Manila: How the mighty are fallen!

(Calle Escolta during American Occupation of Manila)

"The Pearl of the Orient", "Queen City of the Pacific", "The Paris of the East" - these are just some of the titles given by the world to Manila before it became the second most destroyed city of the World War II. Manila that was once the most beautiful, healthiest, and safest city in the Far East is now just a shadow of her old glory.

(Binondo Area)

Through the Royal Ordinance by King Philip II of the Monarchy of Spain, Manila has became the new capital of political, military and religious power of the East Indies colony of the Spaniards. With this victory, the Islamic Kingdom of Maynila were eventually converted to Christianity, and a new fortified city known as Intramuros was built to house the seat of government of Spain. Missionaries arrived eventually which was followed by the establishment of schools and churches spreading throughout the city and beyond.

(Sto. Domingo Church and Santo Tomas Plaza, Intramuros)

(Pasig River, Magellan Monument, Aduana Building, Santo Domingo Church, Jan. 15, 1925)

During 15th to 18th century, Manila was the center of trade in the Orient. From Asia to the Americas and Europe travelling across the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Atlantic, the Manila Galleon have truly made its reputation in maritime trade. The route made by the Manila-Acapulco trade was not only the longest in its time but also the first global trade route in history.

(Manila Galleon used in Manila-Acapulco Trade)

(Downtown Manila has resemblance with European cities)

(Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, Early 20th Century)

Early 1900s, the U.S. troops took control over the city following the defeat of Spain. And from being another magnificent european-inspired city, Manila was changed to a grand metropolis of the modern American Age. During this time, American government commissioned Daniel Burnham to create the master plan for the city. With monumental buildings like of Washington DC, boulevards like Paris and canals like Venice, Manila was a masterpiece of the early 20th century.

(Finance, Legislative and City Hall building, Luneta)

Burnham plan for Manila was never completed. War came unexpectedly. Just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Manila suffered from aerial bombardment. Knowing that they could not afford losing the city, the American declared Manila as an Open City to spare the city from death and destruction. Despite this, the Japanese Imperial Forces continue to bombard Manila. The Battle of Manila has been the most brutal, sorrowful and the most difficult period of our history.

(Philippine Legislative Building after World War 2)

(Buildings and Bridges burnt)

After the war, the city of Manila underwent The Golden Age. It was revitalized and became once again the Pearl of the Orient. As the home of the first and finest (during its time) international airline in Asia, Manila became THE place in the region to come for shopping, entertainment, leisure, business and even to obtain higher education. But after several decades of its re-establishment, these characters of Manila are gone with the wind.

The city that is full of promise before became the city of what we know today. Congested, unorganized, polluted. These might not be the proper descriptions for all districts of the city but that's how I see most of it. Discipline of the people I believe is what's lacking for Manila. You see, people are throwing their garbages everywhere, men are urinating everywhere, they're spitting everywhere, and there's more! there are lots of robbers, snatchers and crooks in most places. Even those who are in public office steals what's should be for the development of the city and its people. The traffic are depressing. Buildings are sprouting everywhere. Public facilities and domains are poorly maintained. And where we are now? Manila was left far behind by its neighbouring cities in the South East Asia. It is just sad to see Manila in this state, knowing her glorious past, it would've made her truly the Queen City of the Pacific.

*** I am a Filipino. I have nothing againts the city of Manila or its people. I just want to share my thoughts and I do not intend to cause harm to anybody with my post. ***

Daranak Falls

This is part of our Tanay Nature Trip.

My second time to go to Daranak Falls and it still fascinates me. Daranak falls can be found at the foot of Tanay mountains in Brgy. Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal. To get there, from Tanay Market, you can either rent a jeepney or trike or if you're a little adventurous, you can ride a jeepney bound to Sampaloc and alight on the street with the signange "To Daranak Falls" at the left side of the road, and from there you can walk until you reach the end of the road where the entrance of Daranak Falls.

A fee of P20 per person is charged which I think is worth since the premise is very well-maintained. Upon entering, you will cross a river by a not so hanging bridge (hehe) and from there, you will already hear the rush of the falling water and the sound of people enjoying the . There are cottages, restrooms, shower rooms and even a store inside for your convenience.

The place is pristine. Tall trees surrounds the area. And the falls is like heaven's curtain brought down on earth. It really looked like those places in fairyland or for us Filipinos the most closest comparison is the Engkantadya in 'Okay ka Fairy ko!' TV series. That's why I wouldn't be surprise if this location will be use for fantasy TV series or movies with the same theme.

It's interesting to know that Daranak come from tagalog word "dumaranak" which means flowing. But instead of dumaranak they used daranak to shortened the name.

Calinawan Cave

This is part of our Tanay Nature Trip.

Like me, many are not aware that Tanay Rizal have lots of natural wonders. One of these is Calinawan Cave that is located at Barangay Tandang, Kutyo, Tanay, Rizal. I just knew this place when my friend sent me a website link where some of the natural tourist attractions of Rizal are listed. And at that moment, we started to plan out of going to these places as soon as possible. Hindi kami atat. Haha.

From EDSA crossing (Starmall), we took the van bound for Tanay Rizal and from Tanay Market, we hire a jeepney to bring us to our destinations. It is much advisable to bring your own car when you're a group going here because there are no available public transportation to and from this point. Or you can hire a jeep or a trike from the market just like what we did. Going to Calinawan Cave will take you 15 to 30 minutes from the market. And there are few houses along the way where you may ask for the right direction getting there so you don't have to worry.

It is my first time to get into a cave and it really excites me. The moment we get off the jeepney, we started walking to where we believe the entrance of the cave is located. Then I heard these kids that offered us earlier to be our guide that we rejected asking each other, "San sila pupunta? (Where are they going?)". Not knowing that the very entrance of the cave is a small ground hole that we missed even if we walked beside it. And yes, it seems like we really need a guide. Hehe.

I like the fact that the entrance to this cave is partially hidden since from what I've learned from the internet, this cave is once a hideout of the Filipinos during the Japanese occupation. It deceived us really. So we hire one guide for the tour and the moment you get closer to the entrance, you will see this little hole that is dark inside and feel this cold humid air coming from the cave. Its kinda creepy at first. Hehe.

The rock and mineral formations inside is marvelous. It's good to have a headlamp or a flash light here because some parts of the cave are unreachable by the sunlight. There are passages in the cave where you have to walk sideways or downcast  which adds drama to your exploration. After less than 30 minutes of walking inside, we came out in this two large rocks that are around 30 feet high which is a great scene for photo ops.

Prepare P20 as registration and any amount for the guide.

Mt. Batulao

The cool breeze same as of Tagaytay plus the spectacular view of the mountain range and fields around Mt. Batulao sets her as my most favorite mountain I've climbed so far. I fell in love with this mountain the first time I saw it when I'm browsing the internet for Caleruega. Then the dream of getting there started to flow in my spirit.  And fortunately last November, I had the chance to make this dream a reality.

Though the plan of climbing Batulao has reached me shortly before the scheduled date, I did not hesitate to join. Kasi naman baka abutin na naman ng matagal na panahon bago ulit magka-schedule dito kaya sige sugod na! Haha. Anyway, I joined the second batch of our group that will trek during the night since they are occupied during the day just like me, so its kinda convenient on my part. To get there, we took the bus bound for Nasugbu, Batangas in Pasay Terminal. It costs us P110. After a 3 hours trip, the bus dropped us off to Evercrest Golf Club Resort (Jump-off). You may hire a tricycle that will take you to the end of the road. But in our case, we decided to get there on foot.

It is my first time to do a night climb, and it's really exciting. The main advantage of hiking at night I think is that you will not get tired easily and you can reach the summit in less time since you have a little photo opportunity, hehe. Not like the first three climbs I had, there was no rain that night. And the view of constellations are just magnificent to behold. The trail is very well-established but it is important that you wear long pants or tights since Mt. Batulao is mostly covered by cogon grass. Our night trek was fun and 'cool', thanks to the cool breeze of Batulao and to our newly met friends Reg, Kat and Jessa. They've also shared their night snack with us. Hehe, ang PG (Patay-gutom). We reached Camp 10 at 130AM and I think we slept at 3AM.

At the morning, Mt. Batulao greeted me with her panoramic view of boulder formations as well as the plains of Cavite and Batangas. A great view plus a hot coffee in the morning is just perfect to start the day. We started our ascent to the summit at 1030AM and got there after an hour since we spent most of our time in posing for pictures. Haha. My most favorite part of the trail is the roped segment that is part of the old trail. There are also stores on some part of the trail that sells water, mountain dew soda, buko juice and even halo-halo. Kulit di ba! Hehe.

All in all, Mt. Batulao is perfect for anybody who wants a minor climb with beautiful views to see.