Manila

The chaotic streets of Bali seem almost tranquil compared to the big city of Manila, at around 16 million people, this is by far the biggest city we'll visit this trip. We started our stay with a happy surprise. Two of Armelle's friends from university were in Manila on the same day and we managed to meet up for a drink! They had just landed from Copenhagen so we didn't go crazy but it was very nice to share a beer or two and catch up.

We arrived on Easter weekend, and it was maybe not the best time to visit Manila. It was good because it was quiet as people go celebrate Easter with their families, but most museums were shut. Luckily we had an interesting swimming pool to relax in and our hotel had a spa that was very much open. It is a Japanese Onsen Spa and we were able to relax in some mineral pools. We had to separate as Japanese custom is fully respected here so no swimming costume allowed! 🍆

Next day and we walked to Makati neighborhood. It is just up our road but the changes are drastic. In our neighborhood of Población, there is a lot of life in the streets, a lot of rubbish, and crazy mess of electric wires. In Makati everything is clean and tidy, electric wires aren't seen. This is the business neighborhood so it is quiet on a Sunday. We walked to a shopping mall, huge complex where we go from building to building walking on bridges above the road. It is all very nice. You can find shops ranging from H&M to Hermes and a church in the middle with a mass said in English. We were quite surprised to see so much English written everywhere, on ads, on street signs for cars etc. We learnt that English is the second official language with Filipino (or Tagalog) and even when we hear people talk there are sometimes a mix of the two languages. Philippines was not only under Spanish rule but also was under American ruling just before the second world war. The signs are both are quite prevelent.

Last day and we dive into more of the country's history by visiting the Intramuros neighborhood. This is where the Spanish settled. Manila was a big place of commerce at that time and stayed an important city until it was bombed to rubbled in the second world war. The only building standing from the original Spanish time is the St Augustin church. It was interesting to see some architecture that we thought of limited to Spain and South America in Asia. After this very hot day we were happy to have dinner on the rooftop of our hotel and have a nice view of the city by night.
Overall we found Manila to be an interesting city with nice neighborhoods but with also open poverty mainly seen out of the car window when going to and from the city center. It has a lot to offer if you're ready to be hot!Read more