Manila (the Philippines) is no pearl of orient
As if our horrible flight (read here) had not been enough, making our way into the country was not easy either, as we did not have an outbound flight because we didn’t know what our next destination would be. We were told we had to purchase a ticket on the spot, but eventually managed to get through customs without doing so by showing an itinerary we had printed a few days before as a possible flight combination. Next step wast to get to Manila from Clark airport; we took the bus which is 350 pesos per person ( 1 euro is aboyut 67 Filipino Pesos) and a 1.5 hour ride. This should give enough time to decide where you’re going to stay because at 11.5 million people Manila is no easy city to be tamed.
Jeepney in Manila
Using ould LP guide we decided to check out a hostel in Ermita, not far from Intramuros(Manila’s old Spanish quarter), which sounded good. But upon arrival it was a bit to pricey for what it ofered and we tried several hotels close by that were a much better value for just a bit more money. After checking availability in many of them Cherry Blossoms Hotel (odd name I must admit) was our pick and we called it come for 2 days. They have superb food (boy were those spaguetti awesome) and very friendly staff.
Unfortunately Manila (city) does not have much going on. The city is exactly what I imagined and reflects what most movies portray of it. Traffic, noise, pollution, poverty and fast food restaurants (probably the US biggest cultural impact) are all- or almost- over, except in Intramuros, the area surrounded by a wall built by the Spanish during colonization that has changed very little since. I also recommend that If you really want a burger you stay away from Jollibee restaurants- make your way to good (?) ol’ McDonald’s instead because the burgers are quite better.
Street parade
Realizing that there was not much more to enjoy we checked transportation to Donsol, a small town in SE Luzon that doesn’t have much going on except probably being the best place in the world to see whale sharks. However despite only being 450 km away the bus apparently takes about 14 hours to get there from Manila. Liza was not too pleased about another long bus ride, so further research said that Moalboal in Cebu was also a good spot to see the whale sharks and sea turtles. Cebu is the main hub of the Visayas, a stretch of islands world famous for its beaches, plus it was a good place from which our trip south. We also looked into a nearby volcano that is said to be a great day tour, but unfortunately we didn’t visit it because we found a cheap flight with Cebu Pacific Air (the Philippines LCA) to Cebu and the thankfuly smooth flight had us there by mid morning of the following day.
Category: East & SE Asia, Philippines
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I definitely agree all the comments above, we’ve been in the Philippines 2 months ago, we went to Boracay and it is so much fun and we really enjoy.
Lawrence Bregel recently posted..Used Car Auction
But then Manila is not the Philippines , just the capital city…
Philippines is such a wonderful place I’ve ever known, Subterranean River in Palawan is very beautiful and amazing. Sad to say I observe they are many less fortunate people who really needs help especially in financial aspect. Well, that’s only base in my observation. All in all Philippines is very wonderful!
Nathan@Repossesed Cars recently posted..Repo Cars Auckland
Hello sir,
Thank you for visiting our little country. Seems like some of my kababayans (fellow Filipinos) reacted negatively to your comment about Manila. I agree with your comments sir and I believe that comments like yours should be treated as constructive criticism. The problem with Manila is mismanagement. The city is rich in history and heritage. It is at the crossroads of various cultures. Chinese, Spanish, American – we have them and we have old buildings in Manila reflecting the influences of these different culture.
Manila need a serious restoration so that our visitors will be delighted when they reach the Capital City of the Philippines
Ishmael Ahab@Philippines recently posted..When it Rains, It Pours
Thanks for your reflection Ishmael. Truth is that the old quarter of Manila was great, with all the old buildings you mention plus additional tranquility. But the rest…is pretty much chaotic.Mismanagement could very well be the reason, do you think it will be taken care of? I find it a difficult problem to solve though…
First rule, RESEARCH where you wanted to go! MANILA is almost not a tourist destination, it is indeed a city that is over populated (lots of Universities) and polluted because it is where the TRADE and INDUSTRY lies. When we need to buy something cheap, we go there but expect the dirt and the hustle! We have lots of beautiful places namely, PALAWAN, CAMIGUIN, SIARGAO, CAM SUR, BORACAY, BOHOL and these are all if not equally then, better than CEBU… thus, YOU REALLY MISSED THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT.
Hey Melchie, don’t know if you read anything else in the blog, but I did visit several other places, including Cebu, Bohol and Siargao, driving across part of Mindanao, and you will see that I enjoyed those places a lot. You might as well check my Youtube channel for the video on the Philis! Second, research is important, but if I had done what most guides and travel advisories say I wouldn’t have visited many fantastic places I have seen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Greetings! Thanks for visiting our country. Thanks for the comment. What can I say, we are all entitled to our own opinion. We all have our difficulties and our country has it’s share. I love my country and I am am filipino who will forever protect it.
Hey Jun! I liked the Philippines a lot, just not Manila which was to chaotic IMO. However Cebu and particularly Bohol were fantastic, and I had a great time surfing in Siargao!
I have similar feelings about Manila. I find it ugly and very unfriendly. probably the worst Asian capital city I’ve been to. Luckly the rest of the country is pretty amazing
I totally agree with you. Phnom Penh is not too nice either, but Manila is in a league of its own. But yes, the rest of the country is superb!
yes! you could enjoy the rest. try cebu (queen city of south) and more.
I did visit Cebu, Bohol and Siargao
A great adventure!
Nice!
Kaixo Koki!! He estado leyendo un rato tus aventuras…que fuerte lo del rayo en el avión y tu diente! Keep on movin’ my friend!!!!
Qué pasada de viaje!! Qué envidia
Saludos a Liza!
Hola primos!
Veo que os va todo muy bien y me alegro mucho por vosotros. Dáis mucha envidia con todos esos lugares que estáis visitando y que desde luego que las fotos son preciosas…supongo que en la realidad será aún mucho mejor
Yo aqui sigo con los exámenes finales en la UJI y dentro de poco el veranito y a disfrutar el mes de Julio en la playita…
Que os vaya muy bien y disfrutad a tope!!
Abrazos desde Oropesa
muakis a los dos y q sepáis que se os echa de menos