Manila-The Best kept Secret in Asia

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Located just east of the intersection with Candara street, Lai Lai is a superb restaurant for value for money. Try the shrimp tempura for 240 Pesos (4 euros), an absolutely massive bowl of soup for 4 persons for 160 Pesos ( 2,5 Euros), and a pancit (noodle dish) with shrimps and pork ,also for 4 persons for 180 Pesos (3 euros).

The telephone number is 309 1457.  Notice the innovative ashtrays on the second photo from Coca-Cola cans.

This very interesting retail outlet is located on General Luna Street, at Intramuros, very near the Southern Gate. It specialises in Filipino Art, artifacts, and products, and although it is not cheap, it is not expensive either. What makes the place special is that you can find a lot of quality products under one roof , displayed beautifully in a very large area on two floors. Particularly interesting were cigars, aromatic cigarrillos (which make an excellent gift), and edible produce (like fine quality cocoa, chocolate , exotic fruit jams, etc), as well as a lot of tribal art and handicrafts. Staff were particularly helpful , informative, and certainly not pushy. The telephone number is, 632-52721111.

This is a definite must. Fort Santiago is the top historical attraction in the Intramuros, and for those readers who will spare some time to read the history of the Philippines, then the tour of the Fort Santiago and the Rizal shrine housed inside, would become most rewarding.

Fort Santiago has been a fortress, a torture chamber, a prison , a dungeon , a site of military atrocities, and yet today, walking around the site, there are no negative vibes about the place. There is just a relaxing, cool feeling, and it is nice to be away from the Manila fuss and noise. Don't miss the Rizal Shrine of the Filipino national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, with a lot of his personal belongings and furniture.

In many aspects, Manila’s Chinatown is no different than so many Chinatowns in the rest of the world. The borders are clearly marked with the large Chinese Arches above the main road and the two reasons to visit are, that is within walking distance from Intramuros (at the northeastern corner, just after crossing Jones Bridge) making a good day’s walk (if you walked Intramuros) even better. The other is that, you may want to experience that special feel of Chinatowns with hundreds of herbal shops, shops selling Chinese artifacts (mooncakes, incense , toys, ringing balls ), great Chinese restaurants and eateries, and the noise and charm that penetrates the air.

Looking at the map , Manila’s Chinatown is defined by an imaginary triangle. It is formed by the linear extension of Ongpin street on the north, Dasmarinas street on the east, and Quintin Paredes street on the west. The main, and interesting street to walk is Ongpin street ,which is the one with the highest concentration of Chinese retail outlets (and eateries).