Intramuros! (Philippines Part 1)

Mabuhay!

It means welcome in Tagalog. This post will be about my trip to Intramuros the historical and oldest district of Manila. The whole district was fortified with stone walls which gives Intramuros (within the walls) it's name.

The entrance to Intramuros

We stayed in United Nation which is just a few minutes walk from Rizal Park. Instead of walking, we decided to take the motorcycle taxi or also famously known as tricycle in the Philippines. The whole ride costs less than 30 ₱. It may be scary as the cabin is very very very low but it is worth a try.

The tricycle 

Yes, we covered the whole 0.67 sq km of the fortified Intramuros. We ruled out exhaustion because there were lots of things to see! The designs of infrastructures, ancient buildings from as early as 15th century as well as the people and culture in Intramuros. If you're travelling there alone, you have nothing to be worry about because there are guards everywhere. I would definitely vote this place safe for solo female travellers.

Entrance to Intramuros is free. There are couple of schools and universities in Intramuros so you'll be seeing quite a number of students. Oh! Don't be surprised to see a huge number of KOREAN students. They speak fluent Tagalog, butter smooth. Some of them have families who actually owns businesses in Manila so that explains.

There are 3 modes of transportation in Intramuros.

1. On Foot. - We've walked for 80 acres until we decided to take the tricycle. 
2. Tricycle. - You'll have to find good ones like we did. It costs 200 pesos depending on the number of stops you wish to visit. BARGAIN!
3. By Calesa. - Horse-drawn carriage where you'll find waiting at Fort Santiago entrance. 

Most of the entrance fees are the same  75 ₱  (Adult), 50 ₱ (Children), and some are free. So here's a list of must visit places in Intramuros:

1. Fort Santiago  
2. Plaza de Roma
3. Postigo del Palacio
4. Puerta de Isabel II
5. Baluarte de San Diego 
6. Plaza Moriones
7. Plazuela de Sta. Isabel
8. Manila Cathedral
9. San Agustin Church & San Agustin Museum
10. Rizal Shrine
11. Bahay Tsinoy - Chinese Filipino Museum  (100 ₱ for adult and 60 ₱ for children)

Footsteps of Rizal

Entrance to Fort Santiago

Postigo del Palacio

I've never actually studied on the history of Philippines but I've learnt a lot from this trip. Visit all the places listed and you'll get the whole view of how Philippines got their independence and how are they connected to Spanish, American, Portuguese, Japanese and many more. Assuming I am a Filipino, damn hell I am proud of my country's history. It was like a story book to me. My tricycle guide us to every monument telling us the history one piece at a time.

Though the sun was scorching hot, I was so taken away by the story of Philippines. The beautiful scenery and environment made me feel home and relaxed.

Thanks for supporting guys! If you're planning to go to the Philippines, I hope you may find this useful. As always, be nasty, stay happy.

Lots of love, Nath.

READ MORE

Travel Safe

Hi there you!

I don't like travelling, I love it! I bet you love it as much as I do. So, this post is about travelling safe and fun!

Travelling across the globe may seem fun but yea, you've gotta take risks as well. I wouldn't travel into a country with political warfare because it ain't exactly a wise idea. Even travelling to one of the most beautiful country in the world, masters of pick pockets are your worst nightmare. So, it is best to check out on current political or economical agenda of a country you plan on going.

Let's assume all of us will be travelling to Country A. We're gonna need tickets we can afford which in a way we need to take transit flights. The period of a transition can be as long as 3 to 24 hours. Just so you know, chances of you missing the flight is higher if the transition period is shorter or caused by interventions. Let's put it this way, we have 2 flights namely Flight 1, and Flight 2.

Flight 1 is scheduled to arrive at 10am and Flight 2 is expected to depart at 1pm. So, here's the perks, what if, so again WHAT IF, Flight 1's ETA (Estimated Time Arrival) is delayed/extended to 11pm? You're so doomed because you're definitely gonna miss Flight 2. So, to make it safer, always purchase flight insurance which would only cost a few bucks compared to losing hundreds of dollars.

Also, before travelling, earlier bookings of hotel will be way safer. Always read reviews of other customers' testimonials or experiences staying in a specific hotel. This is to avoid being ripped off or being totally disappointed throughout your whole trip.

Pocket money will often be an issue especially for budget travellers. So, do researches on cost of living/transportation/meal of the country you are going and always bring extra as it might come in handy. You could also prepare a small notepad where you'll list all your expenditures and remaining balance of pocket money.

Store your cash in various places such as underneath your shoe pads and hidden compartments around your luggage/backpack.

I friggin' hate my passport photo because I look as dull and crap like hell. No matter how much I hate it, I always take pictures of the front cover and important pages of my passport and save it into a dropbox or email. This is done so we can still access our documentation via the internet even if it is physically lost.
Here's another trick I learnt on how to find out if someone has intruded your hotel room while you were not around.

Get a strip of paper/string approximately 3-4 inches long.

While going out from your hotel room, place the strip of paper/string anywhere on the side of your door. Make sure it is not popped out too much that it is visible to others. If someone were to barge into your hotel room, the piece of paper would drop. So, when you return back to your hotel, if the paper is still intact, you're safe. I wouldn't wanna say if it doesn't :/

I'll put up a video of this guide pretty soon on our upcoming new Youtube channel.

For any enquiries or requests, leave your comment in the comment section below or connect to us via e-mail or Facebook.

Until then, be nasty and stay happy!

READ MORE