Don't underestimate Manila

Asia » Philippines » Manila
November 24th 2012

Published: December 1st 2012

We feel incredibly fortunate in that while in Manila, we were well-taken care of by our friend Lili, who not only has been a resident of Manila for decades, but is also a well-known contributor to TravelBlog. She immediately disproved what at least one blogger had written about this fine city. It would be easy to dismiss Manila as a place worthy of interest if you read and believe all the blogs an... Read Full Entry

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Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

D MJ Binkley

Photographers, divers, writers, foodies, chefs and music enthusiasts. Travelers' Century Club Members: 12/2023. MJ 107 and Dave 104. We appreciate your feedback and if you like our stories we would appreciate it if you follow our blog. We live on North Hutchinson Island, Florida. If you are in Florida please send us a private message as we would love to meet you. Two retired nurses who are passionate about traveling the world. Our love of travel, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures will hopefully take us to wonderful plac... full info

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1st December 2012

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

IDYLIC
Great way to enjoy a visit to the Philippines...being entertained by Liliram & TinNie...I really like that about Travelblog...meeting up with like minded folks...immediate good friends...gotta luv it

1st December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Yes, indeed
It is fantastic meeting fellow travel bloggers! We loved our time with TinNie and Liliram and look forward to seeing them again in a few days. What a great country.

1st December 2012

deleted_46288
deleted_46288

Another wonderful TB get together!!!
Liliram is so cool! I do hope I get the chance to meet this wonderful lady in the not so distant future. I know Manila gets a bad rap from some people, but as you say, sometimes you need to step back and reassess your initial impression of a particular place before giving it that second chance it deserves. I'd love to give the Philippines a go too...oh so many wonderful places to travel to and so little time......

1st December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Exactly as you say!
Manila has so much history to offer and is a more modern city than I was expecting. Meeting Liliram and TinNie was fantastic. We will have dinner with them again on the 13th. Good to have new friends that feel like old friends. I loved the Spanish feel to the old sections of town.

1st December 2012

Irene
non-member comment

Exactamundo
You hit the nail on the head. Manila has many hidden treasures that are rich in history. Thank you for reminding me its time for a visit. Safe travels! Leanne and I miss you dearly. Irene

1st December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Irene, so great to hear from you!
So good to hear you are reading along. Manila has so much more to offer than we expected. I think it gets a bad press and I'm really not sure why. Yes, you need to visit. Miss you a lot.

1st December 2012

Beata and Tomek
us At Home Abroad

Fantastic
There is no better way than seeing the place with local friends!!! You were very lucky guys to have such fabulous guides;-) Enjoy the rest of the Philippines;-) B&T

1st December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

We feel you learn so much more with a local
It is great having friends show you the way. You always get to see those hidden gems. The Philippines has sooooo....much to offer that we will only scratch the surface.

1st December 2012

Aries and Rinka
Aristeo Rinka Lucea

Welcome to the Philippines
Jealous much, would love to meet you guys too. Ad I do hope I meet Tita Lili and Tinnie too when we go home for a visit. Are you guys planning on an Asian trip this time, or a trip to Osaka maybe?

1st December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

And we would love to meet you.
We hope Japan will be the next Asian country we visit but that may be a couple of years. Hopefully, our paths can cross. We would love to meet you.

1st December 2012

RJT
Rachael

Manila with friends
What a wonderful trip you're having! Manila sounds like a fascinating place, yet another one on the list, although its getting pretty long now....And liliram sounds like another fabulous travel blogger and great hostess!

2nd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

I would put the Philippines higher on the list...however I have not seen what else is on the list.
We are having a fantastic time. Another blog will be coming soon. So much to see and to do. This country does not seem to be good at marketing its assets. Happy travels.

2nd December 2012

JayExiomo
Jay Exiomo

Wow
Are you guys returning to Manila? I would want to meet fellow travel bloggers as well. :)

2nd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Hello Jay,
Yes, we will be in Manila on Dec. 13th and will be having dinner with Liliram and TinNie. Hopefully, you can join us. Send Liliram a message if you can make it. I'm not sure of the location. Hope you can make it!

2nd December 2012

Slowfeet
non-member comment

Memories memories
It's a long long time since we were in the Philippines and your blog was a lovely reminder of the places we went to and the great time we had there, although there have been many changes to what we remember. As always now that we're in one spot, we're more than a little jealous of your wide-ranging travels. Stay safe and we look forward to further instalments. David & Pat

2nd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Hello dear friends,
It is grand hearing from you again. Being rooted is not a bad thing. OUr travels are sadly coming to an end soon. We are having the best time in the Philippines. It is very diverse. They do not market this country very well. Unless I had read blogs by Luliram and TinNie last year we might not have come here. This trip has been a joy because it has been so very diverse. Chat with you soon.

2nd December 2012

liliram
liliram

Enjoy reading blogs about my country!
Hi there! I'm back only late last night, aching all over, after a long weekend spent in the mountains (Sagada). I'm a local, yet my list of domestic destinations keeps growing. So many islands! Enjoyed reading this, and happy to note you had a wonderful time. Our other TB friends can still catch up and meet us for Dec13 early dinner in Rockwell. TynNie and Jay Exiomo would be there.

2nd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Excellent!!
Can't wait.

2nd December 2012

liliram
liliram

It's Pinakbet
The vegetable dish is called Pinakbet aka Pakbet, a dish from the Northern Philippines where locals claim to be most frugal and hardworking. Sautéed veggies like okra, string beans, squash, bitter gourd or bitter melon (locally called ampalaya) -- some versions are cooked with shrimp paste. And the soup is called Pancit Molo, a dish from Central Philippines (Panay Island in the Visayas). [photo=7282141]

2nd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Food update
I'm going to go in and update those photos.

3rd December 2012

TinNiE
" Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness "

^_^
yay! can't wait to see you again, and looking forward to meeting Jay as well :) Tita Lili is a pro isn't she?! Beautiful note about Manila -- yeah there are dodgy areas in the City but there are good things to see as well, if you know where to go ;) enjoy your R & R. x

3rd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Every large city has a few bad spots.
Manila has a lot to offer. We can't wait to see you again.

3rd December 2012

Sophie and Dale
Sophie & Dale

Maybe we should attempt to enjoy Manila more next time around...
We will be back there next year so we'll try to take your blog on board and give it more of a chance, as you probably know we really were never enamoured with Manila.. we did try though and did explore quite a bit of the city but doubtless there is a lot more to discover! Nice to read a positive view for a chance, we'll look foward to your following blogs as it will give us a reminder of what is in store in a few weeks!

3rd December 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

I'm sure we were influenced by the part of town we stayed in
Manila has so many different communities and personalities. We found most of them great. All big cities have a couple of areas to avoid. We stayed in a wonderful part of town and had a friend showing us around so it was fantastic.

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Don't underestimate Manila

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