Advertisement
Published: February 16th 2015
To begin with my adventure to Manila, I have to backtrack a little bit to Hong Kong. The day I was scheduled to leave Hong Kong, I had to leave my hostel by 6am to get to the airport. No big deal, the bus that I took from the airport to get to my hostel started running that early, all I had to do was go back to that stop and take the same bus!
Or so I thought.
What I failed to realize was that there was a huge marathon in Hong Kong. Right in the area my hostel was. Road blocks were up every where. I found the bus stop... only to realize my bus wouldn't be running in that area that day. Crap. Problem #1. OK, turn around and walk half a mile back in the other direction (lugging my suitcase, mind you) to the nearest subway stop. I still had my subway card so I just had to swipe to get on. I missed the train by seconds as I was coming down the escalator. Problem #2. Now, during the day, the trains arrive every 2-4 minutes or so. Well that early in the morning,
they arrive about every 10 minutes. Alright, no big deal... just wait for the next train.
I take the next train to the stop I need to get to the airport. Unfortunately, that train ticket costs more than I had on my card so I had to stop at the desk, cash in what I had on the card and pay the difference. Missed that train and had to wait 10 minutes for the next one to leave. Problem #3. That train took at least 20 minutes to get to the airport. By the time I get to the airport, it's about 7am... my flight is at 7:50. Hong Kong airport is not small by any means... and they have two terminals for checking in. Of course, I headed for the wrong one... had to turn around and go to the other side, check in and get my ticket, go BACK to the other terminal, and find security. Then find my gate. The gate I needed wasn't even IN the airport... it was a terminal that required a terminal bus to take us across to. Problems #4-6?
Finally got on the terminal bus and to where the gate
Walking Tour
Couldn't ask for better weather!I needed was. Found my gate just as they were loading... at this point, I had been up since 5:30am (after going to bed at about 2:30am). I had eaten nor had anything to drink. Almost had a nervous meltdown watching the time tick closer and closer to departure. But I made it. And I don't ever want to repeat and experience like that again! When I checked my clock, it was 7:35am... cutting it a little close for a 7:50am flight if you ask me!! At least the flight itself was uneventful, even though the food definitely left a lot to be desired...
Now, on to Manila. I arrived at the Manila International Airport, which is unlike any other airport I've seen. It's small... I'd tentatively use the word 'primitive' when comparing it to other major / international airports. It reminded me more of an airport I'd see in a western movie where the small jets come in and out of. Unlike other major cities around the world I've been in - New York City, London, Boston, Paris, and just recently Hong Kong - there is no subway system. Or any real inner-city buses for that
matter. So the only way to get to the hostel from the airport was to take a taxi. You have to be careful when taking a taxi in Manila: many drivers will purposely take the long way, or set the meter to charge you more, or not set the meter at all and charge you 2-3 times as much as it should have cost. And drivers in Manila are CRAZY. There is little to no regard for lanes or rules on the road. (Rules? What rules?)
After surviving that adventure, I made it to the hostel. This was a huge relief... Our Melting Pot hostel is one of the better I've ever stayed in. The staff was friendly, it was cool and comfortable inside, the beds were comfortable, and the people staying there were great. Our Melting Pot (OMP) offers tours virtually every day so I joined one that first day I was there. The walking tour began with a trip for lunch to a local market... and getting lost at least once; even the taxi driver didn't know where we were going (apparently our tour guide didn't either, she wasn't the one who usually did this particular tour).
Watch out for.... what??
They built a golf course on the other side of the wall... Wonder how many people got hit before they put a sign up! We finally made it to the market just in time to eat some lunch. It was during lunch / before we started our walking tour to some of the historical sights we managed to lose one of the girls who had come with us. After looking for a while, the guide decided we should move on. On the train, we almost lost two more of our group when they almost didn't make it off in time! The trains are PACKED and people don't always move aside when you say "Excuse me!" so you have to push. Seriously. Shove your way through or you're not getting off. Luckily, they made it to the door just in time and forced it back open so they could get off... after a good laugh at the looks of panic on their faces when they thought they were stuck, we continued with our walking tour.
Manila is a very interesting city with influences from native, European, and American cultures. Many people in the Philippines speak Spanish... or a mixture of Spanish and the native language (Filipino).... or English. English is taught in the schools so most people, especially the younger generations, speak English. The
Walking Tour
New friend and I on top of the wall :) architecture shows a lot of the European influence. In Makati, many streets look like they were picked up from Spain and dropped into a city in the middle of the Pacific. Our tour brought us to Intramuros, Rizal Park, and Santiago Fort. As a history major... I was in my kind of paradise! Old architecture, statues, museums, and people and events I had never even heard of.
One of the stops during our walking tour was at a beautiful cathedral. When we got to the cathedral there were huge crowds of people outside for a wedding. Our guide, with no hesitation at all, walked right into the church so we could see the inside. We stayed near the back but still got a few photos of the inside. There was a line of people in the procession waiting to start as we snuck back outside. There was a photo shoot of the bride before she entered the cathedral - she was stunning! - and people all around watching. Our guide told us that the cathedral is in very high demand for weddings and sometimes has a few each day. And the weddings are huge! I can now check off
Walking Tour
Beautiful cathedral 'crashing a wedding' from my list of things I never even thought I'd do in my lifetime... 😊
One of the things I've come to love in my experiences abroad are street markets. There was a small one right across from OMP with a stage and live music. For me, this is the kind of lifestyle I could get used to! Warm weather all year, a city that is a historical gem, chances to travel to many different countries, and the opportunities to meet people from all around the world. After the walking tour a couple of us went across to the market and found some dinner. I got a stir-fry noodle dish with beef and vegetables - yum! - and we hung out in the lobby of the hostel for what felt like hours. For all the bad reputation some hostels get (and many deserve...) I do love staying in hostels. The atmosphere and friendliness of the people working in and staying at them is awesome: we are all here for the same reasons, and we bond over those connections. I got to hear stories of their experiences in places I dream of going to, and I got
to share mine as well. It makes me want to keep traveling and never look back...
On my second day in Manila a group of us went with an organization called True Manila to visit some of the poorest areas of the city. In order to give this experience justice, I am going to create a separate post. For now, I will simply say that this was one of the most moving and life-changing experiences of my life so far.
My last day in Manila was spent exploring one of the shopping centers / malls nearby with some friends. There were five multi-story buildings connected by bridges and walkways making up this massive shopping center. The weather these three days in Manila was beautiful, and I could certainly get used to living in a place with palm trees! There's something to be said about walking around in flip flops in January... my kind of winter 😊 That night at the hostel the girls I spent much of my time in Manila with left for another part of the Philippines. I chatted with some other people in the lobby before going to bed (far later than I should have).
The next morning, I left early for a thankfully uneventful trip to the airport and set off on the last leg of my trip: Taipei.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.078s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 6; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0489s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
