HELLOS EVERYONE
i is back to blog about Manila, day 2!
took me damn bloody long, cos we did sooooooooooo many things on Day 2, it was like 2 days squeezed into one. I KID YOU NOT. mega massive picture intensive entry ahead, so i hope you make it through all the way to the end!
read part 1 here!
everyone knows what’s one of the best parts of a 6 star hotel. what, you mean you dunno! the best part is…. BUFFET BREAKFAST OMFG.
we were back at The Terrace for our breakfast, and what a spread! everything from hot and piping bacon rashes to wantan noodles to crumbly flaky buttery croissants to quiche pie. so shiok-tisfying!!!
YZ and i with our fully laden plates. oh oh oh i nearly forgot about the eggs station. you want scrambled egg sunny side up omelette whatever it is you want it you got it. I LOVE EGGS ♥
our sleepy eyed breakfast companions Chris and SB!
i like this shot cos it looks artistic. that’s how we look like, having breakfast. how elegant! i think it’s the carpet that’s nice -.-
after breakfast, we were all ready to head out on our tour of Intramuros, the historic centre and oldest district of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. and we got to sit on a Jeepney!
Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture.
The word jeepney is a portmanteau of “jeep” and “Jitney”.
our tour guide was explaining to us about how fees are collected in a jeepney. it’s really amazing! cos the passengers are sitting side by side on the two rows of a jeepney, the last person passes his money to the person sitting next to him, then the person will pass on the money together with his money, so on and so forth, until it reaches the jeepny driver, who will then magically calculate the change, and pass it back to the first passenger who will then pass it back down. WTF.
which is also why the Jeepney is such a iconic representation of the Filipinos, who are very close knit as a community and also have trust in one another’s mutual honesty. not so sure if this system would work in Singapore :S
we arrived at our first destination: Fort Santiago!
Fort Santiago is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines. José Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero, was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896. the site features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his final footsteps representing the walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.
the exterior of the fort.
ME! the sun was swelteringly baking hot that day. i swear i wanted to die. but still ngeh ngeh wear my cardigan cos i didn’t wanna get tanned by the sun!!! HAHAHA.
i really love our tour guide, cos he’s super informative and interesting!
i didn’t know that the Philippines had such a rich history and culture! did you know that they’ve been ruled under the Spanish, the Dutch, the British and the Americans? D:
and we were brought to see the shrine of Jose Rizal, who’s the national hero and patriot of the Philippines! he wrote many books calling for revolution, and was ultimately sentenced to death for his “crimes”, which led to an uproar and eventually, the independence of the Philippines as a nation.
do read the Wiki link above, if you’re interested to find out more! i don’t wanna bore you all to tears, but i found it very interesting.
this was Jose Rizal’s death cell, where he spent his last days while waiting for his sentence…
his poem, inscribed on a piece of paper which he hid inside an oil lamp and smuggled out to his family.
random camwhore shot to break the monotony. hahahahahaha
together with SB!
and these are the last foot steps of Jose Rizal as he walked towards his execution.
hahaha YZ and i being silly with the tourist photo stations!
anyway, it was so so so so so hot, that SB and i bought pretty straw hats from the street vendors! they can be quite pushy, but i figured i’d be happier with a hat to at least shield myself from some of those nasty sun rays, so we gave in la. they’re pretty, aren’t they!
after our tour of Fort Santiago, we went on to the oldest standing church in Manila: San Augustine Church! it’s been standing since 1607!!!
i love visiting churches, and saw a great many in Europe, and the St Augustine Church in Manila kind of reminds me of the churches in Europe, but you can see how Manila’s own culture and traditions have permeated even into the faith of Catholicism, so there are variations on how different saints are represented and etc.
apparently, St Augustine is the most popular church for weddings in Manila! i can understand why, cos it’s really grand and gorgeous!
wtf this looks 3D but it’s actually painted!
we had our lunch at a nearby restaurant, Barbaras! it’s done up in traditional spanish style, and even had singers serenading us in all languages, including Spanish, Chinese, English and all that!
unfortunately, i was too stuffed from my hearty breakfast. LOL. so i just stuck to the fruits! Mangoes in the Philippines are sosososososososooooo goooooood!!!
we’re happy to be out of the sun, LOL
together with the awesome guide (i think his name was Dustin) and Michelle, who’s from Cebu Pacific and is super super sweet!!!
the part everyone was looking forward to, after lunch. LOL. YAY SHOPPING!!!! first, we went to SMX Convention Centre, where there was a craft and art exhibition fair going on!
check out the pretty christmas decorations! not everything was for sale though -_- some of them were only samples for pre-ordering and display! 🙁 sad max.
two women garbed in traditional wear, weaving a complicated pattern on a carpet! 
and MY FAVOURITE. SHOES!!!! i really regret not buying more!! 🙁 🙁
hand woved totes, clutches as well!
did you spot YZ’s new shoes?
yeap, this is where i got those mad pretty rainbow wedges!!! how i wish i bought more shoes. and they were so cheap!!! like… 20 sing dollars?? super comfy too! #emo why i never buy more shoes ;_;
we then went to a huge shopping mall, where i bought snacks back home for family and friends, remember to buy dried mango back!!!! it’s soooo cheap and soooo good!!!!!!!
felt like home, guess what we spotted, Gong Cha and Timezone! hahahaha. cheaper there too :X we all had a cuppa each!
by then, it was about 4 ish, so we went back to our hotel room to freshen up for dinner and our evening activities!
omg look what i saw back at the spick and span hotel room. FRESH FRUITS, and pineapple that’s already been cut up for you! *shakes head* six star hotel 就是不一样!
so we showered and changed and all that, and it was time for dinner already! i love how well fed i am, whenever i travel overseas, lol. it’s like i haven’t even got time to digest one meal, and it’s time for the next meal already! we had dinner at Impressions, another one of the many restaurants in Resorts World Manila!
YZ and i with my “amuse boche” hahaha it’s just a dollop of creamy something with roe but it tastes soooo good!
the main course was excellent!! marinated beef short ribs with meat that was so tender, it simply fell off the bone… almost didn’t taste like beef! complete with this home made herbs pasta! yummy!
and our assorted berries tiramisu! almost didn’t have time to wolf it down, cos we were running late for our next programme, which was The Sound of Music musical, at Newport Performing Arts Theatre!!
I LOVE MUSICALS! the singing was fantastic, didn’t expect anything less cos i always think that all Filipinos are amazing singers, lol. look at Lea Salonga or even Charice! crazy good singers! anyway, i loved the adorable von Trapp children, especially the littlest one! they totally stole the show away cos they were so cute!
posing with a cut out of Kurt von Trapp, haha!
blending in with Maria and Captain von Trapp. bwahaha. Maria was really great too, i think it’s really hard to sing, and act, and dance, all at the same time! mega respect!
oh yes, i immediately wore my new shoes. THEY ARE SO PRETTY!!!
and finally.. drawing to the end of the day: our last stop was at Republiq, the newest and hippest club in Manila!
didn’t really spend very long in there la, cos we were all tired already! but we all had a drink, and enjoyed the atmosphere for abit. it was a damn happening club!
i’m not drinking coke ok that is coke with vodka!
the crowd streaming in as we were leaving… and a whole row of scary looking bouncers.
i think we went to the casino after that to try our luck (no photography allowed inside there, obviously) but i didn’t win any money! had pretty sucky luck on my trip there la. and so when we went back up to our room to retire for the night, it was probably like 1 or 2am already gosh. such an activity packed day but it was so much fun!!!
to end off the entry with pictures of my outfit, the Ladder Back Flare Dress in Teal! super love the sexy back heehee.
only half a day more (day 3) before we headed back to Singapore! ;( so sad it ended so soon. Day 3 entry will be up when i finish editing those photos! hope you’ve enjoyed reading so far!