Fun things to do in City of Manila

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The History:
>University of Santo Tomas or just to give its complete name: The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of the Philippines ((in Spanish: A La Real y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas de Aquino Universidad Catolica de Filipinas) is a private university founded on April 28, 1611 by Father Miguel de Benavides, a Spanish Dominican.

The First:

UST is one of the world’s largest Catholic university in one campus, the oldest university in Asia, the only university visited by 2 popes: Pope Paul VI and 2x by Pop Paul II.. it has its many firsts.

Actually, this is where most of my family and I were sent here to study and the moments we spent here were the ones we can't ever forget!

We used to call our university, UST or USTe (in Filipino) since the original name's very long.
UST was recently declared a national historical landmark since it is celebrating its 400th founding anniversary in the year of 2011.

Back from my college days, we used to have our classes in the main building which the other students were jealous of! (they really must feel that way!)

Father Benavides has his monument standing infront of the main building which another prominent landmark of the university.

The university just celebrated its 400 years in 2011 and still counting.
On March 9, 2011, the university got the Guinness World Records to form a human cross of students to which my sister participated and very proud of.

A grand celebration was celebrated in the entire year of 2011 then at the start of 2012, a closing celebration of the Quadricentennial year was held.

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Luneta, formerly called Bagumbayan is where the country's national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was executed for rebellion during the Spanish colonization.

In honor of the patriotism showed by Rizal, Luneta was then designed to make it as a park where his remains lie and the monument of the patriotic Filipino hero stands in the middle of the city.

Today, Luneta Park or Rizal Park is a favorite place where most of Filipino families gather together every weekend to have a picnic or just try to relax.

No admission fee. There are food and souvenir stalls that can be found inside the park.
There are also roaming photographers asking around if you want them to take some pictures of yours. I think this is only applicable for people/tourists who weren’t able to bring their cameras or their cameras might have ran out of battery but I’m not sure how much the photographers charge their customers. You can also try to ride the carriage and at the same time have a tour around the park. There’s a fee ofcourse, I think around 100Php maybe.

It is easy to locate this park if you’ll be taking the jeepney or the UV express service. There are public vehicles that will pass by Luneta making it easily accessible.

If you wish to take the train, you can take the LRT 1, (from Baclaran-Monumento route) get out at UN Avenue station, walk straight ahead, it will take about 15 minutes to arrive in the park.

If taking the LRT1 (from Monumento-Baclaran route), get out at UN Avenue Station, just cross the street then have a walk straight ahead, it will take about 15 minutes to arrive in the park.

The Rizal Park is near the Quirino Grandstand stadium where some public ceremonies, marathons, soccer games, etc. are usually held. Also, about 20 minutes walk from the park is where you’ll find the Manila Ocean Park, adjacent to the Quirino Grandstand stadium.

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The Chinatown which is located in Binondo, Manila is the oldest Chinatown in the world.
Chinatown shows the harmonious bond between the Chinese and Filipino.

I really love the busy streets of China town! Not only because it's just so near in Divisoria market but also due to the Chinese restaurants situated here! My friends and I used to have our food tripping here since College and I continue to do that until now.

I patronize almost all of the restaurants/stores here because they serve my favorites- Naicha (milk tea), dimsums and soy milk. Also, there are numerous bake shops that sell hopia. Hopia is a flaky pastry that comes with various fillings like beans, sweet potato, etc. that makes it tasty! I strongly recommend that you should try it!

The Lunar New Year is one of the important celebrations in the Philippines.
It's very fun to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chinatown because of the lion dance competitions and dancing dragons! I admire those dancing dragons with the energy they portray with the beats of the drum and deafening sounds of cymbals while dancing on the streets! I also like the way how the lion dancing teams perform in stores/shops then the owners will be giving them "ampao" (red envelope) w/ money inside as a gift. The red lanterns are everywhere that seems like inviting the people to come around and celebrate!

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You can’t miss the Binondo Church once you get in the Chinatown!
The Binondo Church is located at the western end street of Ongpin St. where you’ll enter Chinatown arch.

It is also known as the Minor Basilica & National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz.
This church is remarkable since it’s where the Philippines’ 1st canonized saint- San Lorenzo Ruiz (Saint Lorenzo Ruiz). was trained from.
San Lorenzo Ruiz is an altar server (sacristan) of this church who was born from a Filipino mother and Chinese father. He was sent as a Missionary to Japan but was persecuted in refusing to renounce his religion as a Catholic. He was canonized in 1989.

Masses are held every day with schedules posted outside for guidance in different languages- Filipino, English, Mandarin & Hokkien.

Beside the Church is the entrance to Chinatown, the Ongpin St. so after taking a visit of the church, might as well drop by Chinatown and eat a lot of dimsums!

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If you wish to relax or have a walk around the vicinity of Taguig City, Fort Bonifacio High Street is for you. There are trendy/luxury shops (Nike, United Colors of Benetton, The Body Shop, etc.) and restaurants (T.G.I.F., Krispy Kreme, Brother's Burger, Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Italliani's, etc.) along the street.
It’s kinda like the Greenbelt in Makati City but less crowded. Also, the lush greens of nature will lighten up your day! It's the only street that is not passable by any kind of transportation vehicle.

Also there’s an open field area nearby where we watched the Concert of Rihanna and Chrisbrown, I think it was 2008… but nowadays, it’s not the preferred venue for concerts since, I heard that the residents living in the condominiums here are complaining of the noise.

A few blocks away, you’ll get to a mall called Market! Market! where you can buy stuffs at low prices.

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In a very busy business district in Ortigas, who may know that a mini park is located in the middle of the tall buildings around? Well… this mini park in Ortigas is now open to the public. The scenery is fascinating and gives a very relaxing feeling and when you need a cup of coffee to add on it, don’t you worry; there’s the Coffee Bean & tea leaf located in the park. There are lots of restaurants/fast foods nearby as well.

I remember when I used to work in Ortigas a few years back, I often sit here and try to “cleanse” my mind after a very tiring day… and that really helps! Well… I guess, sometimes it’s best to pause for a while.

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Divisoria is my favourite shopping place because of low-priced, affordable and unique things that you can buy! there are lots and lots of dresses that are available for everyone's taste as well as anything that people can use, you can find it here.

The only thing that is kinda off in here is that, you must prepare yourself... for the place, the crowd and some energy. Divisoria is a big place and everywhere you can find vendors shouting out to buy their stuffs. And because this place is very popular for its affordable stuffs, prepare yourself for a big crowd. I greatly recommend having an early Christmas shopping as early as October if you don't want to be stranded. Last Christmas season, I went there about the 2nd week of October but lo and behold! I was stuck in an enormous crowd that I can't move...literally! As far as I can remember it was 2pm that day and I was about to go home after I bought a gift to my aunt. I can't even bear remembering that event! It was really awful! I got home at 7pm! I never went shopping again during those times, starting the 2nd week of October.

Divisoria is like the extension of Chinatown, actually, when you walk past the Binondo Church, on its right side, that’s where you can enter Chinatown. Basically, Divisoria is the business district of the Filipino Chinese people. Most of them own the stores in Divisoria. There are 3 malls in Divisoria- Tutuban Mall, 168 Mall and Divisoria Mall. All these 3 malls have stores with affordable things you can buy. Recently, 168 Mall was renovated and a bigger shopping area was made available. Personally, I prefer 168 Mall since there are more shops available offering unique and discounted apparels and it’s the primary reason why I love going into this busy place! It’s like the counterpart of The Platinum Mall in Bangkok.

Aside from the malls, just along the sidewalks, you can find economical stuffs as well; you just have to bargain with the vendors. The #1 important thing to keep in mind especially if it’s your first time shopping here, you must not bring any valuables, like your iphone or ipad, don’t bother, you might just lose it. Snatchers are everywhere since this place is always crowded. Just be simple in shopping. Don’t wear any genuine earrings, necklaces or bracelets. I’ve seen many ladies whose earrings were snatched while in a jeepney. In an instant, both her earrings were gone and we were unable to look for the snatcher. Those snatchers were usually children and teenagers who moves fast. No one can’t help you if this happens to you, the people would get irritated to you instead, since all the people that intends to come here are always briefed to be careful at all times and are always reminded to be simple.

Anyway, there’s nothing to be afraid of as long as you have to be alert at all times and you have the perception and willingness to buy cheap stuffs with quality. And that’s what matters most.

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Admission Rate:
Adult: 400php
Students: 250Php
Children: 350Php

Here are a few attractions in the ocean park:

Oceanarium- discover varieties of creatures underwater! and be amazed that species like these
exist in this earth!

Marine life show- watch the adorable sea lions perform! when we had our chance to have a break
at work, we were able to meet Ira and Vincent! Watch how they act like humans and be surprised!

Jellies dancing fairies
- you got to see the jellyfishes seem like dancing with the instrumental
music in the background. Also, another thing that's catching is the
illumination in the aquarium.

glass bottom boatride
-enjoy close encounters with the fishes without getting totally wet!

Fish spa
-problem of callouses on your feet and hands?
get rid of it by trying this fish spa! these small fishes
will just nibble away those unwanted skin...
but I didn't tried it...not because I don't have any callous! haha!
I dunno... I'm just so scared when the small fishes come in my direction,
haha!

Also, I would recommend that you must see the Musical Fountain Show.

after a tiring fish interactions, you must be starving! Try the Makan Makan Asian Food Village, a variety of asian cusines are available to choose from! When my friends and I had the chance to eat here last 2009, it was called Makansutra but recently it was changed to Makan Makan Asian Food Village. I dunno why...

when the sun sets, you may also want to take a rest and chill in the White Moon bar.

For more information on events/promos/attractions, you can visit the website of manila oceanpark:
http://www.manilaoceanpark.com/attractions.php