Next stop: Manila
From Hanoi I flew to Manila. On one hand I hadn’t been to the Philippines in a long time and never really had the chance to see Manila and on the other hand, I had booked a ticket from Manila via Singapore to Europe as it was significantly cheaper (the Philippines don’t allow fuel surcharges on tickets). There is only one direct flight a day linking Hanoi and Manila and the timing isn’t ideal: a 1.30am departure, taking around 3.5 hours. While I had an emergency exit row all to myself, I wasn’t exactly well rested when I got to Manila. I had booked an AirBnB within walking distance of the airport as I didn’t want to deal with Manila traffic the next morning before leaving. Fortunately I was already able to drop off my bag and then booked an Uber to Intramuros, the historic center of the city.
I heard a lot about how bad traffic in Manila is – and it was just as bad.
The Uber dropped me off right in Intramuros at around 8am and I started to wander around. Due to its Spanish colonial history, the area reminded me quite a bit of places in Latin America. While the city was heavily destroyed during the final stages of World War II, Intramuros is in good shape – I assume a lot of restoration work has been done.
The Manila Cathedral – Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Manila
Inside the Manila Cathedral
Inside the Manila Cathedral
The San Agustin Church ( Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción de María de San Agustín), a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Street scene in Intramuros
Street scene in Intramuros
Street scene in Intramuros
A jeepney – the national mode of transportation in the Philippines. They originally originate from modified US Army Jeeps.
Memorial for the civilian victims of the Battle for Manila in the final stages of WWII
I was getting really tired at this point due to the lack of sleep but still made an effort to visit Casa Manila, a museum that depicts the lifestyle of the former Spanish colonialists. Not too shabby I must say. Unfortunately they don’t allow any photos to be taken inside.
Courtyard of the Casa Manila
Courtyard of the Casa Manila
Courtyard of the Casa Manila
Walls of Intramuros (which means “inside walls”)
From Intramuros, Rizal Park is just a short walk away and a pleasant place to spend some time away from the horrendous traffic (which isn’t bad inside Intramuros).
Rizal Park
Rizal Park
After some lunch (I am not a big fan of Filipino street food), I went back to my AirBnB in Pasay. After catching up on sleep, I wandered around the area but as expected there isn’t much to see. An exception was the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, a church right across from the airport.
Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
After an early night, I left the next morning for Singapore. During takeoff you realize just how huge Manila is and I got some great views:
Outskirts of Manila
While I only had just over 24 hours in Manila, I didn’t really feel the urge to stay longer. Traffic is bad, the city is huge and there isn’t a whole lot to see for tourists. I guess it can be different if you really stay longer or have a local friend showing you around though.
1 Response
[…] reader of this blog, you might connect the dots now and figure out why on earth I would travel to Manila. That’s right – to start the first leg of my ticket to Europa, via Singapore. The same […]