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Dress for comfort
and safety
Wear cool cotton clothing,
comfortable shoes, and
keep jewelry and consumer
electronics hidden while on the
move.
Kids savemore
Bring your student ID to take
advantage of student rates that
slash entrance fees to museums
by as much as 50%.
Be careful crossing
the street
Metro Manila has horrendous
traffic, and the roads can be
unsafe for first-time visitors.
Cross only on approved
pedestrian crossings, and even
then look both ways before
crossing.
Avoid traveling
during rush hour
Try to stay off the roads between
7
am-9am in the mornings, and
5-8
pm in the evenings. Even
then, make ample allowance
for traffic if you need to get
somewhere on time.
M A N I L A O N A S H O E S T R I N G
Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in
South-East Asia. Alight at Binondo
Church (
Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz; tel:
+63 2 242 4850
),
where San Lorenzo
Ruiz may once have served as a
sacristan ages ago.
By now it’ll be way past lunchtime,
so head on to Masuki (
931
Benavidez
St; tel: +63 2 244 0745
)
to dine on the
establishment’s classic “original”
mami
(
PHP110), a traditional noodle dish.
Sunrise (
corner of Ongpin and
Salazar Sts
)
provides free feng shui
consultation, but don’t leave without
purchasing some of their “auspicious”
trinkets. For takeaway of an edible
kind, proceed to Holland (
551
E.T.
Yuchengco St; tel: +63 2 242 9707
)
and purchase one of their many flavors
of
hopia
,
a bean-filled pastry.
Take a taxi (PHP180) to Makati,
where you can find a few interesting
places that don’t expect you to cough
up a lot of cash. The Ayala Museum
(
corner of Makati Ave and Dela Rosa
St, Makati; tel: +63 2 757 7117,
ayalamuseum.org
),
a private collection
of historical artifacts and artwork
set on the fringe of the Greenbelt
shopping precinct, is one such place
(
PHP225 for Filipino adults, PHP125
for students; Tue-Fri 9am-6pm,
Sat-Sun 10am-7pm). Don’t miss the
dioramas dramatizing the entire span of
Philippine history.
After spending the evening hours
exploring Greenbelt Park or the
shopping centers surrounding the
greenway, have a banana leaf-covered
dinner (PHP100) at Binalot (
Greenbelt
1,
Ayala Center, Makati; tel: +63 2 816
3840
)
before making your way back
to Intramuros by commuter rail: ride
the MRT from Ayala Avenue Station
to Taft Avenue Station (PHP10), then
cross the pedestrian bridge to the LRT
Taft station, where you can ride the
LRT to Central Station (PHP15). Upon
disembarking, circle Manila City Hall
until you reach the Burgos underpass
through to Intramuros, from which you
can ride a tricycle (PHP40) back to
White Knight Hotel Intramuros.
Shoestring budget
for day 2:
PHP798 per person
The Ayala Museum
Shop; (inset)
catch interesting
exhibitions like
“
The Banglos
Project” at the
Ayala Museum
Buy a souvenir
from the Ayala
Museum Shop
