Tuesday, February 5
A classic Manila Jeepney, the choice of public transit by locals
I had lots of suggestions for my day in Manila as many of my favorite people who work on the ship are Philippino or actually from Mania. I had planned to do a tour, but decided to cancel and just do walking on my own which I’m glad I did. Hong Kong was a shift in the temperature and we have had cooler weather the past 3-4 days. Then Manila was a switch back to the heat and humidity similar to Bangkok and Saigon. It felt brutal!
I took a free shuttle that dropped me off at Robinson’s Mall, which is small in comparison to the gigantic Mall of Asia that is another 20 minutes away, but I wanted to walk to the old town so picked the closer option. But don’t assume this is a small mall. Robinson’s was still huge, 5 floors in some parts with many wings sprawling off in separate directions. It was air conditioned and offered relief from the heat of the outdoors, but I also needed to get some jeans for my upcoming time in China where it will be really cold.
My darling friend Jasmine Joy told me I should go to Razon’s in Robinson’s Mall and try their Halo-Halo as well as some of their other classsic offerings. I had a beef and rice dish which really was good. Halo-Halo was amazing even though I’m not even sure exactly what it was. I just stirred it up and ate it (because that’s what everyone else around me was doing.) It was an amazing relief from the heat and humidity so I can see why it’s so popular.
As a side note, English is so widely spoken in Manila, and the Philippines in general, it was really surprising. Announcements in the mall, signage, and even the classes at the universities are taught in English. I took advantage and bought some books at the bookstore at the mall too. As I head to China on my own, I’ll need a good choice of options!
Once I was done shopping, I stepped out to brave the heat. By now I’m properly armed with an umbrella, my floppy hat, and lots of SPF. I crossed over Rizal Park and walked into the old walled city called Intramuros. The buildings were beautiful and it’s pretty impressive so many are still standing as this establishment dates back to the late 1500s. But with a spaghetti scramble of power lines strung from almost every corner, the old town was not quite as impressive as I expected. There was a beautiful Basilica I enjoyed sitting in (fans!).
I walked around for about an hour to 90 minutes and there was an alarming amount of homelessness and poverty. Children are running around without shoes on, people are sleeping on the sidewalks to the point where you have to walk in the street to avoid them, and the humid air smells of urine and other delights. (reminds me of home in SF!) I did love the old-style buses the locals ride in like buses (called a jeepney) and they have donkeys pulling charming, old-fashioned carts that tourists can ride in.
The people were fabulous, the food was delicious, and I have heard that the outlying islands are amazing to visit. But I was less than impressed with my time in Manila.
Where's Lindsey? 