Intramuros: Fort Santiago

Mabuhi!

Last week, I attended an intimate wedding rites of a dear friend of mine at Fort Santiago.

Fort Santiago (Spanish: Fuerte de Santiago; Filipino: Moóg ng Santiago) is a citadel first built by Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi for the new established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as Intramuros. - Wikipedia 

I've been planning to visit Intramuros with Hubby, but we often encounter time constraints every time we visit Manila. So you can imagine how glad I am to visit part of Intramuros and at the same time witness a friend's marriage rites. Sadly, Hubby is not with me this time.

Operating Hours

Fort Santiago opens daily from 8AM-6PM.

Entrance Fees

We weren't asked to pay the entrance fees since we are attending an event. But for normal visitors these are the admission fees:

Rates:
Children/Students - Php50.00
Adults - Php75.00

Parking Area

The nearest parking lot is just adjacent to the entrance gate.

Rates:
Car - Php50.00
Bus - Php70.00

Sceneries

This is such a lovely place for engaged couples to hold their pre-nuptial or post-nuptial pictorials.

Shops retailing native products, weave cloths and refreshments are located near the exit gate.

Reducto De San Francisco Javier (Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

This is where the wedding rites took place.

Tunnel leading to the shrine.

Postern of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Casa Manila Patio

Reception took place at Casa Manila Patio. So we need to leave Fort Santiago and take a short drive to General Luna Street.

Fronting Casa Manila Patio is the grand San Agustin Church.

San Agustin Church

Bamboo bikes for rent at Bambike Ecotours.
Located at the courtyard of Casa Manila Patio.

That was just the entrance area of Fort Santiago. I hope one day I can explore every corner of Intramuros.

What is your favourite place at Fort Santiago?

Hugos

Mabuhi!

Easter Sunday culminates the Holy Week observation in the Philippines. Here in our town we celebrate it with the much awaited Hugos (hoist) where a young boy will be hoisted as an Angel of God ushering the meeting of Jesus and His mother, Mary.

This is held right after Easter Vigil here at St. John the Baptist Parish of Garcia-Hernandez at around 12:30am.

Here are the pictures and a video of last year's Hugos.

Happy Easter Sunday everyone!

Picture Quotes

"When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them.

So when you are safe and happy, remember that someone is praying for you."

"Don't just exist, live!"

Into the City: Sceneries From My Home To Tagbilaran City

Mabuhi!

My hometown is around 52 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City, the sole city in the province. A trip to the city takes approximately one hour and fifteen minutes but the sceneries you'll see will surely not bore you.

Here are some of the pictures I took during some of my trips. Please bear with the images as these were taken while I was inside a moving vehicle using a mobile phone.

The on-going restoration of Baclayon Church.

We took a quick stop in Dimiao to buy watermelons so I was able to take a panorama. This town is the top producer of watermelons in the province. Locals selling watermelons along the road is a common sight when you pass by here.

At Dimiao. During summer, this will turn into a field full of what looks like dinosaur eggs.

What are your favorite sceneries on your way to the city?

Cycling Around Sinugbuan

Mabuhi!

Sinugbuan is the old name of my hometown, which means to dive due to it's numerous springs and waterholes catering local animals such as cows and carabaos. After being hit by several strong earthquakes most of these water sources dried up. Today, our town is known as Garcia-Hernandez.

Most fine mornings I'll ride my dad's bike, roam around, looking for new trails while enjoying the views of the countryside.

How about you, what's the story of your hometown?