila Museum.  This museum, or “Manila House” is a living museum and showcases the lifestyle of the affluent Filipino family during the Spanish Colonial period.  There was a beautiful, sunny courtyard.

The house was fully furnished with beautiful, European inspired furniture.

The kitchen was fully outfitted.

This “lizard” was a stool.  You would sit on it straddled and use the metal tongue to husk coconuts (remove the outer shell). 

They had an indoor bathroom that included a large tub on the veranda.

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More Casa Manila
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Right across the street was the Museo San Agustin.  This stone church was completed in 1607 and is the oldest church in the Philippines.   The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the church and adjacent monastery and cloisters.

The church interior.

The cloisters…

with religious pieces…

and the enclosed courtyard.

There was also a museum area that included religious artifacts,

Santo Nino de Cebu

art,

and model of a galleon and maps of the various trade routes from Mexico and Europe to Manila.

Manila had a marching band out on the pier to see us on our way at departure.

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Video of Marching Band
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A few photos of Manila harbor.

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More Manila
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That evening we had another great show…the Piano Brothers...Dominic Ferris from London and Elwin Hendrijanto from Jakarta.  A wild, crazy, talented performance.