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Philippines: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Oct 17, 2011
/
Philippines, Travel

Date: April 25th 2011

I woke up really early today as I had to catch my AirPhil Express flight to Cebu at 7am. I checked out of my hotel and took a taxi from Pasay to the airport. It cost ₱70 ($1.6/€1.2) but I reached the airport in under 20 minutes and there were long queues because of the security checks. I checked in, got my window seat and whipped out my phone to take a few snaps.

NAIA Terminal 2 Manila airport — I paid the airport user fee of PHP200 ($4.5/€3.4), which Aimee told me is something every airport in Philippines makes travellers pay

Ninoy Aquino bust airport Manila Philippines — Philippines' main airport is named after this revolutionary

Ninoy Aquino history Manila airport — And this is his story

My flight was unfortunately delayed by nearly 45 minutes due to poor weather conditions (apparently), but it was better than hearing some flights being cancelled, leaving passengers frustrated.

Aerial photography cloud mountain Philippines — I asked for a window seat because I read online that one could see Mount Pinatubo on this route. Though I feel I ended up on the wrong side.

Aerial photography valley road Philippines — Not that the views were disappointing or anything

Cebu city aerial photography Philippines — An hour later, we were above Cebu

Cebu shallow waters coral marsh Philippines — Shallow waters along the coast of Cebu

Cebu airport Airphil Express flight landing Philippines — A little late, but the weather seemed perfectly fine

I called Aimee and informed her about my arrival and she told me where to get a taxi from.

Cebu airport ramp Philippines — Though there were taxis available where I was standing, Aimee told me to get a regular cab from outside this other building

Bridge to Cebu city Philippines — It cost ₱160 ($3.6/€2.7) from airport to where I needed to go

I had reservations at Sugbutel Bed & Bath for two nights. I chose this place because, as per the map, it was close to the pier. I needed it to close to the pier because tomorrow morning, I was to go to the island of Bohol by ferry. But when I arrived at Sugbutel, I must say, I had the look of disappointment on my face. It was bang opposite the pier, sure, but there was little else around it. No restaurants and it didn’t look like it was within city limits. Anyway, I checked in, paid ₱700 ($16/€12) for my dorm bed for two nights and went upstairs.

Sugbutel dorm bed Cebu Philippines — I got an upper bed. It was clean and had all the essentials - universal plug point, night lamp and an air-conditioned room. If you like shipping containers, then the view is fantastic!

Sugbutel dormitory floor Cebu Philippines — This is the dorm floor. Toilets are clean and large enough.

Since today was the only day I had to check out Cebu city, I wasted no time and took a jeepney straight to the first attraction on my list, Fort San Pedro.

Road to fort San Pedro in Cebu Philippines — The ride from Sugbutel took just 5 minutes (cost around ₱7)

Cebu pier ferry Philippines — I walked all the way to the pier to find out when the first ferry to Bohol was

Cebu pier ships Philippines — There are several ferry companies plying daily to the neighbouring islands

Fort San Pedro Cebu Philippines — I walked to Fort San Pedro, which is very close to the pier

Fort San Pedro Cebu Philippines entrance — There is an entrance fee of ₱30 to Fort San Pedro

Fort San Pedro Cebu Philippines flag — Fort San Pedro, built by the colonial Spanish in 1783, is one of the oldest in the country

Fort San Pedro lawn Cebu Philippines — Didn't look very promising from here

Fort San Pedro exit Cebu — And that was it! I was done with the fort in 10 minutes.

I felt it was a bit of a waste of money. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen countless forts, both in India and in other places like Malaysia. After a while, they all start to look the same.

Magellan's cross Bank of Philippines islands Cebu — Next up, Magellan's cross

Ferdinand Magellan was a famous Portugese explorer who became the first European to land in the Philippines. He ordered this cross be placed here signifying the arrival of the ~~invaders~~ explorers.

Magellan's cross chapel Cebu Philippines — The cross is housed inside this chapel

Magellan's cross Cebu Philippines — Magellan's cross, it marks the spot where the first Christian Filipinos were baptized

College St .Nino Cebu Philippines — It's right in front of this college

Cebu bakery sweets pastry — I got distracted by the sweet smell coming out of a bakery/eatery/other junk college kids eat/stationary shop attached to the college

Cassava cake Cebu Philippines — Ordered a Cassava cake as it sounded interesting to me. It was quite yummy, though I felt they used a little too much condensed milk for the sweetness

Basilica del Santo Nino church Cebu Philippines — I walked towards Cebu's most famous attraction, the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, the oldest church in the Philippines

Basilica del Santo Nino red candles Cebu Philippines — Saw a lot of worshipers near these red candles

Basilica St. Nino candles Cebu Philippines — That's a lot of wax...

Basilica del St. Nino candle wax Cebu Philippines — ...which is recycled to make new candles I presume

St. Nino Basilica church Cebu Philippines — I walked towards the church

Basilica del Santo Nino ceiling paintings Philippines — Ceiling paintings

Basilica del Santo Nino Cebu Cathedral ceiling — The main ceiling

Basilica del Santo Nino prayers Cebu — It was time to leave

Basilica del Santo Nino Cebu cathedral open hall — Some courtyard right opposite the church

Osmena Blvd Santo Nino Jollibee Chowking Cebu — Across the road was a Jollibee (of course) from where I had lunch from

As I sat there, eating my burger, I wondered what to see next. It was only the afternoon and I… felt bored already. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Anyway, I hopped on a jeepney and decided to go towards Robinsons Mall.

Osmena blvd traffic afternoon Cebu Philippines — I just hopped into any one going straight up the road

Osmena Blvd jeepney name Cebu Philippines — The names of some of these jeepneys 🙂

Cebu city North district pedestrian overbridge — I got down here

Robinsons Place mall Cebu Philippines — And this is Robinsons Place mall. Closed. Like, for good/for renovation/for demolition kind of closed.

I walked around some more, since I didn’t know what else to do.

Robinsons Cybergate Osmena Fuente Cebu Philippines — Robinsons Cybergate is an office building

After converting some dollars at a nearby plaza, I got into another jeepney and decided to head towards the Philippine Taoist Temple.

Cebu provincial capitol building Philippines — Cebu provincial capitol building; take a right from here

Escario street Cebu Philippines — I got down a bit further ahead

From the main road, I was instructed to cross over to a road on the other side.

Entrance to Beverly Hills road Cebu — There were bike taxis (licensed or not, who knows) who offered to take me up for 10 pesos. Since I didn't feel like walking uphill and not knowing how much I would have to walk, I got on.

Road to Philippine Taoist Temple Cebu — Took this sitting behind the driver

It was only a short drive and the driver dropped me at a guarded entrance from where on, he told me, I would have to continue on by foot.

Beverly Hills road Cebu Philippines — Apparently it's private property from here on and so, bike taxis aren't allowed

Philippines Taoist temple from afar Cebu — And that's where I needed to get to

Beverly Hills junction to Taoist temple Cebu — Took the left

Beverly Hills uphill road to Taoist temple Cebu — It's a good 10 minute walk

Philippine taoist temple entrance Cebu city — The entrance

Philippine Taoist temple garden Cebu — There is no entry ticket or anything

Philippine Taoist temple prayer hall Cebu — The prayer hall is to the left, but photography of the hall and the idols aren't allowed

Philippine Taoist temple red staircase Cebu — I went up

Beverly hills neighbourhood Cebu — Pretty posh neighbourhood

View from Philippine Taoist temple Cebu — The view from up here

Philippine Taoist temple steps down Cebu — Went back down

Philippines Taoist temple Cebu panorama — Panorama comprised of 6 shots

Philippine Taoist temple exit Cebu — I was done

Philippine Taoist Temple Inc. second entrance Cebu — I know this temple was built by Chinese businessmen but '... Temple Inc.'?

Cebu Beverly hills stone wall — A lot of rich people live in Beverly Hills, though I wonder which came first -- the name of the hill or the residents?

Villa Beverly Hills Cebu — Nice looking pads

Beverly Hills road downhill Cebu — Walked all the way back down

Cebu Beverly Hills horse riding Philippines — Rich people = own horses

Cebu Beverly hills slum shanty homes Philippines — But just like India, regardless of any fancy name, it doesn't take too long to come back down to the reality of the majority in Cebu

Locals near Beverly hills Cebu — I bought some credit ('load' is the term in Philippines) for my phone and had a drink from here

The bike taxis approached me again and asked me if I would like to go to a higher viewing spot, which was a bit further up from here. They said I could watch the sun set from there. I was honestly bored, so I said “No thanks” and just walked on.

I stepped into a nearby mall, mostly to get some air-con. I dropped by a travel agency and asked them how much a tour to Bohol island tomorrow would cost. They quoted just over ₱3500 which I knew was exorbitant, since I did look it up online and had a fair idea as to how much the tours approximately cost.

I messaged Aimee telling her I was bored in Cebu and she told me to go check out Ayala Mall. So I got into a jeepney and headed to Ayala.

Cebu business park Ayala Philippines — Got down at an area that looked like a business park

Cebu business park IT office building — A lot of IT offices here

Wipro Cebu office Philippines — Well look who's here! (Wipro is an India IT/BPO major)

Ayala mall interiors shops Cebu Philippines — Anyway, this is air-condi... I mean, Ayala Mall

Ayala Mall Convergys call center hiring banners — Call center hiring is all over the mall

30 minutes of store-hopping, got bored (again) and left. I was pretty sleepy by now and decided to just take a taxi back to the pier instead of a jeepney.

Supercat office Cebu pier Philippines — Came to the pier for Supercat's office & to know when the first ferry to Tagbilaran (Bohol's capital) was

The tour of Bohol when purchased from Supercat themselves cost around ₱2800. I opted not to buy the tour package and instead, decided to do it myself.

I left the pier and walked back to the main road. As soon as I got to the main road in a minute, I realized why I booked at Sugbutel. You can literally walk to Supercat’s terminal from here.

Pier road Sugbutel Radisson hotel at night — If you don't like Sugbutel's budget offerings, you can move up to the Radisson up ahead

I dropped my camera bag back at the dorm and stepped out again wondering where I could have dinner. There are hardly any eateries outside Sugbutel.

Pier area at night Cebu — The surroundings aren't exactly what you'd call 'great'

But walk all the way up to the Radisson Hotel and right next to it is one big-ass mall!

SM City cebu mall restaurants — Felt stupid just wondering a few minutes back, where I could get some decent food! No dearth of options here.

SM City Cebu mall Philippines — SM City is the biggest mall in Cebu!

SM city Cebu mall foodcourt — I ate from here

SM City Cebu mall shops — Walked around the mall a bit. It was past 8pm and many stores were done for the day.

I walked back to Sugbutel, freshened up and hit the bed early. Tomorrow was going to be another early wake-up call.

I know Cebu residents will be going “Oh, there’s more to Cebu than just these sights you saw!” and you’re probably right. Aimee told me if I headed up north in a vehicle, I could have explored the beaches and other sights Cebu has to offer. But I’m keeping all my “beach and sea” experiences for Palawan, which is why I only used Cebu as a stopover point to get to Bohol and then fly to Palawan.

Previous posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 6 – Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches

Philippines 2011: Day 11 – Arriving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 12 – Puerto Princesa Underground River tour, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 13 – Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus

Philippines 2011: Day 14 – El Nido island hopping tour A and sunset at Las Cabanas beach, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Back to Manila, shopping, and my final thoughts about the country (Last post)

Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Oct 03, 2011
/
Philippines, Travel

Date: April 24th, 2011

Sunday, the concluding seventh day of my first week in Philippines. Today’s itinerary involved meeting my friend Aimee, and then letting her show me around Manila’s famous landmarks.

UN Avenue metro station Manila Philippines — Aimee asked me to get down at U.N. Avenue MRT station (taken on my Nokia E72)

After meeting her at a nearby 7-11, we stocked up on fluids and Aimee told me why its named U.N. Avenue.

UN Avenue Manila Philippines — The World Health Organization has an office here

Aimee first took me to Rizal Park, one of Manila’s largest public parks.

Rizal Luneta park Manila Philippines — It's also called Luneta Park

Rizal Park islands geography display Manila — This used to be filled with water. When viewed from higher ground, it's the geography of the Philippines

Rizal Park Sunday morning Manila Philippines — We just walked through the park

National Museum Rizal park Manila Philippines — The National Museum building

Rizal Park Lapu Lapu statue Manila Philippines — That's a statue honouring Lapu Lapu, considered to be Philippines' first national hero

The Orchidarium Manila Philippines — The Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion

Rizal park Philippines National heroes Manila — More national heroes

Chinese garden Rizal park Luneta Manila — The Chinese Gardens. They have a Japanese garden too.

Rizal Park Luneta monument Manila Philippines — This monument is in honour of Philippines' greatest patriot, Jose Rizal. It was on these grounds the revolutionary was executed by the Spanish, who colonized Philippines at the time.

Rizal park map layout Aimee Marie Manila Philippines — Aimee checks where we are

Jose Rizal park Luneta monument Manila Philippines — It was time to leave Rizal Park

Rizal Luneta monument Mithun Manila Philippines — Aimee took one of photo of me and we moved on

Kilometer zero Rizal park Manila Philippines — The clock structure you see on the left is called Kilometer Zero. It serves as a point from which every road is measured.

Horse chariot ride Roxas boulevard Manila Philippines — They have horse cart rides around this area, in which they take you all the way to Intramuros and other tourist attractions

Manila Hotel Roxas boulevard Philippines — The oldest hotel in Manila. Manila Hotel has seen everybody from The Beatles to John F. Kennedy among other famous guests. In other words, a very expensive place to people like you and me.

Plant trees outside Intramuros golf club Manila Philippines — We walked to Intramuros next

Tree plantation Intramuros golf club Manila Philippines — There's a golf course just outside Intramuros

Intramuros pavement sun shade Manila Philippines — It was scorching hot by the way

Intramuros main entrance Sunday Manila Philippines — There is no entrance fee for Intramuros

Intramuros entrance panorama Manila Philippines — Panorama comprised of 9 shots

Intramuros literally means “walled city” and was created during Spanish colonial rule. It’s the oldest district in Manila and one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. It was built to keep invaders away, although, it eventually failed to do so as years progressed).

College of Nursing Intramuros Manila Philippines — There are many colleges and other educational institutions in Intramuros

Colegio De Santa Potenciana Manila Red Cross Intramuros Philippines — This building was formerly the Colegio De Santa Potenciana, the first girl's college in Manila. Now it's used as the office for the Philippines Red Cross.

Patio Victoria Intramuros Manila Philippines — This is a really popular venue for weddings and events

NCCA office Intramuros Manila Philippines — Office of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Intramuros filipino children playing Manila Philippines — A few people still call Intramuros their home

San Agustin church back walls Intramuros Manila Philippines — There are two main attractions inside Intramuros. One, the Manila Cathedral and two, the above -- San Agustin Church, the oldest church in Manila.

Urdaneta house Intramuros Manila Philippines — Intramuros still retains many of the colonial architecture

Jojie's jasper classic photography building Intramuros Manila — Despite the modern offerings, the overall classic look is still retained

San Agustin church cars parked Intramuros Manila Philippines — I wanted to check out San Agustin church, but unfortunately (for me) there was a wedding scheduled for today, being a Sunday that too.

San Agustin church world heritage site Intramuros Philippines — San Agustin church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Barbara's hotel Intramuros Manila Philippines — Hotel Intramuros inside

Ironcon builders road to Manila cathedral Intramuros Philippines — We walked towards the Manila Cathedral

Manila Cathedral front Intramuros Manila Philippines — We went in

Manila Cathedral hall praying Intramuros Philippines — While Aimee prayed, I continued shooting

Manila cathedral hall gothic architecture Intramuros — I love gothic architecture. Heck, I like all good architecture.

Manila Cathedral interiors ceiling dome Intramuros Philippines — Panorama comprised of 8 shots

Manila Cathedral mother mary statue glass art Philippines — Panorama comprised of 4 shots

Manila Cathedral organ pipes panorama — Panorama comprised of 6 shots

Manila cathedral Christian glass art window Philippines — I have always been enamored by glass art like this

Manila Cathedral pipe organ history — A little bit of history about the very old pipe organ

Manila cathedral pipe organ musical scores — There's a section of the church dedicated to historical trivia and relics

Manila cathedral glass painting church Philippines — More wonderful glass paintings

Manila cathedral pillars panorama — Panorama comprised of 5 shots

Manila Cathedral hall benches Intramuros — We decided to leave

Manila cathedral door carving Philippines — Carvings on the heavy wooden doors of the cathedral

Manila Cathedral Intramuros Philippines panorama — Attempted the fish-eye look

Walking out of the cathedral and past some of the ‘No to RH Bill’ banners around, I couldn’t help but turn the conversation about the controversial RH bill. Aimee told me how, even to this day, the Catholic church has such an influence over the people and policies in Philippines. The RH bill is basically aiming to promote the use of contraceptives and family planning in a bid to control population growth.

But what was even more shocking news to me was when Aimee told me divorce is yet to be legalized in Philippines! I mean, I considered a predominantly Christian country to be far more progressive in many regards, besides being educated. Clearly that wasn’t the case in Philippines. Now all the single pregnant women I saw across Philippines made sense. It’s like men abuse the law (or the lack of it) because they know there is little the woman can do.

Intramuros way to Fort Santiago Manila — Aimee took me next to Fort Santiago. Entrance fee was a steep PHP75.

Fort Santiago wall Intramuros Manila Philippines — The fort is of historical importance because it was where national hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned before his death

Fort Santiago wall path Intramuros Manila — We walked along the walls

View from Fort Santiago Manila — The view from the Fort

Fort Santiago prison cells Manila — Chambers used to hold prisoners

Pasig river behind Fort Santiago Manila Philippines — Got distracted by Pasig river

Pasig river slum children swimming Manila Philippines — There were children jumping into the river for a swim

Anyway, back to Fort Santiago.

Fort Santiago coins prison Manila — People throw coins into these chambers now... I don't know why

Fort Santiago dungeons Manila Philippines — Walked around to the side where you had these dungeons

Jose Rizal statue Fort Santiago Intramuros Manila — The man himself, Jose Rizal

Jose Rizal's steps Fort Santiago Philippines — They re-trace Rizal's final steps before he was executed by the Spaniards

House near Fort Santiago Intramuros Manila — We left Fort Santiago

Manila Cathedral zebra crossing Intramuros Philippines — We walked past Manila Cathedral again

We walked back to San Agustin church hoping the wedding would have been over by now…

San Agustin church door wooden carving Intramuros — ... but it wasn't. So I took a photo of the door and left.

Marine Officer's Seamen Union Philippines Manila — HQ of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen's Union of the Philippines

Houses Intramuros Manila Philippines — We decided to have lunch

Filipino food chicken gravy beans rice Intramuros Manila — Stepped inside a small eatery and had some Filipino food. Totally came to PHP62 ($1.4/€1)

Intramuros alley Manila Philippines — We resumed our walk

Intramuros exit entrance Manila — We finally decided to leave Intramuros

Intramuros entrance under the bridge Manila — We left via another exit

Manila post office building fountain Philippines — Manila Post Office building

Manila Metropolitan Theater Philippines — The Manila Metropolitan Theater, renovated many times over but hardly in use nowadays

Way to Chinatown Manila — Aimee and I now walked towards 'Chinatown,' known locally as Binondo

Chinatown bridge Manila — We walked across a bridge

Bridge to Chinatown graffiti Manila — The bridge was decorated with lights...and graffiti

Pasig river Manila Philippines — Pasig river

Way to Chinatown fountain Manila — Not a very glamorous entrance, but apparently Manila's Chinatown is the oldest in the world

Arch of Goodwill Chinatown entrance Manila — This is the most famous street in Chinatown

Ongpin street Chinatown Manila Philippines — Ongpin is what it's called

Ongpin jewelry center Chinatown Manila — A lot of jewelry stores here

Chinatown betting OTB locals Manila — Betting on horse races is a popular pass time for many (broke) locals

Hopia mooncakes Filipino sweets Chinatown Manila — We (okay, okay... I) got distracted by the sweet smell of fresh hopias (mooncakes) being made at this bakery. Ended up buying a pack.

Aimee Marie Chinatown vegetable market Manila Philippines — Aimee, my wonderful 'guide' throughout Manila. She enjoys walking a lot just as much as I do.

Election posters criminal mugshots Chinatown Manila — Those photos make them look like wanted criminals. Oh wait, politicians, same thing.

Manila Chinatown Mithun Divakaran Philippines — One shot of yours truly before leaving Chinatown

Chinatown purple fire engines Manila — Chinatown gets cool looking purple fire trucks!

Chinatown Ongpin street security cameras Manila — Since a lot of affluent businessmen in Manila are Chinese, kidnappings are high. Aimee told me they have security cameras installed on this street.

Binodo church Ongpin street Manila — At the end of Ongpin street is Binondo church, also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Binodo church Sunday prayers Manila — Today was Easter Sunday

Binondo church Chinatown Manila Philippines — The church was first erected in 1596, making it one of the oldest churches in Manila

Aimee decided it was enough of walking. She and I got into a jeepney and we thought of watching the sunset at Manila Bay.

Pedro Gil road to Robinsons Place Malate Manila — We got down near Pedro Gil MRT and walked up the road

Philippines Supreme court Manila Malate — Passed by the Supreme Court

Robinsons Place mall Malate Manila Philippines — We went inside one of Manila's most popular malls

Robinsons Place mall Cabalen Malate Manila Philippines — Plus we felt like soaking up some a/c

Robinsons Place mall elevator fountain Manila — Despite being a few years old, Robinsons Place is still very popular

Malate jeepney trike — We stepped out of the mall and made our way towards the bay

Roxas boulevard road Manila bay evening — Roxas boulevard

We sat on the ledge and gave our feet a break.

Manila Bay American Embassy Philippines — The white building is the United States Embassy

Manila Bay sunset Aimee Marie Manila — A big thanks to this girl for making the most of my day. I don't think I could have seen everything that I saw today for less than 100 pesos if it weren't for her.

Hotel H2O Manila Ocean park Philippines — That's Hotel H2O, part of Manila Ocean Park

Manila sunset golden sea Philippines — The sunset was wonderful, as always. Look how golden the water is.

Manila Bay Dog walking Philippines — The whole experience is a nice one, even for dogs

Except for a tiny incident which abruptly disappointed me… but I promised Aimee I wouldn’t mention it in the blog. So anyway, time to leave.

We walked back to Malate.

Malate Church manila bay Philippines — Malate Church

Malate Church sunday evening mass Manila Philippines — Easter Sunday prayers still going on

Robinson Place levels Manila Philippines — We went back to Robinsons Place because I now needed to look for something for my lens *cough*Aimee'sfault*cough*

Robinson Place mall stores Manila Philippines — Scanned a lot of electronics stores but no luck

Jailbreak services chicken Robinsons Place mall Manila — By the way, saw this at some store at Robinsons. I get everything mentioned here... except for the 'chicken' part. Could somebody tell me what it is?

We eventually left the mall as it was getting late for Aimee. We said our goodbyes and she told me which jeepney to get into to head back to Pasay, where I was staying at the Kabayan Hotel.

So that was my Sunday in Manila. Lots of photos, I know! Tomorrow, I begin the second leg of my journey across the Philippines and for the next seven days, it’s all islands. So here come the blue waters!

Previous posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 6 – Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches

Philippines 2011: Day 11 – Arriving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 12 – Puerto Princesa Underground River tour, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 13 – Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus

Philippines 2011: Day 14 – El Nido island hopping tour A and sunset at Las Cabanas beach, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Back to Manila, shopping, and my final thoughts about the country (Last post)

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Aug 11, 2011
/
Philippines, Travel

Date: 17th April 2011

Technically yesterday was day one in Philippines, but today was when I would officially begin my sightseeing. After a good hearty sleep, I woke up in time for breakfast at Kabayan (they start serving really early).

Kabayan hotel Pasay reception Manila Philippines — The reception

Kabayan hotel Pasay Pinoy Star cafe Manila — Where they serve breakfast and lunch

The breakfast and lunch isn’t your usual buffet offering. You queue up and get served your choice of dishes. No seconds.

Kabayan hotel Pasay breakfast Manila Philippines — Still, they give you a mouthful

It was enough to kick-start my day.

Filipino animal expert TV show Kabayan hotel — Although, I went back to my room and ended up watching TV for some time. This Filipino Steve Irwin was showcasing the natural wonders of Palawan, a place I was going to. So I considered it ‘research’ (even though he spoke mostly Tagalog).

As per my trip itinerary, I was going to be leaving Manila tonight for Banaue, but thanks to Aimee who already bought the bus ticket for me, it freed me up today to go see the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial — which wasn’t far from where I was staying.

I had to check out by noon — and I duly did so by noon. I kept my luggage at the reception and told them I would collect it in the evening. Since it was already 12pm, I had lunch from Kabayan before leaving.

Kabayan hotel pasay lunch Manila Philippines — My first taste of Filipino cuisine. First impression: dry. Not a whole lot of varied flavour. Unlike Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, I guess curry isn’t common here. I only had chicken stock to flavour the hard sticky rice.

Done with lunch, I made my way to a very busy Pasay MRT station. Bought myself a one way ticket to Ayala station (as that’s where Aimee told me I needed to go first).

Pasay MRT terminal Manila Philippines — Ticket cost ₱10

Ayala MRT station Manila — It was a short 5 minute ride to Ayala

SM Glorietta mall Ascott Taguig city Manila — This stop is is a popular shopping hub because of SM and the Glorietta malls here

I also saw a Convergys office here, not that I was surprised to know big Indian BPOs have offices here in the Philippines.

Manila Taguig city road — I took a taxi because the cemetery was to be a short drive from here

But the taxi driver in his broken English started hinting as though he had no idea about the cemetery, its existence or how to get there — which I knew was just an act. The cemetery is quite famous and located in the posh Fort Bonifacio area in Taguig. Plus, its freaking huge!

Manila Taguig city office buildings — I was getting a little irritated by the taxi driver as we were slowly driving around business parks with the cemetery nowhere in sight

Fortunately, there was a traffic policeman up ahead and I forced him to stop so that I could ask the officer as to how to get to the cemetery. The officer gave the taxi driver instructions and I could see a smile on the driver’s face as if he was thinking “yeah, yeah, I know where it is. Fine, I’ll take him there!”

A few minutes later, I arrived at the cemetery. The fare: ₱135 ($3/€2.2). Way too much!

Manila American war cemetery entrance gates — Anyway… phone camera in, time for the DSLR to begin its usage

There isn’t an entry fee for the memorial. The security guard only asked me to sign my name in and advised me not to step on the grass or walk through the first two lanes (don’t know why).

Manila American War Cemetery and memorial view from entrance — Didn’t look like there were many people inside

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial left trees — Stuck to the left side

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial big tree — With over 17,000 graves, this is the largest war cemetery outside the United States

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial tombstones Taguig panorama — I shot a lot of panoramas because there was no other way I could capture the scale of the cemetery

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial plaza — The Memorial Plaza

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial fountain caretaker — I didn’t seem many workers here

Manila American War Cemetery & Memorial airplane flying over — I could see the cemetery from the sky just as I was about land yesterday

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial Jewish tombstone — You find the occasional Jew among the crosses

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial tombstone hill — This cemetery is a symmetrical haven

Manila American War Cemetery war Memorial tombstones wide panorama — (Panorama comprised of 12 shots)

Manila American War Cemetery war memorial uncut trees — I like how they decided not to cut some trees

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial white tombstones wide panorama — Panorama comprised of 11 shots

Manila American War Cemetery war memorial white tombstones wide angle panorama — Panorama comprised of 13 shots

Manila American War Cemetery memorial chapel panorama — Back of the Memorial Plaza chapel

Manila American War cemetery & memorial afternoon — I took a break from the circle and decided to check out the Memorial plaza

Manila American War cemetery & memorial chapel front — The chapel

I wrote a note in the visitor’s book they have inside the chapel and left.

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza battles — The battles these soldiers fought are all showcased here

Manila American war cemetery memorial pacific battles — Mostly World War II and the other Pacific battles America fought in

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza soldiers names on walls — The names of the 17,000 plus soldiers buried here are engraved on these walls

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza Filipino soldiers names — I couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of Filipino names on the walls too

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza filipino soldiers — Ah, that explains it. I was under the impression only American soldiers were buried here.

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza Idaho seal — The have the respective state seal corresponding to the walls with the soldiers from the same state

Manila American war cemetery memorial gardener — Lone worker

Manila American war cemetery memorial road — I left the Memorial Plaza

Manila American war cemetery memorial sparrows — Took the 70-200mm lens out for this shot

Manila American war cemetery war memorial crosses — Even though it was scorching hot, I chose to come at this time for the lighting: I wanted shadows

Manila American war cemetery memorial road panorama — Panorama comprised of 10 shots

Manila American War cemetery memorial jeep — You can bring your vehicle inside if all you want is drive through

Manila American war cemetery memorial water evaporating — You can’t really see it but the water was evaporating as soon as it hot the hot tarmac

Manila American war cemetery war memorial section panorama — Larger the panoramas, the smaller the crops when making it fit on my website

Manila American war cemetery war memorial tombstones black & white — Had to try black & white

Manila American war cemetery memorial graves black & white — Added a bit of grain to this one

Manila American war cemetery memorial lawn graves — It was time to leave

Manila American war cemetery memorial medal of honor tombstone — A recipient of the Medal of Honor

Manila American war cemetery war memorial tombstones hill road — Took this on the Canon 450D, which I was also carrying

Manila American war cemetery memorial BGC buildings panorama — Panorama comprised of 14 shots

Manila American war cemetery memorial rainbow sprinklers — Cool huh?

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza view panorama — I walked back to the Memorial Plaza for one final look

View from memorial plaza panorama — From a little higher up

Manila American war cemetery memorial crosses shadows — After 3 hours of sweating it out in the hot sun, I finally walked towards the gates

Manila American war cemetery memorial white lines — I felt satisfied with the photographs I took today. A good start to this trip.

American Battle Monuments Commission Manila cemetery memorial info — The memorial is maintained by a US government agency

I went inside the visitor’s lounge and stayed for a few minutes. Not that they had anything to see inside, but the room had air-conditioning and a water cooler. The retired American army colonel who manages the place smiled at me as he walked into his office and said: “Enjoy it”.

Enjoy it I did 🙂

Feeling a bit cooler, I left the memorial. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is one among the few attractions in Manila worth seeing. You may not want to spend 3 hours here, that too in this heat, but I found it peaceful and a calm place for a bit of photography. Of course, do keep in mind this is still a cemetery honouring soldiers and not your usual family picnic park. So do show some respect for the dead once inside.

Bonifacio Global City Taguig Manila — I took a taxi back to Ayala station

The taxi ride was through McKinley Road, and I quickly realized how posh this area was. The taxi driver told me very rich people live on McKinley Hill.

McKinley hill road to Ayala Manila Philippines — Passed a few highly fortified houses, which usually implies bureaucrats, individuals with questionable incomes sources and other high profile people live here

Ayala Malls McKinley road Manila — Unlike my rip-off taxi ride to the cemetery, the journey back was through the right path and it only cost ₱56

Glorietta malls Ayala Manila Philippines — Figuring I still had some time (and craving for some more air-conditioning), I checked out Glorietta Mall

Glorietta Ayala mall Marks & Spencer store Manila — This was the only photo I took from inside before the security man came over and told me photography is prohibited. Oh well.

SM Ayala taxi line Manila Philippines — I checked out a few floors and left soon after

I took the MRT back to Pasay, went back to Kabayan, freshened up, collected my bags and called Aimee. She asked me to come to Central station, where she would meet me there.

Once at Central, we took a taxi and went to Sampaloc, cost ₱70.

Cayco Street Espana blvd Sampaloc Philippines — We got down here

From there, it was a short walk to the Autobus office. I collected my ticket, paid Aimee back (₱450 for a one-way ticket to Banaue) and we sat a convenient store to chat for some time.

Aimee in front of Autobus station Manila — This is Aimee, and the Autobus office is in the background

I saw Aimee off and boarded my bus, a small one. I’ll talk about how the ride was in my next post but all in all, today was a good start. I had high hopes for the next few days.

Previous post:

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 6 – Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

Philippines 2011: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches