Upon arrival at the Manila International Terminal, I got an immediate sense of chaos. This city is booming. Right away I am “tsst-tsst”ed at to get out of the way. This sound can be and is used to hail someone, shoo something or, if you are really familiar with each other, as an entire means of communication. The airport is out-dated and so overwhelmed that they now require the non-passengers to wait across the street behind a barricade until they have spotted who they are picking up; this makes for a hilarious scene of hundreds of people yelling and waiving arms at each other across a street.

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We make it to our destination quickly, only because it is 11 o’clock at night, for most of the rest of our limited time in Manila will be spent in traffic.  We spent a maddening three hours in a car to get from Quezon City to Intramuros and the amount of carbon dioxide that we contributed to the already thick atmosphere of Manila was upsetting to me.  That being said,  get a map of the fairly new and continuously expanding Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT).  And use it.  Ride a tricycle-taxi for the novelty, get lost in a  jeepney (they’re cheap!) and get to know the LRT.

Because of our limited time in Manila we concentrated on Intramuros and Chinatown.  Chinatown was similar to most Chinatowns in other parts of the world but the walled city of Intramuros was lovely.  The ruins of Fort Santiago was a highlight for me – I love old things – complete with a prison, torture chambers and a dungeon.  There is a comprehensive mini-museum of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal‘s life and work with a helpful staff that will practically give you a private guided tour. Take time to explore Fort Santiago, there are a ton of wonderful little gems all around and  it has peaceful green lawns and gardens to plunk down for a rest!

We were able to get a quick peak of the Coconut Palace, and other than that we happened upon the preparations for the first anniversary party of Philippines Playboy and there were interesting characters abound, the “palace” itself is passable.  Other highlights of Manila:

  • La Loma – or Lechon City – where the streets are lined with the famously slow-roasted swine-on-a-stick and aggressive vendors who really want you to take one home.
  • Pastillas at any number of bakeries in the city, we were taken to and loved Bulacan Sweets, but ask the locals for recommendations (tip: usually the bakers will allow you to sample until you find the variety that you like)
  • Tiendesitas – an outdoor shopping and culinary delight.  Anything you could want or need should be here.  Because it is so hot in Manila and it is an outdoor market, go in the evening.  Shops stay open as late as 11p.m. – or 1a.m. during Christmas season – and the food stalls are so numerous that you will take 20 minutes just to stroll through them all.  Place your order and point out the table that you are occupying – preferably topped with a bucket of local beer, San Miguel – and they will bring the food to you while you sit back, relax and listen to musicians and bands performing.
  • SPIT (Silly People’s Improvised Theater) is a group of young artists who perform all over the city.  The show is in Taglish (Tagalog-English) which in itself adds another element of humor for the non-Tagalog speaking.  We caught their show at mag: net cafe, a vibrant spot with a tasty menu, music, poetry and contemporary art gallery.