Manila

Oct 23-27
AC119 YYZ-YVR, AC17 YVR-MNL, AC18 MNL-YVR, AC106 YVR-YYZ

Air Canada has been expanding their service to Asia in recent years, with new flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Manila from Vancouver. We have previously visited Thailand and Singapore, but had not yet made it the Philippines, so it felt like a great opportunity. When that was combined with a post-pilot-strike promotion to encourage folks to book flights, we squeezed a long weekend trip to Manila near the end of the promotion period.

We were gone for four days, but travelling for almost two of them, which isn’t horribly optimal, but with the flight times and time zone shift did give us two full days in Manila, which was actually enough time to see the essentials of the city. After leaving Toronto in late afternoon, we had a very long layover in Vancouver before our 1:55am flight. However, as we were flying business class, did get to visit the Vancouver Signature Suite for the first time, and enjoyed some great food, champagne and wine before the long flight.

Oct 25

Luckily, we arrived after our 13-hour flight pretty well rested. With the late departure, a few drinks and a lie-flat seat it, was very easy to sleep most of the flight, and we did well at that. We were at the hotel and checked in before 8:00am, and after a quick shower, ready to head into the city to explore.

View from the club lounge of our hotel in the Taguig neighbourhood

San Agustin Church (1607), the oldest stone church in the Philippines

Broader view of the square and church complex, with the Spanish colonial influences on full display

The Intramuros Administration building

Exterior walls divide the historic Spanish Intramuros area from the surrounding city

Main entrance to Fort Santiago, protecting the old city within the walls

Seeing the new city outside the walls and the original moat

A statue of the national hero, José Rizal, who was imprisoned in a cell within the fort before his execution in 1896

One of the sentry boxes on a portion of the stone walls of Fort Santiago

More of the historic remnants of Fort Santiago

Large camphor tree in Plaza Moriones, at the tourist entrance to the fort complex

Monument (1824) to King Charles IV of Spain located in Plaza Roma

Manila Cathedral, officially known as the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, reconstructed 1954-58 after the original was destroyed in WWII 

Preparing Christmas decorations outside the cathedral

Replica of the Miguel de Benavides Monument in Plaza Santo Tomas, with the pink Colegio de Santa Rosa in the background

Manila Central Post Office

Art Deco Manila Metropolitan Theater

One of many jeepney vehicles, a popular form of public transportation that we weren’t brave enough to try

Andrés Bonifacio Monument, commemorating the founder and leader of the Katipunan, who initiated the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in 1896

City sign outside City Hall

Impressive National Museum of the Philippines complex

Traveling to the Pasay area on Manila Bay, The Mall of Asia is already decked out for Christmas

SM MOA Eye Ferris Wheel on the bay outside the mall

Back in Taguig, we visited the large American Cemetery and Memorial

Central memorial in the cemetery complex

Modern buildings surround the war cemetery

Sunset view from our hotel room

With a full day under our belt, we were pleasantly surprised by Manila. Although it was large, and traffic was chaotic, the Grab rideshare service was reliable and inexpensive, with lots of interesting attractions and impressive modern buildings. We enjoyed drinks and food in the hotel club before heading to bed..

Oct 26

Although there was a twelve-hour time difference, we were able to get a good night’s sleep, and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with foods from all over the world, before heading out to visit more of Manila.

The suburb of Marikina is center of shoe making and the home of the Shoe Museum of Marikina

Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, was famous for her large collection of shoes

This is the remainder of her famous collection, with some items having been destroyed in an earlier flood

A selection of some of the non-Marcos collection in the museum

A monument to the shoemaking history of the region

Sidewalk plaque outside the museum

Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church, also in Marikina, where the main construction began in 1687. 

Quezon Memorial Shrine, 66-meter tall monument for the former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon

Mausoleum containing the remains of former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, who helped free the Philippines from US rule

Welcome statue in large park surrounding the monument

Back in central Manila, we decided to explore a different area. This is Manila Central Post Office from across the Pasig River. 

The Binando Chinatown Arch leads into Chinatown from the start of Escolata Street, where our walk started

Colourful Escolta Street, closed to vehicles for a pedestrian Sunday of art and culture, with a parked jeepney helping to keep the street closed

Santa Cruz Church in Manila, Philippines, also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament

Exploring some of the lighting, speaker and video game stores in Chinatown

Some of the various game consoles, ready to be turned into full, working systems

One of the many Jollibee chicken restaurants that saturate the city

Quiapo Church, one of the most popular churches in the country, had overflow crowds outside, watching the services underway inside

Some of the various produce stands outside the main market in Chinatown

Manuel L. Quezon Monument outside the National Museum of the Philippines

The Filling Station Bar & Cafe in the Makati Neighbourhood, which we quickly discovered was also in the red light district

Exploring more of the Makati, with decorations distracting from the many overhead powerlines

Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church (1620), also known as San Pedro Macati Church

Church interior

Murals decorate the entrance to the Makati-Mandaluyong bridge

Walking along the Pasig River with Mandaluyong in the background

Golden bas relief depicting the landing of the Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies

Continuing our walk along the Pasig River

Specific Gravity sculpture in the shopping area in BGC (Bonifacio Global City) neighbourhood, where our hotel was located

Part of Japanese artist Kenji Yanobe's work, often known as "Sun Child", more of the public art in the BGC area

Unique facade of 30-story City Center Tower in BGC 

Our hotel fronted by a “This Property is NOT for sale” sign, presumably making a statement on the recent redevelopment in the area

Back at the hotel, we were able to rest after a very full two days covering all the highlights of this wonderful city and a great first trip to the Philippines.

Oct 27

The timing of our flight allowed us to enjoy one last day of the incredible breakfast spread at our hotel, before heading to the airport for our flight to Vancouver and on to Toronto. Although it was a long trip home, we managed to sleep enough to arrive rested and mostly adjusted back to our home time zone. Although it was a very quick trip, we enjoyed checking off country #117 on our list.