🇵🇭 Philippines – Manila

A vast city with contrasting regions that each have their own characteristics.

CONTENTS

• 🤔 – What to expect.
• 🌅 – Activities
• 🚉 – Transport
• 🍛 – Food
• 🛌 – Accomodation

🤔 What to expect

• Bustling City
• Pollution, pollution, pollution
• Genuinely friendly and polite people
• Be prepared to be referred to as Sir and Ma’am
• If you’re European, expect to be stared at… A lot.
• Roughly 63 Pesos to the £1. Since gone up to 65.

🌅 Activities

Fort Santiago, Manila

• 75 pesos each so around £1.14 (students get a reduced rate with ID)
• One of the most important historical sites in Manila.
• Most of the fort has been destroyed.
• Personally, I felt there was a lack of information to educate you on the importance of the fort in the Philippines history.
• Built in 1593 to defend the city of Mailnuls in the Spanish cival war and World War II.
• Where Jose Rizal, a Filipino national hero, was imprisoned before his execution.

Salcedo Saturday Market, Makati

• Food galore!
• 7am – 2pm every Saturday, free entry
• Variety of cuisine and market stalls selling fresh produce
• A place to find some home comforts (eg. Proper white bread – not sweet, crumpets, biscuits)
• Take plenty of money to treat yourself to the amazing food on offer! We ended up with meatballs and spaghetti, Vege samosas, crumpets, biscuits, ginger ale and butter beer which was only to take home😂

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati

• Quiet greenery nestled in the tower block city
• A small selection of cafes, coffee shops and restaurants available
• Great to chill and unwind to catch your breath
• Beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus trees, native to the Philippines, are found throughout the gardens

Taste and See the Real Manila Living Tour

Link to Bernadette’s Airbnb experience: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences/480360?location=Manila&source=p2

• £18 per person on Airbnb experiences
• Fabulous host Bernadette who works the itinerary around you
• Eye opening and informative to see beyond the surface of Manila
• Ability to see the contrast between richer and poorer areas of Manila
• Transportation included throughout the tour (although you make your own way to and from – Bernadette also helped us get home)
• Visit a local church
• See Spanish colonial architecture and learn about some of Manila’s history
• Choice of food and drink (included in price)
• You’d be a fool to miss this experience, especially if you want to see a less touristy side of Manila.

Taal Volcano Hike 🌋

• Tickets bought via Klook app costing £45 per person for ‘Taal volcano day tour from Manila’ with the touring company Tanlines. See more information below (SMIB)
• Day starts at 7am (also optional for breakfast at 6am for additional cost) and returns to Makati, Manila for approx 8.30pm however this was not the case for us (SMIB)
• Transport includes departure and return from Makati, Manila, boat to and from volcano (you need to make your own way to the meeting point and back to your accomodation)
• The trip includes a hike on the secret trail (4 hour more challenging hike, 2 hours each way) which leads into the crater of the volcano (SMIB as this is not the trail we hiked)
• Stunning views of the 10th most active volcano in the world and 2nd in the Philippines
• Unique volcano as the previous eruptions have formed a lake and an island insides it’s crater
• Tanlines host, Diana, was lovely and interactive
• English speaking guide provided

SMIB

Value for Money

There are many Taal volcano trips on the internet which we found via blogs and apps such as Airbnb experiences and Klook. We found the price range often varied (£15- £110) however mainly on the more expensive end, with little to no difference in the itinerary. As previously stated, we bought our trip on Klook for £45, but only paid £35 due to a partial refund (see why below!) which on reflection we felt was still a little expensive for the trip we ended up getting…

Change after change…

We booked the trip on Saturday to leave on Tuesday and had the date of the booking confirmed the day after (Sunday). However, later on Sunday we had a message via WhatsApp asking if we were okay to change the trip date to Saturday but we were leaving the country prior to then. They then offered Wednesday and we accepted.

The night before our trip we were excited but on eventually gaining WiFi around 6pm (as we were out all day) we had received another WhatsApp from our host at Tanlines saying the government had closed the secret trail due to seismic activity at the volcano. We were GUTTED but understood it was to ensure our safety. The message offered us an easier hike, usually taken by tourists, around 2 hours (1 hour ascent and the other to decent) or a full refund. We opted to still go on the Taal volcano trip but as this was now a different trip to what we originally paid for and a second compromise we asked for a partial refund which was agreed at 1500 pesos, around £20 for the two of us. This made the trip £35 per person. We were then also offered a completely different hike up Masungi Georeserve through the beautiful mountains which has gained recognition and accolades in its 20+ years conservation but we declined as we’d set our hearts on Taal. We soon realised after arriving at the Tanlines lounge the alternative trip they offered already had 4 others booked and we were the only ones on the Taal volcano hike – much to our delight as it was a private tour!

Timings

On Klook it said that the day trip would last approximately 12 hours, pending on travel time from and to Manila. We were told to arrive between 6 and 7.30am as we promptly leaving at 7am – which doesn’t make sense but we arrived before 7 to be on the safe side. We didn’t end up departing until 7.45am and it takes approx 2 hours as the traffic is awful. We arrived in good time, the boat took around 20-30 mins, hiked in less than two hours up and down, crossed the lake and returned to Manila for 2pm. So in reality the majority of the trip ended up being travelling, around 5 out of 7.5 hours. With the trip being less hours than what we had paid for and a different hike we felt £35 was pricey but also questioned the original price of £45 too, especially seen as we’d read a blog which independently completed the same trip for half the price (bartering required).

English Speaking Tour Guide

The tour guide was lovely and accompanied us on the boat and hike. He was informative but required a little prompting and questioning. He also forewarned us that we did not have to tip or buy anything the locals offered e.g a horse ride up the volcano (which I wouldn’t recommend as the horses looked very malnourished) which was nice to be reminded of incase we were unsure.

Viewing Point

We weren’t disappointed by the stunning views at the viewing point of the crater nor the sights along the hike. The beautiful, rich green plants and trees embedded in volcanic rich sand against the aqua blue waters and hazy, humid sky. Looking down over the lake was truly breathtaking but also a little scary as Taal is the smallest most active volcano, only standing 311metres above sea level – just like me, small but fierce. We had views of the little island inside the lake and a meteorologist in a dingy boat studying elements of the sulphuric lake. We were disappointed however when our guide told us where we could have hiked – into the crater and to the edge of the lake, if the secret trail wasn’t shut.

Overall, we would definitely recommend visiting Taal Volcano however ensure you look around, comparing and checking itineraries and prices to ensure you get the best deal. If you’re feeling adventurous why not try a D.I.Y trip.

Puerto Gallera

• Nice way to escape the chaos and pollution of the city for a day
• Best to set off early, especially if it’s a day trip – as early as 1am (we set off at 5.30am)
• Consider an overnight trip, at least, depending on how long you are willing to spend travelling in a day
• Book your return ferry when you arrive if travelling in one day to ensure you have the time you want
• Unexpected fees per person – terminal fees (entry: 30 pesos and exit: 10 pesos) and environmental (50 pesos)
• White beach was small and quiet besides the local vendors
• Sandy beach with cool blue waters and a mountainous backdrop
• A calm wave and decent depth to the sea making it great for swimming
• Few restaurants and bars to choose from on the front

The Journey

• Be prepared for a long journey as, for us, it took from setting off at our accomodation to arriving at white beach around 5 hours and vice versa 6.5 hours to return.
• Total journey there and back cost 2,458 peso’s, around £37.70 for 2 people including terminal fees and environmental fee which we were unaware of. (See price breakdown below)
• First check the times and prices available rather than listening to the barrage of local salesmen, from different companies, trying to get you to buy a ticket. We found it extremely overwhelming, which wasn’t helped by being up at 4am. Take a minute.
• No passport or identification required at the ferry port but they do offer student discount which you will be required to prove.

Journey Breakdown

• Grab to Buendia Jam Bus Terminal
• Jam Liner Bus to Batangas Port
• Ferry from Batangas Port to Balatero Port (you can also get a ferry to Muelle Port)
• Motorcycle with sidecar from Balatero Port to White Beach
• In reverse to return, except we took a Jeepney from near Buendia MRT station to Ayala Station. Then MRT Ayala to Shaw Boulevard. A grab would be easier but more expensive and you could be stuck in peak traffic.

Price Breakdown

• Grab: dependent on time you order, peak times = higher price and could struggle for availability
• Jam Liner Bus: 197 peso’s each way
• Ferry: dependent on company and class. We paid for tourist class, 320 peso’s to and 300 peso’s return (we did see open-air for 250 peso’s)
• Motorcycle with sidecar: 100 pesos each way.
• Jeepney: 9 peso’s each
• MRT: ranges from 13 to 24 peso’s, dependent on where you are travelling to.

🚉 Transport

Train Network

• There are two main lines – LRT and MRT.
• At peak times (2pm – 8pm) it is very busy and you will know how tinned Sardines feel – imagine London underground multiplied by three.
• Price depends on distance – our highest 20 Pesos (£0.30) to lowest 13 Pesos (£0.20) each journey.
• If possible have the correct change – great for getting rid of those pesos coins.
• Reliability? – 50/50 – We had a good run the first half of the week and a bad run the second.
• Bad – A 30 minute delay trapped between stations.
• Bad – Being told a train was delayed with no other information on time.
• Bad – Avoid the middle of commuter’s times! Lines. Angry locals. Squashed. Pushing.
• Good – The delay meant we got a free journey back! (1️⃣ See Picture).
• Good – Decent connections that get you across the city. However, still expect walking from station to attractions/locations.
• Good – Straight forward to use.

Jeepney

• Confusing and Cheap!
• 9 Pesos (£0.14) each person and journey.
• Locations are written on the front and sides of the jeep.
• Drivers have a habit of changing route mid way, which can be confusing.
• Safe – Depends on the driver.
• There are a lot of routes!

Taxis – Grab Edition

• Grab Cars (driven by locals) were our most reliable.
• Grab Taxis stated one price on the app but it always cost more. Sometimes even double the original amount.
• Links to a credit card but like stated above Taxis can take advantage of this.
• On a couple of occasions we had difficulty getting a taxi due to busier or earlier times.
• Seatbelts were a pain and often trapped behind the seats – check before you sit in.

🍛 Food

• Lots of fast food e.g. Jollibee
• They like to mix cultural dishes onto one plate e.g. spag bol, rice and fried chicken
• Fried everything
• BBQ skewers from pork and chicken to intestine
• Some of the best food was tasted on Salcedo Saturday market, Makati
• Prices vary depending on type of establishment (e.g. restaurant, fast food, cafe) and cuisine
• Jollibees everywhere! (Best way to describe it: Filipino version of Macdonald’s)

🛌 Accomodation

Link to Airbnb accomodation: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/38632936?location=Stays%20Manila&source_impression_id=p3_1571564337_dc0Pxm2g6k5xzDOR

• We used Airbnb as we wanted to stay in one place due to island hopping being expensive
• £150 for 9 nights, which includes a discount and cleaning fee
• We stayed in Mandaluyong, Manila (in the Greenhill District) in the lovely Yaan and Lorenz’s apartment
• The apartment had a double bunk bed, sofa bed, wet room (toilet and shower), sink, fridge, WiFi and TV with Netflix. Towels, water and coffee is provided but other snacks/ drinks are available at a small fee
• Apartment was a little on the small side for us as we stayed for 9 nights however great for short stays
• Close to local amenities including supermarkets, malls, restaurants and the MRT line