Manila, Phillipines (part 1 of 2 -- Phillipines travels)

To take advantage of another short break in my studies (there seems to many of these!), I ventured to the Phillipines for 6 days. My first stop was Manila where I stayed for 2 nights, and then I headed to Sabang beach for 3 days. I only had the chance to spend 1 day and 2 nights in Manila, so these images are captured below:

I ventured out on a walking tour in the morning to some of the more touristy locations. This was a nice monument.


Some school girls were quite friendly as I passed by :)


I stopped in the largest catholic church in the area to have a look.


..and from the outside


I walked around Fort Santiago, which contains much of the history of the Phillipines. It is the main location of where the Spanish ran the country for hundreds of years before WWII>

A view from up top of the fort.

I decided to have a little fun with this statue of Jose Rizal, an important Filipino figure in the nation's history.

another view of Manila from the top of the fort

The most interesting site of my journey was the Rizal Shrine, a dedication to Jose Rizal. The story -- Jose was Filipino born in the late 19th century, and had the chance to travel throughout Europe, picking up over 7 languages. After educating himself, he returned to the Phillipines to try and help them gain their freedom from Spanish rule. Unfortunately, he was executed in 1896 after being convicted of treason. However, he is still remembered for his bravery and inspiration.

A view of inside of the fort.

A view of the city around, which contains a strong spanish influence ...

..as is shown in this buidling.

some of the parts are a little more run down.

somehow, they have managed to squeeze a golf course into these parts; however, with very little space to work with, it was one of the more confining course I had ever seen

Here is a friend, Percy, that I met along the way in another nearby park

..and another view

these schoolkids were practicing some sort of dance routine. One this is for sure -- the Phillipines love to dance! .very similar to their Spanish ancestors

We ventured out to dinner on a very nice pier, and enjoyed some very cheap food and wine!

A view from the pier out to the bay area.

Some of the livelier night scene was located here, at Bay walk. There was live, Karaoke style music for every night I was there.

I found this bar -- Bedrock cafe -- on my first and returned every night thereafter. It was a great scene, and had a different band every night. The Phillipines reminded me a lot of South America, in that they take great enjoyment from their singing and dancing. This is quite a bit different than most of the other Asian cultures I have visited which are generally more reserved. This mindset fit my vacationing mentality very well!

They often brough up members of the audience who were always willing to join in the singing festivities. Fortunately for everyone around, I managed to fend off their requests -- singing has never been a strength of mine :)

... now off to Sabang Beach