Rizal beinga surgeon in

Hong Kong

After his first novel ‘El Filibusterismo’ was published; Rizal’s desire to go back to the Philippines grew stronger.

Rizal left Belgium and went to Marseille. From there Rizal rode S.S. Melbourne to Hong kong

Rizal spent 2 weeks in Paris where he met his friends. In here he send Basa a message asking him to send him a ticket to Hong Kong promising he’ll pay him or if not send him some quote in his book.

During his stay in Paris we also exchanged mails with his friends back in Spain.

In September 22, 1891 Rizal sent Blumentritt a mail that revealed his feelings toward his friend back in Spain

“Kailangang bumalik ako sa Pilipinas. Ang buhay dito ay nagiging mabigat… Ako’y may mga lihim na kaaway”

He also opened up his dismay to del Pilar in his mail back in October 13, 1891.

“Hindi isinusukal ng aking loob na sa udyok ng iba’y nais mong ako’y ibagsak; katutubo ng balana ang paghahanap ng kanyang kaluwalhatian, at tayo’y nasa isang bayan pa naman na ang balana’y gumagawa ng pagsalungat upang makapagpahayag na siya ang puno ng isang lapian o isang pangkat…”

He also shared to Blumentritt that he wanted to make Hong Kong as his base of his ideals and to start a school in there.

Rizal also wanted to go back straight to Manila because of the torment his family experiencing back home but she was stopped by his parents and sisters.

Rizal stayed in Marseille, France for 1 night in Otel Castilla and in October 18, 1891; Sunday, he aboard S.S. Melbourne to Hong Kong.

In S.S. Melbourne there were 80 passengers including Rizal in the first class deck and all of the passengers are Europeans except Rizal who is Asian.

One day the wind blew a door open. A woman said in German:

"If this man in front of me were a gentleman he would close the door.“

Without a word Rizal rose, closed the door, and resumed his seat. Then he pleasantly opened conversation with them in German, and talked so fluently that they treated him with respectful awe. He was the most cultured and highly educated person on the ship.

With him he carried 800 copies of  El Filibusterismo, hoping that he might be able to introduce them into the Philippines little by little.

But, if we may believe Retana, "nearly all the copies were confiscated and immediately spoiled. A few 'sons of the land' possessed El Filibusterismo, but because of the severity of Despujol, most of the possessors reduced the book to ashes. The first edition of Rizal's second novel therefore became very rare soon after it was born. Hence it is that a bookseller in Madrid came to ask for a single copy no less than four hundred pesos.

In November 20, 1891, Rizal arrived at Hong Kong. He was welcome by the Filipinos there who are exiles or escaped the Spaniards from the Philippines including Jose Maria Basa

November 26, 1891, Rizal send 20 copies of El Fili, 4 copies of Morga, and 4 copies of Noli to his friend Manuel Camus in Singapore to be sent to the Philippines. He gave Camus 25% commission for the book sold.

He lived in Number 2 of Rednaxela Terrace, 5 D'Aguilar Street, Central district, Hong Kong island and he also converted his room to his clinic.

In December 1, 1891, He asked permission from his parents to join them in Manila in their sacrifices andat the same time, encouraged them to have a little endurance.

" I have learned of the exile of four townmates to Jolo and of the return of my brother to Manila. I have also learned that mother, Pangoy and Trining, have beensummoned again by the civil government. I am burning with desire to embrace you. Patience, a little patience! Courage!“

At the same day Rizal received a letter from Hidalgo stating the there are 50 people in Calamba that was exiled (father, Nening, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano, and the rest of family.)and that he’s sending a letter to the Queen Regent of Spain

6 December 1891 - Francisco Mercado, Paciano and his brother-in-law, Silvestre Ubaldo, escaped from the Philippines to avoid persecution, and arrived at Hong Kong to join him.

After a while they were followed by his mother, his sisters; Lucia, Josefa and Trinidad.

Rizal got his liscense in to open a clinic in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong in 1892, he successfully removed the cataract from his mother's left eye. Several months later, he sent her glasseswith instructions to cover the right lens until he could operate on that eye.

When Rizal visited a prison in Victoria Goal and in there he met Dr. Lorenzo Pereira Marquez; a Portuguese doctor and who is the director of the state prison which he become friends with.

All of Dr. Lorenzo's eye cases were turned over to the distinguished Filipino, and he soon had a thriving practice.

23 February 1892 - Rizal wrote a letter to Blumentritt in which he informed the latter of his plan ofemigrating to Borneo where he could establish another Calamba free from theabuses of the friars and the civil guards.

Rizal befriend with G. Faizier-Smith, editor in Hong Kong Telegraph

Riza’s articles in the Telegraph:1. The Equity of Man – about the French

revolution2. A La Nacion Espanola – a request to Spain

to correct everything that they’ve done to Calamba.

3. ‘Sa Mga Kababayan’ – 1891 – about the statue of the farmers in Calamba

4. Justice for the Philippines – 1892 – a letter style article written to the telegraph to rectify an article in the said newspaper

5. Una visita a La Victoria Goal – 1892 – difference between the prison in Spain and England

6. La Mano Roja – 1892 – opions about the fire in Manila

In March 1892 Rizal went to Borneo to fulfill his dream and to build a small Filipino colony in North Borneo under British regime.