Manila 02/16 – 02/17

Manila, Manila...I am not sure what the heck is going on in this city. Are we even still in Asia? We pay in pesos and all the street names are in Spanish. There are churches and cathedrals rather than temples and pagodas. Sometimes it feels like we are in South America rather than SE Asia and I keep expecting people to speak to me in Spanish. Yet, the language is unrecognizable except for a few English words that seem to be scattered in every once in a while. Also, everyone speaks English and the people here are the friendliest we have encountered so far.

Jeepney traffic.

It's all very strange and this city is huge. Manila is basically a city made up of a bunch of smaller cities. Each seems to have its own look and vibe. You can go from a posh city with Gucci and Channel shops to one resembling Mumbai with open sewers, grime, and swarms of people within a short cab ride. Cabs are a must because of the distances and thankfully they are super cheap. Our other transport option is the Jeepney which is a tricked out extended open jeep-like vehicle. Its fun to ride, but hard for us to figure out the routes. There is also, of course, the Philippine version of the tuk-tuk or rickshaw which is the smallest form of transportation yet. It's a tiny, roofed sidecar bolted onto a motorcycle or bike.

Peter contemplates the transportation choices,

Food in the Philippines is definitely the weirdest we have come across yet which is something I definitely did not expect. Yes, there are regular things to eat. There is fried chicken everywhere and we tried some from Max's - probably the best fried chicken ever. But we are always willing and excited to experience the local dishes. We tried the Philippine version of spring rolls. These are called “lumpia” and had unrecognizable vegetables wrapped in a tortilla/crepe roll. Peter described their odor as “toilet bowl cleaner.” We also had “Krispy Sisig”, which is basically chopped up pig ears with onions and egg, and “Pinakbet”, vegetables and pork skin in liver sauce. Both very tasty and a bit gross at the same time.

Krispy Sisig on the left and Pinakbet on the right.

Street food is delicious and hygienic.
My bowl was covered in a
clean plastic bag prior to being
filled with soup

We spent one day exploring Rizal Park, Ermita, and Intramuros, an old walled Spanish city dating from 1571 which was mostly destroyed in WWII. Another day we spent walking down Roxas Boulevard and hanging out in Makati, downtown Manila. The rest of our time we explored the streets as best we could.. We also fretted over what to do in the Philippines. Since we did no prior research we were unaware of all the Philippines had to offer (mountains, rice terraces, volcanoes, islands, beaches, and caves) and now we had to decide how to best use our short time left.

Intramuros.

Illegal phot0graph inside San Agustin Church, Intramuros.

Dramatic ceilings inside San Agustin Church.

Safety first!  Children play on the streets of Ermita.

These armored vehicles are everywhere.  Also, there
are guards at all restaurants, shops, and banks with huge guns.

Trying to decide on the best route.

A fancy grave at a really cool cemetery.  We made it here one
evening and were given a "tour" by a group of young boys.
There were all sorts of people that seemed to be living
at the cemetery next to these elaborate graves.

Domed chapel at the fancy mall in Makati.