Hi, Photography Lovers community! This time, let's have a virtual tour of Intramuros, the walled city in Manila — one of the itineraries we did in Manila with friends after our hiking to Taal Volcano.
Photos were taken using a Nikon D5100 with 18-55 mm lens.
Related Articles:
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According to Wikipedia:
Intramuros is the oldest district of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is located along the southern bank of the Pasig River and was built by the Spanish in the 16th century .
During the Spanish colonial period, "Intramuros" referred to the city of Manila itself.
Intramuros comes from the Latin intra muros which literally means within the walls , referring to the fact that Intramuros was a fortified city .
Pre-Hispanic settlements
At the location of Intramuros was a Malay-Islamic site, dominated by three clan chiefs, Rajah Sulayman, Lakan Dula and Rajah Matanda, and called Maynilad . The name Maynilad comes from a water plant called nilad growing in abundance along the banks of the Pasig River .
The presence of this river and the access it provided to Manila Bay made it a strategic location allowing trade with many Asian populations such as Chinese and Islamic traders coming from China , Borneo , Indonesia , etc. This is how Maynilad became the stronghold of the native chiefs who ruled in the area before the arrival of Europeans in Luzon .
Source: here
Getting inside Intramuros
It was funny how we felt about this tour because before, we only read Taal Volcano and Intramuros in our Civics and Culture books. And I have to admit that reading the subject of History and Culture about the Philippines made me dislike it. Is it just me or anyone can relate? I never appreciated reading the books.
My friends could also relate to what I was feeling. It was a boring subject because you're reading history based only on books. We realized that visiting historical places is more interesting in learning and understanding what was happening in the past.
We were excited to buy the tickets at Fort Santiago. It was scorching hot so an umbrella is a must-bring.
Let's start our photo walk.
I really loved these old windows. I remember we had this window made of capiz shells of my grandparents' old house.
A window shot
The green garden
An open window
Just imagining that a beautiful lady with her paper fan or abanico waiting for her suitor to serenade her.
You can have a kalesa ride inside the Intramuros, I just forgot how much you pay for it.
A comfortable ride under the heat of the sun. I just hope this horse was fine, though.
The flowers in the garden
Testing out my Nikon D5100 in taking photos of the flowers. It was so vibrant, the colors were popping up.
I love the bokeh background. Still using the 18-55mm lens.
It was so hot that chilling in the garden was a must.
In this photo, we can see the Manila Cathedral.
This is the depiction of the execution of the three priests historically called GOMBURZA: Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.
Gomburza is an acronym for Fathers Mariano Gomez , José Apolonio Burgos , and Jacinta Zamora , three Filipino priests executed onFebruary 17, 1872by Spanish colonial authorities following trumped-up charges of subversion following the 1872 Cavite Mutiny .
Source: here
Under renovation...
A little pond inside the Intramuros or I think this is connected to the Pasig River.
This beautiful architecture of the Fort Santiago.
And here's a little bit of historical information about Fort Santiago.
Of course, photos with friends.
Intramuros is a good place to take your prenuptial or pre-wedding photos here. Or even during the wedding with your white long gown.
Also a nice place to date and discover historical places. :D
Another photo with friends. I was imagining if I was a wedding photographer, this window is a nice frame.
These are the footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal. There is a museum inside Intramuros where he was imprisoned before the execution.
The Dungeon used to be the storage vault and powder magazine of the Baluarte de Santa Barbara.
The Baluarte de Santa Barbara
Outside of Intramuros, you can see the Pasig River and the tall buildings in Manila.
While watching the Pasig River, of course, it reminded me of a Filipino Song: Anak ng Pasig. Here is a lyric video, check it here.
I hope you enjoyed my virtual Photowalk of Intramuros. Intramuros is a huge place so there will be more photos in the next blog.
Welcome to iTravelRox! Roxanne Tamayo is a Cebuana who is a traveler. Now a mom of 2 kids and a wife. She is a travel blogger and a digital nomad. As a Virtual Assistant, she does a lot of things like content writing, WordPress web design, WP updates and maintenance, graphic design, and photo editing. She is into wedding photography, as well.
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