Day 26…Feb 21/25-a port talk of the Philippines

I am now back home so am able to post the pictures I could not during the cruise.

The Philippines is comprised of 7000 islands. It is very Catholic ….religious. 82.9%. Ethnicity… from China, Vietnam, Brunei & Thailand. Manila (15 million)is on Luzon. It is the size of Montana but with 120 million people. The per person income is only 2-4$ USD/day or 1400 USD PER year….pretty darned poor. Focused on education.. … everyone has access to education. English is spoken /taught from an early age. Most are trilingual. 92.2 % speak English.

Spanish influence (gold was what brought them here. There was more gold here than in South and Central America).

Three island groups….Luzon (Manila), the Visayas (Boracay), and Mindanao islands groups ….. Palawan Island(Puerto Princesa). There are 200 + active volcanoes with lots of other natural disasters

Did you know the Philippines flag can be hung with red on top and blue on bottom in times of peace and blue on top and red on bottom in times of war… hmmmm!

Day 27- Feb 22/25-Manila, Philippines

Many pilots bringing us into port, I think 4

Emma is our tour guide

“Intramuros”…is the name of the old city. Intramuros “Intra” means inside and “Muros” means walls….meaning inside the walls…. Is the old part…. Spanish occupation since 1561.

St Augustine church is the oldest church in Philippines

Manila is made up of 16 cities and 1 village. It has the biggest and oldest Chinatown in world. The population is made up of Chinese, Malay, American, Indian and original natives called Nagritos. Pinoys (are Filipino boys, Filipinas are Filipino girls) and chinos (mixed race of Chinese/Filipino).

Seen on the streets …..Jeepneys (the only place in the world that I have ever seen these) are former US jeeps left by Americans and converted to buses, tuk tuks and horse drawn carriages along with “spaghetti” electrical

Fort Santiago was the first line of defence. British occupied the Philippines first, then Spanish (for 330 years), then Americans, then Japanese, then Americans again. The 2 seasons are dry/dry and then very wet. May is the season of typhoons…. They hit here 1st. Most buildings are made of volcanic rocks. The fort stood for 245 years then was was destroyed in 10 years of war.

When the Americans came they eliminated all standing waters and made a golf course (Intramural golf course is reclaimed from the moats surrounding the fort) except for this one moat because they wanted to destroy malaria by getting rid of all standing stagnant water.

Outside the dungeons were found bodies…. They died from suffocation from lack of ventilation, food poisoning during the Japanese occupation.

Imelda Marcos 1975- was all about rebuilding

Manila Cathedral… 3 times was destroyed by fire, 2 by earthquake then some of it by war

Plaza Roma…..1611….. oldest university

St Augustine church next …. 600 bomb deaths outside but those inside were protected by the Americans in 1945…. Now, when it was rebuilt it became a museum. Former convent is now the museum

In the inner space where priests could go that was peaceful

It is built in Baroque style. The only survivors of the bombing of Manila were those inside the church. Bell tower was destroyed by earthquake, not the war.

Largest park…Rizal aka Luneta park is 60 hectares in size.

3 national museums ….. in archaeology, natural history and culture