Palatable adventure in Binondo

There’s something about Manila that lures me into exploring it. The atmosphere, perhaps?

Traversing the streets of Manila transcends a feeling of going back in time and watching the colorful culture circling the place. Despite the modern structures, moving around Manila feels like living inside a history book, seeing the historic capital described in it firsthand.

As part of my urban exploration, my friend and I visited the oldest Chinatown in the world—our very own Manila Chinatown in Binondo. Established in 1594, Manila Chinatown offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience.

How to get there

Well, I can only talk about how we got there, but this is still useful information.

From any southbound station, take the MRT and get off at Taft Avenue station. Then, take the LRT and alight at Carriedo station. We walked from the station going to Binondo, but I’m sure there are jeepneys headed that way. We just navigated the route through Google Maps and decided to walk since it’s a short distance. It took us 7 minutes or less to reach our first stop.

Ying Ying Restaurant

It was lunch time when we arrived and the two-story diner was full. There’s nothing spectacular about the interior. In fact, it’s akin to a school cafeteria. But it being jam-packed hinted that an exciting feast awaited us. The intervals between people coming out and going in were short.

We ordered braised beef noodles, fried pork dumplings, shrimp hakaw, and black gulaman. While waiting for our food, we helped ourselves with the house tea that sat waiting for hungry souls on the table. It was newly brewed, as the tea pot was hot.

A few minutes later, food was served. And indeed, it was an appetizing meal!

Braised Beef Noodles

Out and about for adventure

Bahay ni Tuding is the place to go to if you’re traveling on a budget. Sure, there’s nothing spectacular about it. It’s like your old house-turned-boutique hotel, but it afforded me a quaint breakfast I enjoyed a lot.

The hearty meal was composed of toasted bread, jam, fruits and yogurt, and, of course, hot brewed coffee—something I couldn’t live without even when traveling. I was glad it was brewed coffee; not an instant 3-in-1 most budget hotels usually serve.

I had a nice sleep and since I got all the time in the world (well, for 3 days at least), I took the opportunity to wander around the place for a bit.

Except for the room bearing no windows, the hotel is nice overall. For only P1,000 a night, I enjoyed a nice bed, a bathroom with a water heater, hearty breakfast, and accommodating staff. You don’t get that much for a thousand bucks these days.

Oops, sorry for the quick review. Now, let me get down to business.

I allotted two days to go out and about for adventure in one of the cleanest cities I’ve been to so far. I did some research on the best spots to visit and the best places to eat at. My friend even found it hilarious that I got everything planned a few months back. She was laughing at me for being overly prepared for my Davao trip.

But, the thing about traveling is, not everything needs to go as planned. There’s always room for adjustment. I prepared a list of places I wanted to visit, but I ended up rehashing my itinerary.

Now, what follows is a list of the best spots and the best activities, and you don’t necessarily need to plan your trip according to it, but I bet you’ll have the best memories of your Davao trip if you tick everything off.

MUSEUMS

Museyo Dabawenyo

Never leave Davao City without paying Museyo Dabawenyo a visit. In fact, I suggest that you place this at the top of your itinerary, because this is one way of knowing and understanding Davao’s culture. Entrance is free. A guide will tell you stories about how Davao got its name, about the different tribes and ethnic groups in Davao, and many more. Take note though that you’re not allowed to take photos inside.

Satisfying food experience at Novotel Manila

Food plays a big role in our overall hotel experience.

One of the greatest things I looked forward to at this year’s Blogapalooza was our two-night stay at Novotel Manila—a first for this annual event since its inception in 2011. The relatively new hotel, which is part of Accor Hotels, is located at the Araneta Center. It’s perfect for both a leisurely stay and a business-related trip.

The hotel boasts of stylish posh rooms with soft beds, carpeted floors, elegant toilet and bathroom, and a view of the bustling city. I had a rejuvenating comfortable sleep, but truth be told, what I loved the most about the hotel was the Food Exchange Manila buffet breakfast.

The feast was a mixture of Asian (Filipino, Indian, Japanese) and Western (American, English, Italian) cuisines that created a flavorful revelry in my mouth. Even the coffee, which was served in a French press, added fun and excitement to my breakfast experience.

Appetizing salad greens and other colors!

Uniting PH at Blogapalooza 2016

In politics, what do you do to dominate the race? Get the right numbers.

And how do you get the right numbers? Unite your allies.

While this post is not about politics, this strategy seems to be what Blogapalooza has implemented in preparation for year 2017 dubbed as “The Domination.” On November 5, 2016 at Novotel Manila AranetaCenter (more about my Novotel experience on my next post), the event-turned-company gathered bloggers from Northern Luzon, National Capital Region (NCR), Visayas, and Mindanao to unite them as one collaborative organization of bloggers.

From being an annual event which kicked off in 2011 with the aim to connect businesses and bloggers, and which used to be organized by When in Manila, Blogapalooza is now a company headed by its chief executive officer, Ace Gapuz, who is nicknamed “Blogamomma.”

First night's mission: Experience downtown Davao

I took a deep breath as soon as I stepped out of the arrival area at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao City International Airport). It was both a feeling of relief that I made it to NAIA on time and of great satisfaction that I finally got the chance to travel again after a while. I’m blessed to be here.

Wasting no time, I hailed a cab to take me to the hotel where I was billeted at. I was in a dilemma at first though. I thought that if I took a cab at the airport, the driver might ask for a higher fare, just like what taxi drivers in Manila do most of the time. I thought of walking towards the gate leading outside the airport’s vicinity and hail a cab there instead, but I immediately dismissed the idea as soon as I realized that doing so would require much effort.

It was 7:45 pm and my stomach was starting to grumble, so I swallowed all bits of hesitation. The taxi driver was courteous enough to admit that he didn’t know where my hotel was located, so I just pulled out my phone and fired away Google Maps. I found the exact location and told the driver where to take me to. He obliged.

I initiated a conversation with him by asking a few questions, starting with, “Are you going to ask for an additional amount on top of the metered fare?” I almost sounded suspicious rather than inquisitive, but the driver willingly answered my query.

“Ay, bawal po dito ‘yan, Sir. Bawal pong mangontrata dito,” he said.

(“That’s not tolerated here, Sir. Demanding a fixed amount is not allowed here.”)

That’s great! My first impression: Dabawenyos are honest, obedient and disciplined.

We talked a bit more about the traits of Dabawenyos, the tourist spots, the food, the surroundings, and the bombing that shocked the nation, among others. That’s one way of getting to know the place—asking questions and seeing from the perspective of a local.

About 20 minutes later, we arrived at Bahay ni Tuding where I settled down for a few minutes before heading out for a night stroll. My mission: Wander around and experience downtown Davao at night. Oh, yes, Bahay ni Tuding is in the downtown area where you can find almost everything.

Since the hotel’s restaurant was already closed by the time I arrived, I opted to dine out. The receptionist advised me to try Kusina Dabaw. I obliged.

I found in the menu a dish that was new to my ears. Balbacua. I asked the waitress what it was, but since my stomach was already complaining, I placed my order upon hearing “beef.” Several minutes later, my order was served and, well, it was something I never expected. Apparently, balbacua is a thick soup dish with cow’s skin, seasoned with chives. I learned later on that it is a specialty dish in Davao and there’s a place in the public market called Balbacuahan, a strip of eateries serving the dish.

I didn’t like it though. Not that it wasn’t delicious at all; it just wasn’t my type of food.

As it turned out, I didn’t have a satisfying dinner, so I strolled around, looking for some redemption.

I stumbled upon a brightly lit old house that had been turned into a café and bar. Letting my curiosity take over, I entered Claude's Le Caféde Ville.

Davao adventure—my first shot at solo traveling

Part 1: Sprinting to the airport

All the seats by the window were taken, so I had no choice but to settle for a middle seat.

I thought I wouldn’t make it to the airport on time. At 3:45 PM, I was still on the MRT, wishing that it was a bullet train I was riding on. This is bad. My flight is at 6 pm!

At 4 pm, I was still at the station, trying to hail a cab to NAIA Terminal 3, but getting refused every time.

Damn Manila traffic.

I had to use my last resort: Grab Car. With a bit of hesitation, I pulled out my phone, clutched it tight in my hand—lest someone would snatch it—and ran a booking. At that point, I didn’t mind paying a higher amount, which was brought about by the price surge, just to catch my flight. While in the car, crazy thoughts were running in my head.

What if I don’t make it on time? Shall I book another flight? Shall I just stay in Manila and feel sorry for myself for a flopped trip? Shall I go somewhere else and just forget about all the plans I laid out, the paid reservation at the hotel, and all the crazy stuff I should be doing in Davao City?

Then my optimistic side toppled the pessimism. I will make it.

I arrived at the departure area a few minutes before 5. After getting through the X-ray machine and having my bags checked, I went straight to the self service check-in machine, half-walking, half-running and panting the whole time.

A beautiful Cebu Pacific personnel assisted me along the check-in process and in less than a minute, I got my boarding pass. I was then told to go straight to Gate 116, as boarding time was 5:15 pm.

Whew, thank God I made it. Now, I wait.

The new ride in town

One Saturday afternoon, without any plans of where to go after my friend and I completed our errands, I saw this rather new mode of public transportation in the metro, the Point-to-point bus service or more commonly known as P2P.

I'd seen the bus plying the length of EDSA a few times which got me really curious what it felt like to ride on it. The interior was not visible from the outside, as the windows are tinted. The windshield's size is much taller than the one I see on jam-packed buses. The exterior looks fascinating and judging from it, I inferred that the inside would be cozy.

Giving in to my curiosity, I told my friend to come with me for a joy ride to Trinoma, the sole destination of the bus which would depart from Glorietta 5 in Ayala.