Fort Santiago and Intramuros

Fort Santiago is a diminutive fortification that housed the Spanish military, one cannon shot's distance from Chinatown. It is part of Intramuros, the walled city of old Manila. This place has a sad but fascinating history, it was really done over in the final moments of the Second World War, 100,000 dead on the streets due to the butchery of the Japanese, followed by carpet bombing by the American forces. Manila was all but obliterated, and a glittering, cosmopolitan city was razed to the ground. In many ways, it still hasn't recovered. Still: the spirit of the people is strong, and a gracious and friendly population lives here in this city of 15-20 million people.

My friend Carrie-Anne at Fort Santiago