TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Savoring Manila's unique flair
While Philippine Airlines and budget carrier Cebu Air make the one-hour trip from Manila to Puerto Princessâs airport twice a day, thereâs no direct service from Jakarta to Palawan
Change Size
W
hile Philippine Airlines and budget carrier Cebu Air make the one-hour trip from Manila to Puerto Princess's airport twice a day, there's no direct service from Jakarta to Palawan.
Since flights between the capitals take four hours, don't rush. Spend some time in Manila before venturing south. There's a lot to see.
To get around, enjoy a ride on Manila's most famous form of public transport ' the jeepney, long passenger vans that were first built on the frames of surplus US Army jeeps. (Now they're exported to Nigeria).
Jeepneys are usually elaborately decorated. You might see, for example, a door emblazoned with the Union Jack, a checkered racing flag on the hood, flames streaking down the side and 'God is Love' printed in script on the windshield above the driver's girlfriend's name.
Enter from the back and tell the driver where you're going. Pass your fare to the other passengers, who will hand it up front, and you're on your way.
A must-see stop is Intramuros, Manila's old walled city. Almost completely destroyed by the Americans when retaking Manila in 1945, the district has been restored, beautifully showcasing the colonial Spanish architecture of the original stone buildings.
Saint Augustine's Church, completed in 1607, was the one building in Intramuros to emerge unscathed after World War II. Soak in the Game of Thrones atmosphere of the castle-like church and monastery, strolling through the central garden before climbing the stone staircase to the second-floor galleries, full of gorgeous, centuries-old icons and Catholic relics.
The best way to experience Intramuros is through performance artist Carlos Celdran's walking tours (celdrantours.blogspot.com). Wearing his signature top hat, Celdran can often be seen spinning entertaining stories of the nation's history and colorful characters as he takes audiences through the old city.
Three-hour guided tours on bamboo bicycles are available through Ecotours, located across the street from St. Augustine's in the same colonial building as Barnardos, which offers Filipino-Spanish cuisine, served by men and women in gorgeous colonial-era dress.
The Presidential Museum and Library at Malacañang Palace offers a behind-the-scenes look at executive power in the Philippines. Most impressive is Maharlika Hall, a huge room turned into a library and ersatz museum of gifts given to Fidel Marcos.
It was from a window in Maharlika Hall that Marcos gave his farewell during the uprising in 1986 that saw him ousted from office.
While appropriate attire and reservations are required at Malacañang; the Roces House restaurant, a five minutes' walk away, offers a reasonably priced Palace tour package that include lunch.
Imelda's shoes, by the way, are kept at a 'mini-shrine' in the Marikina Shoe Museum.
At night, take a taxi to Malate, get out near Remedios Circle and stroll among the low-key bars and funky cafes in Manila's most-offbeat and artistic district.
Share a carafe of sangria or bottle Spanish brandy ' drunk neat over ice ' with friends, and enjoy the ambience. A woman will be singing, a man will play the Spanish guitar, and there will be dancing, from performers and patrons alike. 'JP/Christian Razukas
