Intramuros

Intramuros has always been a great place to show visiting friends--it's the Philippines in a nutshell. After a hearty dimsum lunch at the Shang Palace in Makati Shangri-la (we probably had a dozen different kinds of dimsum treats), I brought another batch of Chinese guests to Intramuros.  First stop was the San Agustin Church, but because a wedding ceremony was underway, we decided to skip the church tour, proceeding to the Manila Cathedral instead.  Now whenever I enter the walled city, I always marvel at the beauty of the Cathedral's structure, which makes an imposing presence on the skyline.  The interiors are well-preserved, and as such, the ambience seems to create a solemn mystique, making a perfect recharge zone for the spiritually-weary.  Truly one of the structures that define Manila!

Next stop was Fort Santiago which I had not seen since my high school days.  Not bad at all; I believe the Intramuros Administration has kept the place clean and a pleasure to visit.  As you enter, the park leading to the moat has a beautifully kept garden, alive with shrubs and flowers of various colors and hues.  The entrance gate right after the moat has a majestic archway, quite perfect for the calendar poses of couples-to-be!  The interior park has a statue of Jose Rizal, and while we were visiting, I could spot a few groups having photo sessions using the scenery as a background.  At the rear portion of the Fort, you can climb up to the ramparts overlooking the Pasig River, and only the view of Tondo/Binondo made me realize (abruptly) the disparity between the fairy-tale setting of the Fort Santiago park vis-a-vis the Third World reality of the City of Manila.  Well, so much for that...

The tour would not have been complete without merienda cena, which we had at the nearby Ilustrado Restaurant.  Being a hot day, we had the unique speciality of the place--Filipino ice cream, in pandan, ginger and calamansi!

Dinner?  You guessed it--Chinese food.  We went to the Manila Pavilion Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn Manila Pavilion), and tried the food at the Peony Garden restaurant.  Formerly known as Toh Yuen or the Pavilion Court, we had Malaysian style Chinese food, which my guests found to be quite different from what they were used to.

Overall, a great day for me to be a tour guide for visiting friends.  I also was able to appreciate the city a little bit better.  Pinoy na Pinoy!