The Traveler - Philippines - Episode 1

Let's make the distant horizon our destination. Through it, and where it is very far, we will travel. Together, we will walk and discover. The magic of today's light, and the mystery of yesterday's shadows. We touch the history of times, to read the history of the coming future. To celebrate what is dear to our hearts. And to sanctify what makes our humanity shine. To discover the legends and wonders of the world, wherever they may be hidden. We see the details of their colors. We feel them. They sparkle. So that our visions come true. And so that everything we imagine becomes a reality. Here I am, the traveler. And today, I step in a new world. A bright map of forests, beaches, and magnificent islands that the nomads, tyrants, and occupiers have conquered. But it has not stopped fighting for freedom. Welcome to the Great Archipelago. Welcome to the Philippines. More than 7,000 islands are inhabited by a striking harmony of 100 million people. They are of many races, religions, and languages. Although they are located in the Sea of China, some of their Asian features have escaped from it. The Spanish have left them the Christian religion, and have remained in it for about four centuries. After that, the Americans left them the English language and the elements of Western culture. Manila, Philippines Moving in Manila, which is highly populated and crowded, is a challenge for its visitors. But it is definitely a city worth suffering for. Yes, sir. You want hot, sir? Thank you. This is like banana, right? Yes, banana, pineapple. All the same size? Yes, same size. I'll take this one. Thank you. It is one of ten cities in the world where the inhabitants of rural areas travel to the capital to look for better living opportunities. with its walls, churches, and other historical monuments. Most of them were destroyed during World War II. This is the historical center of Manila, or what is left of it, Entramoros neighborhood. Entramoros means in Arabic, inside the walls. And inside these huge walls, there are many stories that we will tell you. Entramoros has remained a capital of an Islamic state founded by Muslim merchants who came from China and Indonesia until it fell into the hands of the Spanish colonists in the 16th century. The Spanish built a comfortable prison in Entramoros for the rebels used by the Japanese who occupied the Philippines during World War II. In this small cell, the Japanese killed 600 American and Filipino soldiers and buried them in a mass grave not far from this place. Before the Japanese withdrew at the end of World War II, they destroyed most of Manila's neighborhoods on the ground and left behind about a million dead. Despite the tragic memories that this neighborhood has, it retains a bright page in the history of the Philippines. This is a memorial to the national hero of the Philippines, José Rizal. Rizal resisted Spanish colonization at the end of the 19th century and was then arrested for rebellion and conspiracy. These are the steps taken by the national hero of the Philippines, Rizal, from his cell to the execution ground where he was executed, outside these walls. The moment of his execution in 1896 turned into a historical chapter. It was the beginning of a revolution on the country's level. It ended with the expulsion of the Spanish occupiers. For the first time in centuries, the Filipino people gained their freedom and independence. Farewell, my beloved country. I give you all the joys of a short and sad life to become more beautiful and creative. This is a clip from the song of the Filipino hero, Rizal, which he wrote before his execution. Anyone who looks for a quiet and remote place in Manila will find its shadow here, for sure, in Manila's coastal walkway. You can enjoy the sunset from here, amidst this state of colors, which is absent from the Gulf of Manila, where the nightlife begins. Despite the lack of facilities for most of the population, they have a passion for shopping. Sometimes you find it difficult to find your way among these crowds of people gathering from all over the place. Yes, sir. How are you? Fine. What's this? That is longan, sir. What? Longan. Longan? Yes, sir. Okay. It's a mix of three or four fruits together, yeah? You can find almost everything in the popular markets and at low prices. And you can find, without a doubt, the true spirit of the city and its people. We arrived at this museum, which is about two hours from the center of Manila. Las Casas Filipinas, or the House of the Filipinos, was built when a small river met the Sea of ​​China and was designed to be a small image of the Filipinos and to carry its cultural and civilizational features. By the way, we are using cobalt stones here for the flooring because this is what the Filipinos used before in old times. By the way, this is a natural river. This is a freshwater. So this is the point where the freshwater from the river and the salt water from the West Philippine Sea mix. The project of moving dozens of historical houses requires some of what the Filipino people are proud of. Advanced engineering, meticulous work, and a lot of passion. Back in the time of Spanish colonization of the Philippines, these special houses were dismantled from all areas of the Philippines and reassembled in this complex. You notice this creativity in the restoration of old buildings and the construction of new buildings in an old style. There is little that can be said about this creativity. It is completely amazing. Oh, this beauty! Finally, we are in the presence of the queen. She is not an ordinary queen, but she is the queen of the beauty of the islands. Welcome to Coron. In Coron, the lakes embrace the clear and pure water. With the amazing rocky peaks, you feel like you are in the middle of a real natural wonder. We are now in the twin lakes. Two small lakes separated by a narrow waterway. To make the scene more exciting, there is one way to move between them. Swimming. We are in one of the cleanest lakes in the world. Most of them are exciting to the soul. Coron deserves to call itself the queen of the islands. Oh, this beauty! There are two types of water. Fresh water and salt water. The salt water is very clear, and the fresh water seems to be wavy, as if you put sugar in the water. It is an amazing thing. Climbing these stairs leads to one of the cleanest lakes in the world, and the cleanest lake in the Asian continent. The Canayan Lake in the Philippines. Only travelers will take you to these special places. 300 degrees away from the lake, and in the middle of the road, you will have a breathtaking panoramic view of Coron Island. The Canayan Lake, one of eight lakes in Coron, has crystal clear water, a unique mixture of fresh and salt water, and cold and warm currents. From Cayanan, we move to the most famous diving site in Coron, Siete Picados, a group of seven small islands. Sometimes it is enough to dip your head under the water to experience a marine world full of life and colors. The coral reefs below are very creative and amazing. It really deserves a visit. Also, the fish and the types of fish that you can see below are strange things. I've never seen anything like them in my life. They look like other species, but the transparency of the fish, or the size of the fish in this species, is a strange and amazing thing. It really deserves a visit. In high temperatures and humidity, I visited Coron's popular market. A bustling market, you find yourself among sellers and buyers exchanging greetings and smiles, and sometimes laughter. Can I have a pineapple? Yeah, please. Fresh local goods. Despite the modest market, everyone is committed to cleanliness and public health. Not far from the market, in the middle of Coron, I passed by a sports complex for children and young people. I didn't resist coming in to take a closer look. Playing with these children is not easy. They seem to be very creative and energetic. Here, they are exposed to adversity. Adversity of vitality and fun. And when you contemplate the enthusiasm of these children, you realize that a new generation is coming to build on the values of cooperation, trust, and challenge. These salty volcanic springs reach a temperature of 47 degrees Celsius. The reason behind this high temperature is the volcano beneath these springs. The springs of Makinit in Coron are among the few hot springs in the world made up of salt water. Visitors come here for their health benefits, and to enjoy the view of mangrove trees, volcanic rocks, and the small islands that surround them. Taipas Mountain is the second highest mountain in Coron. You can see the top of the mountain from any location in the city. Watching dozens of visitors climb the mountain made me more excited and sure that an amazing scene was waiting for me. These are the stairs that we have to climb to reach the top of Taipas Mountain. We have climbed 400 stairs and there are 350 left. The Japanese used this mountain during World War II to watch the American ships coming from this direction. But today, many tourists like me enjoy this spectacular view.