I have been living well and living easy here in Manila.
Paolo’s family has opened their home to me and treated me with incredible
kindness. The meals we share at their kitchen table with the Lazy Susan in the
center are wonderful—a perfect mix of food and family. Being here has erased
some of my homesickness because I have been made to feel so very much at home.
I have not been a traveler here. I have been a guest. I have
been doted on and protected. What I’ve seen of Manila I’ve seen from the
passenger seat of a car. Today I chose
not to join Paolo on his pre-wedding errands. I wanted to see the city the
travelers way—adventurous and unfamiliar.
The Philippines are a part of and apart from the rest of
South East Asia. An archipelago comprising 7107 islands the Philippines were colonized
by the Spanish, while the majority of mainland South East Asia was being
divided between the British and the French.
The parts of Manila I’ve seen are brand new; beautiful high
rise condominiums, a bustling financial district, malls filled with American
brands. The newness and Western association of Manila is not a bad thing. This
is a proud nation that wants its capital city to rival if not surpass, Bangkok,
Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh—the mega cities of South East Asia.
Nestled in the center of all this newness is Manila’s
colonial past, a walled in historical district called, Intramuros. That is what
I wanted to see.
Rain had been steadily falling for two straight days. In the
early afternoon it finally decided to take a break. I dropped a handful of
Pesos into my back pocket and walked to the train station carrying only my
camera and a black umbrella with a samurai sword handle incase the grey moody
skies decided to open up again.
I stepped through without a map or a plan.
My travels in Asia have desensitized me to the exotic. I no longer
get that “I must be dreaming” feeling. But, the loss of awe has been tempered by
an increase in calm. I don’t need a map. I don’t need a plan. I have the
comfort and experience to get lost in a place.
I wandered the streets of Intramuros, turning when I wanted
to turn and stopping when I wanted to stop. The wall was my only point of reference.
If I found myself outside it, I turned and walked back through.
The Manila region was declared the capital of the Spanish
Colony in 1571 and the city walls were built soon after. Architectural
highlights of Intramuros include St. Augustine church completed in 1607, the
Arch Bishop’s palace and Audiencia the ruins of the former Supreme Court
building.
The Philippines broke free of Spanish oppression in 1898 and
entered an era of American stewardship. In 1955 they gained full independence.
The Spanish influence can still be seen in the faces of the Filipino people, in
their food and in their language (Tagalog; a patois of indigenous, Spanish and
English words). Beyond these intangibles it is a fading history hidden behind
crumbling walls.
I walked around Intramuros for hours. I walked along and on
top of the wall. I walked down narrow alleys and through traffic. I walked
beneath clouds, sun and rain. I didn’t make friends or stop for lunch. I got
lost on purpose and found more than I ever would have with a map and a route.
Being a guest in Paolo’s home has been relaxing and rejuvenating.
In this transition between Asia and Europe I needed a bit of home to ground me.
But, the Philippines is still a new adventure abroad. I needed to see
Intramuros to get a true sense of the place; a sense of the Philippines past
present and future. As far as I can see, colonialism is in the past, the American
era is lingering in the present and the future is in the hands of the Filipino
people. This is their country and the decades to come will be theirs to shape.
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