We arrive in Manila, Philippines at 8:00 AM. The population here about 1.7 million.
There are 30 large cargo ships waiting in the harbour to unload their goods.
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| Approaching the dock - Cargo ships waiting |
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| On our way in. |
We have an excursion called "Old Manila & Jeepney" that leaves at 8:35 AM. Jeepneys are gaudily decorated and named after the original jeeps that ran the bus network after World War II.
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| Our Jeepney |
Our first stop is Fort Santiago. Prisoners were held and tortured here throughout the history of Manila. It is now a national park...it is very large and very beautiful.
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| Down to the dungeons. |
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| Our tour guide Dolly...."Hello Dolly" |
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| Statue depicting national hero, José Rizal imprisoned |
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| Wooden sculpture by a local artist |
Our next stop is the San Agustin Church and Museum...it was constructed in 1606 and inside it is stunning. There are a lot of very old paintings and religious artifacts.
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| Outside San Agustin Church |
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| Beautiful altar and inside of the church |
Next is Rizal Park. The focal point is the Rizal Monument built to honour Manila's national hero, Dr. José Rizal.
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It says "José Rizal, Patriot & Martyr
Executed on Dec.13, 1896...dedicated by the people
of the Philippine Islands |
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| Monila's flag...flying across the field from the Rizal Monument |
Then, finally we visited the Manila Hotel. It is the oldest hotel in Manila. It opened in 1912. This is a famous landmark of Manila and General Douglas MacArthur used the hotel as his command post during World War II...he had the entire 5th floor.
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| We were greeted by this pretty lady. |
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| Gorgeous |
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| Beer please! |
After our tour of the hotel, we had 30-minutes free-time to explore. So, we looked for a bar and a beer. The rest of the group on our Jeepney joined us. We had a Peroni and it was ice cold...I could feel the iciness of it going down my throat. Ahhhh!!
After that we head back, through unbelievable traffic, to the boat.
We were told while we were out, that Manila has the most beautiful and the most photographed sunsets of anywhere else. Here is my effort.
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| Going... |
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| Going... |
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| Gone. |
We sat on the balcony and watched the stars come out. Barry commented...as we visit each port we see how the rest of the world lives. They all live in poverty. There's crowded roads with lots of motorcycles & scooters...houses are shacks with tin roofs and no windows...and crowded streets.
We in Ontario have no idea how lucky we are with our high-standard of living. We take everything for granted not realizing that no one else (the other 7-billion people) have this.
It is no wonder everyone wants to come to the U.S. and Canada.
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| A water lily at Fort Santiago |
We have a quiet evening in our room...Room Service...and we watch "Three Identical Strangers" -- a documentary and very good.
Tomorrow is a sea-day...Yay! I can sleep in.
........Good-bye Philippines.
Hong Kong here we come!!
You are so fortunate to have that first hand knowledge of how to be grateful. I might be suffering the cold weather here in Ontario, but my home is warm. Thank God!
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