Exploring Manila

I must admit upfront: I wasn’t the biggest Manila fan. I never really felt at ease in this big big city and the warnings from people living there didn’t make me feel any better: watch out, always order a cab with an app and never get in one randomly in the streets and definitely don’t walk home. No, we didn’t end up experiecing anything bad but one of the persons we met actually did (while we were there) so it made us extra cautious.

But I must say as well: most people we met were super nice. I still remember the really overcrowded metro where someone offered my his seat, or our Airbnb hostess who went out of her way to welcome us. It was also nice to be able to talk to a lot of people because everybody spoke English so well.

Manila was our first encounter with the Philippines and it did feel different than the rest of South-East Asia. To me it almost had a Southern American vibe. The English language and Catholicism probably had something to do with it 🙂

Manila travel information

• Transport: We flew to Manila from Bangkok.
• Stay: We stayed at this great Airbnb: the flat was fully ours and was located near a mall with a supermarket, numerous shops and eateries and a movie theatre. There are some other restaurants nearby as well.
• Things to do: Check out Old Town Manila (“Intramuros”).
• Food: We either made our own food or checked out restaurants in the neighbourhood: Yardstick Coffee & Your Local (amazing restaurant!)