One of the best tours I would have to say, having done this twice. The boat ride there is…read morecomfortable, the first time there was a large group of international travelers. On my second trip, there was a large contingent of college students from an all girls school. So folks are coming because they're all eager to learn. Tip - Charge and bring your Nikon, don't make that mistake. There will be plenty of killer shots to take. I came back to learn more and for the other fun things. I do enjoy the mini bus ride and tour guide explanations for everything. You get to leave the bus at certain points so that you can walk among the ruins. Be careful - if you have uncoordinated relatives or small kids, you need to accompany them because there are no guard rails in certain places. This reminded me a little of Chitchen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula). And of course - there is a buffet lunch at the hotel which is nice. Warning - You may feel a little sluggish after this big meal as you continue to tour the island. And by the time you get back to Manila and drive home - it's an all day affair and you'll feel somewhat tired. In summary, if you're into history and can take in large amounts of information and process it accordingly this trip is for you. If you get into WW2 data points, you will really enjoy this. If you don't get into history but like a nice relaxing boat ride and tour with a huge buffet lunch - you'll have a great time nonetheless. The fresh air alone and the views will have you coming back with other touristy visitors.

The first time I heard about Corregidor Island was when I was about to board a boat to go there. I…read morehave to admit, I'm not exactly a history buff. That was the one class that I just couldn't get excited about. Fourth period History class mean Fourth period nappy nap time for Jamie. As I got older though, I developed an appreciation for history. I'm still not well-versed in World War 2 facts, but all the little stories that have Corregidor Island as a back drop make me feel more intrigued. For instance, the famous "I shall return" quote from General MacArthur was made on this island. Also, there was a Japanese cemetery that was found here decades later only after a picture was seen at a garage sale in the US. Interesting stuff. The tour around the island gave insight on the battles here. From seeing Battery Way and all the dilapidated barracks, all of it is quite amazing being there and realizing what happened but just a few years ago. While I wasn't really looking forward to this part of my first trip to the Philippines in ages, I am certainly glad I went. And, when I do go back to the Philippines, I can't wait to make another stop on Corregidor Island.

This cruise line takes you to Corregidor island. I would highly recommend that you get the island…read moretour with the buffet package if you're there only for the day. It was a fairly quick ride at about a 1hr 15min. Seats were comfy as well. I would try and refrain from laughing when the crew does their "sunset tours" dance before leaving port. For the life of me, I don't understand why they had to dance but it was a good laugh for me.

When I booked for our first Corregidor tour with my dad, a World War II Veteran, at first I felt…read moregiddy, but then I began to worry about my dad, who is already 96 yrs old. I started to think of worst-case scenarios like : is the weather too hot, or like will it rain, to like are there enough rest rooms, knowing my dad frequents the toilets, and etc.. When the day arrived and we were whisked by our ferry boat to our destination, all my fears subsided the moment we hit the shores of Corregidor. The weather was perfect, and the tram ride was relaxing. Our tour guide was very fluent in English, and shared with us a few anecdotes, stories, and jokes along the way. The tour was very educational of our historical heritage and there were a lot of photo opportunities during every stop. We had a buffet lunch at the lone hotel in the island and the food was great. The meat dishes were very tender to the bite while the rest of entrees were also delicious. I'm so happy that my dad enjoyed the trip and so did I. After our first trip, I'm looking forward to more trips in the near future.

I joined Dustin's God, Gold and Glory (3G) tour together with the rest of the international…read moredelegates from a research convention and peace dialogue that was put together by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. I was blown away by how informative the tour was, and it wasn't even that strenuous because it only focused on three main attractions in Intramuros. We first went to San Agustin Church for some really interesting trivia on the religious artwork, the construction of the church and the history of the Spanish conquest in the country. Then we went to other different parts of the nearby streets to learn more about the identity and the psyche of the Filipinos. Considering that most of the people on the tour were foreigners who are new to the country, I think the 3G tour is an excellent way to introduce the uninitiated to the values, the quirks and the psychology of the Filipinos. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to stay in the country for a while, but wants to speed up the adjustment process. Dustin's intelligent insight on the way of life of the Filipinos will bring a certain level of understanding as to how we act, think and behave the way we do, and even as a Filipino, I learned a lot about our culture and history that I didn't learn from textbooks. It is such a refreshing take on our crazy Filipino complex of dealing with things. The rest of the delegates enjoyed the tour tremendously, and had a lot of wonderful things to say about the clever guide, the depth of the tour program and the way everything was set up. The logistics were smooth despite the rain, and the tour ended on time as Dustin was very timely in his delivery. Well done!

My colleagues and I had the pleasure of experiencing Dustin's 3G (God, Gold and Glory) tour of old…read moreManila two weeks ago. Our group was a mix of backgrounds (Chinese who grew up in Canada and Indonesia, Australian) so they came with a genuine interest in learning more about Philippine history and culture. Dustin did not disappoint. He is not only extremely knowledgable about Philippine history, he uses it to contextualize the country's present culture and values. Even if I grew up in the Philippines, I learned so much from Dustin on this tour. He is an engaging and dynamic storyteller with a special talent for connecting the past and the present seamlessly, and has fun while doing so. All in all I would say this was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to understand and appreciate Manila more.

Tagaytay gets all the plaudits, all the tourists and all the weekenders, but it's far from the most…read moreinteresting city in the region. It might be famous for its views, but Tagaytay is a fairly new city with not a lot of history going for it. Before the city on the ridge, it was Taal that earned its fair share of visitors. It's one of the oldest cities in the area, and there are numerous significant churches in town. A visita iglesia in the area is one way to explore Taal, and it's great how the city has been trying to improve its tourism infrastructure recently. The town has several delicacies, but my favorite is turon malagkit; the vendors and small hostels around the St. Martin of Tours Basilica has a bunch of good ones. The city is only about 3 hrs away, and it's a great stop for anyone interested in Philippine history.

Overall the tour was an amazing tour. The tour leader Janet brought an enthusiastic vibe to the…read moretour, that lightened up the mood. Janet was a local of the slum, making everyone doing the tour feel like a local as well. She give us the opportunity to connect with the people that live there. Her ability to give information and knowledge to the people on the tour is extremely expansive. Everybody should go to the flagship Baseco tour.

From the owner: Our flagship tour is the Slum Tour in BASECO. Baseco is considered one of the poorest areas in…read moreMetro Manila. We also offer a Cemetery Tour, Market Tour and Family Tour. All our tours are guided by local Smokey Tours tour leaders, who are from the slums. This makes our tours sustainable by supporting the local community through Talent Development and Livelihood. Smokey Tours are not just bricks and mortar tours. We offer a special experience. Believing that deep experience equals deep insight. Our tours are unique and honest; a testimony of changing times and our global 'interconnectedness' It is possible to do two tours in one day, depending on the availability and tours of your choice.

The Philippines has no lack of religious and spiritual attractions, and Tagaytay is one of them. It…read morealso has a lot of meditation centers, shrines, and churches where you can find peace and solace. The tranquil Catholic church is the best church of them. It is the best paradise for prayers and reflection. Our Lady of Manaoag, Tierra de Maria, is a gorgeous shrine that epitomizes the aura of serenity and peace. It is a red/brown statue of Mother Mary standing 50 ft. tall, something which can't be missed. The walls decked with dried flowers and vivid images genuinely add to the beauty of the chapel, and the exquisite surroundings of the church add up to its grace and appeal. Our Lady of Manaoag is also known to be an ideal place of healing, relaxation, and meditation. One can easily miss this place as it is on a busy road with only on street parking available. It is a small chapel right across the DAP complex. It has a small chapel with a huge image of Our Lady of Manaoag in the exterior Inside the chapel there are images of the many variants of Virgin Mary, like in Lourdes, as Mother of Perpetual Help, Carmel and Guadalupe. The chapel is quiet and solemn and is a place for meditation. The small store in front should have been enough for the place and the ambulant vendors in the side are not really needed

THIS is the most awesome statue of Andres Bonifacio in existence. Not the one in Monumento (A…read moretravesty, really), and not the one in front of the National Post Office. THIS. I am totally in love with the raw energy, the fierceness, the drama of this monument. Not content to showcase Bonifacio standing, they show him charging into action, ready to fight, ready to sacrifice his life for the country as he actually did (Though not at the hands of the enemy, but this is not the time for that discussion). If you angle your shot at just the right spot, you can actually depict Bonifacio attacking Manila City Hall. It's an incredible shot that may or may not be representative of whatever.

The City of Manila and Manilenos love Andres Bonifacio, placing him on a pedestal practically at…read morepar with National Hero Jose P. Rizal. This is with good reason. Bonifacio was founder of the movement known as the Katipunan, which waged a revolution against Spain in the 1890s. It is one of Philippine history's greatest tragedies that Bonifacio became a victim of the very revolution he started, being assassinated by the men of Emilio Aguinaldo after the revolutionary forces split into two factions. Today, the nationalist and Leftist movements consider Bonifacio a national hero. He is their symbol as well as rallying point in their modern day war against oppression. Bonifacio Day is celebrated as a national holiday and the most important shrine to the revolutionary from Tondo is the Kartilya ng Katipunan shrine in Liwasang Bonifacio. No less than National Artist Ed Castrillo created this metal and wood sculpture. The plaza in front is often used for different events, from political rallies to city fairs. Above it all stands the mighty Bonifacio, wielding his bolo and rallying his men to fight the better equipped Spaniards.

Looking at the artifacts left behind by Gregoria de Jesus, the "Lakhambini" or First Lady of the…read moreKatipunan, as well as the paintings here, I am swept into a world of fierce love and courage, and the extraordinary strength of this woman. I already knew then that Gregoria de Jesus, or Oryang, as she is more fondly called, is one of the most courageous women in Philippine history. But a glimpse of her life in this old house where she once lived made my respect for her soar and made her all the real to me. It was here that I learned of some of her bad-ass moves, like how she and other women smartly fooled Spaniards while Katipuneros were having meetings. She knew how to shoot, but she also tended to the wounded. She even has some teachings of her own posted at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista ("Sampung Aral ni Oryang"), some of them bad-ass too. I also got a warm feeling reading about her love story - how she was both unabashedly her own person and at the same time wife to Andres Bonifacio. When he died, Julio Nakpil, a general and the musical composer of Katipunan, took care of her protection and fell in love with her. The two married, and thus, Oryang lived in the beautiful stone and wood house of Bahay Nakpil.

The Bahay Bautista Nakpil is a former residence of the illustrious Nakpil family who have turned…read moreit into a museum-cum-workshop. The place has kept the old world charm of late 19th century Manila. Of special interest to art collectors are the wood carved santos created by master craftsmen and artisans at the site itself. The wooden carvings are not cheap. A bust or a head of a saint goes for P2,000 and is the most affordable of the sculpted works. The larger pieces go for anywhere from a low of P25,000 to a high of P100,000. It goes without saying that churches all over the country are among the favored clients of the sculptors, who unfortunately will never be known to the owners. Skilled as they are, they will never be known as artists like Castrillo or Orlina. This is a shame, but that's how the business side of art works. Still, the life-sized wooden santos are a joy to behold, and to own for those who can afford them.

I noticed that a lot of the monuments here in Metro Manila tend to be placed in the weirdest of…read moreplaces. Some of them are located in places where people are unlikely to pass by. They might be visible, but that would make it difficult for people to walk up to them and see what they're like. Anyway, Gabriela Silang's monument is one of those monuments that has a sort of awkward position. It's located along the corners of Ayala and Makati Ave. It's a bit hard to get up close and personal with the lady who serves as the symbol of the country's feminist movement, but it's worth it. The only real issue that I have with this particular monument is poor maintenance. Anyone who musters the effort to get up close and personal with Gabriela will be a little bit dissapointed since the plate at the base of her monument giving info. about her has started to fade, and little to no attention has been given to it.

The rallying point of the famed "Gabriela" party (also named after the hero for which the monument…read moretakes its image), Gabriela Silang, wife of Diego Silang, and the more famous of the two for their rebellion against the Spanish is often toted as one of the female heroes of Philippine history, and the symbol of feminists everywhere (aside from, you know, Cory Aquino, the first female president in Asia, who was a Filipina). While scholars may argue about the historical accuracy of her depiction in the monument, which shows her on horseback, leading a charge with a large bolo in hand as she rallies forth into battle (and some historians would insist that she never wielded a blade nor rode a horse), her monument in the corner of the Ayala Triangle Park overlooks the areas near the grand shopping centers of Makati and an intersection where very memorable events in recent history have caused hordes of women (and men) to come together near this statue to oppose questionable actions against women in the Philippines. While the Philippines arguably enjoys more rights for its female population than other conservative Asian countries, such as in the case of how Filipinas can hold high positions in businesses and government without much incident, while in more "developed" countries like Japan, a woman, regardless of rank in the company, will always be the one charged with serving tea, the Philippines also has much to do in the way of improving the state for all women, impoverished or not. And this monument, historical accuracy or not, still serves as the place where we all come to remember the importance of women in our lives.