The Wonders Behind the walls of San Agustin Church

San Agustin Church in Intramuros is the oldest church here in the Philippines. It is also one of the four baroque churches declared as a UNESCO heritage site. Founded in 1571 by the Agustinian friars, this church remarkably has withstood numerous earthquakes and is one of the building spared by World War II bombings.

The Church is located in Gen. Luna St. in Intramuros. The cobbled stone courtyard has remained unchanged. I wasn't able to take a picture of the facade because of the crowd. It used to have two bell towers adorning its facade but an earthquake in 1880 damaged the left tower. Restoration was done, but the tower was removed.

The trompe l'oiel adorned ceiling is a wonder to behold. It also adorns the columns and wall within the church. The altar is a simple one, but beautiful. The 14 side altars also serves as the resting place of priests and the elite of the Spanish period, such as Miguel Lopez de Legazpi the founder of Manila. Juan Luna's remains can also be found in the church's crypt. The crypt is also said to be haunted, and some other parts of the church since it served as a prison and garrison during World War II.

Entrance fee to the museum is P100 for adults. Museum hours are from 8am-12nn, and 1pm-6pm. The museum closes for lunch but you can come back as long as you have paid for the entrance fees. How to get there? If commuting, ride jeeps or FX taxis bound for Mabini (Ermita). They will pass by the Intramuros gate near PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila). From the gate, just walk straight a few blocks down and you will see the church. After touring the church, one can proceed to either Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral or just walk the parapets of Intramuros' walls. Or you can simply stay in Father Blanco's gardens within San Agustin Church, providing it doesn't rain or it's not too hot and humid.

Traveler tip: wear comfortable shoes since you will be walking a lot. The streets are narrow, and there is vehicle traffic so watch out for manic drivers who will run you down. For foreign tourists, be cautious of pedicab drivers or people coming up to you offering to tour you around Intramuros. Intramuros is part of Manila, so don't flash your expensive cameras around or make them your necklace.

Touring Manila for Free

Yes, you read the title right. A lot of people complain that in order to enjoy Manila, one has to shell out a lot of money. But there are things that you can do for free and you can bring your family and friends along too! No, this doesn't include you just gawking in the summer heat under a tree in Luneta (but that can be fun too!). There are some attractions around Manila that give free entrance (yes, FREE) especially if it's a Sunday.

First on my list would be visiting the National Museum. For those who don't know, entrance to the Museum is free on Sundays. I have visited the museum on numerous occasions and find that very few people do come even though it's free. It's a wonderful way of exploring our cultural past and enriching our knowledge of our cultural heritage. The National Museum is located beside Luneta and fronting Intramuros on Burgos drive. They allow you to take pictures, as long as you disable the flash from your camera. You can visit both the National Art Gallery which house Juan Luna's famous Spolarium painting, and the Museum of the Filipino People which is just adjacent to the National Art Gallery on a Sunday and entrance is for free.

My second stop would be San Agustin church in Intramuros. Just cross the street from the National Museum and just a few blocks from the main entrance of Intramuros, you would find the courtyard of this UNESCO World heritage site. Going inside the church is free, but entrance to museum isn't. It's P100 for adults and P40 for kids.

If you still have a few hours to spare and your legs aren't giving out yet, then you can climb the walls of Intramuros. A few years back when Fort Santiago was still open to the public, I would spend afternoons circling the whole wall fortress. Now, the accessible ones are the ones near the Universities within Intramuros and the view from here is quite nice because you get to see Manila City hall from the distance, the National museum and the traffic as it eases along the roads circling Intramuros.