MANILA

10 Nights with Day Trips

Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash

CITY GUIDE

"The Marcos era was the golden time for the Philippines. We had the lowest crime rate in the world in Manila and real development then. At last, people are starting to understand this." - Imelda Marcos

BIRTHDATE -

24 / 6 / 1571 by Miguel López de Legazpi of Spain

POPULATION -

12,800,000

AKA -

The Pearl of the Orient
Lungsod ng Maynila

MEANING -

There is Nilad - (Indigo Trees)

RIVER -

Pasig River

HISTORY -

Manila started as a walled Muslim settlement taxing the traffic on the Pasig River.
The Spanish settled in Cebu before they founded Manila in 1571. Manila became the new capitol. Roman Catholicism was propagated at this time as well.
The Chinese invaded in 1574, the Dutch in the mid 17th century, in 1762 the British took over for 2 years and then it was handed back to Spain.
For 250 years the Manila Galleons plied the trade between Acapulco and Manila. The Spanish Crown enjoyed all of the profits.
Anti Spanish sentiment grew in the capital and after the execution of local hero Jose Rizal in 1896 outright insurrection continued for a year.
In 1898 the US defeated Spain in Manila Bay and claimed their prize.
On the same day as Pearl Harbour the Japanese bombed the American planes that were to be used for the defence of Manila out of existence. They were parked out in the open at Clark Airbase.
MacArthur fled to Corregidor Island and left Manila free for the Japanese to walk in.
When it came time to take the city back at the end of the war it was a different story. Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi repeatedly ignored his orders from the army to evacuate the city. He decided to fight to the end with his 12,500 men and 4,500 army personnel. The navy in Japan supported him. They prepared their defences and waited.
The battle lasted for a month. 100.000 civilians were killed and the city lay in ruins. Japanese forces committed acts of mass murder against civilians. The battle also destroyed priceless heritage of the city. Manila was left in the same level of devastation as Berlin.
With US help the city was rebuilt. The Philippines gained their independence in 1946 and in 1948 Quezon City (now a part of Manila anyway) became the capital. Manila got that honour back in 1976.
The Marcos years from 1965 to 1986 featured martial law, massive state theft, debt crisis, extreme poverty and severe unemployment.
Kicking him out didn't fix the problems unfortunately.
The Philippines remains loaded with potential that sadly for the locals hasn't been realised yet.

BEST TIME TO GO -

January through April are the driest months.
The wet season is June to November including typhoons. Usually a dozen a year. Streets can get flooded. Avoid any electrical plant if they do.
The temperature doesn't fluctuate much all year. May and December are moving in and out of the wet season.

TOP 10 - In No Order

Manila Bay Sunsets
Intramuros
Manila Hotel
Chinese Cemetery
Aristocrat (must eat at)
Manila Boardwalk
Eating Binondo
Malacanang Palace
Rizal Park
Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum

FUN FACT -

It has the oldest Chinatown in the world - Binondo

AIRPORT TRANSFER - Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) 11km

30 mins away (depending on traffic).
Transfer can be a pain. Don't take the bus. Avoid the official airport transfer unless you're loaded and in a hurry.
Wait for a yellow taxi or get a Grab (like Uber).
Ignore touts and make sure the taxi driver uses the meter.
Never go with a driver who approaches you and wants you to follow them outside the airport.

SAFETY -

Manila can seem a bit dodgy in some areas but it is pretty safe.
As long as you're aware of the problems they won't be problems.
Same story everywhere. Don't walk down dark alleys at night time.
Be careful of your drink when you're out. Finish before you leave it unattended.
Avoid money changers.
Horse cart drivers in Intramurous will give you grief.

FOOD -

Filipino food is unique and delicious. It has influences from the Chinese, Malay, Spanish and the US. I'm always surprised how few if any Filipino restaurants there are outside of the Philippines.
A big favourite in Manila is Aristocrat and you could happily eat every meal there.
Kinilaw - like ceviche, is great at beer o'clock
Adobo the national dish, pork / chicken or both in a soy
vinegar braise,
You could try a Boodle Fight a buffet set out that you
eat with you hands,
Pancit Canton a noodle dish,
Lumpia Shanghai - spring rolls,
Turon Lumpia - banana spring rolls with caramel, very good
BBQ pork and chicken,
Crispy Pata - Deep fried Pork knuckle,
Kare Kare - oxtail stew in satay sauce.
Buko Pie - coconut,
Halo Halo - shaved ice dessert
Late night char grilled pork sticks, You won't go hungry.

NIGHTLIFE -

Cheap, good quality booze, 16 cities rolled into one, the best musicians in Asia, everyone speaks English what could go wrong.
The locals like to go out for a drink and you will often see a group of work colleagues enjoying a night out together.
Live music everywhere you go.
There are also Comedy Clubs and Casinos and whatever your heart desires.
Just pick the area that suits your tastes.

SIDE TRIP -

Tagaytay and Taal Lake

COSTS -

Good value, accommodation can be a little dearer but everything else is cheaper.

GETTING AROUND -

The symbol of the Philippines and the workhorse out in the Provinces is the Jeepney. Left over Willys jeeps from WW2 were turned into people carriers and cargo haulers by the locals and some how kept running using ingenuity and improvisation. One ride is enough, then taxis are a lot easier.
Uber isn't in SE Asia anymore but Grab is
Avoid horse carts as they are scammers
There is also a light rail system and a ferry

MUST DO -

See Freddy Aguilar live

SHOPPING -

SM Mall of Asia,
Calle de la Escolta
Any Robinsons

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2021-03-01 15_21_13-IMG_0276 - Photo Gal

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MEET MANILA 10N

2020-05-08 23_28_24-Tagaytay, Cavite, Ph

highlights - sunsets, bands & aristocrat

Manila and the Philippines - Paradise lost or found? Probably a bit of both. The bonus for us travellers is this keeps the crowds and the prices down. Those intrepid ones who do come here are in for a real treat. "It's more fun in the Philippines."

Metro Manila is actually 12 cities and 5 municipalities so it's quite a size. The good news is that you don't need to move around too much. An airport transfer with your accommodation is the way to go here. Make your way to the upmarket area of Makati. Here you will find a wealth of shopping, restaurants, bars and entertainment. There is an award winning hostel with a rooftop bar or you could go 5***** and stay in a hotel with a glass bottom mermaid pool, jellyfish bar, stunning views and a Sanctuary Onsen for about a fifth of the price you would be paying in Tokyo.

The Philippines is the 4th largest English speaking nation after the USA, India and Pakistan. So finding your way around and having conversations will be quite easy for a change. The locals are very friendly, chatty and a lot of fun.

The food is fantastic. I've always been surprised how few Filipino Restaurants there are outside of the country. One of my favourites is the Aristocrat Restaurant which fortunately has about 6 branches around the city. All you can eat Dim Sum at the Red Jade in the Manila Hotel is a must. Or maybe you like SPAM. No problems SPAM JAM Restaurant will look after you. (Weirdly some places like South Korea and Hawaii fell in love with canned ham when it came around during WWll. I thought it stood for Spiced Ham but the SPAM museum says it is Specially Produced American Meat! The manufacturer once said it was Shoulder of Pork and Ham.)

As you travel around Asia you may notice something. Many of the musicians you see are Filipino/as. They seem to all be gifted musically and their English diction helps as well. In Manila you will find live music where ever you go. There are some really good bars around and the locals love to go out after work and have a good time. Good beer and rum is cheaper here than a bottle of water back home so there's no excuse not to drink. If you get the opportunity to see the famous Freddie Aguilar perform don't miss it.

Something else they have in bucket loads is history. The Spanish ruled here for 300 years. Then the USA took over. Then WWll impacted here a lot more than many other countries. After that came the Marcos years etc etc. Many colourful characters and stories.

Spend a day looking around Intramuros the old walled Spanish City which contains Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and Joze Rizal's prison cell among other things. It also has a golf course which runs around the outside of the wall. It saw heavy fighting in the month long Battle of manila at the end of WWll where the city was destroyed and the Japanese committed mass murder on the civilian population.

Douglas MacArthur retired from the US Army in 1937 and became a Field Marshall in the Philippines Army. His job was to prepare the defence of the Philippines with the threat of war increasing. He stayed in the Penthouse suite at the Manila Hotel with his wife Jean. On the same day as Pearl Harbour the Japanese also destroyed MacArthur's fleet of planes which made an easy target all parked along the runway. He declared Manila an open city to avoid loss of life and property and made is head quarters on Corregidor Island. When it looked like they would be over run he was evacuated to Australia. Due to some of his decision making he earned the nick name Dugout Doug and was unpopular with the men left behind on the Bataan Peninsula who would end up making the Bataan Death March.

If you are interested in WWll history a daytrip to Corregidor Island and Malinta Tunnel will float your boat. If you plan ahead you can also tour Malacanang Palace and the Coconut Palace. Or the san Miguel Brewery. See Imelda's shoe collection. Go to a Jeepney factory. The world's oldest Chinatown (Plan for a food tour including custard tarts here). The Chinese cemetery where they have air-con and flushing toilets. Huge shopping Malls. Cheap Spa days, Sensory Deprivation tanks, Golf Courses (with names like Wack Wack) it's all here and it's all reasonably priced.

Manila Bay has the best sunsets and I know the perfect place to enjoy them. Then there is a sound and light show in Rizal Park. Beer towers, Pub food and a rock band at the Cowboy Grill would be next. There are Comedy Clubs, all sorts of bars and venues, casinos, restaurants and cultural shows etc to keep your nights entertaining and late.

When you're ready for a break head on down to Tagaytay a little known gem that's popular with the locals on weekends. It's only 60 km south of Manila in distance but a world away in relaxing surroundings. Perched on the rim of a volcano the many restaurants have stunning vistas of Taal Lake.

It's a good place to just relax and enjoy the view. But there's a lot to see and do as well. First of all what your looking at. The Island in a Lake on an Island in a Lake on an Island. That's right. There are only two of these in the world. The other one's in Canada and it was only discovered in 2012 using Google Earth. To get to this one you'll need to catch a boat, hike up Taal Volcano - Take water with you (Avoid the horsey people and guides).

Other attractions in the area include some nice golf courses, Sky Ranch Amusement Park, Zipline, People's Park in the Sky (Unfinished mansion Marcos was building for his mate Ronnie Reagan has been turned into a park with a viewing deck, shops, and food stalls. It needs a few dollars spent on it but the views are breathtaking). Ube jam and other sweet treats can be found in Bahay Pastulan which is operated by Good Shepherd’s Sisters. The main branch of this very popular shop is in the Hill Station town od Baguio. Ube is very similar to the sweet potatoes loved by Okinawan's and possibly responsible for their longevity.

For a special lunch to remember head out to the Labassin Waterfall Restaurant. You may have seen pictures of this place. You literally dine in the waterfall, it's man made but still pretty cool, literally. The food is authentic and good. Don't forget your bathers.

There are more things I haven't mentioned than things I have. So it's going to be an action packed 10 days. Once you've broken the ice you'll be back again and again. That's alright because there's 2,000 islands to explore. And that's just the inhabited ones!

If you want to stay longer have a look at #22222 for Palawan the world's #1 island and Coron. Or golfers should have a look at #4434 and #55567

I'M Hotel Makati, Philippines $87

The team had been to some accommodations and restaurants affording the guests with a view of the lake and the volcano such as:

Balay Dako
Concha’s Garden Café
Bag of Beans Charito
Starbucks – Domicillo Design Hotel
Ridge Park Kainan sa Kubo
Josephine Restaurant
Sky Ranch
some local roadside Bulalohan restaurants

If you are staying in Tagaytay for a night and want easy visual access to this stunning natural backdrop throughout your stay, here are some of the hotels with a great view.