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Second Travel of Jose Rizal

(1887-1892)

He traveled around the world

Realizing that his family's and friends' safety were at risk and that his fight against the

Spaniards have better chance of winning if he'd stay abroad, Rizal, following the advice of the

governor-general, left the Philippines six months after, sailing back to Europe. At that time, he

was 27 years of age, a practicing physician, and a well recognized man of letters. However, he

was greatly embittered by the abuses he and his family are experiencing at that time. In addition,

he was a frustrated reformist, following the rejection of the book Noli me Tangere by the

Censorship Commission.

Hong Kong

On February 3, 1888, Rizal sailed to Hong Kong as a frustrated

reformist. There he was me by Jose Sainz de Varranda,

Terreros former secretary who was believed to be

commissioned by the Spanish authorities as a spy.

Japan

After almost three weeks, he sailed for Japan aboard the ship

Oceanic, in relation to the invitation 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 Sei San.

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United States and England

On April 13, 1888, Rizal boarded the 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, 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. In addition, he believed that the

said 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.

France, Belgium, and Spain

In Paris, Rizal continued his study on various languages and practiced his artistic skills.

He organized a social club called Kidlat Club which brought together young Filipinos residing in

France, which soon 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 publihed

by the Garnier Freres.

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.

Meanwhile, 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

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heard the news of Leonor Rivera's marriage with Henry Kipping, an Englishman, which terribly

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.

He finished the sequel of El Filibusterismo

Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 while he was

in Calamba. In London (1888), he revised the plot and some chapters. Rizal

continued to work on his manuscript in Paris. He later moved to Brussels

where the cost of living was cheaper and he would be less likely to be

distracted by social events so he could focus on finsihing the book. He

finally completed the book on March 29, 1891 in Biarritz. It was published

in September of that year in Ghent, partially funded by Rizal's friend

Valentin Ventura.

He became active in La Solidaridad

As leader of the reform movement of Filipino students in Spain, he

contributed essays, allegories, poems, and editorials to the Spanish

newspaperLa Solidaridadin Barcelona. The core of his

writings centered on liberal and progressive ideas of

individual rights and freedom; specifically, rights for

the Filipino people. He shared the same sentiments

with members of the movement: that the Philippines was battling, in Rizal's

own words, "a double-faced Goliath" -- corrupt friars and bad government.

He hid his identity under the pseudonyms Dimas Alang and Laong Laan.