NEW ATTRACTIONS!

For any tourist attraction to survive, it has to evolve from time to time just to offer something new. Although we do not have historical castles, churches and moats that date back to the 8th-10th centuries like Italy or Spain, we do have Intramuros, which is as close as it gets to their European counterparts.

Bambike Ecotours in Intramuros

But if we want to keep our tourist sites attractive, we have to keep them relevant to the times. And this, we do so well by adding new attractions to certain areas. It slices up the income wage pie among us guides but it does offer something that may be out of the ordinary for the jaded tourists. 

Bamboo bikes

The White Knight Hotel offers guided tours in Intramuros on Segways. The vehicle looks unwieldy but it helps tourists get around. Another new addition to these supposedly novelty tours is the Bambike EcoTours which for P1200.00/pax offers a tour of 10 sites in Intramuros for two and a half hours using bikes made out of bamboo. They provide a helmet to go with it for safety precaution. The bikes are sturdy, eco-friendly and... gorgeous! And if you fall in love with your bamboo bike, you can opt to take it home for P36,000.00 on the average.

Sala Antigua

A lot of changes are happening at the San Agustin church as well. Some parts of the church and museum are under renovation and being airconditioned, therefore, closed to the public. The Sala Recibidor is undergoing some touch ups as well as the paintings lining the corridors of the convento. But the Sala Antigua has been touched up and some collections have been moved to the hall encased in glass.All in all, the collection is more cohesive.

Ivory collection at sala Anigua

The private cloisters have also undergone great changes... some of the doors have been made into niches that now contain the larger statues of the Augistian saints and the doors leading to the private balconies that overlook the garden of Father Blanco have capiz window panels that mask air conditioning units as well. This section now houses stuff of Augustinian lore. 

Private cloisters

The next section of note is the Biblioteca. The library was completely restored and the rare original books kept by the Augustinians over the centuries are prominently displayed here. A walkway is provided for tourists to see the entire library through glass walls.  I half expect to see a priest walking up and down the stairway carrying those ancient books. It's eerie but it affords one a look into a life dedicated to learning and spiritual pursuits.

Biblioteca

Aside from the Manila Cathedral, Fort Santiago's Rizal Shrine also underwent restoration/ renovation. The shrine is now fully air conditioned. And to keep things interesting, the collection has been re-styled and re-grouped to give way to some inter-active displays for the younger visitors. A short audio visual presentation may be viewed in the second floor where the personal artifacts used to be. A trial room was added called the "silid paglilitis". And the effigy in the prison cell can now be seen from two angles.  Both a blow-up of the actual photo of Rizal's execution and Carlos "Botong" Francisco's mural are dramatically placed on opposite walls to highlight the tragic death of our national hero. 

reliquary lamp at the Rizal Shrine

And to throw in a bit of fun, one may have a selfie taken amongst our national hero and his compatriots at the end of the tour of the Rizal shrine... talk about being updated!

Selfie photo op at the Rizal Shrine