SECOND TRIP OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY

In Hong Kong and Macao

On February 3, 1888, after a short stay of six months in his beloved
Calamba, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong on board the Zapiro. He was sick
and sad during the trip. He did not get off his ship on the brief stopover at
Amoy for three reasons: (1) he was not feeling well., (2) it was raining hard,
(3) he heard that the city was dirty. He arrived in Hong Kong on February 8.
A Spaniard, Jose Sainz de Varanda, who was a former secretary of Governor
General Terrero, shadowed Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong. It is believed
that he was commissioned by the Spanish authorities to spy on Rizal. In his
letter to Blumentritt, Rizal wrote that Hong Kong is a small but clean city.
There are many Filipinos, majority of whom being those who had been exiled
to the Marianas islands in 1872. They are poor, gentle, and timid. Fromerly
they were rich mechanics, industrialists and financiers.
 Continuation: In Hong Kong and Macao

On February 18, Rizal, accompanied by Basa, boarded the ferry Kiu-

Kiang for Macao. He was surprised to see among the passengers a familiar
figure- Jose Sainz de Varanda. Macao is a Portuguese colony near Hong
Kong. He wrote in his diary that the city of Macao is small, low and gloomy.
There are many junks, sampans, but fewer steamers. It looks almost dead.
During his two-day sojourn in Macao, he visited the theater, casino, cathedral,
and chueches, pagodas, botanical gardens and bazaars. He also saw the
famous Grotto of Camoens, Portugal’ national poet. He witnessed Catholic
procession, in which the devotees were dressed in blue and purple dresses and
were carrying unlighted candles. They returned to Hong Kong on February
20 on board the ferry stammer Kiu Kiang.
 During his 2, weeks stay in Hong Kong, Rizal studied Chinese life, language,
drama, and customs. He wrote in his diary his experiences:
(1) Boisterous Chinese theater with many noisy audience and noisier music.
(2) Noisy celebrations of the Chinese New Year which lasted from February 11 to 13.
(3) The marathon lauriat party, wherein the guests were served numerous dishes, such as
dried fruits, geese, shrimps, century eggs, shark fins, bird’s nests white ducks, chicken
with vinegar, fish head. Roasted pigs tea, etc. It is the longest meal in the world.
(4) The Dominican Order was the richest religious order in Hong Kong.
(5) Of the Hong Kong cemeteries belonging to the Protestants, Catholics and Muslims,
that of the Protestants was the most beautiful because of its well-groomed plants and
clean pathways. The Catholic cemetery was most pompous, with its ornate and
expensive mausoleums and extravagantly carved sepulchers. The Muslim cemetery
was the simplest containing only a little mosque and tombstones with Arabic
inscriptions.
 Romantic Interlude In Japan
One of the happiest interludes in the life of Rizal was his sojourn in the Land
of Cherry Blossoms for one month and a half. He was enchanted by the natural
beauty of Japan, the charming manners of the Japanese people and the
picturesque shrines. He fell in love with a Japanese girl, whose loveliness infused
joy and romance in his sorrowing heart. Her real name was Seiko Usui but Rizal
affectionately called her O-Sei-San. Fate cut the short happy days in Japan. He
had to sacrifice his own happiness to carry on his work for the redemption of his
oppressed people.
He arrived in Yokohama and registered at the Grand Hotel. The next day
he proceeded to Tokyo and stayed at Tokyo Hotel. He was impressed by the city
of Tokyo. He wrote to Blumentritt and told that Tokyo is more expensive than
Paris. Shortly after his arrival in Tokyo, he was visited at his hotel room by Juan
Perez Caballero, secretary of the Spanish Legation. He invited Rizal to live at
the Spanish Legation.
 Continuation:
He accepted the invitation for two reasons: (1) he could economize his living
expenses by staying at the Spanish Legation, (2) he had nothing to hide from the prying
eyes of the Spanish authorities. He and Perez Caballero became good friends. He
described the young Spanish diplomat as “a young, fine, and excellent writer” and “an
able diplomat who had traveled much”
During his first day in Tokyo, Rizal was embarrassed because he did not know the
Japanese language. To avoid further embarrassment, Rizal decided to study the Japanese
language. Being born linguist, he was able to speak it within few days, he also studied
the Japanese drama (kabuki), arts, music, and judo (Japanese art of self defense) and
visited museums, libraries, art galleries and shrines. At a park Rizal hard the Tokyo
band playing a classical work of Strauss. He was impressed by the superb performances
of the Western music. When the band stopped playing, the musicians began to
converse, and they were talking in Tagalog and Rizal approached and talked to them.
They were Filipinos and playing the secondary instruments in the band.
Continuation:
Rizal’s impression of Japan were the following: (1) The beauty of the country-its
flowers, mountains, streams and scenic panoramas. (2) the cleanliness, politeness and
industry of the Japanese people, (3)The picturesque dress and simple charm of the Japanese
women, (4) There were few thieves in Japan so that houses remained open day and night,
and (5) Beggars were rarely seen in the city streets unlike in Manila and other cities.
One thing that he did not like in Japan, and that was the popular mode of
transportation by means of rickshaws drawn by men. He was disgusted at the way a human
being was employed like a horse.
Romance with O-Sei-San
Rizal met O-Sei-San at the gate of the Spanish Legation where he used to pass by and
introduced himself. They met almost daily and converse in both French and English. Both
found happiness in each other’s company. Rizal saw in O-Sei-San the qualities of his ideal
womanhood- beauty, charm, modesty and intelligence.
 O-Sei-San helped Rizal in many ways. More than a sweetheart, she was his
guide, interpreter and tutor. She guided him in observing the shrines and villages
around Tokyo. She improved his knowledge of Niponggo (Japanese language)
and Japanese history. Rizal almost settle down in Japan and was offered a job at
the Spanish Legation but then he chose to leave Japan for his people. On April 13,
1888, he boarded the Beige, an English steamer bound for the United States. The
beautiful romance between Rizal and O-Sei-San came to a dolorous ending.
Broken-hearted by the deoarture of Rizal, the first man to capture her heart,
O-Sei-San mourned for a long time the loss of her lover. After Rizal’s execution
she married Mr. Alfred Charlton, British teacher of chemistry of the Peer’s School
in Tokyo. They were blessed with one child , a daughter named Yuriko.
Rizal’s Visit to the United States
On board the ship Belgic bound for United States, Rizal befriended
Techo Suehiro, a fighting Japanese journalist, novelist and champion of
human rights who was forced by the Japanese government to leave the
country. Rizal told Techo the story of his life’s mission to emancipate his
oppressed people from Spanish tyranny.
His arrival in America was marred by racial prejudice for he saw
the discriminatory treatment of the Chinese and Negroes by the white
Americans. He visited San Francisco, then Reno, Nevada which was
known as “the Biggest Little City in the World” In new York, he stayed
three days which he called “The Big Town”. He left New York for
Liverpool on board The City of Rome. Tis steamer was “the second
largest ship in the world, the largest being The Great Eastern”
 Rizal’s impression of America: Rizal good impression were: (1) the
material progress of the country as shown in the great cities, huge farms,
flourishing industries and busy factories, (2) the drive and energy of the
American people, (3) the natural beauty of the land, (4) the high standard of
living, and (5) the opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants.

One bad impression Rizal had of America was the lack of racial
equality. There existed racial prejudice which was inconsistent with the
principles of democracy and freedom of which the American talked so much
but do not practice. In some states, the Negro cannot marry a White woman,
nor a white man a Negress. Hatred against the Chinese leads to difficulty for
other Asiatics who, like the Japanese are mistaken for Chinese by the
ignorant and therefore being disliked, too. America as to Rizal is” a land par
excellence of freedom but only for the whites.”
Rizal in London:
After visiting the United States, Rizal lived in London. He chose this English
city to be his home for three reasons: (1) to improve his knowledge of the English
language, (2) to study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, (3)
London was a safe place for him to carry on his fight against Spanish tyranny. He
stayed in a boarding house by the Beckett family. In London, Rizal received both
good and bad news from home. Of the bad news were the injustices committed by
the Spanish authorities on the Filipino people and the Rizal family. One good news
was the defense of Noli against the attacks of the friars by Rev. Vicente Garcia.
The greatest achievement of Rizal in London was the annotating of Morga’s
book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands.)
which was published in Mexico , 1609. He joined the Filipinos in establishing a
patriotic society which would cooperate in the crusade for reforms – Asociacion La
Solidaridad and he was chosen as honorary president in recognition of his leadership
among all Filipino patriots in Europe.
 Romance With Gertrude Beckett
Rizal had a romantic interlude with the oldest of the three Becket sisters
– Gertrude, Gettie as she was affectionately called, was a buxom English girl
with brown hair, blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She fell in love with Rizal. Rizal,
being a man of normal emotions, found exhilarating joy in Gertrude’s
company. Rizal suddenly realized that he could not marry Gettie for he had a
mission to fulfill in life. He suppressed his feelings and decided to go away so
that Gettie may forget him.
Before leaving London, he finished four sculptural works – (1)
Prometheus Bound, (2) “The Triumph of Death Over Life” (3) “The Triumph
of Science Over Death” and (4) a composite carving of the heads of the
Beckett sisters. The last name carving was given to the Beckett sisters as a
farewell gift, and the other two was given to Blumentritt. On March 19, 1889,
he bade goodbye to the Beckett family and left London for Paris.
 La Solidaridad
On February 15, 1889, Graciano Lopez Jaena founded the patriotic newspaper La
Solidaridad in Barcelona. Rizal’s first article which appeared in La Solidaridad was
entitled Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers). In this article he depicted the
deplorable conditions in the Philippines which cause the backwardness of the country. He
wrote a pamphlet entitled La Vision del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)
which was published in Barcelona under his pe-name Dimas Alang. It is a satire depicting
a spirited dialogue between St Augustine and Fr. Rodriguez. Rizal demonstrated two
things: (1) his profound knowledge of religion and (2) his biting satire. He also wrote the
famous “Letter ot the Young Women of Malolos” upon the request of Marcelo H. del Pilar
to praise the young ladies of Malolos for their courage to establish a school where they can
learn Spanish, despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia. Parish priest of Malolos. He
also prepared two articles for a journal , the Trubner;s Record – “Specimens of Tagal
Folklore and “Two Eastern Fables”.
 Paris and the Universal Exposition of 1889
Rizal was fascinated by the Universal Exposition of Paris which
opened on May 6, 1889. The greatest attraction of this exposition was the
Eiffel Tower, 984 feet high and was built by Alexander Eiffel, a French
engineer. One of the features of the Exposition was the international art
competition in which Felix Hidalgo, Juan Luna, Felix Pardo de Tavera and
Rizal participated.
Hidalgo’s painting was awarded second prize, Juan Luna and Pardo de Tavera
obtained third prize while Rizal’s entry got no prize. Rizal founded three
Filipino societies in Paris: (1) Kidlat Club- was a purely social society of a
temporary nature and founded simply to bring together the young Filipinos in
Paris so they can enjoy the duration of the Exposition. (2) Indios Bravos – it
was founded by Rizal when they see the Buffalo show which featured the
American Indians. It members excelled in intellectual and physical prowess
 Continuation;
(3) R.D.L.M. Society – It was a mysterious and secret society. It was
believed that the letters R.D.L.M. stands for the society’s secret name
Redencion de los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays). It was patterned after
the Freemansory. It has various degrees of membership, with the members
not knowing each other. The aim of the society was the propagation of all
useful-scientific, artistic, literary, etc. in the Philippines. The other aim was
the redemption of the Malay race.
Rizal’s outstanding achievement in Paris was the publication in 1890 of
his annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipina which he wrote
in the British Museum and printed by Garnier Freres. The prologues was
written by Blumentritt. Rizal dedicated the edition of Sucesos to the
Filipinos. Rizal wrote other articles like historical works which qualify him
to be a historian.
Other articles Written By Rizal:
 The Philippines Within A Century: In this article Rizal expressed his views
on the Spanish colonization in the Philippines and predicted with amazing
accuracy the tragic end of Spain’s sovereignty in Asia.
 The Indolence of the Filipinos : This essay of Rizal is an able defense of
the alleged indolence of the Filipinos. Rizal made a critical study of the
causes why his people did not work hard during the Spanish regime.
 Por Telefono: It was a reply to another slanderer, Fr. Salvador Font, who
masterminded the banning of the Noli and published in Barcelona. It is a
witty satire which ridicules Fr. Font using his pen name Dimas Alang.
 La Vison del Fray Rodriguez: It was a satirical booklet defending his Noli
against another slanderous attack from Fray Jose Rodriguez.
 In Belgian, Brussels
On January 28, 1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, capital of Belgium. Two reasons
impelled Rizal to leave Paris: (1) the cost of living in Paris was very high because of the
Universal Exposition and (2) the gay social life of the city hampered his literary works,
especially the writing of his second novel El Filibusterismo. Rizal continued writing of his
second novel. Rizal also wrote articles in La Solidaridad, the newspaper of the Propaganda
Movement.
Rizal was the first to advocate the Filipinization of its orthography. For instance ,
the Tagalog letters “k” and “w” should be used instead of the Spanish “c” and “o”. He
wrote a Tagalog translation of Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell and Andersen’s “Fairy Tales”. He
wrote an article entitled “Sobre la Nueva Ortograpia de la Lengua Tagala” in which he laid
down the rukes of the new Tagalog orthography and gave credit for the adoption of this new
orthography to Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, author of the celebrated work “El Sanscrito en
la Lengua Tagala” (Sanskrit in the Tagalog Language.)
 Continuation:
In Brussel, Rizal received news that the Filipinos in Spain were
destroying the good name of their nation by gambling too much. he wrote a
letter to Marcelo H. del Pilar to remind the Filipinos in Madrid that they come to
Europe not to gamble but to work for their Fatherland’s freedom.
He also received bad news from home- The Dominican priests raised the
land rents until such time that Rizal’s father refused to pay his rent. The tenants
including Rizal’s family were persecuted. Paciano, Antonio Lopez and
Silvestre Ubaldo were deported to Mindoro, Manuel Hidalgo was banished to
Bohol. The sad news depressed Rizal . During the sad days when he was
worried by family disasters, that he wrote his pathetic poem entitled “A Mi
Musa” (To My Muse)
Rizal had a romance with Petite Suzanne Jacoby, the pretty niece of his
landladies. She cried when he left Brussels for Madrid.
 Misfortunes in Madrid
 Rizal tried to seek justice for his family and the Calamba tenants but to no
avail.
 Jose Ma. Panganiban, Rizal’s friend and co-worker in the Propaganda
Movement died in Barcelona after a lingering illness.
 Rizal had an aborted duel with Antonio Luna. Luna was bitter because of
his frustrated romance with Nellie Boustead ad he was blaming Rizal for his
failure to win her.
 Rizal challenged Wenceslao Retana, his bitter enemy of the pen because he
used to attack the Filipinos including Rizal in various newspaper in Madrid
and other cities.
 Infidelity of Leonor Rivera- Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera
announcing her coming marriage to an Englishman and asking forgiveness
 Continuation;
 An unfortunate rivalry between Rizal and M.H. del Pilar arouse for
supremacy and leadership in the Propaganda Movement.
 With the encouragement of his friends, Rizal courted Nelly Boustead, who
in turn reciprocated his affection. Rizal’s marriage proposal failed for two
reasons: (1) he refused to give up his Catholic faith and be converted to
Protestantism, as Nelly demanded and (2) Nelly’s mother did not like Rizal
as a son- in- law.
Frustrated in romance Rizal kept working on his second novel which
he began in Calamba in 1887. On March 29, 1891, the eve of departure from
Biarritz, he finished the manuscript of El Filibusterismo.