Dreams remain fuel of every nation over the world as the diversity put hold on us whatever our race, religion, culture, language and history. It has the mankind to create and embody the empowerment of ideals, principles in life, importance of educat...
Maria Clara at Ibarra episodes: "Klay Meets Ibarra" to "Hikaw ni Klay"
For the part 2, the second old site was Hotel Fonda de Lala which was the location of the meeting between Crisostomo Ibarra and Klay Infantes, the primary modern heroine in the drama. Ibarra has recently returned from Europe. The two would eventually stay and spend time at the Hotel Lala for a number of episodes.
In San Nicolas, which at the time was a part of Binondo, the hotel was situated along Calle Barraca. It was close to the Binondo Estero. We can see now what this place looks like with the drama show itself. It was captured on camera at the end of Calle Tonelero, directly along the banks of the Estero.
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The picture is taken from an 1898 book. The hotel was adjacent to Binondo, Manila's main business center, and the city's ports, which were formerly along the Pasig River.
Klay Infantes had to leave Intramuros through the Puerta Isabel II facing the Paseo de Magallanes in order to get to the Hotel Lala from the Beaterio de Santa Catalina (Magallanes Drive). Prior to arriving at the Puente de Espanya, she would have driven past the massive Magellan monument, the Magallanes Column (before became Jones Bridge). Along the way, she would have marveled at a new building with caryatides (as mentioned by Rizal in Chapter 8 - Recollections). She would have witnessed the bustling center of 19th-century Manila, complete with horse-drawn vehicles, commotion, and dusty skies. Those places and things were the signified sightings of Rizal in the novel.
In Chapter 5: A Star in a Dark Night, Ibarra sits in his hotel room, which faces the estero, and muses over the old lieutenant's discoveries. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he was unable to hear Maria Clara, who was singing at the gathering at Capitan Tiago's house, which was really visible from Ibarra's window. At the end of Calle Tonelero, Capitan Tiago's residence would have been visible from across the estero. This is shown in the TV episode when Julie Anne San Jose, who plays Maria Clara, sings the Ave Maria. Even the scene where Padre Salvi observes her perform is also there in the Noli.
In 1810, the American corporation Russell & Sturgis opened the Commercial House, which is now known as the Hotel Fonda de Lala or Lala's Hotel. Then it was purchased by Indian mestizo Lala Ary, who converted it into the Fonda Francesca de Lala Ary hotel.
The current location of the hotel is a parking area that is a component of the NAMRIA Building in San Nicolas.
The site today:
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