Intramuros Photowalk

Intramuros also called the walled city is a favorite destination not only for pre-nuptial pictures but for photowalk as well. The walled city is still able to hold some of its ancient features and structures even though human negligence and advancement has transformed some of its parts.

I was able to do photowalk for two consecutive weekends in Intramuros. The first was with my sister then the second was with my colleagues. The two photowalk has different routes which was so good because so I was able to take pictures of the place in different angles. I also got very good advice from my colleagues who are really into photography. It was nice because they teach you the techniques and show you how it is done.

The photowalk with my sister started near Mapua. Our first stop was the Baluarte de San Andres. Actually we really don’t know where we were going but just decided to follow the street of Muralla which we realized was a long stretch and cover most of the Baluartes. My sister asked directiona to a guard dressed in guardia sibil and he pointed us the way to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao and Baluarte de San Diego.

We went to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao where most canons are located. There were tourists on the place and students practicing for their school declamation or play. Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao gives you a view of Manila City Hall and SM Manila. You can also see the photo bomber Torre de Manila. 

Next stop is at Baluarte De San Diego which is popular for pre-nuptial pictures and wedding events. You have to pay an entrance fee of P75.00 to get inside the baluarte. The place is also well-known for its unique structure. I began imagining how soldiers would hide and fight behind that fortress. The place has lots of flowers and they even have a pavilion.

Looking our map, we saw that Silahis Arts and Artifacts is just near so we decided to visit the place before going for lunch. You will surely love Silahis Arts and Artifacts if you are an art lover. The place is just overflowing with artistry. There are furniture and other items being sold on the first and second floor. The third and fourth floor is full of drawings and paintings.

We searched for a place to have our lunch and we ended in a hotel near San Agustin Church. After having some rest we immediately went inside the San Agustin Church and Museum. The entrance fee for the museum is P100.00. San Agustin Church is another place for art lovers. Large paintings are hung in the hallways of the place. It took as an hour to fully tour the place.

We went to Manila Cathedral after San Agustin Church however we didn’t go inside the church anymore. After taking some pictures of the exterior of the church we head to Fort Bonifacio.

Fort Bonifacio is one the popular place to go in Intramuros. Adults have to pay P75.00 for entrance fee while students have to pay P50.00. Before getting to Fort Santiago you will pass Plaza Moriones where there are lots kalesa to tour you around the place. There is also a museum inside Fort Bonifacio that shows the life of our National Hero, Jose Rizal, before he was killed.

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On my second photowalk, this time with my colleagues, we took a different route. We started first at Manila Cathedral and passing Fort Bonifacio however we no longer went inside the place. We went on the other side of Manila Cathedral and one of my colleagues showed us how beautiful the Cathedral was at the side. 

After taking some street photography we went to the Graffiti Wall. We just stayed for a couple of minutes to take some pictures.

We continued our walk going to San Agustin Church where we saw some tourist riding the bamboo bike. There was also a wedding happening in the church so the place was really full of people.

We passed by Silahis Arts and Artifacts going to Baluarte de San Andres. My colleague started to explore my DSLR and showed how me how I can maximize its special features. Our walk led us to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao where we took our own places to capture some photos. We stayed there for a while before going back to Manila Cathedral to take our ride going to Harbor Point for the sunset.

Unfortunately, the weather was so gloomy. I and one colleague were able to reach Harbor Point before the heavy downpour so I was able to still to take pictures. Our other companions arrived at Harbor Point in the evening and wasn’t able to follow us on the restaurant where we decided to have some early dinner.

Both photowalk was very amazing. I’ve learned a lot and was able to see the different sides of Intramuros. I can’t wait for another photowalk!

Walking Around Cebu

Cebu trip is never complete without going around the City. The pension house where we booked our stay in Cebu City is a bit far from the airport but is quite accessible in other Cebu destinations. There are a lot of pension houses in the city which are cheap and very ideal if you don’t plan to stay long in the city. Since we didn’t stay much in the city because we went to different places in Cebu like Camotes Island and Oslob, pension houses are very perfect for us.

The city tour is the last part of our Cebu trip. I wasn’t very much excited in our city tour since it was not my first time in Cebu but because I have to buy some “pasalubong” I agree with the city tour. Our city tour just includes the two churches – Sto. Niño Church and Cebu City Church – and Magellan’s Cross. We also went to go to Shamrock to buy Otap and other local delicacies and then go to the market to buy “danggit”, “tuyo” and dried squid.

We had difficulty going to the churches because when we asked locals how to reach the place their response to us is always to ride a taxi. Of course, taxi is the most convenient way however it is different when you try to reach the place using public transportation. Luckily, we were able to ask our friend who just came from Cebu about directions and what jeeps should we ride.

The churches and Magellan's Cross are just walking distance so we didn't had a hard time. Shamrock is also near that we also just walked to get there. 

We rode a jeepney to get to the market place to buy other pasalubong. We had difficulty getting back from to our hotel from the market. We tried to get a taxi but only few taxi went inside the streets of the market. We also asked locals on how to get back to our hotel but they seem clueless. We decided to go back to the churches and grab a taxi from there going back tou our hotel.

I think aside from their transport system, Cebu is also like Manila. There are a lot of vehicles in the city that even on a weekend there is traffic. Street children are rampant and can easily determine if you are a tourist or a local. It’s better if you can somehow speak a little Cebuano or Ilonggo so that you can easily communicate with them.

We were very tired from walking while carrying our pasalubong when we reached our hotel. We were very happy because we have truly enjoyed our Cebu trip however sad because our vacation has ended and will have to leave the place. However, I know I’ll be back to Cebu to still discover the other beautiful islands and extreme adventures that this beautiful island can offer.

My Oslob Trip

Three hours away from the city of Cebu is Oslob. The town of Oslob had gained its popularity from the gentle giants that lives into its waters – the whale sharks. Everyday tourists, locals and foreigners, flock to Oslob to have an encounter with the whale sharks. Like them this is also the main reason we travelled to Cebu aside from beach bumming.

We went to Oslob after our Badian Canyoneering activity. It was already late afternoon when we reached the pension house where we have booked our stay. It’s a house that was transformed into a pension house. Maybe the owner realized the need for cheap places to stay and business would be good as long as there are whale sharks in their place.

The pension house was a bit cheap however it wasn’t that near to the whale shark center. It will take around fifteen minutes by private vehicle to reach the center. Our stay in the pension house includes free breakfast for two however their breakfast includes only two slices of bread, one egg and a coffee. The owner helped us get a tour guide to assist us in our Oslob trip. She refers us to a councilor who arranges our whole trip and gave us information on the costs.

We woke up at around 5AM to prepare for our trip. The first part of our itinerary is the encounter with the whale sharks. Since it was a long holiday, many tourists are on the place. Our guide told us that the queue of tourists for the whale shark encounter reached at 200 the previous day. Getting to the place early is important so that we can get accommodate and to ensure that we can also visit our other destination.

The whale shark center was already full of tourists. All tourists must attend the orientation before heading out to the sea to see the whale sharks. It didn’t take us that long to ride our boat and head out to the sea. The whaleshark encounter would last for thirty minutes which is enough for you to get a closer look of the gentle giant in the sea.

After the whaleshark encounter, our second destination is the Tumalog Falls. It is a wide falls that is just near the Whaleshark Center. We arrived at the falls at around 8AM. We stayed a bit longer since the place was just beautiful especially that the falling water sparkles on the rays of the sun. The water wasn’t also that cold. There were a lot of people on the falls but it is no as crowded as the Kawasan Falls. The towering rocks block most of the light so the color of the water is not as blue unlike Kawasan Falls.

We went back to the Whaleshark Center for our trip to Sumilon Island; our last destination in our Oslob tour.  Sumilon Island is just a small island and is already visible from the Whaleshark Center. We ordered our lunch from the restaurants in the center that we would bring in the island.

We reached the Sumilon Island before 11AM and the place was full of people. There were no spot for you to enjoy its sandbar. It was also high tide so there was part of the sandbar that is still submerged in the water. We looked for a shade to leave our belongings before we run to the sea. We took some pictures and swam on its cool water before we had our lunch. We didn’t stay long since there is nothing much to do and there is no shade in the island. My friends tried snorkeling but there were only few fishes near the island.

These are the common destination in Oslob. Their tourism revolves on these three places so its important that the locals protect and preserve the beauty of these places.