Note: this trip was made at Christmas 1995. In the time since then I'm sure much has changed so it may not be a great idea to treat this as a guide. Treat it as a memoir, which - give or take some editing - is exactly what it is.Our last day dawned with the kind of blazing heat that had too often been denied us. Tomorrow morning we would board a plane at five O'clock a.m. that would need a 2 a.m. wake up. The almost unanimous consensus was that it would not be worth going to bed so a very long day stretched out ahead of us. After breakfast there was time to go for a walk in the area around the hotel. The sun was fierce and bright as we left the hotel and kept turning right until we had walked around in a large square and arrived back at our starting point in time to grab bags and take the 10:30 plane to Manila. Once we reached Manila, a little before lunch, there was the question of how to spend the day. After some consideration we decided to walk in the direction of Intramuros and look at some of the sights.
We set off along Mabini Street towards Rizal Park. My attempts to change money, in spite of the hundreds of money changers had been frustrating. Three consecutive shops had refused flat out to accept traveller's cheques or any currency other than dollars. As I had no dollars to change I had had to keep searching. The fourth one agreed to change traveller's cheques but at a rate well below the official one. Their take it or leave it attitude made it plain that I would have no more luck anywhere else so I had taken it, changing the last of my money. I had just about enough to last the day.
Our first 'sight' was Rizal Park which is a large and very crowded park of little interest other than for the huge fountain in the centre of it. Across the busy road there were two smaller parks, each charging a nominal fee, the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden. We went first into the Chinese Garden. This was a charmingly laid out garden with a number of Chinese style pagodas. It seemed to be a popular meeting place for young couples who were strolling round hand in hand or sitting together on the numerous benches. We also strolled around for a while. The Japanese Garden was smaller and less interesting. It could be circled inside about two minutes and was a relatively barren place.
We set off along Mabini Street towards Rizal Park. My attempts to change money, in spite of the hundreds of money changers had been frustrating. Three consecutive shops had refused flat out to accept traveller's cheques or any currency other than dollars. As I had no dollars to change I had had to keep searching. The fourth one agreed to change traveller's cheques but at a rate well below the official one. Their take it or leave it attitude made it plain that I would have no more luck anywhere else so I had taken it, changing the last of my money. I had just about enough to last the day.
Our first 'sight' was Rizal Park which is a large and very crowded park of little interest other than for the huge fountain in the centre of it. Across the busy road there were two smaller parks, each charging a nominal fee, the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden. We went first into the Chinese Garden. This was a charmingly laid out garden with a number of Chinese style pagodas. It seemed to be a popular meeting place for young couples who were strolling round hand in hand or sitting together on the numerous benches. We also strolled around for a while. The Japanese Garden was smaller and less interesting. It could be circled inside about two minutes and was a relatively barren place.
We crossed over Burgos street to head towards the entrance to the walled city of Intramuros. On the left as we approached there was an entrance to a small fortification. Inside was a pleasant and deserted garden and steps that led up to the walls and roof. We explored for a few minutes and then went to see Intramuros itself.
Intramuros - "The walled City" is Manila as it once was. The wall was constructed following attacks by China with a moat around it to complete the fortifications. It encircled all of the important houses and churches and only the Spanish and the Mestizos were allowed to live inside.
Much of the walled city was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War but enough of it remains or had been restored to make it worth visiting. The buildings are in a completely different style to anywhere else in Manila, more preposing and elegant. Many of them were decorated for Christmas. One had what appeared to be a set of life size cardboard cut out nativity figures on the flat roof above its doors.
Intramuros - "The walled City" is Manila as it once was. The wall was constructed following attacks by China with a moat around it to complete the fortifications. It encircled all of the important houses and churches and only the Spanish and the Mestizos were allowed to live inside.
Much of the walled city was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War but enough of it remains or had been restored to make it worth visiting. The buildings are in a completely different style to anywhere else in Manila, more preposing and elegant. Many of them were decorated for Christmas. One had what appeared to be a set of life size cardboard cut out nativity figures on the flat roof above its doors.
We walked around for a time before heading out of the side gate and into a grim urban area where homeless people seemed to be living on the narrow stretch that separated the main road from what must surely be one of the worlds strangest golf courses, a bizarre narrow grass strip, no more than fifty feet wide, that encircles the walled city where the moat once was.
In the evening we all went out together for a meal. The intention was to go back to the Hong Kong Tea Rooms but they were full and recommended another Restaurant a little way away. This was larger and although the food and service were as good the portions were less generous and we finished the meal without the effort that we had been forced to put in last time.
Afterwards the group split up slightly with by far the largest group of us going on to what was formerly the Manila Hard Rock Cafe but is now called Ten Years After. I had forbodings about the place from the moment we entered. Although the decor was fine, the lighting intimate and the music good solid melodic rock it seemed to me the sort of place where it would be very easy to get ripped off. I was soon proven right. We ordered a round of drinks, predominantly cocktails. I am no expert but my Tequila Sunrise had no perceptible alcohol content, Tequila or otherwise. Others soon started voicing the same opinion. There was only lime juice in the gin and lime. Even the beer seemed to have no actual beer in it. We complained and when that got us nowhere we sorted out the money for the drinks and tried to leave. Of course that was reckoning without the cover charge. I had seen that coming. Of course in view of our satisfaction we refused to pay it and they threatened to call the Police. Out in the street a Policeman did indeed try to stop us but as we were so many and we just ignored him he let it go.
There was nothing for it. It was time to go back to Rosie's, which is what we did. We pooled all of the remaining money and spent it on several pitchers of Margaritas which had an extremely high alcohol content and spent from then until about two O'clock getting quite drunk.
Then, in a flurry of activity, it was all over. Rush back to the hotel, shower and change, rush to the airport, kill a little time in the departure lounge and get on the flight home. The Philippines, like some many other places had gone from being a place to look forward to, to being a place to look back upon.
In the evening we all went out together for a meal. The intention was to go back to the Hong Kong Tea Rooms but they were full and recommended another Restaurant a little way away. This was larger and although the food and service were as good the portions were less generous and we finished the meal without the effort that we had been forced to put in last time.
Afterwards the group split up slightly with by far the largest group of us going on to what was formerly the Manila Hard Rock Cafe but is now called Ten Years After. I had forbodings about the place from the moment we entered. Although the decor was fine, the lighting intimate and the music good solid melodic rock it seemed to me the sort of place where it would be very easy to get ripped off. I was soon proven right. We ordered a round of drinks, predominantly cocktails. I am no expert but my Tequila Sunrise had no perceptible alcohol content, Tequila or otherwise. Others soon started voicing the same opinion. There was only lime juice in the gin and lime. Even the beer seemed to have no actual beer in it. We complained and when that got us nowhere we sorted out the money for the drinks and tried to leave. Of course that was reckoning without the cover charge. I had seen that coming. Of course in view of our satisfaction we refused to pay it and they threatened to call the Police. Out in the street a Policeman did indeed try to stop us but as we were so many and we just ignored him he let it go.
There was nothing for it. It was time to go back to Rosie's, which is what we did. We pooled all of the remaining money and spent it on several pitchers of Margaritas which had an extremely high alcohol content and spent from then until about two O'clock getting quite drunk.
Then, in a flurry of activity, it was all over. Rush back to the hotel, shower and change, rush to the airport, kill a little time in the departure lounge and get on the flight home. The Philippines, like some many other places had gone from being a place to look forward to, to being a place to look back upon.
No comments:
Post a Comment