Fun things to do in Manila

This was my favorite sight in Manila. This is a museum of a restored Spanish colonial home dating around the 19th century. The house has a stunning courtyard and you really feel that you could be in Spain or Mexico. The house is full of beautiful antiques and really gives you an idea of what life would have been like for a Spanish family living in Manila.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines is home to our country's dance, music, theater and visual arts organizations. It also hosts various international artistic and cultural events.

Ballet Philippines, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Bayanihan Dance Troupe and the Philippine Madrigal Singers are just some of our globally famous performing groups who stage seasonal shows at the Cultural Center.

Check out their schedule of performances in their website for a complete cultural experience in Manila.

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Basilica Minore de San Sebastian

Designed by Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower), the Church of San Sebastian which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage is located in the district of Quiapo, Manila.

History says that the church was was originally a made of wood and was destroyed several times by fire and earthquake. Then in the late 1880’s, construction of an all-steel fire- and earthquake-resistant church was decided by the Recollects who run the church.

I have to be proud that we Filipinos have this such kind of existing architectural wonder. Although I don't appreciate art that much, I was fascinated by the altar. It just unfortunate that when we visit the lighting inside the church was off and we could not see the impressions made on the architecture.

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Within the old Intramuros area of Manila stands the rather impressive Manila cathedral, whose history begins with the Spanish conquest of this area in 1571. They soon established the Church of the Immaculate Conception hereabouts. In 1579 the Pope declared Manila a bishopric and thus the Church was elevated to the status of Cathedral with the first Bishop, spaniard called Fray Domingo de Salazar, installed in 1580. By 1581 a new and more impressive building had become the first purpose built Cathedral.

The cathedral didn't last long however, being destroyed by fire in 1583. The fire was caused by a candle falling over during a funeral service in the Cathedral and eventually managed to raze half the town. Natural disaster was to be a bit of a pattern, as we shall see. A second more sturdy building was under construction but partially destroyed by earthquake in 1599. As the year of 1600 turned over into 1601, another earthquake caused further damage. They must have been getting a bit dispirited by this point, I feel.

Rather than bore the reader with a lot of detail at this point, a simple list of catastrophes will probably suffice here. 1621 - earthquake, 1645, ditto times two. Yet more money extracted from the peole and work continued. In 1654, the cornerstone of the fourth cathedral was laid and with various donations, including a large one from the King of Spain utilising funds from the Spanish exploitation of Mexico and South America, work continued apace on a series of improvements.

Nature smiled on the Cathedral but in 1762 the British Army did not. After their invasion, they effectively looted all the treasures therein. Mother Nature, however, was not to be outdone by mere mortals, and soldiers at that, so fast forward to 1852 and another earthquake with more damage. More money raised from various sources, more work and the sixth Cathedral opened in 1858.

You will probably have guessed, if you did not know already, what is coming next. 1863, another earthquake, this one very serious as it happend during a service and many were killed both within the Cathedral and in the surrounding areas when it collapsed. A rather worrying report from a local newspaper states that many of the victims were still alive but died before they could be freed whilst, at the same time, frantic efforts were being made to save the horde of gold, silver and diamonds buried under the Cathedral. I am intrigued as to what Christ would have made of that situation.

Writing this tip is becoming a little like Groundhog Day. 1870, orders given to clear the remains of the old building and start a new one. Finished in 1879, this was the seventh Cathedral. It wasn't to last long though. 1880, another earthquake and the belltower, which had miraculously survived the 1863 quake, finally collapsed.

Forward again now to 1945, and again it is the men with guns that cause the devastation. The Cathedral is destroyed yet again during the fight to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese. For the eigth time it was reconstructed and opened for worship in 1958 and this is the building you see today. It was subsequently raised to the position of minor basilica in 1981 by Pope John Paul.

Whilst it does not obviously have the historical structure you may wish to visit a Cathedral for, it certainly stands as an amazing monument to the strength of the Christian Church in the Philippines and Manila in particular. It is a large structure and the stained glass work, obviously relatively modern in conception, is particularly impressive.

If you are particularly lucky, you may bump into a Philippino wedding as I did which was very colourful and extremely joyous. I can't guarantee it but you never know. What I can guarantee is that if you visit here and consider the history, you will be impressed.

Manila is a SHOPPERS' PARADISE. Local and international brands are represented in huge malls like Robinsons Place and SM. The latter has three huge malls in Manila - SM City Manila in Ermita, SM Centerpoint in Sta. Mesa and SM San Lazaro in Sta. Cruz.

For ultra-bargain shopping with just about anything, from accessories to zippers, from one to one million peso, Divisoria is the place to go. But be extra careful with pickpockets, even inside 168 and Tutuban malls.

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One of the major spots in Manila I hang out, many brand shops, coffee shops and restaurants, and the green fauna and gardens makes u feel to be away from the big city crowd and noise ... Mostly foreigners and expats, also locals, too, are spending their day and also till late hours ...

The shopping complex has two indoor buildings and a couple more open-air shopping centers divided between five sections, in which mostly appliance stores at Greenbelt 1, designer clothing shops at Greenbelt 3, and high-end shops of local and international brands at Greenbelt 4 and Greenbelt 5. As said, I love to spend the time there in the afternoon, especially mostly live music performances as sun goes down and entertainment becomes full action w bars and restaurants ...

Restaurants in Greenbelt 1 are mostly fast food, while Greenbelts 2 to 5 feature sit-down cafés and restaurants. Among the most popular ones are Café Havana, Temple Bar, Seattle’s Best, Hard Rock Café, and Chili’s. Fely J’s in Greenbelt 5 and Sentro in Greenbelt 3 offer Filipino fusion cuisine. There is also the Indian-inspired Bollywood, Red Box KTV bar, Ice Bar, and Greenbelt 3 3D theaters for late-night entertainment.

Strongly recommended area ... :)

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This place is actually quite huge , most of the interesing building , churches and museums are located in this Walled City or near this place.

this inlcudes -

1) Fort Santiago

2) Tsinoy Museum ( Chinese Philipino Museum )

3) Manila Cathedral (a magnificent architectural feat with its intricate stone carvings,

4) San Agustin Church (the oldest structure in the country with its Baroque interiors and trompe l'oeil murals )

5) Casa manila

6) charming Puertas (gates) and baluartes (battlements)

You can take a horse ride around the Walled City ( the guide will give you some tips ) but becareful the rate of the ride is per half hour ( 300 peso for half hour ). I felt cheated coz I thought I heard it was flat price. So the person will ask you to stop and visit the museum etc etc while he waits for you ....damn !

Extracted from the website below:
..."Considered as one of the largest parks in Southeast Asia, it has an area of 58 hectares which runs from Taft Avenue up to the walls of the famous Manila Bay. It was known as the Bagumbayan field during the Spanish era since this was where the Filipino-Moslems took refuge after the Spaniards occupied Intramuros in 1571. It was also called "Luneta," which means Little Moon. For 74 years, it was used as an executing ground by the Spaniards for Filipino rebels and mutineers. By 1902, Daniel Bumham, architect and city planner, chose Bagumbayan as the site of the proposed American government center. He designed a U-shaped composition of buildings, but only three were constructed: the Executive House, the Department of Tourism building, and the Department of Finance building. It acquired its present name Rizal National Park in dedication to the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, whose mortal remains were interred in the cornershore of the Rizal Monument in 1912"...

Come in the morning and see folks exercising, in the afternoon to see folks sneaking a rest from the rat race and at night to see the laser show!