A Peaceful Memory of Manila

The traffic seemed unbelievably busy, disorder, and frenzied. Vehicles kept beeped hones unexpected scenes (at least it sounded like that to me) and cut into the line insisting to go first. Pedestrians crossed the street where was no traffic signal without any difficulties.  Since I’m not used to being in a big city, the sound in the city was quite scratchy for me, rather irritated me most of the time during the stay in the city. 

Places were crowed with uncountable number of people; especially shopping malls which are huge and complicated enough to get lost in it, were full of citizens who enjoyed hanging around with their family and friends. Many people strolled on the streets and the lights were continuously shining even after midnight.

Manila sounds an exhilarating and sleepless city with mixture and multiplicity.

If I spent all my time just in the center of the city, I would have found that Manila was too much busy and exhausting for me, and to be honest, I might have thought that it was not my place to stay.


Thanks to my friend, I had a chance to visit another side of the city which is called Intramuros: a quiet, peaceful, and charming part of Manila. Firstly, I would like to say that I am not a kind of person who learns things about the place I visit in advance, in other words, I like to feel things when I see them in person (just an excuse…), so I had only a few knowledge about the place. It means that my explanation is nothing more than travel guide books say. Despite of my lack of knowledge, I found myself enjoy being in that area because of its charm, mostly because it was quiet, I guess.

San Agustin Church was the first place I visited that day, which is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.The entrance is an artistic door. I don’t think my friend would allow me to call it “the door”, but anyway, it’s the most beautiful door I’ve ever seen, and I can see its beauty even though I have no sense of architecture (not because I'm not interested in it, for the record).

Going inside the church, amazing paintings spread on the ceiling and gorgeous chandeliers came into my sight. The combination is astonishingly fantastic. If I didn't have the information about the paintings from my friend, I would never imagine that the ceiling is covered with paintings which look three-dimensional, such a beautiful art.

When the chandeliers lit on, it took me to the world of illusion and made me forget the reality for a moment.

 I had two new experiences in the church. First one was making a sign of the cross with a  Holy Water. I didn’t know exactly how to do it, and I just dabble at what other people did there, though I kind of felt that I got permission to be there (maybe it was also an illusion…).  
The other one was praying for something in a real church. I am not a Christian but will He still listen to me? I fervently hope so…

After reflecting and contemplating inside the church, we walked outside and went to the area which is called Casa Manila (if my memory serves me right). I love the place the most because of its quiet, graceful, and romantic ambiance. The area has remained Spanish atmosphere with a lot of antique stuff. Among of them, I especially love the patio full of greens and flowers. The small fountain also made me feel refreshed under the heat.

It was a sunny (a little bit hot for me, though) and nice day for a walk. I had a peaceful moment with my friend and really enjoyed it, hoping he also enjoyed the time. If he didn't offer to show me around those areas, my impression about Manila would have been completely different. I really appreciate for his sweetness, kindness and hospitality.

The next place we went was Manila Cathedral. It’s a pretty and comfy place. The symbolical spire and the round dome of the church add some kind of charm to it (anyway, that’s my personal impression).

Moreover, inside of the cathedral, there were many stained glasses put along the side of the walls, which are so gorgeous.

The biggest pipe organ in the Philippines is there upon the loft part. It could make me more impressed if I was able to listen to the play or see it closer, but unfortunately both were unavailable. Still it was a magnificent place enough for me to admire. 

It was the most fantastic moment that I could stroll through those pretty parts of Manila during my visit there. Historical places were of course very impressive. And above all, having spent time with my friend is absolutely the sweetest and unforgettable memory for me.

I have to admit that most of the pictures I put in this post were taken by my friend. Thanks to his passion to photography, I could make my post more colorful. I really appreciate it. Thanks, Coach AJ!!  :)