A trip down memory lane | Intramuros, Philippines

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Back at it

I hate to say this but "It's been a while!"

I haven't been totally away as I've been reading and upvoting posts occasionally, but I haven't found the right time to share another travel story or write about a new recipe I tried at home. Until today, I decided it is about time to break the more than a month-long hiatus. My stories have piled up and I'm giddy to share them all at the right time.

A lot of things have taken place since the last time I wrote an article and I couldn't even decide where to begin. Hmmm... Well, GB and I recently moved to our first-ever home (which I'll write about some other time). I'm labeling it as first as we plan to make it our halfway home. It's not the kind of halfway home you have in mind right now wherein individuals after release from institutionalization are kept. Of course, I'd love to have a farmhouse in our Province one day, but for now, a haven 20-30 minutes away from work is the nicest thing we could get ourselves as we turn a year older this year. I've also been traveling a lot for work lately; I spent a couple of days in Iloilo City and Manila last week. I rarely travel for work in recent years so I'm just grateful for all the opportunities to go on out-of-town trips even if it entails work. 😂 I never stopped roaming around for adventure too, both in Cebu and even outside of Cebu, so you can expect me to share a myriad of adventures as I vow to be more active in the next few days.

I want to start this comeback with something very recent. Here we go!

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The universe aligned

Cebu Pacific (CebPac), a budget airline in the Philippines, is notorious for its delayed flights. I've had my share of unfortunate CebPac delays which cost us an entire day in our travel back in June 2023. This time the last thing I want to happen is to be stuck in the airport for hours, wasting my previous time. My boss is keen that the training I'll conduct be completed as fast as my team could. He had been asking me to conduct this training last quarter but I was occupied with training my new team members, so I brushed off his instructions. Now, I'm working double-time to make up for all the excuses. The training was scheduled last Monday at 8 am, so I decided to fly in a day before the training. Miraculously, there was less than an hour's delay on my flight and I got the entire sunny afternoon in Manila to myself.

When I arrived in Manila, nothing was set in stone. I dropped off my luggage at SM Mall of Asia (MOA), got a late Chinese lunch in time for the Lunar New Year, and had my nails cleaned. It was a relaxing afternoon until I realized I had so much spare time. I'm used to having (and in fact, I enjoy) slow weekends so I shouldn't have any problem with a lot of spare time. But that day was different, I'm in Manila; I don't come here often so might as well get the most out of it.

Intramuros has been on my list for at least two years now. I've dreamed of coming to Intramuros for an afternoon devoid of stress and anxiety which seemed to inevitably surround me since this year started. I've been to Rizal Park and National Museum of Fine Arts during one of my visits to Manila. Intramuros and Binondo are just around the area but I didn't have enough time to visit all the spots in one go then. After checking "Intramuros" on Google Maps and realizing that I would only pay less than Php 100 for a one-way Angkas ride, my hideous spontaneous self was unraveled. The Angkas ride was surprisingly quick. It wasn't my first time in this part of Manila but riding a motorcycle offered a fresh and unique perspective of the old City of Manila.

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Plaza Roma: The Principal Square of Intramuros

Manila is dubbed as the concrete jungle of the Philippines but if one looks closely at the right corners, one will discover a charm that only this part of the country exudes. I hope you'd feel the same through this quick virtual tour of Intramuros.

I alighted at the front of Manila Cathedral which I later learned is called Plaza Roma. The square is said to be the main square in this walled community and there's no denying how it earned this title as the square occupies a large part of Intramuros.

At the heart of this square, I found a fountain where the monument of King Charles IV of Spain was erected. On its sides are two edifices. On the right side, is the massive Palacio del Gobernador (Palace of the Governor) rising as high as nine (9) floors. On the other hand, I almost missed the Ayuntamiento de Manila (Bureau of Treasury) building which rests on the left side of Plaza Roma.

Unlike the Palacio del Gobernador, the Ayuntamiento de Manila building is only a 2-floor building painted in pearl white with amber accents on its wooden doors and windows. It's refreshing to the eyes!

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The Manila Cathedral

At the back of Plaza Roma is the unbelievable Manila Cathedral. Manila Cathedral built in 1571
and is recognized as the main Roman Catholic Church _[1] in the Philippines. I only learned about this during this particular visit, too.

Honestly, I was surprised to see a lot of tourists, both locals and foreigners, flocking Intramuros that afternoon. Seeing how enthusiastic they all were made me excited about my tour of the place, too! I took my time admiring the classic beauty that is the Manila Cathedral. Everything about this church, from its well-thought-of design engraved in its facade and walls to its eloquent altar, tells me how the Philippines was largely influenced by the Spaniards.

More photos of Manila Cathedral:

Small mobile stores are fronting the church; don't forget to try the Pinoy traditional sorbetes or dirty ice cream. It's a bit costlier here but still worth every penny. Tried the avocado flavor. Must try! 😋

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Mercadillo: An afternoon of festivities

I've heard of Bambike Eco Tours in Intramuros but that afternoon, I wasn't planning to ride one. Bambike is short for Bamboo Bikes or bicycles that are made from bamboo. I was rather convinced that the best way to get to know Intramuros was by walking around; In fact, I told myself "I won't mind getting lost". I stopped looking at Google Maps and let my happy feet lead me.

A few minutes into the dream-come-true chill afternoon walk in Intramuros, I heard a commotion a block away; it drew my attention even more when I heard a live band play "Araw-araw". It's a meaningful song to me. I thought that Ben and Ben was performing live but I was wrong; nonetheless, the live music added vibrance to the place. Aside from great music, I found an entire street lined up with food stalls offering varying menus from snacks to meals, from fresh juices to coffee. I was more interested in exploring Intramuros further so I skipped the food.

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San Agustin Church

The Mercadillo ended and right away, I was welcomed by another gem of Intramuros. I've seen this place listed in almost all blogs I've read as one of the must-visit places here. Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise to see it. The Manila Cathedral might've charmed me first but I agree tourists should see for themselves how endearing this church is. I stood here for a few moments fascinated by how remarkable its design is,

Just across San Agustine Church is the famous Cafe Intramuros and other stores such as Balai Pandesal and Barbara's. I'm pretty sure all of these are worth paying a visit but again, I didn't came for food. My voyage continued!

Other must-try destinations across San Agustin Church:

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The End?

I just continue my walk for a good 10 more minutes and each corner of Intramuros keeps on astonishing me. I've noted museums (which I skipped for now, I will certainly come back for them next time!), native shops, hotels, and more restaurants.

Here are more photos I took that afternoon:

Walking leads one to great places. There are just places you'd explore better on foot and Intramuros is undeniably one of them. For someone who lives in one of the busiest and most modern cities in the Philippines, I felt I traveled back in time to witness a part of the kind of life my ancestors lived.

I don't know why I'm just mentioning this now when in fact this could be the best way to open this blog. But I guessed, when I aimlessly walked that afternoon, at some point, I thought I reached a dead end; I reached the wall. Yep! Intramuros is a "Walled City", a community that somehow existed on its own, away from the big and scary world of Manila. The entire community was built during the Spaniards' occupation in the Philippines and that explains the design of buildings and the entire urban plan of this community.

When I reached the wall, I thought, it was time to go back, get some food, and go home. Thankfully, my curiosity served me well that day. I decided to follow the wall and I was so glad to do so.

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All road leads to one

I saw people climbing up an elevated surface near the wall; I followed them and acted like I was a local in the area. There's also a police station in the area so I'm confident that I'm in good hands.

Lo and behold, The wall isn't the usual wall I thought it was. I'm not an expert but I do know these walls served as protection from outsiders but I didn't expect the walls to be so thick and wide that people are now using the top portion of these walls as parks.

When I thought that that was it, I saw the best part of Intramuros and was ready to go back on the same path I took going here, I saw another seemingly never-ending look. Again, I have all the time in the world to waste, so I just followed it and found myself in places I never thought I'd be.

This path is already elevated since this is at the top of the stone walls already. I could see people walking down below me. I've seen the bigger part of these forts that are now playgrounds for some, practice areas for students for their plays and dances, and for people like me, places to visit either with friends, family or just solo.

More photos from my stroll that afternoon:

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Plan B

At this point, I was exhausted from walking for more or less an hour already; I just wanted to chug a glass of an ice-cold chocolate drink. I bumped into this blog which led me to La Cathedral Cafe. One of the few coffee places you can drop by whenever you're in Intramuros. There's nothing so special with this cafe except the view of the belfry of Manila Cathedral. The cafe is located right at the back of Manila Cathedral which gives it the perfect view. It's like spending an afternoon in one of the old cities in Europe.

I found the place but sadly, they prioritize customers who have reserved ahead of time. I wasn't expecting the reservation; maybe I didn't closely read the blogs that I missed this important detail. I was told that waiting time is at least 1.5 hour; I was very disappointed. Long story short, I didn't wait and found myself walking back towards the Mercadillo. I bought puto bumbong and an iced chocolate drink.

If you've explored the place, you'd notice that it's not always old and historical buildings in Intramuros. I've seen an entire block filled with informal settlers which reminds me "I'm definitely in the Philippines"

I just continued walking from La Cathedral Cafe to find my way back to Mercadillo.

I passed by Casa Manila before I could reach Mercadillo and finally get the food I deserve for walking for hours on end. 😭

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Time to go back to the present

A few minutes later, I walked my way back to Manila Cathedral where I met my Joyride driver. It's time to go back to reality, well that was a quick yet sweet escape from the reality of hectic work schedule that welcomed me the following day.

I hope I didn't bore you too much of my stories. With the fast-paced life I've lived in the last couple of months, an afternoon of pure calmness and bliss I got from my own company was all I could ever ask for. It made me extremely grateful for all life had to throw my way and for a moment of peace to help me keep going.

I've got so much stories to tell. If you're not the type who enjoy slow travel, maybe my next blogs about my death-defying adventures are the one for you. I hope you stay tuned for them!

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