Philippines Trip / Day 9 Pt.4

January 06, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

And so our last stop in Manila, Chinatown.

I've been to several Chinatowns over the years and almost all of them have ended up being a romanticized neighborhood on how other cultures perceive what China is like. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It brings in traffic for the businesses and celebrates the positive aspects of a different culture than the local one. That said, one should keep in mind that those Chinatowns are not accurate representations of what China is actually like. THIS on the other hand, is different.

It's as if someone cut a section out of a major city in mainland China and dropped it right in Manila. If you didn't spot the occasional Filipino or Jeepney, you'd never imagine you were still in the Philippines.

I was told that this area, known as Binondo, is the oldest Chinatown in the world. It definitely has a unique history between the local Filipinos and Spanish Conquistadors and in the past played a major role in trade traffic between China and other countries such as the US.

At any rate, it wasn't what you'd call the most cheerful place to be, so we decided to drive around a little bit more and make one last stop at Michelle's grand parents' before retreating back to the hotel.

Ate lunch over at the Mall of Asia, yet another shopping mall. Manila sure loves its shopping malls, and they're all HUGE.

Some more local transportation. Interesting logos there...

To any fans of spy movies, this area should look familiar.

Just some local car spotting.

The entire trip, these Nissan Patrols kept tricking me into thinking the Philippines were packed with Land Cruisers. Still pretty cool, especially with those graphics.

Montero Sport on Rally OZ Wheels. Not a combination I'd think would work if you told me, but in person it actually fits better than I would have thought.

The grandparents' front garden.

And so concludes our Philippine trip. Overall it was a fun, unique experience but save for the time in Boracay, it's just not a place I plan on going back to any time soon. Not sure if it's the Philippines in general or just Manila specifically, but it was just not my thing. Besides, I'm done with the humidity. Bleh!

Philippines Trip / Day 9 Pt.3

January 06, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

Just a wrap up of our Fort Santiago visit.

It's like something straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie set.

Leaving the Fort and are now heading to Chinatown. More chances to see Jeepneys!

So KKK stands for Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng̃ mg̃á Anak ng̃ Bayan which was a society formed by locals to fight against the Spanish. Funny how one culture's symbol of oppression can be another culture's symbol of freedom.

Last post, (not so) lucky Chinatown!

Philippines Trip / Day 9 Pt.2

December 31, 2014 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

Taking it back old school.

We soon arrived at Fort Santiago, a fortress built back when the Spanish still ruled the Philippines.

It was pretty neat seeing an actual moat.

Very impressive photo stance.

This historical site was the location where Philippine national hero José Rizal was executed. Here was where he was held before his last walk. Those steps were memorialized with brass footprints embedded into the ground.

An example of some of the holding cells that were used. When in use, there was a metal grate that would be placed on top, allowing the brutal sun and rain to always fall onto the prisoners. Those Spanish colonialists sure had some fun ideas on how to treat the locals...

Philippines Trip / Day 9 Pt.1

December 25, 2014 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

Picking up where I last left off, this was the last full day we'd have in Manila so we decided to go explore more of the city itself, in particular the original old Spanish areas and Chinatown.

So the Philippines is well known for being big on religion, particularly Catholicism. And when I mean big, I mean BIG

With such a large congregation, the organizers used a large, spread out PA systems for everyone to hear the speeches and songs.

Large crowds of extremely passionate supporters have always made me a bit uneasy, so we decided to make a detour through a local zen garden.

Map of the Philippines was pretty neat. So many islands!

As it neared noon, the heat started climbing higher as well, so we decided it was time to move on to a new place.

Philippines Trip / Day 7

October 27, 2014 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

Just some pics I took at night. Multiple-part trip starting at the next post.

Philippines Trip / Day 6

October 27, 2014 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

Just spending today visiting some of Michelle's family.

Group shot!

Sadly we did not eat here, but to be honest, the food didn't look much better than what I can make in my own kitchen. Not quite the Asian master I think I am apparently.

The traffic here isn't OMGYOURGONNADIE crazy like what a lot of people had been telling me, it's just a different kind of crazy than in the States. LA has much less chaos going on but it happens at a much higher speed. Manila traffic was like the sort of mess you'd imagine when everyone is trying to get out of a parking lot after a baseball game. No one cares about lanes, people are walking through everywhere, and there's a handful of drivers who go through red lights and opposite of the road. It's still dangerous and hectic, but at least it all happens at a relatively slow pace.

Philippines Trip / Day 5

October 27, 2014 by Jonathan Chow in Philippines

We arrive in Manila, again, but this time to stay for the rest of the trip. Returning to the city also meant returning to the chaos though. Speaking of, Jeepney drivers are crazy. Always keep an eye for them and scooters because neither care about hitting anything.

So we stayed at an area within Manila called Bonifacio Global City or BGC for short. Apparently it used to be an empty grass field a couple years ago so with nothing to move out of the way, it lead to unrestrained development of all of these high rises and shopping plazas.

It's like a mini Dubai with the constant constructing. Not sure how well the growing economy will be able to support it, but for now all seems on the up and up.

It's always nice to spot a car scene!