Makati city, Manila: In 96 hours
My trip to the Philippines was a complete accident ( though I don't believe in accidents) but the four days I spent there only happened because it was the cheapest way for me to connect to Indonesia. Now you may be wondering, How the heck did you end up spending four days if it was only a connection? hang in there, a few weeks before my trip, I was told that my coworker Mika was from Manila and that was it. She literally took over the planning aspects of my stay, she provided me with a full itinerary, a place to stay and lunch dates with her family. ( I simply could not pass this opportunity).
“If you don't find beauty and poetry here, you will never find it anywhere ” Carlos Celdran.
Manila is truly a captivating place. It is both chaotic and peaceful, fast and slow rich and poor. I find the whole city to be a complete contradiction in the most interesting way. I'm not going to go in full details in this post, but hopefully I can touch up on the highlights of my stay in this vibrant city.
Upon Arrival
I arrived in Manila around 7:30 am and things were quit slow which surprised was a pleasant surprise. Considering the whole time on the plane my mind kept replaying the scene in #BourneLegacy when they went to manila smh. I hopped in taxi for about 30 pesos that took me straight to #Zhostel in less than 25 minutes.
Z Hostel
This place is a gem! It was my first time staying in a hostel and boy have they placed the bar high. Very warm and welcoming staff from the moment I arrived on the steps. The hostel is very well kept and for the most part very up to date. I stayed in a private room ( yes I know, I just couldn't risk roommate drama issues and wit was only about 100 US dollars). The rooftop bar is super convenient and fun. I met people from all over the world on that rooftop, some I still talk too. After all nothing commemorate friendships like drinking on the top floor of a hostel with complete strangers right? Oh, lets not forget the delicious breakfast buffet after a long night of dancing and drinking.
By the way, all this was done my first night there.
--- Also Z is located in the heart of Makati. Everything is walking distance.
In all honesty, I spent the next two days sleeping the day off and bar hopping/hanging out/partying at night. I went out during the day once, it was to visit Venice Grand Canal Mall which is a MUST by the way.
Let's go back to the night life shall we?
We ended up visiting two different night markets while roaming the streets one night. I am told that there are several in the Makati area. They are full of cheap clothes, food and all in between. You must wheel and deal to get a good price. I am not sure if I would recommend walking around the night markets alone just because tourist are targeted everywhere.
XOXO Steph
