A bit of everything from the Philippines

This is the last post for my last trip to the Philippines, and I will just put a bit of everything... things that were surprising for me or just interesting.

This is a typical Filipino dinner. Most of the dishes have Spanish names (adobo, escabeche, torta...) and the most famous beer is San Miguel!!



Basketball is the national sport and many people play basketball in the middle of the street at any time! This was a common image everywhere!



This is what rice looks like before it goes into the bags we buy in the supermarket! ;)



This is a very common main of transportation: the tricycle. It is basically a motorbike which has had a metal box with two rear wheels soldered to it.



And this was a gas station in Banaue... The measurement unit is the bottle of Coke!



When we came back to Manila, this was the state of our bus at the departure time... We had to trust those guys' work: the ride would take 10 hours and it would not be nice to get stranded!



Luxurious Manila is really luxurious, it looks like any other developed country.



If you buy a soft drink in a street stand and you want to leave, they pour your drink into a plastic bag. Interesting!



This is the number one means of transportation: the jeepney. When the American troops left the country after WWII, they left behind many Jeeps. Locals took them and modified them to become something close to buses. They have the destination written on the side. If you wanna ride them, you just flag them down, tell the driver where you go and pay a ridiculous price for the ride. When you get to your destination, you just shout "Para!!" and jump out of the jeepney.



There are many poor people in Manila and they live near the rivers. I saw this kid trying to recover something useful from the garbage coming downstream in a river...



... and this is probably where he came from: some shanty towns next to a nice area in Manila. Definitely, a city of great contrasts.



Rice is the main food staple and there are many varieties. Looks like too many!!



This is the last work by José Rizal before he was executed. I put it here in original language, Spanish.

Philippines. Manila

Manila is a huge city full of people and traffic jams everywhere, but it is quite interesting: a blend of Spanish + South East Asian + American cultures.

Our second day in Manila, after our visit to Cordillera region (rice terraces), started in Rizal Park, Manila's main park. On the North end, there is a nice square with the museum of the Filipino people...



... and a 3-D representation of the country in a huge pool.



Next to it, the historic district of Intramuros, which is the place where Spanish people used to live. Everything there looks Spanish... It feels like going to some little town in Castilla.



Of course, if it is Spanish, there are churches. This is the Church of Santo Tomás, which is UNESCO World Heritage.



And Santo Tomás Monastery next to it.



Nearby Casa Manila is the perfect example of colonial Spanish house, which could well be in Mexico or Cuba. ;)




And the nice Cathedral of Manila, also World Heritage.



The highlight of Intramuros is Fort Santiago, next to the sea, and the original Spanish settlement.



José Rizal, a writer and symbol of the Philippines struggle for independence, was held prisoner in here, until he was killed in Rizal Park in 1896.



Another view of Fort Santiago:



After visiting Intramuros, we came back to Malate, the touristic center, and went to San Andrés Market to see local products.



And also visited Malate Church (once again World Heritage)...



... before watching the sunset by the sea.



Then, back to Rizal Park, to see the place where he was killed...



... and the monument to commemorate his struggle to defend his nation.



At night, we went for dinner to an amazing luxurious restaurant where Filipino traditional dance and music was performed.



Philippines was a really nice destination for a long weekend from Japan. If you have visited South East Asia and think you have it all figured out... well, just go to the Philippines!! ;)

El alma de las Filipinas

Esta foto representa el alma del Sureste Asiático, esa tierra mágica donde todo es posible, donde el sudor te impregna todo tu alma y hace que parte de tí se transforme a cada paso. Una tierra de descubrimiento y aventura.

This photo represents the soul of South East Asia, that magic land where everything is possible, where sweat covers your soul up and makes part of you changes at every step. A land of discovery and adventure.

Philippines. Hapao and Philippino Village

Banaue area has several rice terraces which are world famous; it is not only Banaue rice terraces. We wanted to see some more, so we also went to Hapao, a place within a Philippine National Park and located around 1.5 - 2 h from Banaue. The road to go there was mostly unpaved and was an interesting experience (bumping inside a tricycle---> I will show what a tricycle is in the coming days...).

The views on the way to Hapao were impressive:




And we passed by many villages in the middle of the mountains:



Finally, we got to Hapao, paid the fee for the national park entrance and went to the main view point of the terraces. Amazing!!





Then, the same way back... bumping in the tricycle... The way was long, so we asked the driver to stop by some traditional village. And this is where we went! Quite South Pacific style in my opinion (although I have never been there! yet!!:) )





And the views over Banaue rice terraces were superb!



And this was one guy living in one of the houses... Quite cool! :)

Philippines. Rice terraces in Banaue

The rice terraces in Banaue (Philippines), are considered the 8th wonder of the world by many people. The trip from Manila takes around 10 hours and it is overnight, which is good to save some money in hotels.

The first views of the rice terraces are amazing. It is a really beautiful landscape!



In order to enjoy them at most, we went for a hike with a local guide. The money to hire him was really worth it, since he showed us the way around and taught us many things about the country and their people. Our guide was a great guy!



The hike took around 3 hours and we could see the terraces from many angles and meet some people on our way. Much better than just looking from the view point!





At some points, the trail got quite hard and we even got into the tropical forest, where there were waterfalls.



The rice terraces in Banaue are really picturesque and it is really easy to get great shots! :)





After the hike, to get back to Banaue town, we had to cross over the river by using a hanging bridge I would not dare using in a developed country! ;)



These terraces were amazing, but there were not the only ones in these region! Tomorrow, more!