Image above: A sculpture replica within Manila Cathedral. [Friday 21 May] | [View all photos]
Barely having spent 14 hours in Hong Kong I was back on the move taking a very early morning cab back to the airport to head to Philippines with Ada to start our five day trip.
Arriving in the capital, Manila, we were soon struck by the intense heat as well the perpetual traffic jam that we were stuck in.
Still getting over jet lag from my London to Hong Kong flight, we kept it very easy on this first day by gently exploring the historial Intramuros quarter with its shrine to Dr. Jose Rizal – a revolutionary freedom fighter – who was executed by the Spanish. Being a predominantly Catholic country there were plenty of churches to visit and we started with Manila Cathedral and its cavernous interior.
With the heat taking its toll on us, we stopped for a quick bite to eat at the popular Barbara’s where we tried the national dish of adobo (stewed meat) which we enjoyed. Then it was onto St. Agustin – the Philippines’ oldest standing church – which looked quite simple on the outside but hugely elaborate on the inside. And alongside the actual church were the cloisters and a museum containing a vast array of religious artefacts.
Exhausted by this point, we headed back to the hotel but not before running the gauntlet of negotiating a metered taxi fare. Apparently, they charge by distance and not by time spent driving so instead of struggling to find a taxi to turn on its meter it was more of arguing down the additional fixed fare they wanted on top of the meter. Thankfully, it wasn’t very much and when we finally got to our hotel we scored an upgrade as they tried to check us into a room that was already being used!
A deliciously cooling shower later we headed out to a nearby mall, a seemingly common feature in Manila, where we found a shabu-shabu restaurant for dinner. It was actually more like a steamboat but either way we both ate plenty before heading back to our hotel to relax before our day trip the next day.
Coming up next … spending a Pagsangan where we were carried upstream a canyon in a canoe and got to raft under a powerful waterfall at the top.
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