manila, perla del oriente.

manila was nicknamed by the spanish empire as "perla del oriente" or the pearl of the east. because it was the stronghold of the spanish empire in asia or what was then - the far east.

since then, manila was and is the capital of the republic of the philippines.

due to the heavy influence of spain that time, manila had outstanding edifices and architectures built in the colonial times.

but during world war 2, manila was the most devastated city bombed by the japanese and americans - all the beautiful buildings, belle epoque, neo gothic and neo classical architectures were all but destroyed. some were left but it was not used to be.

the old city of manila, though it cannot be compared with the old cities in europe have few interesting structures remaining, some of them are:

the manila cathedral

la basilica minore dela inmaculada concepcion is the largest cathedral in asia. although likw what have i said, it is not comparable to the glorious churches and cathedrals in europe, it holds a distinction of its own, that no other cathedral in the world can - it was destroyed by a typhoon, 2 fires, an earthquake and world war 2 and yet the cathedral stands proudly at the center of the old city.

colegio de san juan de letran

colegio de san juan de letran was my old college. it was established in 1620 by the dominican friars and until now the oldest all boys school in asia. though the original building was not there anymore, the new one was constructed just the same as the original architecture.

casa manila

casa manila is probably the most preserved in the old district of manila. cobblestoned streets are still visible, with large colonial houses with spanish-asian designed in the facades. the houses are called in tagalog as "bahay na bato" or literally stone houses. these were the homes of the principalias (of pure spanish descent) and illustrados (of mixed spanish and indios) who has a lot to say in the colonial times.

intramuros

was a fortress built by the spaniards to protect the city from the invaders specially chinese pirates. the wall encircled the old city of manila before, but now, not even half of the wall survived. it also served as garrisons for prisoners in the colonial times.

china town

the manila china town is located outside of the old city of manila, but it is very accesible because you can walk it or take a jeepney - the local transport in the city. the manila china town is the oldest surviving chinatown in the world. it was established in the 17th century.