The Ugly Side of Intramuros

Graffiti and [rabid?] unleashed dogs. This isn't some compound in a Manila suburb. This is Intramuros.

Intramuros is perhaps Manila's only real tourist destination (EDIT: oh wait, there's Luneta, too) and yet the place is surprisingly unkempt. Most of the reviews I've read from Trip Advisor are generally positive, and I feel that I may have ventured off the usual tourist trail.

[Unintentionaly] Gatecrashing on a Carlos Celdran Tour

Standing barely five feet tall, a stout man with receding hair and wearing unassuming clothes was staging what looked like an public repertoire. He would strut around the monument of Rizal with a pipe in hand, speaking in his oratorical voice, even shouting in several occasions. But this wasn't a play or a monologue - it was part of a tour of Intramuros by Carlos Celdran. I have known him as Manila's quintessential tour guide and as an activist for gay rights, the RH Law, among other causes. We were just walking around Fort Santiago, marveling albeit cluelessly at the ruins around us. To see him on one of his tours was an unexpected opportunity I thought we shouldn't miss.