Gary was stationed in Subic Bay, Philippines for his first overseas tour of duty in the Navy. Part of the goal in this Southeast Asia trip was for Cindy to see some of the places Gary was in while a sailor. We didn't try to get to Subic Bay -- there's no base there any more -- we stayed for four days in Intramuros, the historic walled city.

Manila -- originally Maynila -- has been around at least since the first milennium b.c., originally as a Chinese trade center.

The Spanish conquered the place in the 1500s and built a small city with fortifying walls that they called Manila. As the city outgrew the walls, the interior area was called Intramuros (inside the walls), while the exterior suburbs were referred to as "extramuros".

Manila's situation on the Pasig River has made it an important trade center for hundreds of years.

The Jeepney is a national symbol of the Philippines. They got their start towards the end of WWII when military jeeps were repurposed for local transportation. Filipino owners jazzed them up with artwork and chrome. Some of the best are amazing works of art.

Intramuros is a melange of the historic and the quirky. Silahis Center Antique Shop is among the quirky . . .

. . . as is a lot of the street art.

The Manila Cathedral is among the antique. When the Spanish conquered this area around 1571, one of the first buildings was a church.

That initial church went though multiple changes to become the current Manila Cathedral, a monument to the city's long history.

The original San Augustin Church was constructed about 30 years after the Manila Cathderal.

It's the oldest stone church in the country. During WWII, Japanese forces used San Augustin Church was used as a concentration camp for Filipinos.

One of the most revered heroes in the Philippines is Jose Rizal, whose statue graces an eponymous park in Intramuros. Rizal was instrumental in the struggle of the Filipinos to oust Spanish rule.

Another Philippine patriot in the Philippine fight for independence was Andres Bonifacio, who led the Philippine Revolution and the KKK or Katipunan, a Filipino revolutionary organization.

Juan Luna y Novicio, another Philippine patriot and revolutionary, was one of the first recognized Filipino artists, skilled in painting and sculpture.

Fort Santiago was constructed concurrently with Manila Cathedral, in 1571, and protected the area under Spanish, British, American, and Japanese occupation until it was destroyed at the end of WWII. It's since been restored and is an historical monument and museum.

This slide in the playground of the current Fort Santiago park is a monument to the mixture of tragedy, hope, and joy that permeates the city and the country over its long struggle for independence.