Hello there,

Let me tell you a little something... The Philippines has never been on our list. We have no knowledge and are not interested in the Philippines at all.
But because I wanted to follow my friends on a trip, I had to get to know the Philippines a little bit.
I followed my friends without any information and only started researching after I had already booked my plane tickets. And it made me realize that...

The Philippines is a very dangerous country!!! There are a lot of criminals, especially in Manila. Blah blah blah // I was shocked.
But since I wanted to travel, if I didn't come this time, I don't know when I would be able to come again. So I had to give it a try.

The reason my friend chose Manila was to conquer Mount Pinatubo and visit Intramuros.
But I just found out a few days before the trip that the volcano is temporarily closed. That's a bummer. Now all that's left is Intramuros, which we're going to visit.

...Intramuros is Spanish for "within the walls," and it is the oldest and most important historical city in Manila, dating back to the 16th century. Within its walls, there are many important communities and landmarks, such as forts, churches, schools, colleges, etc. [Google]
Suddenly I feel smart!! Coming here, I also gained some historical knowledge. Hahahaha

[[DAY 1]]

After flying directly from Singapore https://th.readme.me/p/3497

From my research, I found out that Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was once named the worst airport in the world for three consecutive years. There were also reports of scammers operating within the airport, both from outsiders and airport officials. -.-" It's quite a change, flying from a top-rated airport to a former worst airport.

I flew here alone, separated from my friend. My friend will arrive in Manila at 12.30 pm.
Before boarding the plane, the Filipino who flew with me was psychotically dangerous, which made me even more scared. But I've made up my mind to a certain extent. I have to be strong and wait at the airport for my friend for 8 hours.

We arrived at Ninoy Aquino Airport around 4:30 AM. We flew with Tigerair and landed at Terminal 1.
Since there was nothing at Terminal 1, we had to take a shuttle bus to wait for our friends at Terminal 4, which is the largest, newest, and most complete terminal.

When my friend arrived, it was time to check into our accommodation. We knew that we shouldn't take a yellow taxi (airport taxi), so we used Grab Taxi in front of the airport. The ride to our accommodation cost over 300 pesos.

Stay at Tambayan Capsule Hostel, located in the alley opposite Robinson's Place Manila mall.

In the afternoon, after getting myself together, I prepared to head out to Intramuros.
As for how to get there... I have no idea, haha! I'm just going to wing it. I asked the hostel staff how to get there, and she gave me an answer (not very confidently) that I should take the LRT to Pedro Gil station, which is the closest station, and then get off at Central Terminal station.

Exit the alley where you are staying and turn right. Walk straight ahead until you reach a four-way intersection. You will then see Pedro Gil Station.

Stepping out onto the street, I encountered one of the symbols of the Philippines: the Jeepney. It's like our local "songthaew," and its origins date back to World War II when Americans left them behind. Filipinos then modified them into passenger vehicles.

It's rush hour in Manila right now, so it's really chaotic and confusing.

There is another type of hired car, which is a three-wheeled sidecar. There are both bicycle and motorcycle types, but they look very dirty. Both the car and the rider.
Some people park their cars on the side of the road and sleep in them at night.

Walking along the way, I was shocked by the environment. I found only dirt, stench, urine smell, homeless people, and beggars asking for money.
I had to be alert, careful, and watch my bag all the time. But I still carried my camera and took pictures all the way... Why did I dare? Haha.

When I arrived at the intersection, the sight reminded me of Bangkok and made me love Bangkok even more.
Both cars and people were in a mess. The traffic was very heavy, and the horns were honking very loudly. People were walking, cars were trying to go, but when the cars couldn't go, they honked at each other, which didn't help at all. It was so noisy. They honked together, it hurt my ears...

Watch the clip here https://www.facebook.com/winya059/videos/101536133...

The Philippines is the first country in ASEAN to have a train system, because it was the first country, right? So the condition is old, outdated, and very dilapidated.

When I went to queue to buy a ticket, I found out that I got on the wrong side. I had to go to the opposite side, which... there is no connection above like in our country, it only has one floor. We had to walk down, cross the street to get to the other side -.-"
Because it was rush hour, the train was full of people. The first train arrived, I quickly told my friend, don't get on! It's scary, I'm afraid of the smell, I'm afraid of the people, hahahahahaha. Until the second train came, thank God, this train was empty and loose, let's go, haha.

When we arrived at Central Terminal, we were lost. We asked people for directions, but they just gave us more confusing instructions. We wandered around, passing by all sorts of things.

I asked around and found out that I had to cross the street to the other side. I tried to look for a pedestrian bridge, but I couldn't find one even after looking far. How am I going to get there? I just kept walking, following the crowd, until I found an underpass to cross the intersection. Ah, so that's how it is.

The condition of the tunnel is not good. It is old, dirty, dilapidated, and smells musty. There are shops selling goods underneath.

After crossing the river, walk back a bit and turn left. Walk straight ahead and we'll meet there... the entrance to Intramuros. Phew, I'm tired.

Let's try to find the route we took. It's like this: We went through the tunnel in front of Manila City Hall.

Because Intramuros is so vast, once I entered Intramuros, I couldn't help but wander around again. Hahaha.
I have internet access, but I feel like it's a waste of time to search, it's more convenient to ask people around here.

This section of the Intramuros Wall is located on Muralla Street. The top of the wall is lined with numerous gun emplacements.

Walking down the wall, from the sign I read here is Puerta Del Parian And Revellin Del Parian
It is the east entrance, 1 of the 8 entrances here... It seems to be an entrance in the past, it should not be used anymore.

This place offers free electric tuk-tuk rides for people who don't want to walk. We hopped on one and have no idea where it's going!

We took a car and drove until we came across a significant landmark, the Manila Cathedral. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral.
We arrived too late in the evening, and it was already closed to the public.

Across the street from the cathedral is Plaza Roma, which features a monument to King Carlos IV of Spain (Al Rey D. Carlos 4). The monument was erected in his honor for sending the first set of smallpox vaccines to the Philippines. [Wikipedia]

It was already dark, and the atmosphere was scary and dangerous. How am I going to get back? I don't know the way back. Hahahaha.
I used the same method as before: I asked the security guard nearby. At first, I asked for directions back to the train station. He said it was far, so I told him I was going to Robinson Place. It was easy this time. He pointed straight ahead to the road I was standing on and said to walk straight ahead, keep going straight, and I would find it.

Since I didn't want to take public transportation and hassle with getting on and off, I walked. I had already walked from the SCP, and now I had to walk again in the Philippines!
I had to walk strong and be very vigilant. There were a lot of untrustworthy people around, so I tried to stick with the locals. I could feel that the locals, especially the women, were also wary and cautious.
I passed by homeless people and bad smells, as usual. When I started to get close to the community center, I looked for a place to eat. Then I continued walking until I found the mall. I walked through the mall and exited the other way, and there was my accommodation... I'm saved! Hahahaha.

Let me know that this mall is going to open a Pablo Cheese Tart shop from Japan too…good. Thailand doesn't have it yet.

[[DAY 2]]

After being heartbroken by Mount Pinatubo, we went back to Intramuros again because we hadn't been everywhere yet.
In the morning, while getting dressed to go out, I don't know what caused it, the water or the Philippine air, but I got hives!!!
I couldn't do anything, I took medicine, applied ointment, and lay down waiting for it to go away. It wasn't until noon that I was able to move.

I was scared of the train from yesterday and it was a detour, so today I decided to walk. I know the way now, it's easy and comfortable, but the distance isn't very comfortable.

I want to say that the smell of pee is haunting me. Even when I'm in the middle of an intersection, the smell is very clear!!!

As we walked aimlessly in the hot weather, a tricycle driver approached us and offered us a package deal.
It was a tour around Intramuros, with a complete itinerary. We managed to bargain the price down to 150 pesos for 30 minutes.
It was still expensive, but we decided to go for it because we were tired of walking.

Despite his appearance, he has a wealth of knowledge. He explained a lot of history, and his English is good. I understood some things, but others were confusing.

Just the starting point is already exciting
https://www.facebook.com/winya059/videos/vb.651067...

The first stop was Puerta Real, one of the 8 entrances to Intramuros, located in the south. It is not open for passage.

After that, we headed straight to Intramuros via General Luna Street. We then turned right and followed the city wall, passing by various landmarks such as Manila High School and Mapúa Institute of Technology.

And we also passed the side of the wall where we walked yesterday. The bottom used to be a Japanese prison.

Bullet holes remain on the walls.
The yellow paint on the sidewalk, according to our guide, is made from egg yolks. We don't know what else is mixed in.

Asean Garden

The Aduana Building was once a building under Spanish colonial rule and served as an office for various governments during that time. [Wikipedia]
It is now an abandoned building. The picture shows both sides of the building.
https://www.facebook.com/winya059/videos/vb.651067...

The opposite side behind the Aduana building

Behind the Aduana building

In front of the Aduana building

Opposite the Aduana building is a monument to King Philip II of Spain, who named the Philippines.

Passing by beautiful old buildings, I have no idea what they are. Hahahaha

Next, we arrived at another major tourist spot, Fort Santiago. It's quite large and the entrance fee is 75 pesos per person.

Fort Santiago is the oldest fortress in Manila, serving as the first line of defense against enemy attacks entering Manila Bay. [Google]

Going deeper inside, you will find the Santa Barbara Fort, which faces the Pasig River.

Pasig River

Rizal Shrine is a museum that showcases the important works of José Rizal, a prominent Filipino writer and hero who fought for independence from Spain. [Wikipedia]

After leaving Fort Santiago, we returned to Manila Cathedral and had the opportunity to explore the interior of the church.

Our guide is waiting outside.

The last place the guide took us to and where we parted ways was San Agustin Church.
It is the only building in Intramuros that survived the bombing of World War II and is still completely intact.
It is the oldest church in the Philippines, built entirely of marble and is also a World Heritage Site. [Google]

The door of the chapel is carved from wood, it is very beautiful, the details are very delicate, I like it very much.

The area around the church

Next to the church, you'll find Barbaras Restaurant, a cafe and guesthouse.

The interior is very beautiful, like being in Europe.

We haven't been all over Intramuros yet, but it's getting late. We should go back before it gets dark. And from this point, we just walk straight ahead to get back to Robinson's Place.

Slums in Intramuros

After returning to our accommodation and settling in, we headed out for a night out in the Makati district, the economic and urban center of Manila. It was quite far from our accommodation, so we had to take a taxi.
We went for drinks at the rooftop of Z Hostel, where we were able to enjoy the city lights of Manila.

The cat sat on the mat.

The next morning we had to fly to Boracay Island https://th.readme.me/p/3352 in the afternoon.

But then, disaster struck. Our flight was delayed, right? For 2 hours. But it was more than that. Our flight was... canceled! The reason? The runway at Kalibo Airport, where we were supposed to land, had problems. All flights to that airport were canceled.

Oh no, I've been stood up! I've never been dumped like this before. I didn't know what to do. I didn't make it in time to join the new queue to exchange my ticket, so I just asked for a refund and figured out a new way to get there. T.T
The new route we chose really took a toll on our souls and wallets... I cried a lot. But since we wanted to get to the island the next day and didn't want to go back to the city and wait for another day, we had to give in. ~
We've already been at the airport for 18 hours. +[]+ The Philippines really makes us strong.

...Let me summarize a bit to give some guidance to those who want to travel to the Philippines.

- There are many interesting tourist attractions, both on land and by water. It's not difficult to get around, and everyone here speaks English. The cost of living is similar to ours, but some things on the island are more expensive.
- Since my friend and I are dark-skinned southerners, people here often think we're Filipinos and speak Tagalog to us. But my friend looks more Filipino than me, and some people even think we're Taiwanese... The good thing is that we used my friend's "Filipino-ness," which they say is beautiful and sexy, to bargain for prices and transportation costs, and it worked! Hahahaha
- As for the Philippines being dangerous in all sorts of ways, I think it's still acceptable. We didn't encounter any pickpockets or thieves, which is good. But you have to be careful and vigilant all the time for your safety. As for scams, I think it depends on your survival skills and how well you've done your research.
- The airport was okay, nothing too bad. The toilets at Ninoy were even cleaner than the ones at the Malaysian airport.
- Filipinos are friendly, hardworking, and dedicated to service.
- I don't like the constant dirt and smell of urine all over Manila, and the chaotic traffic with people honking at each other for the slightest thing.
- The sea in the Philippines is soooo beautiful, you have to experience it at least once.

...This was our first trip to the Philippines with my friend, and I'm sure there will be more to come because we're already hooked on the Philippine sea.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read.
Let's end the review with a quote from this trip…prettier than Miss You is us, stronger than Pacquiao is us again! Hahahahahaha Bye~

...Wiññā