Makati Favorites

Favorite thing: Located in the central business district of Makati in metro Manila, the AYALA CENTER is a commercial complex comprising of business, shopping, dining and entertainment. The development originally started with a number of shops and Greenbelt Park, before expaning to cover over 50 hectares of facilities.
The complex also includes the Ayala Museum and a number of hotels. Hans and I stayed at a condotel Prince Plaza II in this area. For us it was the perfect location.

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Favorite thing: The present MANILA CATHEDRAL is the sixth to rise on the site since 1581. Previous structures were destroyed by either fire or earthquake. Rebuilt in 1958, the Cathedral incorporated the Rosette windows of the old cathedral.
This is really a spectacular Cathedral. We went inside to take in its beauty and there was a wedding going on. We sat in the back rows and watched the ceremony taking place (and bonus - it was cool and air-conditioned).
After the church ceremony, the wedding party walked across the street to take pictures at PLAZA ROMA with its beautiful gardens, a fountain and a bronze statue of King Carlos IV which was installed in 1824.

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Favorite thing: Thursday, January 12. 2012
Located in the northern part of the Walled City FORT SANTIAGO is one of the oldest Hispanic stone fortresses in the Philippines. The Spaniards, under the term of Governor General Gomez Perez Dasmarinas, fortified what was originally stone structures.
"Baluarte de Santa Barbara" was built in the 16th century It offers great views of the River Pasig.
It was interesting to see the same Spanish sentry stations that I saw at the fortresses in Spain.
We had some fun posing inside the concrete stations.
Fort Santiago open daily at 8:00 a.m.
Entrance fee: 75 Philippine Pesos

Favorite thing: Formerly the home of Manuel Estacio de Venegas, the original 2-story structure was expropriated in 1645 and made the official residence of the Spanish government , until an earthquake brought it down in 1863. The site remained empty for over 100 years.
The present and very impressive 8-story building PALACIO DEL GOBERMADOR was built on the site in 1978 and houses government offices. It is located near Plaza Roma and the Manila Cathedral.

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Favorite thing: The oldest Church in the Philippines, SAN AUGUSTIN CHURCH dates way back to 1571 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This beautiful church features an intricately carved main entrance door, a Baroque Pulpit and an 18th century pipe organ. There is a replica sculpture of the "Black Nazarene" . The original is carried during a long parade throughout Manila and ending at San Augustin in Intramuros. Thousands of devotees participate in this parade.
Also found here is the Tomb of Manila's founder, Miguel Lopez de Lagaspi.
The day we were there, a wedding was taking place. I've been told that it is such a popular church to have a wedding, that the waits can be as long as a year, so it has to be booked long before the wedding can take place.

Favorite thing: The PHILIPPINE PESO was very easy to use as you just multiply it times .02 to know what the costs are in American and Canadian. Also when I had some Pesos, I thought I was rich, as you got many pesos for a hundred dollars.
Currency is, as I said, the Philippine Peso (PHP) and the denominations are 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 pesos.
Foreign currency is best exchanged at banks or money changing outlets.
There are also ATMs, but I did not use one. I generally use Mastercard for ATMs, but what I found in Makati, that when you go to use them, there is a statement that you will be charged 200 pesos, which is about $4.00 just to get some money out of the machine. I was not happy about that.
I did bring US dollars as a back-up and that is what I used. Next to our Condotel, there was a Currency Exchange office that offered 44 pesos to the US dollar (or .022 cents per peso) which I thought was a very fair price. So, for example, for $300. US dollars, I received 13,206 PHP, which lasted for a very long time, as prices are so reasonable in the Philippines.
Before I left for the Philippines, I purchased 2,000 PHP and paid .026 cents per Peso which came to $52.59 CDN.
In the accompanying pic, I show a 20 Peso note and some coins.

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Favorite thing: is is the main nerve center of Philippine Business, it houses most of the philippine companies headquarters at the Ayala Avenue and the Philippine Stock exhange and a lot of multinational companies as well. Anchored by Ayala Avenue, Makati is the financial capital of the Philippines and is the home of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Makati Business Club, one of the most important economic hubs in the Philippines (but the de facto economic hub is the Binondo Districtn of Manila in the Manila Chinatown where the Philippine Taipans have their Conglomerates). The financial district has come alive 24/7 or 24 hours daily, 7 days a week; with the lights and bustle of mostly upwardly mobile young professionals working and enjoying life at all levels of functionality, flexibility and sustainability.

Fondest memory: makati is such a city of extremes!

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Favorite thing: Assorted Makati Views taken from several locations in the Makati Area since the place is the nerve center of business in the philippines and also one of the major watering holes in the sprawling metropolis and Makati has everything for everyone like shopping for all kinds of budgets, Business for the Business people, Parks like the Ayala Triangle and Greenbelt Park, international ecletic food for all budgets (see my separate restaurant tips) and a vibrant nightlife of Bars, Lounges, Discos and even Strip Clubs at the Burgos Area.

Fondest memory: the various facets of the Makati area