witsandnuts

  • Home
  • The author and this site
  • Travel
    • Philippines
    • UK
      • England
        • London
      • Wales
      • Scotland
    • US
      • Los Angeles
      • San Francisco
      • Las Vegas
      • New York
      • New Jersey
    • UAE
      • Abu Dhabi
      • Dubai
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • India
  • Music
    • Concerts
      • One Direction
      • Ed Sheeran
      • Jadine In Love World Tour
      • Anne Curtis
      • Eraserheads
      • Britney Spears
      • Linkin Park
      • Incubus
      • Prince
      • Kanye West
      • The Killers
      • Coldplay
  • Food
  • Books
  • Films
  • Category: Philippines

    • Fort Santiago

      Posted at 7:59 pm by witsandnuts, on August 21, 2016

      Intramuros, Manila. July 2016.

      I am one of those who had their first visit to Fort Santiago as part of an educational trip and revisited after being based in a foreign country. While our visit last July was in a more relaxed manner that made it more meaningful, I fondly remember how in my sophomore year in high school we hurriedly consumed our packed lunch and explored the Rizal Shrine the most under the impression that we will be quizzed the following week by our Social Studies teacher. Years later, I glanced at the fort’s gate with better appreciation of the Philippine culture and history.

      Intramuros. July 2016.

      One of the several changes is the presence of guards in a polished guardia sibil uniforms. In fact, they are present in the entire Walled City (Intramuros). They are probably one of the most photographed people in Manila. Continue reading →

      Posted in Philippines, Travel | 2 Comments | Tagged Fort Santiago, Manila
    • Paco Park, Manila

      Posted at 6:42 pm by witsandnuts, on August 7, 2016

      Paco, Manila. July 2016.

      Paco Park is one of those places that I wanted to visit because it is frequently featured as filming location. The fountain was not operational when we visited though. I wonder how I never knew where it is and never got to see it in person. Hence, we spent some time here on the same day that we have re-visited the Walled City (Intramuros). It turned out that it is the area fronting the Paco Fire Station which I have passed by hundred times on my way to Makati or nearby areas.

      Paco, Manila. July 2016.

      It was a holiday when we visited and there were students who seemed to have gathered to rehearse an activity. Present, too, were those who were obviously doing photo shoots. Continue reading →

      Posted in Philippines, Travel | 1 Comment | Tagged Manila, Paco Park
    • Intramuros (the Walled City), Manila

      Posted at 9:02 pm by witsandnuts, on July 23, 2016

      Intramuros, Manila. July 2016.
      View from Fort Santiago

      I am back in the super sunny UAE. It is summer here in contrast to the relatively rainy season in the Philippines. Thanks to our weeklong holiday due to Eid celebrations that I managed to have another whirlwind trip to the Philippines. It was in 2008 when the holiday had been this long. We can say that it is a once in a decade occurrence.

      Intramuros. July 2016.

      Would you like to explore Intramuros by calesa (horse carriage)?

      I thoroughly enjoyed the short stay at home, catching up with family (aiming to catch up with some friends in my December trip this year), the raindrops, food, and more. I cannot emphasize enough how happy I am that I was able to revisit Intramuros in this trip and that the weather cooperated that day. I particularly nurtured my interest to revisit the Walled City after I had my share of visits to a number of castles and forts in the past months in the UK.

      The last time I extensively wandered in Intramuros was in late 1990s. Not so surprisingly, I hardly recognized some establishments as of 2016. On the other hand, there were corners/spots that I vividly remembered no matter how much they have been restructured or replaced. It is quite interesting though that all the time I was wandering within this beloved Walled City, my eyes were seeing two frames (of the late 1990s and the present). It was a little nostalgic, so to speak.

      Intramuros. July 2016.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Philippines, Travel | 6 Comments | Tagged Intramuros, Manila
    ← Older posts
    • About witsandnuts

      Snapchat-5703935704258315256 Marhaba! That's "hello" in Arabic. I am an expatriate based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I started writing about my adventures and misadventures few months before arriving here at winter of 2008. I have 2 cats and a dog who live harmoniously together. I am also surrounded by kindhearted, crazy, funny and indescribable humans! I was a dormant blogger for almost 3 years because of countless reasonable justifications like watching football, postgraduate studies, sleeping, traveling, caring for the world, and more! :) I am just so happy that I am back! It is never too late to catch up with the people and things we really care about. Feel free to look around.
    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    • Recent Posts

      • 2017 Reflections and being back to basics in 2018
      • Obtaining a license for your dog in the UAE
      • 2017 Spring break in the US
      • Citywalk, Dubai
      • Not in This Lifetime Tour: Guns N’ Roses in Dubai
    • Categories

    • Random snaps

      No Instagram images were found.

    • Useful resources

      Living in United Arab Emirates

      InterNations Guide Abu Dhabi

  • Recent Posts

    • 2017 Reflections and being back to basics in 2018
    • Obtaining a license for your dog in the UAE
    • 2017 Spring break in the US
    • Citywalk, Dubai
    • Not in This Lifetime Tour: Guns N’ Roses in Dubai
  • Instagram

    No Instagram images were found.

  • Tags

    Abu Dhabi Architecture Blogosphere christmas Concerts Desert Safari Dubai Emirates Palace Ferrari World Films Food Friends Life Malaysia Music New Year Philippines Photography Ramadan Singapore Travel UAE UAE National Day Wales Winello

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • witsandnuts
    • Join 34 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • witsandnuts
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...