#bambike

Uplifting a village in Tarlac through bamboo bikes CNN Philippines

Story by Samantha Lee Photos by JL Javier

WHY DO I TRAVEL ALONE?

“I have been travelling alone for quite sometimes now, it is scary to think at first that you are doing things by yourself and being independent away from home. I live far from my parents to study and learn how to walk on my own path. One day when I look back, I will reminisce everything with a happy heart. I will cherish every moment, every place that I went through. Forever.”

Tips for your Intramuros trip:

1.       Plan ahead of time where to go and what to do. (You can visit sites online for fun activities or for any inquires )

2.       Bring your camera with extra battery saver.

3.       Wear comfortable shoes.

4.       Bring your bottled water.

5.       Meet and talk to the incredibly friendly locals.

6.       Enjoy and have fun.

My Intramuros Bucket List 

1.       Fort Santiago

2.       Casa Manila

3.       Manila Cathedral

4.       San Agustin Church

5.       Light And Sound

6.       Bahay Tsino

SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

I began my journey to SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

Central terminal station is the nearest station in Intramuros. It is located in Ermita Manila and the popular name for the Station is Arroceros.

“From Central Terminal Station I ride a pedicab because I was honest to myself and I know that I will waste too much time if I will walk down the streets of Intramuros knowing that I do not exactly know where San Agustin Church is located. I decided to go to church first for me to be blessed for the rest of the day and for my safe travels. It was already 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon when I arrived Manila from Makati. It was an hour train ride from Guadalupe Station to Taft Avenue Station and from Taft Avenue station to Central Terminal station.”

“Manong Bert the driver of the pedicab is very talkative but in a nice and mannered way. He is sharing his life in Intramuros about his job and about how much he earns for a living. That is a very heart warming moment for me, knowing the imperfections of the world Manong Bert still managed to do good despite of his situation. It was and still a decent job.”

“It was about 15 good minutes as we pedaled around and arrived to my first stop. So basically, it was a point to point service. 100 pesos is a little bit expensive for a pedicab ride but for me the ride is still worth it. It was fast, easy, and safe.”

 INTERIOR OF SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH

San Agustin Church (or giving its full name, the "Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Augustin") 

“They said that the San Agustin Church survived the American bombardment of Manila in 1945. Of the seven churches inside Intramuros, San Agustin was the only that survived without serious or total destruction.”

“The San Agustin Church is in Manila and more specifically inside Intramuros. You will find it on General Luna Drive. Opening hours of San Agustin Church is daily at 8:00am to 12:00 and then closes and reopens at 1:00pm through to 6:00pm.” Right beside and physically adjoining is the San Agustin Museum.

“I was lucky I was able to visit the church and had a little tour before the wedding ceremony started. The San Agustin Church is known to be the Wedding Capital of the Philippines, there are a lot of weddings each day. In the San Agustin Museum you will get to see the courtyard and it was unbelievably beautiful. The garden is well maintained. Even the room is labelled accordingly with the topic and the rooms are air conditioned, making it a wonderful and pleasant experience to roam around. You can take amazing pictures inside the museum but you cannot take videos said the tour guide.”

CASA MANILA

This beautiful reproduction of a Spanish colonial house offers a window into the opulent lifestyle of the gentry in the 19th century. Imelda Marcos had it built to showcase the architecture and interior design of the late Spanish period, with lavish features throughout and some interesting items such as a double-seated toilet. The house may not be authentic but the stunning antique furniture and artwork are.

BAMBOO BIKE ECOTOURS

Bambike is one of the most popular locally-made bicycle brands in the Philippines. These unique bicycles made from durable and all-natural bamboo and abaca materials are hand-made and crafted by builders from Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based community development organization. Bambike aims to be one of the greenest bikes on the planet. 

Rental rates for Adult is 100 pesos per hour and 50 pesos for students with valid ID’s. 

“While I was in the waiting line the girl who is in charge of the reservation for the rental of the bambike approached me. She asked me why I am alone and she was not the first one to ask me that question in that same day. She said it was nice seeing someone out there and having fun alone. Everything about she said makes sense, of course. I answered her that if I tour together with my friends definitely I will really have fun although I will not have the opportunity to really seize the moment and reflect. The only disadvantage was it is hard for me to do the documentation and taking pictures alone. Then we both smiled”

MANILA CATHEDRAL

The present Manila Cathedral, situated at the heart of the walled city of Intramuros has gone several major reconstructions since its inception. The Neo-Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral has long been the seat of archbishop in the Philippines. And it continuous to be one of the most admired churches in the country.

Manila Cathedral also holds religious artworks and sacred relics of popes and saints, and serves as resting place for the remains of former archbishops in Manila

BAHAY TSINOY

Bahay Tsinoy is a museum which presents the story of the Chinese in Philippine history.  The Bahay Tsinoy is located in the historic walled Intramuros area of Manila on Anda Street, making it easy to combine a visit to this museum with several other Intramuros attractions and amenities.

FORT SANTIAGO

One of the most important sites for Philippine history in Manila, Fort Santiago was built by the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi as a defensive fortress designed to protect the newly formed city. The fort is a key feature of the famous walled city known as Intramuros — a complex of manicured gardens, fountains, lily ponds, and sunny plazas, as well as the Rizal Shrine museum, located in the building where Dr. Jose Rizal (a Philippines national hero) was incarcerated during the late 19th century.

“Fort Santiago a world class best of the Philippines and it one of most interesting place I dreamed to visit when I was still a kid. I used to see Intramuros only in books and pictures.. Looking to learn more history about our country and  with our culture and  trying new things around Intramuros was something you wanna look at the future of something look at the past.”  

Fort Santiago admission fee is 50 pesos for students and 75 pesos for the regular rates

“Bambiking through Intramuros and cycling around for two hours gave me opportunity to breathe in, I was pedaling around and I can’t even control the stories that are going through my mind. I have been questioning myself a lot. The only thing I can call my own it the bamboo that I am riding. Everything around me is because of the colonization of the different countries the that brought changes in every aspect in our land and our people.”

“What I actually learned from my Intramuros tour is that, we have journeys on own, we do not have to depend on somebody else about what we believed in, we have to discover it on our own. I was like stepping back into time and  I was living my life years and years ago.”

By: Beatrice Yusay [email protected]

      I decided to take a bike tour around Intramuros since I was all alone and did not really know the place much. We went to a few familiar places such as the plaza, Casa real gardens and Casa manila patio.

The tour took about 2 hours and for me it was the best way to wander around Intramuros. It’s good to go back…