A childhood friend was traveling around Asia this spring and asked me if I could meet her somewhere between her India and Seoul trips. Yippeeeee! I hadn’t traveled internationally except to the US for a while, so I was thrilled for the opportunity.
We compared travel notes (she has been EVERYWHERE!) and settled on Manila as our meeting place. City or beach/ resort? CITY! We had a similar orientation towards wanting to learn about the history and culture of The Philippines, so our itinerary was set.
(Interestingly, most friends and acquaintances I told about this trip were pretty negative about Manila. It’s dirty! It’s dangerous! Why don’t you go to the islands/ beaches? But we were single-minded about our desire to explore this city.)
She, having just finished a trip in India, needed some time to decompress and get ready for her time in Seoul; I had no idea how much I needed to decompress from LIFE. We stayed in a nice hotel which was posh and “adult” of us LOL. But WOW did I enjoy the high quality bedding and the water pressure in the shower! Service at the hotel was incredible, friendly, and gave us the first glimpse into the amazing hospitality of the Philippine people.
On our first full day we walked to the reclaimed beach closest to our hotel, past the American Embassy, and on to Rizal or Luneta Park, “the birthplace of Philippine nationalism.” This is an historical park where Dr. Jose Rizal, revolutionary leader and national hero of The Philippines, was executed in 1896. There was lots to see there, and walking through it oriented us to the city a bit and helped us plan our next few days.
We were then off to a cooking class in Makati, the financial hub of Manila. This was fun as we were the only two in the class. Our skills (and lack thereof!) showed while we had a great time with “Shiel” our teacher, who taught us a lot about Philippine food and culture. After our class we walked around a GIANT mall which was just like being in any other GIANT mall, but with McDonald’s offerings reflecting Philippine taste preferences. I always think it’s interesting to compare prices in these big malls around the world - I’d say that for imports/ fast fashion, Manila is a little cheaper than the US, and a LOT cheaper than bigger malls in Indonesia.
The next day we booked a tour of the “old city” (Intramuros) and some other sites. Our guide, Rainier, was full of interesting facts about not only the history of The Philippines, but also the culture, poverty and big business, religion, and all things we wanted to know more about. We saw some famous churches which were getting ready for the Holy Days, as well as many other sights.
Two of many highlights of this day: Ranier took us for a quick peek at The Manila Hotel - which is beautiful and quite historically significant; and to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Makati. This memorial honors 36,286 soldiers missing in action, and is the resting place for 17,113 more.
25 mosaic maps are housed within The Wall of the Missing, portraying different campaigns in The Pacific Theater during WWII. Although I had an idea that The Philippines had been tremendously important and impacted in WWII, I was blown away by how the country was SMACK DAB in the middle of the Pacific Theater. I knew that, but seeing it depicted in map after map was humbling.
That night we ate at the hotel’s bottomless buffet. This was NOT a roughing it kind of trip, which was fine, as I sometimes feel like every day in Bali is roughing it!
The following day we decided to do our own unguided tour on foot: back to Rizal Park and for a quick look in The Museum of Natural History, and Manila’s National Museum of Fine Arts. Admission to both was free - and we noticed that admission to most everything was free, perhaps due to tourism still recovering from the pandemic.
I particularly enjoyed the art museum - lots of murals and “large” art depicted the life and struggles of Philippine people in both everyday life and during times of colonization.
Of course we had to end up back at The Manila Hotel for afternoon tea. Service was impeccable, and the food was “tea” (finger food) with a Philippine twist, such as jackfruit filling on shortbread cookies. We enjoyed spending more time in this landmark hotel.
Back to ours, where I lounged and my friend used the gym. A small room service dinner and early to bed was the plan, as she was to leave the next morning.
After she left I moved to a hotel that was close to The Mall of Asia for my last night. A big step down hotel-wise, but if I’ve ever wanted to shop, I had come to the right place! The mall is built on a re-claimed part of Manila Bay called Bay City. It is a ginormous complex with an Olympic sized skating rink, concert grounds, an amusement park, science center, convention center, and an arena that served as a venue for the 65th Miss Universe Pageant. Big. After I checked in I had a little walk around/ shop, deciding how I would spend the next day while I waited for my flight back to Bali.
Honestly, this last day was not so interesting, except for me, as I browsed and shopped a bit; had an incredible ramen lunch; checked out of the hotel; got to the airport and traveled home. HOWEVER, what I realized during this vacation, is that it was the first real vacation I’ve had in ages, and the first time I’ve truly wound down and relaxed in years. It felt amazing - I slept a lot, ate a lot, and got to spend time with a wonderful old/ new friend.
If you’re ever considering a trip to Manila and/ or The Philippines, DO IT. I’m sorry I waited this long, as this might have been my “escape” from Bali much sooner!