SM Malls of Asia

Manila - SM Malls of Asia is the largest mall in Phiippines and the 6th largest mall in the world.  It is insanely huge and you can spend hours in this mall.  They even have a rifle and gun shop in the mall.

Rifle shop 

As Chinese New Year is approaching, this SM Mall is celebrating too as the owners are the Sy family - one of the richest Chinese Filippinos.

Okada Casino

Manila - Philippines has a crazy number of casinos in Manila - a total of 20 casinos.   Local Filipinos are allowed into the casino to gamble without restrictions.   

inside Okada casino

I never gamble nor like casino because of the smoke and smell but it was a good experience to visit one here in Manila. 

Okada is a casino resort and hotel complex located on the Entertainment City gaming strip in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. In 2007, with a total construction cost about ¥250 billion and spending seven years, Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada established and managed Okada Manila.

Dark chocolate sundae

Intramuros city - UNESCO

Manila - We took a grab from our hotel to St Augustin Church.  A beautiful church but there was a wedding and was not allowed to enter the church surrounded by numerous friends and relatives of the wedding couple dressed in fancy dresses.  

St Augustin Church

fancy Starbucks

Beautiful cobblestones road

Time flies, the last time I was walking around Intramuros was 2013 (10 years ago).   The last time, we took a Calesa - a horse driven cart but now it was an electric scooter and a young boy (16 years old) at the driver seat.  This young boy was an enthusiastic tour guide too, explaining the places along the way.   From Php 350 it came down to Php 200 for both of us - we kept saying not interested and price kept dropping.

Pintong Real 

Pintong Real (Royal Gate) this is one of the historical markers around the Intramuros city.   This was a prison used by the Spanish to incarcerate people.

Pintong Real entrance

Baluarte San Andres

This was part of the Spanish colonial fortification in the historic Walled City. It was built in 1603 to protect the Puerto Real and the southeastern part of Intramuros.  

Intramuros wall 

Looking across from the wall

Baluarte de San Diego

This circular tower was meant to defend Manila’s southern bayside boundary. In 1593, the upper portion of the tower was demolished after suffering from cracks. The rest of the structure was integrated into a new bulwark called Baluarte de San Diego.  Completed sometime between 1653 and 1663, Baluarte de San Diego is shaped like an ace of spades.  It was breached by the British forces with cannon fire in 1762, and was restored when the Spaniards returned.  The earthquake of 1863 destroyed the structure, leading to its abandonment. During the American occupation, the circular fort was buried under layers of soil which eventually saved it from destruction during the Battle of Manila in 1945 despite the damage sustained by the baluarte containing it. 

Baluarte de San Diego

This used to be an old watchtower.   

Donny on the other side 

Canon pit overlooking the Golf course

Casa Manila 

The Casa Manila or “Manila House” is a living museum that features the lifestyle of an affluent Filipino family during the late Spanish colonial period. The façade of Casa Manila was patterned after a house that once stood at Jaboneros Street in the Chinese district of Binondo in the 1850's.

National Museum of Fine Art

Manila - Since had some time after the walking street food tour of Binondo, we decided to visit the National Museum of Fine Arts  There was already a queue forming when we reach the Museum.   It was a beautifully maintained Museum showcasing the artistic talents of Filipinos.

These Filipino's paintings are works of art usually made from acrylic, oil, or watercolors applied on a support that is usually paper or canvas. The National Museum of the Philippines has numerous paintings in its collection showcasing the country’s rich artistic heritage.

Dr. Jose Rizal was very flexible that he had so many talents. He made various paintings, sketches as well as sculptures.

Rizal wrote a sad message to this newly wedded wife "To my dear and unhappy wife,  Josephine, December 30th 1896"

Stained glasses from a church

An impressive paining along the 3 walls

This is a higher elevation view from the next floor.

We spent about 2 hrs walking around the museum, very tired but a fruitful day.

Binondo Food waking trip

 Manila - After our hearty breakfast, we took a grab to Binondo.  

Binondo is the Chinatown area of Manila. The name comes from the Tagalog word binondoc, which means ‘mountainous’ due to its hilly landscape. Founded by Spanish Governor Luis Perez Dasmarinas in 1594, it was originally meant for Chinese immigrants who converted to Catholicism, making it the world’s oldest Chinatown district.

1st stop:  The grab driver stops us at Binondo church - an ancient Catholic place of worship. This church is also known as Quiapo Church or the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, dedicated to the first Filipino saint.

Entrance of the Binondo church

Beautify Binondo Church

I was not able to take a photo of the interior as the church service was on going - at the entrance we were greeted by an usher and spoke to us in Hokkien.  I replied to her - so cool.   

2nd stop was Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant - claimed to have the best chicken in Philippines.    The chicken is considered on an expensive side scaled to Singapore standard and it was bland and lots of flour around the chicken parts.   Singapore prawn paste chicken will beat this 'Sincerity chicken' hands down.

Willy and I outside Sincerity chicken

Sincerity friend chicken

Oyster omelette

chicken and oyster omlette

This oyster omelette taste is also not my liking - it is cooked with carrots and and onions and not the why I am used to eating Hokkien oyster omelette.

Calamansi juice drink

3rd stop - Entrance of Binondo Chinatown welcome gate

Our 4th stop along the famous Ongpin road was the Roman Ongpin memorial 

A short walk was our 5th Stop, Eng Bee Tin - a traditional Chinese delicacies founded in 1912.   So famous in Philippines, you can find their shops around many malls in Manila.  

Pork Floss Hopia

Moon cakes

Our 6th was the most famous Shanghai Fried Siopao, 

There was already a long queue for this delicious siopao - so juicy on the inside.

Our 7th and final Binondo stop, was a Lumpia shop - Binondo Style Fresh Lumpia, or Chinese Style Fresh Spring Roll and is a popular street food in Binondo.  

It’s also a dish common within the South East Asian Region specially in those countries with a heavy Chinese influence. In Singapore it is popiah. Different name but mostly similar in composition where thinly sliced vegetables together with seasonings are wrapped in a thin flour skin wrapper. This dish originated in Fujian province of China and dates back to the 17th century. Popiah, which means “thin snack” or “pancake” in Teochew and that what exactly this dish is.  

holding up our Lumpia 

Unlike the Singapore dish, the Filippino Lumpia tasted bland and had more carrots in the ingredients.   

Lumpia

Marikina Shoe Museum

Manila @ Marikina - Just a short distance away is the Marikina Show Museum which houses the infamous Imelda Marcos huge collection of shoes.    The museum is area is very small and majority of the exhibits displayed are about Imelda's shoes.    I  saw all the exhibits in under 30 minutes.   There is also an extremely small 2nd storey.  Entrance fee is only P50.

Entrance

Imelda Marco's collection

800 of her 3,000 shoe collections are stored at this museum.  

Imelda in her younger days

Another exhibit of the vast shoe collection

Looking down from the second floor

Giant shoe