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.

Taal Basilica in Taal, Batangas

Taal Basilica or San Martin de Tours is the biggest church in the Philippines and in Asia. The church was founded by Fr. Diego Espina in 1575. An earthquake destroyed the original structure and the church that we see today was built in 1849.

We decided to visit Taal town after our Corregidor trip. We were bitten by the history bug and wanted to visit places that have withstood the ravages of time and war. Vigan was a good choice, but we did not have that much time, so someone suggested Taal in Batangas.

So one rainy day we all hopped on a bus bound for Lemery, Batangas in order to explore Taal. When I told my companions where we were going, there was confusion over Taal in Tagaytay and our destination, Taal in Batangas.

This old church may look gray and old on the outside, but inside one can see the trome l'oiel adorning it's ceilings and walls.

What I love about this church is that the baptistry is still in use. Very few old churches like these still use them and it's nice to see this one preserved.

The antique bell, now sitting in the courtyard. I'm not sure how to get access to the bell tower, but when we were there I saw some people up there. It must give an awesome view since structurally, Philippine churches have been built on high ground where you can see the whole countryside from it's bell towers.

I wasn't able to take a picture of Escuela Pia beside the church because there was a program going on during that time. One thing I love about Taal is that there is rarely any vehicle traffic which makes it ideal for walking around the quiet town. There are a lot of heritage houses, some have been converted into museums and some into bed and breakfasts. The museums were closed since it was a Sunday, and we had no plans (or budget haha!) to stay overnight. So after a quick munch of street food from the town plaza in front of the church, we headed home.

Taal is also famous for it's balisong or hand crafted knives. They have been commissioned to make swords for some famous Hollywood films, like the Lord of the Rings. We were able to buy a few for gifts and they were quite inexpensive. For international travelers, I don't know if you can bring them out of the country though since they are considered deadly weapons.

Now how to get to Taal in Batangas. Hop on a bus going to Lemery and tell the bus conductor that you are going to Taal. The bus will drop you at a junction and from there you can ride a jeep going in Taal town proper, or you can ride a tricycle to drop you off San Martin de tours. Travel time will take around three to four hours if you are coming from Manila. We just rode from Turbina, in Calamba and it still took us two hours to get to Taal. There really isn't much traffic, it's just that the bus makes a lot of stops along the way.

For budget, if you're not staying overnight you will spend just for the transportation since there isn't any entrance fees that you need to pay. For Food, there are a lot of eating places and there is a 24hour convenience store near the basilica. A must try is the tapang Taal (cured beef) and empanadas (small pastries) filled with sweet potatoes (kamote). Also, wear comfortable shoes and clothes since the best way to explore the town is on foot.

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

It was a rainy day in October last year that we decided to visit Nacarlan's underground cemetery in Nagcarlan, Laguna. With little to no budget and stress levels nearing the brink of insanity, we figured that it will take just an hour or so of travel since we will be coming from Calamba, also in Laguna. How wrong we were.

Nagcarlan's underground cemetery was opened in 1845 by Father Vicente Velloc. It is the only one of it's kind in the Philippines and the crypt also served as a meeting place for Katipuneros in 1896.

Some of the tombs in the crypt are empty, with families opting to transfer their deceased loved ones to the new public cemetery. But it was quite fascinating to see some dating as far as mid 1800's when the cemetery was first opened.

The place reminds me of Paco Park, minus the lovebirds frolicking in the bushes. There aren't benches where you can sit and just watch the the afternoon go by. And since it was raining, the stone steps were all wet so we couldn't sit on them. But it was a fun afternoon experience. Entrance is free, so what we just spent on was the transpo fare to Nagcarlan.

Now, commuting to Nagcarlan. There are two ways to get there and I will say the easy route first. Ride a bus going to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Get off Pagsawitan and ride the jeep to Nagcarlan. Or from Calamba, ride a jeep bound for San Pablo, Laguna. Once in San Pablo, ride a jeep to Liliw, Laguna. The jeep pass in front of Nagcarlan's underground cemetery.

As to where to eat, we ate at San Pablo, Laguna where you can find a lot of fast food restos. There is a restaurant at the back of the gas station fronting the underground cemetery, but we haven't had the chance to try out their food. I guess the food there is good since even if you can't see the restaurant from the road, it was packed with diners. And if you have a car and a few more hours to spare before heading back to Manila, visit Liliw which is the next town.