When we told friends and family that we were planning to spend our long weekend in Manila, most people assumed it was a transit point to more, er, touristically appealing places, like Boracay or Cebu. Our colleagues who had been there regaled us with tales of being scalped by everyone from cab drivers to makeshift tour guides to random people on the street, of gunfights and general lawlessness.
Well, it did happen as soon as we arrived, we paid 3 times more the going rate for our cab ride from the rather shabby airport to our hotel.
Just a few highlights of our trip:
1) Food here is waaaaay cheaper than in KL. A nice big grilled sotong (squid - super fresh, and charcoal grilled to perfection) in a nice clean mall food court in the heart of Manila (Landmark mall, next to Glorietta and Greenbelt) costs about 700 PHP or about RM4. We feasted on mostly pork (they do very nice lechon or grilled pork), stuffed crabs, and fish. I have to say though, unlike in Malaysia where the flavours are a riot in your mouth and the use of spices and seasonings (lemongrass, tumeric, cloves, chillies, etc.) is more of a commonality than a rarity, Pinoy seasoning seems to be limited to sugar and fish sauce. We also tried pasig (sizzling pork innards - not my favourite), as well as a myriad of desserts - caramel tarts from Goldilocks and suman (glutinous rice with assorted fillings). I could not really eat much though - too rich and almost one-dimensional tastes meant that I gradually ate less and less the more days I spent there.
2) Intramuros is the historical former Spanish quarter part of town. Tell the cabbie to bring you to the Manila Cathedral, the tallest monument in Intramuros. It is worth signing up for the Walk This Way (If These Walls Could Talk) walking tour, hosted by the irreverent Carlos Celdran, whose passion for his city is downright infectious. He takes you into Fort Santiago, seats you down on the grass and regales you with tales of Jose Rizal, the Filipino nationalist whose critique of the Spanish friars' abuses in the Philippines during colonial rule earned him the execution squad, and subsequently an overthrow of Spanish rule. He then goes on to American colonism (did you know that the Philippines was once in the running to be the 53rd state?), how American town planning know-how, capitalist philosophies and excellent work ethics helped develop Manila into the most beautiful and advanced city in SE Asia, a true gateway between East and West. Asia's first airline was Air Philippines. Manila housed the first Asian cinema. I didn't know that. Then came World War II and a certain General McArthur, and Manila became the epicenter of the war between the Imperial Army and Navy of Japan and their American counterparts, and her people suffered dearly for it. The second most devastated city after Warsaw, Manila never really recovered after that.
I am so thankful we (I mean I - AK usually leaves the itineraries to me) chose to splurge on the tour (which, at 1100 PHP was expensive by Manila standards - government tours were going for half the price), I never ever knew or even realised how much the Filipino people suffered in a war that they were never a real part of. I don't understand why the Battle of Manila, and the Manila Massacres do not make a much larger part of our local South-East Asian history. Ironic that I know so much more about the Rape of Nanking, of the bombing of Dresden, of the Blitz in London, than I know about the utter devastation of my neighbour. A real shame indeed.
I will also add that at the current moment of writing, Carlos Celdran, the dreamer and leader of this tour, has just been sentened to jail for "offending religious feelings". He mentioned his opposition to theocracy in his tour briefing, and quite openly criticized the dominance and influence of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. I pray that the charges will be dropped, all he did was try and demonstrate against the influence of the Church in local politics. Manila and the Philippines will lose a man who has done more for city and its tourism industry than any of those self-righteous prosecutors ever will.
Well, it did happen as soon as we arrived, we paid 3 times more the going rate for our cab ride from the rather shabby airport to our hotel.
Just a few highlights of our trip:
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| Fried and grilled seafood at the Landmark Mall food court |
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| Above the gate into Fort Santiago is St James, patron saint of Intramuros, defeating his Muslim enemies. Ironic because before the Spanish came, the Philippines was a Muslim state |
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| Entering Fort Santiago |
2) Intramuros is the historical former Spanish quarter part of town. Tell the cabbie to bring you to the Manila Cathedral, the tallest monument in Intramuros. It is worth signing up for the Walk This Way (If These Walls Could Talk) walking tour, hosted by the irreverent Carlos Celdran, whose passion for his city is downright infectious. He takes you into Fort Santiago, seats you down on the grass and regales you with tales of Jose Rizal, the Filipino nationalist whose critique of the Spanish friars' abuses in the Philippines during colonial rule earned him the execution squad, and subsequently an overthrow of Spanish rule. He then goes on to American colonism (did you know that the Philippines was once in the running to be the 53rd state?), how American town planning know-how, capitalist philosophies and excellent work ethics helped develop Manila into the most beautiful and advanced city in SE Asia, a true gateway between East and West. Asia's first airline was Air Philippines. Manila housed the first Asian cinema. I didn't know that. Then came World War II and a certain General McArthur, and Manila became the epicenter of the war between the Imperial Army and Navy of Japan and their American counterparts, and her people suffered dearly for it. The second most devastated city after Warsaw, Manila never really recovered after that.
I am so thankful we (I mean I - AK usually leaves the itineraries to me) chose to splurge on the tour (which, at 1100 PHP was expensive by Manila standards - government tours were going for half the price), I never ever knew or even realised how much the Filipino people suffered in a war that they were never a real part of. I don't understand why the Battle of Manila, and the Manila Massacres do not make a much larger part of our local South-East Asian history. Ironic that I know so much more about the Rape of Nanking, of the bombing of Dresden, of the Blitz in London, than I know about the utter devastation of my neighbour. A real shame indeed.
I will also add that at the current moment of writing, Carlos Celdran, the dreamer and leader of this tour, has just been sentened to jail for "offending religious feelings". He mentioned his opposition to theocracy in his tour briefing, and quite openly criticized the dominance and influence of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. I pray that the charges will be dropped, all he did was try and demonstrate against the influence of the Church in local politics. Manila and the Philippines will lose a man who has done more for city and its tourism industry than any of those self-righteous prosecutors ever will.
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| Chursh of St Augustine, Red Cross headquarters during the war and one of Intramuros's few survivors during the Battle of Manila |
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