Manila

Dearest Rachel –

I don’t know what it is, but no matter how many sea days I’m given, I can’t seem to do anything but wait for the last minute to put these things together. Ironically, while you wouldn’t necessarily be proud of me for that, you might well be pleased that I’m starting to relate to you that much more this way.

In all honesty, though, I’d just as soon not copy this particular aspect of your personality, honey, if it’s all the same.

Maynilà, the Filipino name for the city, comes from the phrase may-nilà, meaning “where indigo is found.” While indigo dye extraction became an important economic activity in the area in the 18th century, this was several hundred years after Maynila settlement was founded and named, suggesting that the name was simply came from the indigo-yielding plants that were already growing in the area surrounding the settlement. Manila already consisted of a fortified settlement and trading quarter on the shore of the Pasig River by the 13th century, and was an active trade partner with both the Song and Yuan dynasties of China. It was then settled by the Indianized empire of Majapahit, and the population converted to Hinduism. However, the Sultanate of Brunei (which had seceded from Hindu Majapahit and converted to Islam) invaded the area in the late 1400s and into the early 1500s, wanting to take advantage of the area’s strategic position in direct trade with China; eventually established the rajahnate of Maynilà, which was ruled under Brunei and gave yearly tribute as a satellite state.

On June 24, 1571, conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Manila and declared it a territory of New Spain (Mexico), establishing a city council in what is now Intramuros district. Inspired by the Reconquista, a war in mainland Spain to re-Christianize and reclaim parts of the country that had been ruled by the Umayyad Caliphate, he took advantage of a territorial conflict between Hindu Tondo and Islamic Manila to justify expelling or converting Bruneian Muslim colonists who supported their Manila vassals while his Mexican grandson Juan de Salcedo had a romantic relationship with Kandarapa, a princess of Tondo. Thanks to their influence (and much detail that I’m not going to go into), Manila and the Philippines in general were converted to Christianity, and remain heavily so to this day, with over eighty percent of the population proclaiming their faith in the Catholic church and its doctrines.

The Philippines were among the prizes taken by the United States during the Spanish-American war, and despite the occasional bursts of bloody resistance, were granted independence after World War Two; indeed, the Philippines and the United States share the same independence day of July 4th, albeit from a remove of 170 years from each other. During the time that the islands were held by the U.S., the insular government, headed by William Taft (yes, the future president) invited city planner Daniel Burnham (yes, the same fellow whose fingerprints are all over our home city of Chicago) to adapt Manila to modern needs. The Burnham Plan included the development of a road system, the use of waterways for transportation, and the beautification of Manila with waterfront improvements and construction of parks, parkways, and buildings. Unfortunately, of Burnham’s proposed government center, only three units — the Legislative Building, and the buildings of the Finance and Agricultural Departments — were completed before World War II broke out.

After the war ended, rebuilding began and most of the historical buildings were reconstructed; however, many of the historic churches and buildings in Intramuros, Manila’s historic core, had been damaged beyond repair. Most of Manila’s current urban landscape is therefore one of modern and contemporary architecture.

How much of it we’ll get to see is debatable; Manila may be one of the densest cities in the world, with well over a hundred thousand people per square mile, which would suggest that getting around in it will be a challenge, to say the least. The good news is that I don’t have to negotiate my own way around the place, as this is mostly a coach tour; the bad news is that I don’t know how much time we’ll get at each stop (or if we’ll get any time to scope out this or that point of interest), as this is mostly a coach tour.

However, the stops on our itinerary include Rizal Park, one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines. Filipino patriot José Rizal was executed on these grounds on December 30, 1896, fanning the flames of revolution against the kingdom of Spain. Under American occupation, the area was named in his honor, and it was here on July 4, 1946 that the declaration of Philippine independence was made. From there, we head to the financial and commercial hub of the Philippines – although whether it will be as bustling on a Sunday remains to be seen. We will be visiting the Ayala Museum, which houses a wide variety of archaeological, ethnographic and historical exhibits highlighting Filipino culture and heritage, as well as spending some time (and, presumably, money) at the Ayala Center, an expansive mall in the middle of the Makati financial district before making our way back to the ship.

Will there be anything more to Manila that I’ll be able to see? Will I be able to take it in? I honestly don’t know anymore, honey. I do these things in order to give myself something to anticipate or look for, but I can barely keep up with these things as it is. Maybe I’m growing satisfied to see just what I’m being shown, and leave it at that. Maybe I’m starting to realize that what I research isn’t necessarily anything like what I actually wind up seeing, and find myself questioning whether it’s worth it to research beforehand what I’m not likely to encounter. It is a lot to take in, after all, while at the same time, I’ve already had some unexpected disappointments about this (and the next) destination in particular.

I hope I’m not becoming jaded; it’s too soon on this trip (not to mention my life in general) to arrive at that point.

And with that being said, honey, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it that much more.