Hi Kaibigan!
Kaibigan means friend(s) in Tagalog. I've procrastinated this post for quite awhile now. I've got readers who are going to the Philippines and asking when will I be posting this up. So here it is. It's not as thorough or complete as I want it to be.
We've been to the Philippines a couple of times before and it's becoming a familiar place now. Well this trip was on February 2014 almost a year ago from the date of this post. Overall, Philippines is a diversity of everything in this world! You will find yourself fortified by sky scrappers in Central Manila, unique building designs in rural areas, various mode of transportations, citizens' lifestyle and more!
In this post, we will share with you on what to do in Ermita (United Nations Avenue), and how to get to places and the list goes on.
So we landed in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Well I can't say that it is the best airport ever but at least we landed safely haha! Yes, yes, yes, I admit. The airport does look a lil' bit old.
 |
| Jeepney, Cover Photo |
Just so you know, Jeepneys are famously known as a mode of transportation in Philippines. Sort of like a public bus. Jeepneys were originally made from the United States.
The Jeepneys you see in Philippines are military jeeps left over from World War II. They were smart enough to refurbished or reconditioned the Jeepneys and made them as public transportation.
When you walk out of the airport, you will find that there are lots of taxis. We stayed in Ermita, Metro Manila, United Nations Avenue to be exact.
Well, there are two way to go to wherever you are going.
- Taxi (Airport Taxis charge you a fixed amount depending on the place you wish to go, not metered) Our example, we took a taxi that costs 500₱ (RM40) to United Nations Avenue.
- Take a taxi to Baclaran (nearest MRT station to Ninoy Aquino International Airport) which cost 120₱-200₱ (RM10 - RM15). Then, take the MRT to wherever you wish to go.
 |
| Credit: roomrent.ph |
You'll eventually find yourself stuck in jam if you're gonna use the taxi especially during rush hours. I would say that taxi drivers in Philippines are the second best drivers in the world! You'll be shocked to see a lorry tyre right up your window.
MRT on the other hand, uhmmm.. If you think you've tried being "sardined", you should try taking the MRT. By that, it means the amount of people using the MRT is enormous and they would do anything just to get into it.
Remember! It is best for you to book a hotel before travelling over. This is to avoid hassles and you normally get cheaper prices when booking is done online instead of walking into the hotel/motel. There are lots of website but I always recommend www.agoda.com and www.booking.com
Here's a few tips in choosing the right hotel,
- Convenient (nearby restaurants, convenience store, laundry)
- Centralised (easy to access to places you wish to visit)
- Offer mobility (accessible to taxis, mrt, and other mode of transportation)
- Has WiFi
- Comfortable and clean
- Read reviews/testimonials of others
We stayed in Casa Bocobo Hotel. The people there are friendly, like supercalifragilisticly friendly!
It has WiFi, restaurants, massage parlours and laundry station on the opposite, 24 hours convenient store (7 eleven) just 50 meters walk away, a Mc Donald which is less than 5 minutes walk and more!
 |
| Current rate on Agoda.com (18/1/15) |
 |
| The Price List |
 |
| Checking In |
 |
| The Cafe |
If I'm gonna have to rate this hotel, I would say 9/10. Couldn't ask for more. Before I came to the Philippines, I did some research that resulted in a list of places I have to visit. Well, most of the places I wanna visit is located in Intramuros. Check out my post on Intramuros here!
2 of the places on my list is, Manila Ocean Park and Rizal Park. We walked from Casa Bocobo to Rizal Park first which is only at least 10 minutes walk. There are a lot of street vendors and pedestrians. There are a lot of joggers/runners who look as fit as hell! Students on field trips also contribute to the big number of people in Rizal Park. Rizal Park is peaceful and filled with historical monuments. The park is open to public and it is supeeeer huge.
Avoid taking horse carriages. They might cheat your money off your pockets. I'm not saying all of them are cheaters, but I've experienced them before so if would be advisable to avoid them. WALK! IT IS HEALTHY AND FUN!
 |
| A map from Casa Bocobo to Rizal Park and to Manila Ocean Park |
 |
| Rizal Park |
 |
| Do not commit these offences abroad |
If you're not the type of person who appreciates yourself being somewhere away from home, learning different cultures, living in a different environment, then you are no fun at all. I've learnt so much from walking 2 kilometres.
IMPORTANT! Go get yourself a sim card so you can text/call/access the internet. You can get it in any convenient store for less than 100₱ (RM8). I recommend Sun Cellular. Check Sun Cellular out!
You're gonna need internet connections to access google maps/email/internet messaging anywhere anytime. Be sure to keep your original sim card in a safe place because embarrassingly, I lost mine somewhere in Philippines haha!
 |
| 100₱ (RM8) got me 3 days UNLIMITED internet! |
We ended up spending 3 hours or more in Manila Ocean Park! There are lots to see and enjoy. When you're on holiday, there's no point in rushing stuffs. You are suppose to relax!
We then walked back to our hotel, grab a dinner and went for massage. Our feet felt like they were going to amputate themselves. It was an enjoying day though.
Robinsons Place Manila is 10 minutes walk away. It is a huge mall but not as huge as Mall of Asia.
Ermita church is also nearby. If you're anywhere near the area I stayed, you could drop by to the church.
NEXT DESTINATION; Intramuros! You'll find yourself spending half a day visiting places in Intramuros such as the Fort Santiago, Baluarte de San Diego and the list goes on and on and on.
Here ends my post for Ermita, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Philippines part 3 will be all about Binondo and Ortigas and what to eat in Philippines! It'll be up very very soon so stay tune. I kinda think it'll be harsh for mobile users to load this post due to long posts of pictures, so I decided to post the Philippines trip part by part.
As always, be nasty stay happy peeps! Salamat sa iyong suporta!
Check out my previous post : Intramuros! (Philippines part 1)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us your thoughts :)