Arriesgado, Daniel Edgar DC.

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RIZALS TRAVEL JOURNAL

First Travel
In 1885, the 24-year old Rizal went to Paris, France to pursue his career as an ophthalmologist.
He tried his skills in music and studied solfeggio, piano and voice culture for a month and a half.
He worked as an assistant to the renowned ophthalmologist, Dr. Louis de Weckert, and left for
Heidelberg after a year. He settled in the house of a Lutheran, Karl Ullmer and worked in the
clinics of famous Polish and German ophthalmologists, Dr. Javier Galezowsky and Dr. Otto Becker,
respectively. In Heidelberg, he was astounded with the flowers along the Neckar River, especially
the forget-me-nots, which made him compose the poem, A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To the
Flowers of Heidelberg), on April 22, 1886. It was also in this German city where the long-distance
friendship between Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt began.
Rizal traveled to Leipzig and attended some lectures at its local university. After which he went to
Berlin to further study ophthalmology and other languages, to get familiar with the scenic
Germany, to be part of the scientific community, and to finish his novel, Noli MeTangere.
However, he was struck by financial problem in Berlin as he was short of allowance
from Calamba.

Back to the Philippines

The stunning beauty of the European lands did not stop Rizal from continuously adoring his
native land. After the Noli Me Tangere was published, he decided to return to Calamba despite
the many warnings he received from friends and relatives alike. He had four reasons for returning
to the Philippines:
1. to perform an operation on Doa Teodora's eyes;
2. to defend his oppressed countrymen more effectively than doing so in a foreign land;
3. to find out how his Noli was received by the Filipinos and Spaniards; and
4. to know the reason for Leonor Rivera's long silence.
Aboard the steamer Djemnah, Rizal sailed to the East via the Suez Canal on June 3, 1887 and
reached Saigon on the 30th of July. From Saigon, he boarded the steamer Hayfong bound
for Manila. On the sixth day of August, he arrived in Manila and visited some friends, and reached

Calamba two days later. In his native land, he opened a medical clinic and restored
his mother's vision. Such miraculous news spread throughout the community like wild fire, thus,
his clinic was flocked by people aspiring for a better eyesight. Newly arrived from Germany, he
began to be known as Doctor Uliman (from the word Aleman).
Regarding his novel Noli Me Tangere, Rizal met Governor General Emilio Terrero who informed
him of the charges against him. As a defense, Rizal told Terrero that the Noli only exposes the
reality. Not having read the book yet and out of curiosity, the governor general asked for a copy
of the controversial novel, which he later confessed that he enjoyed reading. He saw no problem
on the book, yet to protect Rizal's life which was then in danger, he assigned Jose Taviel de
Andrade, a young Spanish lieutenant, as Rizal's personal bodyguard. Soon enough, the attackers
and defenders of the novel resurfaced.

Second Travel
Realizing that his family's and friends' safety were at risked; and that his fight against the
Spaniards have better chance of winning if he'd stay abroad, Rizal, six months after, finally
decided to sail back to Europe. Before his departure, a friend from Lipa City, Batangas asked of
him a poem dedicated to the industrious workers in their town. Privileged, Rizal wrote the Himno
Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor).

A glance of East Asia

On February 3, 1888, for the second time, Rizal sailed to Hongkong as a frustrated being who
wanted the utmost reform in his native land. Terreros former secretary, Jose Sainz de Varranda,
followed Rizal in the said British colony, and was believed to be commissioned by the Spanish
authorities to spy on the hero. After almost three weeks, on board the American
steamer, Oceanic, he left Hongkong and sailed to Japan where he was invited by Secretary Juan
Perez Caballero to live at the Spanish Legation. His instinct told him that it was a bait a way for
the Spanish officials to keep track of his activities. And since it was economical to stay at the
legation and he believed that he had nothing to hide, he accepted it. Rizal was impressed by the
scenic Japan and had keenly observed the life, customs and culture of the people. He had fallen
in love not only with the view but more to its women, particularly with the 23-year old O-SeiSan (a.k.a. Usui Seiko).

Sail to the West

Rizal was almost tempted to settle in Japan with O-Sei-San, but on April 13, 1888, Rizal boarded
the English steamer, Belgic bound for the United States, reaching the land on April 28. He visited
San Francisco, left it on the second day for Oklahoma, then to Sacramento, then to Reno, and

finally to New York. On May 16, 1888 the ship, City of Rome sailed for Liverpool and where he
decided to stay in London until March 1899. Rizal chose to stay in London so that he could
improve his English skills, study and do an annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas and because he believed that the said English city was a safe place for him to carry on
the reforms he wanted for the Philippines. He stayed at Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor's home and
boarded at the Beckett family where he fell in love with Gertrude.

In Great Britain
In London, Rizal received both good news and bad news from home. The good news was that
Rev. Vicente Garcia was defending his Noli from the attacks of the friars. On the other hand, the
bad news were that the Filipino signatories of the Petition of 1888 and the tenants of the
Calamba agrarian trouble were facing persecution; that his brothers-in-law, Manuel T.
Hidalgo and Mariano Herbosa, were exiled to Bohol and was denied Christian burial, respectively;
and his friend, Laureano Viado, a UST medical student, was imprisoned for possessing a copy of
his Noli. During his stay in this country, Rizal also made used of his time in writing essays and
articles for the La Solidaridad. On June 12, 1889, with Filipino and Spanish friends, they founded
the Asociacion Hispano-Filipino which aimed for union and reforms. After ten months, Rizal left
London and departed for Paris.

In France
In Paris, Rizal continued his study on various languages and practiced his artistic skills, and
finished two statues - The Beggar and The Maid With A Basket. He organized a social club
called Kidlat Club which brought together young Filipinos residing in France. Soon, the members
of the said club founded a new Filipino society the Indios Bravos, an organization which
envisioned Filipinos being recognized by Spain for being excellent in various fields of knowledge.
By January 1890, Rizal's annotation of the Sucesos was finally printed and published by the
Garnier Freres.

In Belgium
With his roommate, Jose Albert, Rizal celebrated Christmas in Paris. Shortly after New Year, he
visited London for the last time and on January 28, 1890, left Paris for Brussels. With Albert, they
left the extravagant and gay social life in Paris and stayed in a boarding house owned by the
Jacoby sisters in Brussels. Rizal continued contributing for La Solidaridad under the
pseudonyms Dimas Alang andLaong Laan. From Calamba, Rizal received letters telling that the
agrarian trouble in the province was getting worse, and as such, he decided to go home. But
instead of going home, a letter from Paciano told him that they already lost the case against
the Dominicans and they were in need of a lawyer who would defend their family and the families

in Calamba from Madrid. Rizal traveled to Madrid to seek justice but in vain he could not find
the right person and he heard that his family was already evicted from their land in Calamba and
other family members were banished to Mindoro and Manila.

In Spain
Rizal had many misadventures in Madrid. For one, he challenged Antonio Luna and Wenceslao
Retana in a duel. With Luna, it was about the latter's frustration with his unsuccessful love
affair with Nellie Boustead, and so gave negative remarks on the lady which Rizal did not
tolerated. The other encounter was with Retana who had insulted Rizal and his family by writing
in La Epoca, an anti-Filipino newspaper, that the Rizal family in Calamba was ejected from their
lands because they did not pay their rents. It is also from this city where Rizal heard the news of
Leonor Rivera's marriage with Henry Kipping, an Englishman, which terrible broke his heart.
Another marked event in Madrid was the Marcelo H. del Pilar-Jose Rizal rivalry for leadership in
the Asociacion Hispano Filipino. A faction emerged from the Filipinos in Madrid,
the Rizalistas and Pilaristas, Rizal and del Pilar's compatriots, respectively, during the
organization's election. Losing the election, Rizal decided to go back home, fearing that his
presence may result to bigger and stronger faction among the Filipinos in Madrid. But instead of
going straight to Hongkong, he went back to Brussels to finish his second novel, the El
Filibusterismo.

Back in Hongkong
After the Fili was published, Rizal left Europe. Aboard the S.S. Melbourne, he sailed to Hongkong
where he lived for seven months. His reasons for venturing to Hongkong were the following :
1. to leave behind his rivalry with del Pilar;
2. to facilitate a Propaganda Movement in Hongkong; and
3. to be proximate to his family in the Philippines.
On November 20, 1891, Rizal arrived in Hongkong and was cordially welcomed by the Filipino
residents in the city, particularly, his friend Jose Ma. Basa. He resided at No. 5 D' Aguilar Street,
No. 2 Rednaxela Terrace and opened a medical clinic there. Rizal had a continued correspondence
with his family in Calamba and had been aware of the unsettled agrarian problem. Through a
letter from his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, he had been informed of the deportation of
twenty-five persons in Calamba, including the Rizal family. This news made Rizal even more

desperate to return to Manila, but his sorrow was replaced by surprise when his family visited him
in Hongkong and celebrated the 1891 Christmas with him.
While in Hongkong, Rizal practiced his medical career. With the help of his friend, Dr. Lorenzo P.
Marquez, they built a large clientle and opened a medical clinic where he was recognized as an
excellent eye surgeon. He was equally supported and aided both morally and financially by his
family and friends with his chosen career.
Another marked event during Rizal's stay in Hongkong was his plan to move the landless Filipinos
to Borneo and transform the said wilderness into a New Calamba through the so called Borneo
Colonization Project. In April 1892, he visited Borneo and negotiated with the British
authorities who are willing to provide 100,000 acres of land for the Filipinos. Many Filipino patriots
found this project amusing, thus, promoted the said project. However, there were a number who
objected it, one of which was Rizal's brother-in-law, Hidalgo. Twice did Rizal wrote a letter
addressed to Governor GeneralEulogio Despujol informing his Borneo colonization project, with
whom he received no response. Instead, Despujol commanded the Spanish consul-general in
Hongkong to notify Rizal that such project was very unpatriotic, and by immigrating Filipinos to
Borneo, the Philippines will surely be lacking of laborers.
Despite the many oppositions from friends and relatives, he decided to return to Manila on the
following reasons:
1. to discuss with Governor General Despujol his Borneo colonization project;
2. to form the La Liga Filipina in the Philippines; and
3. to prove that Eduardo de Lete's allegations on him and his family in Calamba were wrong.
Before his departure, he wrote three more letters the first addressed to his parents and friends;
the second one, to the Filipinos; and the last to Governor General Eulogio Despujol. Instead of
having the protection he desired, Rizal and his sister, Lucia, fell into the Spanish trap a case was
secretly filed against Rizal, and Despujol ordered his secretary, Luis de la Torre, to verify whether
the patriot had naturalized himself as German citizen or not. And so the siblings sailed across the
China Sea without prior knowledge of what awaits them in the Philippines.

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Jose_Rizal:_Travels_and_Adventures

Segunda Katigbak and Leonor Valenzuela

Segunda Katigbak was her puppy love. Unfortunately, his first love was engaged to be
married to a town mate- Manuel Luz. After his admiration for a short girl in the person of
Segunda, then came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl from Pagsanjan. Rizal send her love notes
written in invisible ink, that could only be deciphered over the warmth of the lamp or candle.
He visited her on the eve of his departure to Spain and bade her a last goodbye.
Leonor Rivera
Leonor Rivera, his sweetheart for 11 years played the greatest influence in keeping him from
falling in love with other women during his travel. Unfortunately, Leonors mother
disapproved of her daughters relationship with Rizal, who was then a known filibustero. She
hid from Leonor all letters sent to her sweetheart. Leonor believing that Rizal had already
forgotten her, sadly consented her to marry the Englishman Henry Kipping, her mothers
choice.
Consuelo Ortiga
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettier of Don Pablo Ortigas daughters, fell in love with him. He
dedicated to her A la Senorita C.O. y R., which became one of his best poems. The Ortiga's
residence in Madrid was frequented by Rizal and his compatriots. He probably fell in love
with her and Consuelo apparently asked him for romantic verses. He suddenly backed out
before the relationship turned into a serious romance, because he wanted to remain loyal to
Leonor Rivera and he did not want to destroy hid friendship with Eduardo de Lete who was
madly in love with Consuelo.
O Sei San
O Sei San, a Japanese samurais daughter taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting known as
su-mie. She also helped Rizal improve his knowledge of Japanese language. If Rizal was a
man without a patriotic mission, he would have married this lovely and intelligent woman
and lived a stable and happy life with her in Japan because Spanish legation there offered
him a lucrative job.
Gertrude Beckett
While Rizal was in London annotating the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, he boarded in the
house of the Beckett family, within walking distance of the British Museum. Gertrude, a blueeyed and buxom girl was the oldest of the three Beckett daughters. She fell in love with
Rizal. Tottie helped him in his painting and sculpture. But Rizal suddenly left London for Paris
to avoid Gertrude, who was seriously in love with him. Before leaving London, he was able to
finish the group carving of the Beckett sisters. He gave the group carving to Gertrude as a
sign of their brief relationship.
Nellie Boustead
Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies. While a
guest of the Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz, he had
befriended the two pretty daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. Rizal used to fence with
the sisters at the studio of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna, Juans brother and also a frequent visitor
of the Bousteads, courted Nellie but she was deeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held by
Filipinos in Madrid, a drunken Antonio Luna uttered unsavory remarks against Nellie
Boustead. This prompted Rizal to challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to
Rizal, thus averting tragedy for the compatriots.
Their love affair unfortunately did not end in marriage. It failed because Rizal refused to be
converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded and Nellies mother did not like a
physician without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law. The lovers, however, parted as

good friends when Rizal left Europe.

Suzanne Jacoby
In 1890, Rizal moved to Brussels because of the high cost of living in Paris. In Brussels, he
lived in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters. In time, they fell deeply in love with
each other. Suzanne cried when Rizal left Brussels and wrote him when he was in Madrid.
Josephine Bracken
In the last days of February 1895, while still in Dapitan, Rizal met an 18-year old petite Irish
girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken,
the adopted daughter of George Taufer from Hong Kong, who came to Dapitan to seek Rizal
for eye treatment. Rizal was physically attracted to her. His loneliness and boredom must
have taken the measure of him and what could be a better diversion that to fall in love
again. But the Rizal sisters suspected Josephine as an agent of the friars and they
considered her as a threat to Rizals security.
Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision due to her
responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufers blindness was untreatable, he left for Hon
Kong on March 1895. Josephine stayed with Rizals family in Manila. Upon her return to
Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the
priest wanted a retraction as a precondition before marrying them. Rizal upon the advice of
his family and friends and with Josephines consent took her as his wife even without the
Church blessings. Josephine later give birth prematurely to a stillborn baby, a result of some
incidence, which might have shocked or frightened her.