Good morning all- here is another Travel Blog I found on an old external hard drive from my 2015 blogs. I hope you like it!
Manila
This week its back to the travel blog and in response to a request from my good friend Phil I am going to tell you “where I have been and what I have been doing”
I first visited Manila, the capital of the Philippines, in the year 2000 when I was working in Kuwait and we were recruiting for staff there. We flew in and had a Chauffeur driven Mercedes to take us to the Shangri-La hotel in Makati Manila. I could not understand why our driver kept radioing our time of arrival as we crawled through the heavy traffic - “there in 3 minutes”. However when we arrived and were given a wonderful reception with soft drinks and garlands .
Next we were whisked to the Executive 24th floor and each of us was checked in , by a separate receptionist, in our rooms. Our Butler came to see if we needed help unpacking and each evening our drink was ready when we met in the Executive lounge before we went out for dinner.
Sadly when I next returned to Manila in 2010 I was paying my own bill and my budget did not run to the Shangri-La! My colleague , Ate Hazel in Bahrain, suggested I try the Heritage hotel in Pasay (Millennium and Copthorne) and it has been my “home in Manila” since.
2015 this year was my 5th visit and I had my best ever stay. The hotel is close to the Domestic and International airports and the bus terminals. A brisk walk away is the fantastic Mall of Asia with its huge variety of shops, restaurants, fun fair and at the back of this is Manila bay.
The Lonely Planet Guide suggests that the best way to see Manila is to visit one district at a time and explore it thoroughly. This tactic has worked well for me over the last few years. I usually stay for 4 to 6 nights in Manila using it as a base from which to explore the provinces or the islands. In 2011 I arrived in Manila then caught the Victory Liner coach to Subic, Baguio and Angeles in the north. I then returned for a couple of days in Manila before flying to the Islands of Boracay, Cebu and Bohol. Finally I returned for 2 nights in Manila before flying back to Bahrain. With a little careful planning you can take 30 kg of luggage into Manila and leave 10 kg there in the left luggage at the hotel, That then gives you a smaller 20 kg bag to fly with to the islands . They uses smaller planes for Lio ( El Nido on Palawan) for example so less luggage is allowed. For a small fee the hotel will wash and iron your laundry while you are away so you have clean clothes for the next phase of the vacation.
In 2013 I flew in with 30 kg, then after a weekend in Manila flew out with 20 kg to Puerto Princessa in Palawan. After a week there I headed north to El Nido (a 6 hour drive in a van) and from there I was only allowed 10 kg for the 50 seat plane back to Manila. I used a trick I learnt from one of my school teachers (RDT) and took lots of old tee shirts and shorts with me and then left them in El Nido!
So what is there to see and do in Manila? Last time I visited Intramuros, with my guide, 5 star Tom. Intramuros is the old Spanish part of the city. We managed to see Mass at one of the Philippines oldest catholic cathedrals and visited another later in the day. ( You can find the full Wikipedia definition below)
Rain cut the trip short so we returned to the hotel for a very relaxing but expensive dinner. The next night we headed out to Chinatown to eat food from the street sellers. A Filipino friend in Bahrain had challenged me to eat fish balls, chicken intestines and quails egg and I managed the first two but we could not find the eggs.
Intramuros is the oldest part of Manila and is called the walled city (it means within these walls. Districts beyond the walls were referred as the "extramuros" of Manila, meaning "outside the walls”.)
The Global Heritage Fund identified Intramuros as one of the 12 worldwide sites "on the verge" of irreparable loss and destruction on its 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage. It gave “insufficient management and development pressures” as the cause.”
Drew came from Batangas to have lunch with Tom and I at MOA
In 2013 I arrived in Manila on 28th February after an overnight flight from Bahrain and met another friend Karl . We had a great dinner at Gumbo in Mall of Asia overlooking Manila bay.
On 1st March we were up early to get the boat to Corregidor Island for the day. This was the suggestion of Hazel and Dino at work and I did some internet research to find out its long history. According to Wikipedia:
“Locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the City of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) inland, Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, from the colonial rule of Spain, Japan and the United States, to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946.
Corregidor (Fort Mills) is the largest of the islands that formed the harbor defenses of Manila Bay together with El Fraile Island (Fort Drum), Caballo Island (Fort Hughes) and Carabao Island (Fort Frank), which were all fortified during the American liberation of the country. The island was also the site of a small military airfield, as part of the defense.
During World War II, Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Corregidor is one of the important historic and tourist sites in the country.”
However Wiki really does not do the place justice- it is an incredible experience not to be missed. The weekend tour ( it’s available in the week, slightly cheaper) is run by Sun Cruises. You must book in advance and turn up early as they get very busy and run a full to capacity service which is very well organised and very interesting. The boat was full ( nearly 300 passengers) of Americans, Filipinos, and Japanese ( among others). Just to brighten my day they were also filming for Mr. GMA 2015 ( a male beauty pageant) so I had to share the boat with 25 hot Filipino males ( Gwapo Kuya- Mr. Pogi!) heading for the island complete with film crew, photographers, make up artists and the like.
After our 1 hour boat trip ( 48km) during which we purchased breakfast from the shop and watched a video explaining the islands history we landed on Corregidor and were welcomed to our sightseeing tram by our guide for the day, Momen. She told us that Corregidor came from the word for Correction. In the old days the boats had to dock there on their way into Manila to have their papers checked and corrected. Later the Americans surrendered to the Japanese here and were detained as POW. When the Americans returned , surprising the Japanese by parachuting into the island, they took the Japanese as POW’s ( those who did not commit suicide).
When I returned on Saturday 21st March Karl and I had planned to head to Salcedo community market which was held every Saturday (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at the Jaime Velasquez Park and gathered together over 100 vendors selling prepared food, fresh produce, gourmet items, and others. In the evening we were going to eat at a Seafood restaurant where you choose your fish and then tell them how you would like it cooked .We also planned on the Sunday to take the MRT from the southernmost station, near the hotel in Pasay, to the most northern station in Quezon City. From there a taxi to La Mesa Ecopark which opened in 1989. According to their website:
“The Eco park is located at East Fairview, Quezon City, and is the center of the La Mesa Dam watershed, the main source of water in Metro Manila. But aside from being just a dam, Eco park is also a well-known park in Quezon City. This park became so famous because of its ambiance, very green and fresh for every one, unlike any other park that is located in the center of the cities which makes those parks very polluted and crowded. Eco park in a way is far from public main roads, streets, and establishment that prevents the park to be more exposed from pollution and preserve the beautification of nature.
There is a large swimming pool for everyone surrounded by bunches of trees. There are very large open spaces where you can have a picnic, enjoy activities or even play your own sports .There are also playgrounds for children, and routes for biking and other activities like massage rooms and other activities for relaxation. All of these activities have been designed to make sure that the public will have a moment that is worth remembering”
It sounds like a fun day out- so thanks to Ate Hazel for the recommendations.
Sadly we never made it to the Eco park or the market so, after 5 trips to Manila there is still plenty more to see!
As usual I will share more of my experiences in Manila in the forthcoming blogs but until then:
Mahal kita
Ingat Palagi
Kita kits.....
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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