Nothing vanilla about Manila
June 24, 2011
The Philippine capital mixes the best of Asian and Latino cultures for offbeat fun, creative cuisine and inspired design, writes Belinda Jackson.
SHOP + PLAY
To market
The dirt-cheap Baclaran street market in Paranaque is rough, ready and Haggle Central, with outdoor stalls selling clothes, bags and sunglasses. Wednesdays are maniacal, owing to a nearby popular church. The streets around Quiapo church are packed with mad apothecary stalls selling amulets and bizarre oils, so it’s worth a look for the high weird factor. Under the Bridge in Quiapo has awesome rattan baskets and cool light fittings, as well as beautiful, seriously cheap souvenirs such as shell lamps. The more upmarket Salcedo Community Market in Salcedo Street, Makati, is a lush foodie place ideal for adventurous snackers, from 7am-2pm on Saturdays.
Go shop
Mall of Asia has skating rinks and a huge SM (the Philippines’s own success story, the Shoe Mart department store), while upmarket malls include Glorietta, SM EDSA and Shangri-La Plaza. For luxury brands, see also department stores Landmark and Rustans. The chic Greenbelt shopping complex has five sections, with Greenbelt 5 given over to local designers such as Arnel Papa jewellery and Guapo shoes. At Greenhills, join the brand-hunting locals for gorgeously cheap, locally harvested pearls for just a few dollars (Ortigas Avenue, San Juan). Bargain-basement 168 and Divisoria malls are where designers go to haggle for wholesale textiles and costume jewellery; the fakes are dicey (Santa Elena Street, Binondo).
Live music
Karaoke fiends beware: word is four in five Filipinos can sing. Put them to the test on stage at Manila institution The Library, which mixes campy live music and karaoke (1739 Maria Orosa Street, Malate, thelibrary.com.ph). saGuijo encourages indie and rock musicians (7612 Guijo Street, San Antonio Village, Makati, saguijo.com). Blokes should make for Heckle & Jeckle for bands on Wednesday and Friday nights (Villa Building, Jupiter Street, Makati, heckleandjeckle.org), or Handlebar, home of the Mad Dog Motorcycle Club, rock’n'roll and Aussie barbecues if you’re feeling homesick (Barangay Bel-Air, Makati, handlebar.com.ph).
Nightclubs
Encore superclub is said to be Manila’s top spot and heats up from midnight; it’s jammed with celeb and expat clubbers, so dress up. Its less pretentious neighbour Establishment is a sleek, gay-friendly bar with fabulous service, generous cocktails and patrons who love to dance. Both are in the Fort Bonifacio complex. Encore’s owners are also responsible for smokin’ Republiq in Resorts World Manila, while the new kid on the block is glam-central LAX the Nightclub in Mall of Asia (both in Pasay City). For the indie scene, try Capone’s Bar at Fraser Place Hotel, Makati.
SEE + DO
Icons
The revered life-sized Black Nazarene is a 400-year-old carving of Jesus carrying the cross, housed at Quiapo Church and paraded through jammed streets on its feast day, January 9, and Good Friday. Eighty per cent of the Coconut Palace is made of coconut wood, built in 1978 by then-president Ferdinand Marcos in an exercise of ostentatious Philippinisation. It’s built in the traditional salakot style (100 pesos an adult, closed Mondays). The 400-year-old Fort Santiago is the gem of the Intramuros district, a picturesque reminder of Manila’s occasionally grim heritage (75 pesos an adult, open daily).
Culture
The Ayala Museum is a must-visit for its display of pre-colonial (16th-century) gold, from funereal masks to diadems, reflecting the Philippines’s relationship with the rest of south-east Asia and its ongoing love of beauty (Greenbelt complex, Makati Avenue, Makati City, 350 pesos an adult, closed on Mondays). The UNESCO-listed, baroque San Agustin Church (pictured) in Intramuros was built in 1587 and is called the “miracle church” because it was the last building standing in Intramuros when US troops liberated the Philippines from the Japanese in 1945. The Museum of the Filipino People is the city’s largest museum, set in Rizal Park, Manila’s heritage centre — a drawcard for those into ethnography, the arts and natural sciences (free).
On foot
Breathe in the scent of the Philippines’s beautiful sampaguitas, pretty white flowers in the jasmine family, which grow around Intramuros, the original site of early Manila before the Spanish invasion in 1571. (It was subsequently attacked by Dutch, English, Chinese and Japanese soldiers and pirates.) Pick up a free map of the walled city from the information centre at the entrance of Fort Santiago, after fending off the karitela (horse-drawn cart) touts. Otherwise, stretch your legs on the two-kilometre Manila Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard; make time to pause for snacking and drinks, especially come sunset.
Hot tip
Manila’s traffic is horrific, truly horrific. Unless you really like taxi drivers, avoid jumping in a cab from 8-9.30am and 4-6pm on weekdays. Sunday mornings, however, are a breeze.
Getting around
Taxis are cheap and most drivers speak good English. Locals travel on groovy painted jeepneys (think stretch jeeps) for a song
- Sydney Morning Herald
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/international/4591049/Nothing-vanilla-about-Manila
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