Meeting the Real Man - - Jose Rizal (A Trip to Fort Santiago, Intramuros)

          I had been to Manila when I was in high school but I just stayed there for one day just to visit my titas. I had just arrived from Laguna where I attended some school stuff. So, I didn't really enjoyed Manila much. As far as I could remember, I spent my one day saying hellos to the animals at Manila Zoo and trudging along the sidewalks of Manila Bay which was then filled with restaurants.
          But this January, I packed my bags and headed for Manila for a fun and unforgettable trip. I went to almost all the malls in the Metro. Thank God I didn't get lost. It was my first time to ride the LRT. Yes, the city was indeed busy- honkering buses here and there, rushing people getting past each other, and raising voices of vendors in the streets. Businesses surely thrive energetically in almost every corner of the place.
          Besides going to Quiapo and Divisoria, I will really treasure my tour in Intamuros, Manila particularly in Fort Santiago. It surely brought me in touch with history. Seeing the old structures built during the Spanish occupation felt nostalgic even though you just experience them in textbooks. And yes, I've met the heroic man behind Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

These kalesas make you feel it's not 2012. These are the major transportation way back Jose Rizal's time.

I realized that the structures built by our forefathers were very much meticulous - - superior art!

Yes, I'm going inside!!!

Silhouette of Jose Rizal's statue 

The stainless framed copy of Dr. Jose Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios or The Last Farewell

Fort Santiago is filled with lush green trees and of course, vintage materials like this simple yet sturdy bench I'm sitting on.

I guess that is the Pasig River at the background.

Way way back, the cages of the captives were built underground.

Pogi ni Jose Rizal, diba?

Cool, awesome structure.

The tour guide said these footsteps were by Rizal's as he was sent to Bagumbayan (Luneta Park)  for his execution.

Maybe this guy is one of the noble Gomburzas.

         It's a good thing that every now and then we be reminded by our history. From our past we can learn many significant lessons at the same time values that we intend to forget as time goes by. My visit to Fort Santiago opened my mind to the great hero, Jose Rizal and the many things he sacrificed just to free our country from captivity. He even died for our land. Studying his life and works through textbooks is different from actually stepping foot to the place where he was imprisoned. You can feel that he is indeed real and yes, in today's confused world full of corruption and lies, we badly need more real men like Rizal.