Get a tour of the Old Town
If you do one thing in Manila, make sure it’s a walking tour with performer, activist and tour guide Carlos Celdran. His hilarious, extroverted three-hour guide to Intramuros—Manila’s old town—is part-lesson, part-performance, and part cultural context. There’s no better introduction to the history, politics and culture of one complex nation. PHP1,100 ($191), 4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Check celdrantours.blogspot.hk for dates.
Eat in a Colonial Mansion
Once the Legarda family home, the Casa de Tita Moning (San Rafael St., Manila, (+63) 2-734-2146) in the Malacañang Palace compound has preserved the house intact: from the family’s own beautiful tableware, to Dr. Legarda’s gynecological office downstairs. Meals are delicious, home-style cuisine served by staff who waited on the family themselves, back in the day.
Watch the Sun Set on Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a huge, wide open expanse of sea. Join the locals lining the waterfront on Roxas Boulevard as you watch the sun set on the island of Luzon. Grab a spot on the sea wall, and if you’re feeling courageous, buy a balut to snack on—this delicious fertilized duck egg tastes like a combination of hard-boiled, soft-boiled, “onsen” and salted egg, all at once.
Eat Farm-to-Table
If you really want to know where your food comes from: buy it yourself. Visit the Dampa Sa Farmers’ Market (Araneta Center, Cubao, (+63) 2-913-2803), where you can buy seafood, chicken, beef or pork straight from the wet market and take it to the “paluto” stalls which line the eating area. They’ll cook up whatever you’ve bought, in whatever style you like, for a good price. Wash it down with plenty of San Mig—or the potent Red Horse beer, if you want to make a night of it.
Take Tea at the Pen
Afternoon tea at the Peninsula in Hong Kong is a wallet-breaking phenomenon. Tea at the Pen in Manila (Ayala Avenue, 1226 Makati, (+63) 2-887-2888) is a much more achievable desire. The lobby is a huge, four-story-high room without a single pillar in sight. After scones, sandwiches and Darjeeling, head to the Greenbelt mall complex (Ayala Center, Makati) a few minutes’ walk away. Grab cocktails at one of the many bars which face the lovely park in the center of the complex.