We decided to spend the day in Manila to get organized for several days in the provinces. First we needed to get our laundry done. This was a simple matter because there was a laundry right next door to the Malate Penssione Hotel. It wasn't as cheap to get laundry done as I would have expected it to be. It cost about P150 each person to wash three changes of clothes for three people. They also stuck on an additional P20 charge for sanitation of underwear. (I didn't want to know what that meant.)
The next matter of business was money. We had to convert traveler's checks into pesos. The part of town we were in had lots of banks and it was easy to find one just around the corner from the hotel. The bank security was very heavy; they kept their doors locked. An outer guard greeted us and tapped the window signaling one of three inner guards to unlock the door. All of the guards were armed with shotguns but were friendly and greeted us politely. We had to go to the American Express office to cash the checks. It was a comforting thought by the way, to know there was such an office just around the corner from our hotel. To our pleasant surprise, the exchange rate had gone up in the three days we had been to Palawan. It was now P25.30 to $1. I gained four dollars by holding off three days to exchange my money! Unlike the money exchange we went to the first day, the American Express office gave us no bill larger than P500. Breaking P1000 bills would not be a problem any more.
Mundane problems solved, we were off to see the sights. A P1.5 each jeepney
ride got us to Intramuros, the walled city of Manila. Built by the Spaniards
in 1571, this massive stone fortress was the original city of Manila. A
huge fortress wall surrounded a church and several other vital structures
that were of key importance centuries ago. A picturesque moat and draw
bridge completed the motif.
The
University of Manila is located here, and the first thing we came across
was some very young looking college girls coming from class. They all wore
uniforms and many carried Arnis (eskrima) sticks. These sticks are used
as weapons and are made from rattan vines which grow wild in the jungles.
(We came across one of these vines in the jungle outside Sabang on Palawan.
It dropped down from the trees, crossed our path and then went back into
the jungle canopy. We had no idea where it started, or where it ended.)
The sticks fashioned out of these vines are roughly a little longer than
fingertip to elbow and range in diameter size from one-half to one inch
thick.
Arnis is a form of martial art which utilizes two of these sticks as offensive as well as defensive weaponry. Kurt, fancying himself as the great white arnis master, ran through some quick drills with two of the girls. They were so embarrassed by Kurt's curiosity that the girls did not cooperate very well.
The San Agustin Church was our next stop. It had been converted into a
museum which is open daily from 9:00am-12:00 noon and 1:00pm-5:00pm. Guess
what? We got there at noon! They were closed for lunch so we went to lunch
nearby. We ate across the street in a small café that was once apparently
part of the Intramuros stables. We arrived back at San Agustin at 1:00
and entered the church through a small door cut into the huge arching 25-foot
door. The tour was a self-paced walking tour which cost P30 and took over
an hour. The museum offered many artifacts and relics dating back as far
as the 14th century. Many of these invaluable objects were encased in glass,
but many were also posted in the open for closer inspection. Photography
was not allowed in the building and the guards at the gate made it perfectly
clear to Kurt and I when they saw our cameras in hand. Lani got away with
using her video camera, strangely enough. Our guess was the guard had never
seen a Sharp viewcam and didn't know it was a camcorder. The church cathedral
was a massive structure with baroque architecture. Church functions are
still held here. Weddings in this cathedral cost P12,000 or $480 US and
need to be booked two years in advance. From a second floor balcony we
could see the ruins of the remainder of the church which were destroyed
during World War II. This was the oldest stone church in the Philippines
and the lone survivor of the war.
We also stopped by another large church nearby, the Manila Cathedral. This church, built after the war, was larger than San Agustin and had air conditioning. An old caretaker met us at the door and offered to show us around. He took us down into the basement and showed us the mausoleum. Here, the remains of the archbishops of the church were put to rest. There were plenty more empty sarcophagus' awaiting many more generations of archbishops. Our little impromptu tour ended with our guide handing us donation envelopes, of course.
Our last stop in the Intramuros was Fort Santiago. Entry into the fort cost P15 each. Compared to other sights around town, this one was not worth the time or money. The fort was in a rather bad state of decay and workmen were refurbishing the original barracks while we were there. The only big attraction which seemed to enshroud this building was the devotion to the life and untimely death of Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero. Rizal wrote two books in the 18th century which inspired the Philippine people to revolt against the Spaniards. The Spaniards executed Rizal for his efforts here at Fort Santiago. The room and its furnishings where he spent his last days were preserved on display. Beware though, upon exiting the Rizal display, a large guest book with attendants will await you. After we answered all the other questions, the last one was "amount of donation". Looking to see what other people before us gave, we were amazed to see rather large contributions of P200-300. We left P20 each and entertained the idea of going back through again to see if the attendants had drawn in an additional zero to our P20 donation.
Next we took a taxi to the local mall near our hotel. We had heard that glasses were much cheaper in Manila than in the United States. Kurt and Lani spent two hours fussing over the lenses and frames, etc. and finally bought one pair each. They were a little cheaper but not much. They also did not have the high impact poly-carbonate lenses we have available in the United States.
I found a watch store to purchase a new Casio Data Bank for $50 US. Watches and other electronics seemed to be about the same price as they are in the United States. This fact surprised me a little because I figured they would be cheaper due to the proximity to Japan. On a side note, I must say that purchasing the watch was an entertaining experience. The store, like most, was staffed primarily by women. As one of the only two caucasians in the entire mall (Kurt being the other), I drew a good deal of attention. It took no less than four sales girls and twenty-five minutes to ensure I got the proper watch. Of course they set it for me, adjusted the band to fit and gave me lessons on proper operation. Now that is my idea of a full-service establishment!
