****

Asian in looks, with mixtures of Chinese and Malay with some little Spanish, Filipinos may have features ranging from chinky eyes (as how the locals call for those eye slits that Chinese are famous for – yes like mine), to big round eyes similar to the Malays and mix of brown and yellow skin. One thing which is frequent here though is that most Filipinos have small frames and low in stature, I felt immediately at home here being of somewhat similar, I have to admit. In fact, many here commented I look like a Filipina, and most people I met will converse with me in Tagalog (their local national language) naturally for the first time and I had countless taxi drivers insisting I look deceptively like a local. Maybe that is how I get to blend in easily, something I am quite thankful for.

****

“There are Starbucks everywhere here!” I exclaimed as we walk passed one at an obscure highway stop.

“Yes, because we Filipinos,” B started explaining “want to live the American dream”

There is no doubt that many, if not all, Filipinos that have the American dream, and why not? In land of America it seems that anything is possible, it is where dreams go and be realized. It was said that long time ago, Philippines nearly became a part of America, just that war happened and the rest as they say, is history. Nevertheless, I do meet a lot of Filipinos who their heart is strongly rooted in their own homeland, who would willingly stay and grow the country, but sadly there are even more that look at, live by and dream of America.

****

As you can see, as how Carlos Celdran aptly puts it, Filipinos are a mixture of sorts – Spanish in name, Asian in looks but American at heart, just like its most famous dessert halo-halo which literarily means mix-mix.

Chow’s King Halo-halo @ Manila, Phillippines
Photo by Rachel

This icy dessert had reminded me of my Malaysian Ais Kacang, minus the the kacang (no kidding), where there is shaved ice drenched in condensed/evaporated milk or just milk and sugar and then mix in with various ingredients of sorts. The usual suspects are red mung beans, sugar palm (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), jackfruit strips, purple yam (ube) paste, crushed young rice (pinipig), leche flan and caramelized banana. Some even say that it is not complete without a dollop of ube (yam) ice cream, and only ube flavour for the authenticity!

As we can see even the ingredients are mixtures of culture of red mung beans from the Chinese, leche flan from the Spaniards and shaved ice from the Americans (source from Wikipedia). From my 100 days stay there, I learn that, as ironic as it may sound, being a mixture of sorts and of no distinct identity is what makes Filipinos unique. Just like how the mixture of halo-halo that sort of make you think that the dessert couldn’t make up its mind on what it wants to be that makes it so uniquely delicious.

****

One of the best authentic original halo-halo I tried (with nearly all the ingredients mentioned above) turns out to be from one of the famous chain restaurants in the Philippines – Chow King. (first picture above)

Chow King
Almost everywhere in Metro Manila and beyond!

Razon’s Halo-halo @ Manila, Phillippines
Photo by Rachel

Another variation of halo-halo (picture above), stripped down to nearly bare naked of essentials – leche flan, macapuno (coconut sport) and caramelized banana, was truly a league of its own for its really smooth shaven iced doused in creamy sweet milk and its minimal critical ingredients.

Razon’s of Guagua
Scattered around Metro Manila

Guest Writer: Three months stint in Philippines, Rokh has almost eaten Philippines, or at least Manila for that matter. Being a country so small in size geographically, yet so highly populated by people, she manage to eat lots of varieties of food all packed in a small area. Good things do come in small packages as it seems. Rokh enjoys Philippines very much for their cultures and food of many influences due to its history, starting from their own indigenous cuisine which was later laden with Spanish influences, which also extend sideways to Chinese influence, and then onwards to American influences and finally came to a mixture of what we have now. She sees Philippines as a mix-mash of culture and food, from deep set of respect for history and family values to modern embrace of the new millennium. Rokh is from the Malaysia Food Guide blog – thamjiak.com

Somehow this line make me relent, at times some taxi man are rude in asking for more money on top of their meter, but this one just tells me honestly why he needs it. Maybe it is just how frankly he tells me why he needs that extra. So I just said “OK!”

It is not always like this in Manila, I have many times met more kindness than I can ever have expected, once a taxi man said I can pay whatever amount I seem fit since the destination I went to was just so near, it caught me off guard, but I paid as how much I think is right with tips to boot.

I find that I actually enjoy tipping, after living a life of an ‘expat’ (some of them refer me as that though I don’t feel such as that word makes one think of extravagance life but trust me it is not),but still new habits are learnt when one is in a foreign land. I never tip when I was in Malaysia, I guess somehow it doesn’t seem like the culture to me then but as the saying goes, when in Rome, do what the Romans do. I have learnt here that not many are that well off, many earn their wages through sheer hard work and many of them are in the service industries. So if the restaurant does not charge for service (most of them do not), then I would leave some tips so that the servers could earn a more decent income. Besides, at most places the service is good, I am always greeted with a smile, and they are mostly attentive and genuine.

Food I must say though there are hits and misses, but who am I judge when I have only been to only so few of them, many good ones still uncovered I believe. In the metropolitan area which are dominated with few chain restaurants, it is quite hard to avoid them (being one who always think that chain restaurants are just a small step away from ‘fast food’), some did disappoint but many does surprises you with their good food and how they have maintained the quality despite the huge expansions and the some for even the longest time of existence. I guess this is just how Filipinos show their fidelity, if the food is good, they will keep returning to it religiously, thus allowing a selected few chain restaurants to boom across the metropolitan faster than you can say “Sarap!” (means delicious in Tagalog) This is after all the country where their home-grown fast food chain, Jollibee (just love the catchy name) out beats McDonald by a seriously high margin; at nearly every corner that you turn, you will see the happy bee with a chef hat smiling at you.

Nevertheless, I have in fact tried quite a number of local dishes, many times in various restaurants, just to find them differ slightly (sometimes widely) from one another, and then on to find my favourites among them. So let me introduce you to them slowly, each food that the locals here enjoy day in and day out and where to get the best of them and what varieties you may just find (mind you some or most of them would be coming from the said chain restaurants, I guess they are a chain for the same reason?). First let me start with a dish, as you all know me, the one who praises the pork relentlessly, would of course start with one which is the pork sisig.

Pork Sisig
Photo by Rachel

Pork sisig is one of the well known pulutan (food to go with drink), where normally people order when they are out having a beer or some alcohol. It was said to reduce the impact of alcohol on the stomach and the name itself actually meant to be ‘taken in small quantity’. But as for me, I ordered it anyway as appetizer or main meal even, because I simply love it. There are two groups of pork sisig lovers, those who love the crunchy ones while those on the vice versa, for me I belong to the former group. I just love to have a crunch on my pork sisig but nevertheless I do enjoy the other types too. Pork sisig would serve better to those who don’t really know what it is made of, but just if you are brave enough read on now else skip to the next paragraph, you have been warned! It is made of chopped pig’s head (hair removed and tenderize and yes entire head!), then boiled and grilled/broiled then finally fried with chopped onions and served on a sizzling platter with vinegar and kalamansi juice (Asian lime).

Normally they like to serve the pork sisig at the last cooking part where they would ‘fry’ the mixture in front of you on the sizzling pan, even sometimes cracking a raw egg over and cook it along. Once served, you can then squeeze over the kalamansi to taste yourself and voila, you would have a perfect crunchy pulutan or simply a good dish to go along with your rice.

For my favourite crunchy pork sisig:
Krocodile Grill
Greenbelt 3
Esperanza St., Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Other branches

A cross between the crunchy and the soft, a lot of people’s favourite:
Gerry’s Grill
Glorietta 5
Level 2, Ayala Center,
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02)856-4443, (02)856-3544
Sunday to Thursday 11am – 12midnight
Friday and Saturday 11am – 2am
Other Branches

Another pork sisig with a twist, added with mayonnaise but nonetheless uniquely tasty:
Giligans ‘s Island Restaurant and Bar
Greenbelt 1
Esperanza St., Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Other branches

Guest Writer: Three months stint in Philippines, Rokh has almost eaten Philippines, or at least Manila for that matter. Being a country so small in size geographically, yet so highly populated by people, she manage to eat lots of varieties of food all packed in a small area. Good things do come in small packages as it seems. Rokh enjoys Philippines very much for their cultures and food of many influences due to its history, starting from their own indigenous cuisine which was later laden with Spanish influences, which also extend sideways to Chinese influence, and then onwards to American influences and finally came to a mixture of what we have now. She sees Philippines as a mix-mash of culture and food, from deep set of respect for history and family values to modern embrace of the new millennium. Rokh is from the Malaysia Food Guide blog – thamjiak.com

Dheng Alayan: Hello! You have an amazing travel/tourism site here. Do you know some eccentric places here in Manila? Kind of out of this world. These could be shops/restos/bars, etc. Visiting these places might deviate me from the usual malls I’m usually going to. Thank you! :)

Answer

Ryan: Thanks for your really kind words… Actually there are quite a few of quirky and interesting places around Metro Manila. For one, I went to this artist enclave somewhere in Pasay (near Heritage Hotel) and when we drove inside – it was like I stepped back in time during the 1950s era. It was a small compound with 50s era houses, aging trees, and under the afternoon sunlight, it was just totally unbelievable! I forgot the exact location though. We have also heard of super-secretive restaurants tucked in nondescript buildings with no signs at all but just had the most mouthwatering steaks. I will try to come up a list sometime soon. (I have just a lot of travel guides coming up yet, so I will take a raincheck on that.).
Cheers.
Ryan

ephrem arcilla: May I know if you have knowledge about the International Tourist Yacht Club and Makati Golf and Country Club, Inc. which existed several years ago?

Answer

Ryan: Do you mean Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City which was established in 1901? That still exists until today. I have written an article on Manila Yacht Club as well, it its listed on our Destinations page under Manila.
Cheers.
Ryan

The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
Photo by Ryan Buaron

The Bamboo Organ is not only appreciated for its uniqueness but also for its history. From 1816-1824 Fr. Diego Cera worked on the Bamboo Organ. He apparently buried the bamboo pipes by the banks of a nearby river for 2 years to cure them before incorporating them into the organ. Sadly, after a typhoon and an earthquake the pipes were damaged and the organ went unnoticed until 1917 when tourists realised how unique the organ was. However, as the organ is one of a kind and the man who built it had died many years before nobody knew how to repair the pipes. Finally in 1972, the entire organ was sent to Bonn, Germany to be restored and in 1975 it returned to St. Joseph Parish Church and a joyous welcome from Filipinos. As the organ is the only 19th century bamboo organ that exists and is still functioning, it was declared to be a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines in 2003. Since its return Las Piñas has held the annual Bamboo Organ Festival which is now in its 35th year.

St. Joseph Parish Church, Las Piñas
Photo by Ryan Buaron

For the 35th year of the Bamboo Organ Festival a large number of musicians from the Philippines and around the world came to perform alongside this amazing instrument from February 18-24, 2010. I had the pleasure of seeing the organ played by internationally acclaimed organist, Guy Bovet. He started the concert by explaining that since the organ was built by a Spaniard but came from the Philippines, it has a character and a sound which reflects both cultures and proceeded to play both Spanish and Filipino compositions. Bovet’s knowledge of the Bamboo Organ was reflected in his playing as he created moving and astonishing music while demonstrating the range of the organ. During Bovet’s version of Pakitong Kitong we were able to hear one of the things that makes the Bamboo Organ even more unique as it can make a sound like chirping birds. The sound is so realistic many members of the audience were looking around the church expecting to see birds darting around under the lofty ceiling. MSGR. Albert Venus of St. Joseph Parish Church explained to me after the concert that the sound of chirping birds is the result of air moving past water in the bamboo pipes.

As part of Guy Bovet’s concert we were treated to the sounds of a second metal pipe organ at St. Joseph Parish Church which was made in 1995 by Edgar Montiano and Cealwyn Tagle. This organ is also unique as it is the only one in the world made by Filipinos. The sounds made by this organ were quite different and to see the skill and ease Bovet played it with was truly amazing as the organ has foot pedals for the bass notes as well as two keyboards.

Guy Bovet playing the Auditorium Organ
Photo by Ryan Buaron

To experience this exceptional instrument being played by world renowned musical masters it is only a short drive from the centre of Manila to the St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas. The Festival is held every February and is really a must see cultural event in the Philippines. For more information on the festival be sure to check out the official Bamboo Organ website – http://bambooorgan.org/

Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz
Photo by bikoy

Located in an area of just about 1 square kilometer right in the heart of the city of Manila, Binondo bustles daily with trade and commerce which the Chinese are known for and it culminates thousands of years of Filipino and Chinese relations dating back to the Ice Age when tribes from Southern China are known to have reached the Philippines through the land bridges. During the Spanish period, Governor General Luis Pérez Dasmariñas created Binondo as a permanent settlement for the Sangleys (Spanish term for the Chinese derived from the Hookien “siong-tay” which literally means “often comes”), converted Chinese immigrants, across the Pasig River from Intramuros where the Spaniards lived. This was meant to replace the Parian where the unconverted Chinese resided. It was under the Dominicans who rapidly proselytized the population to Catholicism and through intermarriages, a new Chinese mestizo class was born. The assimilation of the immigrant Chinese into the fabric and lifeblood of Philippine history is now complete. It was said that the Filipino-Chinese (also called Chinoy/Tsinoy) are the most assimilated Chinese community in Southeast Asia. Out of these Binondo intermarriages came St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the First Filipino Saint – Binondo Church is officially named Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. A visit to Binondo is never complete without dropping by the church whose original façade survived the massive carpet bombing of Manila by the Americans during World War 2. Check out the floor whose stone bricks curiously come with Chinese characters by the main entrance of the church, these were apparently tombstones of graves in China brought to the Philippines and sold by the enterprising Chinese. Another prominent Chinese mestizo of Binondo is the Venerable Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo who is the founder of the first congregation for Filipino women.

Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz and Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz
Photo by webzer

The syncretism of both the Catholic and Buddhist religion is still evident today in Binondo. Just on the corner of Ongpin and San Nicolas Streets is a shrine by the wall of a building called Santo Cristo de Longos where a cross is adorned by garlands of sampaguita (jasmine) and a jar where incense sticks are burned by devotees and curious passersby. According to stories, the site was a former well, and there was a deaf-mute Chinese whose speech was restored after finding an image of a crucified Christ on the shrine’s very spot.

Santo Cristo de Longos
Photo by themollyjayne

Binondo was the main center of commerce in the Philippines before the last World War where Spanish Filipinos, Chinese and the Chinese mestizos conducted business and finance complete with banks, insurance companies and financial institutions from the United States and Great Britain. During the Spanish era, the Chinese in the Philippines were a major lynchpin in linking the Chinese junk trading system and the Silk Road to Acapulco (Mexico) and to the rest of Europe through the two and a half century Galleon Trade. That said, the Chinese in the Philippines were the backbone of the Spanish colonial economy. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) opened their first Philippine branch in Binondo in 1876 taking advantage of the booming Philippine sugar industry while financing infrastructure projects like railways which connected the rest of Luzon to Manila. Escolta, nicknamed as the “Wall Street of the Philippines” was then the equivalent of Ayala Avenue in Makati now. A stroll through the Escolta today still reveals some of its former glories, while in Escolta, don’t forget to drop by the Escolta Museum which is located on the mezzanine floor of Calvo Building where you can have a glimpse of fin de siècle Escolta and its vicinity through old photographs, newspaper articles, advertisements, vintage bottles and scale models of existing and non-existing buildings located along the short thoroughfare along the Pasig River. A replica of an entire row of Escolta was built in the Ciudad Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan.

Binondo Street
Photo by thesecondbest

The belfry of Sta. Cruz Church from Escolta
Photo by via

Binondo: The Dragon of Manila
Photo by aspirecaptured

The El Hogar
Photo by bleeding_smile_in_front_of_you

Jones Bridge at Night
Photo by d2digital

Filipino Chinese Friendship Arch
Photo by themollyjayne

Good Luck!
Photo by themollyjayne

During the Marcos Regime, the Philippines suffered a major financial crisis around the early ‘80s. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) was found to be broke, the national treasury plundered to dust. Binondo earned the moniker “Binondo Central Bank” as businessmen in the district engaged in a massive US dollar black market which often dictated the actual movement of the Philippine Peso against the American Dollar. To get Marcos off their backs, the Chinese businessmen readily acceded to ‘requests’ of the regime to infuse fresh funding into its drying coffers. Today, despite its gritty façade, Binondo remains to be one of the major centers of commerce in the country.

Eng Bee Tin
Photo by Jsinglador

The Purple Fire Truck
Photo by Dave Ryan

Like other Chinatowns in other parts of the world, Binondo is also known for tastiest Chinese cuisine in the entire metropolis. My personal favorites are located along the tiny alley called Carvajal Street where we would sometimes head out to eat the most savoury Chinese dishes for lunch when I used to work in a bank nearby. During my last visit with Carlos Celdran, performance artist and tour operator, the Stone Lion Food Haus wasn’t around anymore but the row of other Chinese restaurants and the stalls of fruits and other foodstuffs still exist on this street. Carvajal is also known for its Hookien name Ho Sua Hang or Umbrella Alley as the street used to be famous for shops selling umbrellas. Another area of major culinary interest would be the bigger but equally busy Ongpin Street. The Estero (literally meaning estuary as the area is located by a creek) is a Binondo institution where a row of eateries conduct their daily business of feeding its many regular customers. Breaded pork chop is one of the most famous dishes here for being delicious and cheap. Another personal favorite is Mr. Ube Rice and Noodle House, owned and managed by the same people of the famous Eng Bee Tin, which serves yummy Asian dishes like Singaporean Laksa which is definitely worth a try. The Lechon Macau Rice Topping (Deep Fried Pork Belly) was a little bland but was good enough for me. A part of the proceeds of the sales of the restaurant go to Binondo’s Fire Department and other local community projects. One of the most popular Binondo food items would be the hopia of Eng Bee Tin. The hopia is a bean filled pastry introduced by Fujian immigrants to the Philippines around the early years of the American occupation. Eng Bee Tin literally revolutionized this humble pastry by introducing different kinds of filling, the most famous of which is ube, Filipino for purple yam which became a big hit, as with innate marketing savvy, sales soared. The owner of Eng Bee Tin donated a fire truck colored purple to the community in reference to Eng Bee Tin’s famous Hopia Ube. Binondo as a culinary destination is varied and exciting that one is only limited by his or her imagination by the surprises that its streets offer.

Currently there are many Chinatown tours being offered, and even if I was familiar with Binondo already, I took one done by the highly recommended, renowned performance artist Carlos Celdran’s tours (Walk This Way – http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/ )and as usual I wasn’t disappointed. Aside from weaving through Binondo’s main and side streets, we also experienced Binondo in a calesa, (a horse drawn carriage). The Chinatown tour was peppered with a lot of intriguing trivia which Carlos often injects in his tours. There are many ways to get to Binondo, you may take any of the jeepneys bound for Divisoria from Taft Avenue in Pasay City and get off at the Binondo Church or you may also take the LRT and get off the Central Station and walk in the direction of the Manila City Hall, then take the same Divisoria-bound jeepneys. Taxis usually dread going into the part of the city due to heavy traffic. Wear comfortable clothes and footwear and bring extra cash as a lot of shops don’t take credit cards.

Ryan: Carlos Celdran Walk This Way Tours to Quiapo and Binondo are suspended indefinitely due to apparent meddling by the local cops around the Quiapo area. There are other tours that do Binondo however like the Binondo Food Wok (fun@oldmanilawalks.com). They are also highly recommended by some of our contacts in the travel circuit.

Chinese Take-Out Binondo Style
Photo by webzer

Signs of Binondo
Photo by lunacruz

Celebrating the Lunar New Year in Binondo
Photo by jessiefish

To learn more of the Chinese heritage in the Philippines, one can drop by the Bahay Tsinoy Museum at the Kaisa Heritage Center (http://www.bahaytsinoy.org /+63.2.5276083/5266798/5266796/info@bahaytsinoy.org) at Anda cor. Cabildo Streets inside Intramuros. The museum is a repository of the Filipino Chinese heritage tracing the history of Chinese presence in the Philippines long before the Spaniards arrived to the modern times.

Today, Binondo and the local Filipino-Chinese community more than ever remain as an integral part of Philippine history, culture, politics and economy.

Binondo Today
Photo by storm-crypt

Quiapo Church
Photo by Scott Allford

Back in December 2009 we joined Carlos Celdran’s tour (Walk This Way – http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/ ) on a walk through Quiapo. The first thing that hit me was the chaos of the area. Everywhere there was traffic and people moving in every direction and a million smells and noises filling the air. On walking up to the SM Clearance Outlet at the end of Hidalgo Street we noticed a very large plume of smoke from a fire a couple of blocks away, but people only glanced at it and kept on rushing about and buying what they needed. Quiapo is known by many as offering some of the cheapest prices in Manila for whatever you need. Hidalgo Street is also known as Camera Street and has become somewhat of a mecca for photographers as any photography accessories you require can easily be found here usually for less than market prices. Stalls line both sides of the street and the middle of the street selling clothes, rice cakes, pasta, fruits, DVDs, CDs, sunglasses, bags, necklaces and much more. Before entering Hidalgo Street, Carlos advised our large group composed mostly of foreigners to follow the buddy system and never lose sight of our partner as it is easy to get lost in Quiapo. On the walk, or rather the shuffle through Hidalgo Street I experienced sensory overload with so much happening around me, but I was always mindful of my valuables and following the buddy system.

Walking along Hidalgo Street
Photo by Scott Allford

Finally we all made it through the hordes of people in Camera Street and came out into Plaza Miranda. This square in front of Quiapo Church was the site of the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing where 9 were killed and nearly 100 injured during a political campaign rally held by anti-Marcos Liberal Party members. As I walked into the plaza I weaved my way through stalls selling flowers and fruits and caught glimpses of a protest for Human Rights going on in the centre. Plaza Miranda is also the site of the largest religious festival in the Philippines. Every year on January 9th millions of devotees gather to touch the holy Black Nazarene to be miraculously healed or blessed. They walk through the streets barefoot while the figure is carried in a golden carriage. The Black Nazarene was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in 1606 and both Pope Innocent X and Pope Pius VII have placed their blessings upon the statue. At all other times of the year the Black Nazarene is housed high in the altars of Quiapo Church. As we went there in December we were able to walk into the church and up a curving staircase behind the altar to touch the Black Nazarene’s foot. While the site of millions of devotees is something pretty amazing, going to see the Black Nazarene is much easier. When you touch the statue’s foot, you make your wishes or say your prayers and leave some sampaguita flowers which can be bought from the many vendors outside the church.

Me touching the foot of the Black Nazarene
Photo by Scott Allford

After this deeply Catholic experience you can step out through the side doors of the church and stock up on your occult supplies. In the shadows of the Quiapo Church all your supernatural needs can be met. If you’ve got a problem with an Aswang (vampire-like witch creature) you can find the solution here. Love potions made from lizard urine and a variety of other herb and animal concoctions can be found in numerous stalls on the edge of the plaza near Evangelista Street. I picked up a pendant for everything to do with travel which has a language that looks like Latin written on the back but is actually a Filipino version of Latin which nobody seems to understand but has apparent mystical properties. Also you can pick up a coloured candle to burn for whatever you need. There are a variety of colours to choose from and Carlos Celdran treated each of us to a candle. Red is for love, Green is for money, Black is for someone who wronged you to develop a conscience.

The Candles of Quiapo
Photo by Scott Allford

After an afternoon walking around Quiapo I was exhausted, but I also was kind of sad that my visit was over. Quiapo is a sort of microcosm of the Philippines with different cultural practices all mashed together and living in harmony with each other. The great thing about it is that it is located right here in Manila and is therefore only a short but unforgettable trip for any traveller who wants to experience a slice of Filipino history, culture and traditions.

Unknown: Should I visit Santa Cruz church in Manila? I’d really love to visit around the churches.

Answer

Ryan: Do you mean Sta. Cruz Church (Santa Cruz Parish) in Plaza Lacson, Sta. Cruz, Manila? It was built in 1608 but the original structure was damaged during the Battle of Manila in 1945 and subsequently rebuilt in 1957. The church is near the LRT Carriedo Station – I would not suggest going alone there especially when you are not familiar with the area. The area is a little shady for me, loads of pickpockets. Don’t bring valuables. Not putting the church down but there are better historically and architecturally more significant churches in Manila. I suggest that you check out the churches in Intramuros, the controversial San Sebastian Church, Malate Church (also beware of pickpockets here).
Cheers.
Ryan

Unknown: Can you suggest some nice places to go shopping in Manila?

Answer

Ryan: If you are in Manila, theire are a LOT of choices of where to shop. For sought after Philippine pearls- head out to the Greenhills Shopping Centre in San Juan (also in Metro Manila); for middle to extremely high end boutiques – head to Shangrila Plaza Mandaluyong, The Podium Ortigas, Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Glorietta Mall, Greenbelt Mall, Market Market at the Fort and the Mall of Asia (one of the top 10 largest malls in the world) on Roxas Boulevard. These are just some of the choices. You may drop by at the weekend markets in Makati’s Salcedo (Saturdays) and Legazpi (Sunday) Parks where they sell organic produce from different parts of the country as well native arts and crafts and varied international cuisines.
Cheers.
Ryan

Unknown: Can you provide a quick sight seeing itinerary for Manila?

Answer

Ryan: Sightseeing-wise, and if you only intend to stay in Manila – you could visit these : Old Spanish Walled City of Intramuros (check out the UNESCO Church San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral); Fort Santiago; Manila Ocean Park (one of Asia’s biggest aquarium); Libingan ng Mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery); check out the prehistoric gold collection and diorams of Philippine history at the Ayala Museum; National Museum. These are just some of the things that you can see and do just in Manila. If you step outside of Manila, there’s heaps more to see and do.
Cheers.
Ryan