As many of you know, 2016 was a very special year for me:
after 15 years of dating, I finally married my best friend. A short, but moving
courthouse ceremony, a beautiful English garden style outdoor wedding, and a
classy French brunch with good friends were the perfect start to our life
together, and I can’t wait to see what adventures our future has in store for
us.
While every minute of it was absolutely worth it, the event
planning process and all the travel left us completely drained of energy, as
well as of days off. So like many couples nowadays, we decided to wait with our
honeymoon, and leave cold Chicago for a tropical getaway in February or March, right
around the time we get really fed up with the long winters. We ended up booking
our trip for March 8-19, and we couldn’t have timed it better! Chilling with a
drink under the palm trees while it was snowing in the city was quite the
experience!
We were hoping for a romantic, quiet, relaxing trip, right
on the border of the authentic travel style we usually choose and the comfort a
resort can provide, and that is exactly what we got. We found our perfect
little island paradise on Arrecife Island in the Palawan archipelago of the
Philippines. But I’m getting ahead of myself...
Metro Manila
Our first flight arrived to the capital of the Philippines,
Manila. Ignoring all advice to leave the city as soon as possible, we decided
to spend a coupe of days getting to know both the most modern and the most historic
parts of this metropolis.
The metropolitan area of Manila is made up of sixteen
cities, including the much larger Quezon City, as well as the Makati Central
Business District, and is home to 1,780,148 people. Manila is also the most
densely populated metropolitan area in the world, with 41,515 people per square
kilometer. The city has endured earthquakes, fires and wars, but today it
thrives as an Asian megacity, with skyscrapers growing out of the extreme
poverty, and a traffic that can only be described as chaotic.
Makati
Since our first day in the city was a fairly short one, we
spent it in Makati, hoping to get a glimpse into the life of the average
millennial in Manila. Having the highest concentration of multinational and
local corporations in the country, as well as numerous shopping malls, cafes
and restaurants, Makati feels like a western metropolis. Only the occasional
jeepney reminds you where you really are.
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| Makati
Central Business District |
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| Jeepney in the Makati
Central Business District |
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| Makati
Central Business District |
We started out with a stroll in the beautiful tropical gardens
of Greenbelt Mall, spent the hottest part of the day in the Ayala Museum - a
perfect little sample of tribal and modern Philippino culture, and finished
with a traditional Philippine dinner at the Venice Grand Canal Mall. While our
day felt quite sheltered, and very different from the more authentic
experiences we usually seek out, getting a glimpse into modern life in the
Philippines was certainly fascinating.
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| Greenbelt
Mall |
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| Greenbelt
Mall |
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| Ayala
Museum |
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| Greenbelt
Mall |
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| Venice
Grand Canal Mall |
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| Venice
Grand Canal Mall |
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| Venice
Grand Canal Mall |
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| Venice
Grand Canal Mall |
Intramuros
We spent our second day in Manila in the historic Intramuros
district, the city’s capital during the 300 years of Spanish colonization.
While the Spanish names, hairstyles, and the dominance of Roman Catholicism in
the Philippines are good reminders of this time period, it was fascinating to
walk around in the old city center.
We started the day at Fort Santiago and the Rizal Shrine,
continued with the impressive Manila Cathedral and the beautiful reproduction
of a Spanish colonial house, Manila House, then finished our day with an
amazing tour of San Augustin Church. Built between 1587 and 1606, San Augustin
is the oldest church in the Philippines, and the only building left intact
after the destruction of Intramuros in WWII. Today it provides tourists a
glimpse into hundreds of years of history, and during weekends it is a
well-oiled wedding machine.
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| Fort
Santiago |
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| Fort
Santiago |
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| Fort
Santiago |
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| Manila
Cathedral |
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| Manila
Cathedral |
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| Intramuros
|
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| Manila
House |
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| Manila
House |
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| Manila
House |
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| Wedding reception at Manila
House |
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| San
Augustin Church |
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| San
Augustin Church |
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| San
Augustin Church |
As a true art history geek, I absolutely loved walking
around this historic district. The mix of Spanish and Southeast Asian
influences was fascinating and breathtaking at the same time. While our day
spent among Makati’s skyscrapers was fun, this is the type of exploration that truly
motivates me to travel.
Two days were clearly not enough to explore every corner of
this Asian megametropolis, or to experience the depths of the city’s culture.
But we definitely got a taste of this tropical, contrast-laden, crazy, chaotic
urban phenomenon.
Have a memorable weekend everyone!
Ildiko
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