It has been 5 days [already???] since I've returned from my Philippine and Hong Kong vacation. However, it seems like I am still struggling to accept the fact that the vacation is finally over.

For the past 5 days, I've been sleeping too early at around 8 o'clock PM, waking up amazingly around 6 or 7 in the morning and savouring my in between naps which is obviously not me. I am 99 percent undergoing a psychological condition which has been termed by experts as "jet lag" due to the rapid long distance travel from Sweden to the Philippines then from the Philippines to Hong Kong then again back home to Sweden [not mentioning the stop overs we've been to]. Aside from that, I also miss my family in the Philippines [labyou all po]. Anyway, fact remains that I need to activate my brain as soon as possible or else I might end up being lazy for this entire week again.

Anyway, nine days after our arrival in Manila, Lo arrived to join Janne and me in our summer escapade. Listed on Lo's itinerary was Fort Santiago [just one of the many] however, we weren't able to visit the place as soon as we planned to because of the very unfriendly and unpredictable weather in Manila while we were there. With much patience, on the 19th of July, a week after Lo came to be with us the dark clouds finally felt sorry for us and decided to allow the rays of sun to make us happy the whole day through. In short, that was the day we drove to Fort Santiago.

"Fort Santiago, a 16th century military defense structure, stands witness to the valor and heroism of the Filipino through the centuries. Adaptive use of this famous historical landmark makes certain areas ideal for open air theater, picnis and promenades. The Intramuros Visitors Center gives an overview of various attractions of the Walled City."
~quoted from the Fort Santiago visitor's stub~
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Fort Santiago is located inside of Intramuros. There are a lot of Hispanic inspired buildings around the area. Before finally reaching the entrance gate of Fort Santiago, you will pass by the Golf Course of Intramuros, considered as the oldest in the country (built in 1907) and the Manila Cathedral. The Philippine Bureau of Immigration Office is located only a few meters away from Fort Santiago. There are also lots of restaurants nearby (not inside Fort Santiago) and of course, Starbucks is always within reach if you feel like you want to sit down, relax and have a cup of your favorite coffee.

The entrance fee to Fort Santiago costs only Php75 per person which entitles each guest to free entrance to all the facilities including the Rizal Shrine, the Intramuros Visitors Center and of course, the use of the restrooms.

During our visit, I was amazed with the number of people inside (both Filipinos and foreigners) taking their time not just to pose in front of their cameras but also to know the history of the country and of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

It took us almost three hours to finish the entire area. The main highlight of our visit was when we entered the Rizal Shrine (where the national hero was imprisoned in 1896), met Leon (our tour guide inside the Shrine) and got introduced to Jose Rizal's history, works and memorabilia. We were also able to see Rizal's prison cell.

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"Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda." ~Dr.
Jose Rizal~