Today was another great day as we set off to a new adventure guided by both Dr. Litton and his father, James Litton who we now call “Tito Jim” (“Tito” is the Filipino word for Uncle). In the morning, we all piled into a 14 person caravan where Tito Jim enlightened us with the rich history about the city. Our first stop was in Luneta where we saw the Rizal Shrine. We learned that this marked the spot of his execution. Fortunately we arrived in time to watch the tradition of the changing of the guards in front of the shrine.
Our next stop was Intramuros which is a city walled in to defend what would eventually become a 300+ years rule by the Spanish. Within the walls of the city we visited Fort Santiago and the Saint Agustin Church. It was significant to see how much history is still there and yet how much has changed. We were able to see the steps José Rizal took to his own death. Tito Jim’s discussed his family’s experience during the war as he showed us his father’s name on the Honor Roll plaque commemorating those who were incarcerated in the Fort during the second World War. On the other hand we also saw the golf course that replaced the moat that once surrounded the city as an extra layer of protection.
Our next stop was Intramuros which is a city walled in to defend what would eventually become a 300+ years rule by the Spanish. Within the walls of the city we visited Fort Santiago and the Saint Agustin Church. It was significant to see how much history is still there and yet how much has changed. We were able to see the steps José Rizal took to his own death. Tito Jim’s discussed his family’s experience during the war as he showed us his father’s name on the Honor Roll plaque commemorating those who were incarcerated in the Fort during the second World War. On the other hand we also saw the golf course that replaced the moat that once surrounded the city as an extra layer of protection.
After spending the morning in the hot sun, we were treated to a luxurious lunch by Tito Jim at the historic Manila hotel. The hotel was the site of room-to-room battles during the liberation of Manila. We also learned that General Douglas McArthur called the Manila hotel his home when he was in Manila. A suite is now named after him at the hotel. After spending more than two hours in the buffet, we could barely walk out of the restaurant. But, Dr. Litton reminded us that we would have afternoon snack in a few hours!
The last destination of our tour was the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. We were greeted by Hermie Lelix who graciously took us on a tour of the memorial. Our journey began with a tour of the 25 maps where we learned about important campaigns during WWII. Then we made our way to the Wall of the Missing on which approximately 36,000 military names were engraved. Not only were we able to see the actual number of people that were lost due to the war but also the different nationalities of the soldiers that disappeared during the war.
After the emotional experience of visiting the memorial, we had merienda, which is the afternoon snack in the Philippines at the Manila Polo Club. The Polo Club originally was established as a club for American personnel in the Philippines. During merienda we had a great opportunity to try Halo-Halo which is a well-known dessert we highly recommend it. The dessert is composed of different small chunks of jellied fruit topped with shaved ice and ice cream.
This day would not have been the same had it not been for both the experience and company of Tito Jim and Hermie Lelix. We would like to thank both of them for joining us.
We’re off to bed now after a busy day and are looking forward to meeting with our TFP fellows tomorrow. PAALAM!
After the emotional experience of visiting the memorial, we had merienda, which is the afternoon snack in the Philippines at the Manila Polo Club. The Polo Club originally was established as a club for American personnel in the Philippines. During merienda we had a great opportunity to try Halo-Halo which is a well-known dessert we highly recommend it. The dessert is composed of different small chunks of jellied fruit topped with shaved ice and ice cream.
This day would not have been the same had it not been for both the experience and company of Tito Jim and Hermie Lelix. We would like to thank both of them for joining us.
We’re off to bed now after a busy day and are looking forward to meeting with our TFP fellows tomorrow. PAALAM!