Cultural Immersion: Intramuros
If there is one place in this world where I could stay for a whole day, it would have to be Intramuros. Intramuros has that Paris charm we always crave for where we could walk the streets that whisper stories of monumental events in the past we ought not to forget.
So, I decided to go on a cultural trip where my friend got us tickets to watch Barber's Tales (a multi-award winning film, proudly filipino, and more about that film later and yes you should watch it!). The plan was to take a photo walk around Intramuros but since it was so traffic going there, we stopped over Manila Bay (something I never got to do) and watched the sunset while eating balut and inihaw na pusit.
And then, we crossed over to Aristocrat restaurant which suddenly felt like a heritage dining site (yes I'm inventing phrases here) and I kind of overdid this whole cultural trip a bit when I took pictures by this underrated fountain that is surprisingly so well maintained (no missing bulbs, malfunctioning pipes, good job Philippines) but seriously, how beautiful is this!
And then, as we arrived in Intramuros, we walked around in search of a good café and ended up in Casa Blanca Café inside Casa Manila which quickly became my favorite café because of its subtly romantic setting complete with singers (old lolos so cute!) that serenade you with oldies songs. I couldn't help myself that night, or maybe it's the 2 cups of coffee I consumed (their coffee is only P65 a cup!) I just had to sing! I sang a Filipino classic, "Kahit maputi na ang buhok ko". I'm still mulling over whether or not my skin is thick enough to post the video here, so let's settle with a photo first, yeah?
And let me take you on a stroll around Intramuros at night where you will stumble upon random fountains and age-old wells.
Walking through Intramuros is a totally new experience compared to being there during the day. The buildings look different and the streets take on a whole new life.
Late last year, I had a day shoot around Intramuros with photographer Alvin Chua and the outcome of fashion+history was amazing! Here is a preview of the shoot:
So to get what we came there for, we went to the National Center for Culture and the Arts to watch Barber's Tales and I understood why it won so many awards. The story takes place during the Martial Law where it shows the fate of every human being existing during that time. There have been a lot of films and documentaries on Martial Law that were produced but what makes this different is how it comes from a woman's point of view and how women have always tried "not to get involved" in these things where we usually expect men to spearhead movements of change, but the woman protagonist in this film sets the fire ablaze in this movement. There are also a number of shocking plot twists that caught me offguard (and that rarely happens).
After the movie, I found a clearer answer as to why Filipinos had to fight during the Martial Law. It's because you couldn't imagine a bright future anymore. Just like how the woman protagonist advised against the rebel groups in the beginning of the film but was eventually faced with events that changed her so much that she couldn't hold on to the delusion of the world she thought would smoothen itself over. I have never been on such an emotional rollercoaster in just one movie, I couldn't stop reflecting on it until the next day!
So if you seek culture, go to Intramuros and try to look for activity updates on Facebook.