I have been to Manila countless times and I kinda lived there when I was in college. So every time I look for something different to do each time I go back for work or vacation. When I made my November 2011 Manila Checklist, a Binondo Tour was one of my priorities. Binondo is Manila's Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in the world. It is where most Filipino-Chinese families settled during the Spanish era. It is located along Pasig River across the Manila's Walled City of Intramuros. The enterprising Chinese settlers made it into a bustling center for trade and commerce. Until now, a lot of Fil-Chinese families reside in Binondo and a lot of their businesses are still located in the vicinity. And of course, it is teeming with food establishments that specialize in various Chinese cuisines. I have been to Binondo only a couple of times. Both times, I enjoyed the tour despite the scorching heat of the sun. The combination of food and history was irresistible to me. I was happy that my friend, a Binondo resident (100% born and raised in Binondo) offered to be my tour guide. As a Chinese food lover with Chinese roots, I…
Tag: manila
Manila Ocean Park
I went to the Manila Ocean Park on my birthday with Ate Aileen, Kuya Jay, Miguel, Kuya Andrew, Migs, Blogie, and Winston. Here's a video of the sights I enjoyed... It was definitely a fun experience. Sulit ang P400! :)
Manila Day 8: A Movie, A Lamb, and DOTA!
Day 8, a Friday, was a slow one for me... I woke up at lunchtime and hurried as I had a meeting scheduled at 2 pm. Had a veryyy hard time getting a cab. When I was already near the meeting place, some sort of miscommunication happened and I THOUGHT that the meeting was either canceled or postponed so I went to Trinoma instead. Trinoma is ginourmous! I decided to watch a movie ALONE! Whattaloser! So I bought some Oliver's Sandwich and Dalandan Juice and settled in to watch Forbidden Kingdom! HURRAH! Ang galing... yun lang... SOBRANG GALING! Then I met up with Kuya Andrew to eat dinner at Cibo in Glorietta. We shared the Spinach and Gorgonzola Cheese dip. I had the Braised Lamb with White Wine, Turnips and Carrots. It was heavenly. The meat was so tender and flavorful. Hay basta... try it! It was served with a very delicious cup of rice flavored with garlic and parsley (I think). Then, I went to the Mineski Grounds in Arena to meet up with another journalist. He was going to cover the Asian DotA Championship Philippine Qualifiers Finals between CORPOration (my team) and NINJA (my ex-boyfriend's team but my…
Manila Day 3
I woke up at around 9:30 am, took a bath, ate breakfast, and prepared for a day of gallivanting around. At around 11 am, Kuya, Winston, and I met up with Juned. After a while, Ate Aileen also arrived. We went to Binondo. YEY! We ate at Estero where we had Yang Chow Fried Rice, Scallops with Mushrooms, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Oyster Cake. YUM YUM YUM! After lunch, we met up with Benj. We went on a search for Quickly. LOL! But failed miserably... we spent more time walking around more than anything else. Well, there were also lotsa camwhoring. After Binondo, they went to Intramuros while I hailed a cab to go to Taft. I visited Mineski Grounds. I was able to meet a lot of the DotA players I chat with or play with over G Arena. My ex was there and he was like... uhmmm.... hmmm.... ah, eh... he ignored me. LOL! I also met up with Davao player Yukz who is trying to move to Manila and needed professional and personal advice. Awww... bonding kami! The friendliest people there were Vini, Tony, Roro, Khen, and Papa Bong. :P By 6 pm, I left to…
Manila Day 1
I went GROSSLY overbudget... HUHU! Our flight PR 810 arrived slightly late. And there was this godawful kid on our flight who was crying most of the time. We picked up Winston and Blogie from the Cebu Pacific terminal. We then dropped off our things at Kuya Andrew's house, then went directly to Razon's for some lunch. Kuya and I shared on Pancit Palabok and Sizzling Bulalo. It was alright, I guess. I also had a sylvana. Then, we went back to the house to get some rest. At 7 pm, we were at Serendra at the Fort. VERY! VERY! VERY IMPRESSIVE! I fell in love with Fully Booked. Good thing I had self-control so I didn't buy anything. Kuya, Blogie and I then ate at Brazil! I am sooo regretting that decision. The beef, especially, the beef shank was sooo sinful. :( But I enjoyed it. Until my cousin, Tinky arrived and told us she was going to eat somewhere else since she wasn't in the mood for buffet. That's when madness ensued. We accompanied her to New Orleans where she had clam chowder and clammy pasta. I drank some tea, couple with the Mississipi Mud Cake which has…