If Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard was the traditional place to see the Manila Bay Sunset, Seaside…read moreBoulevard is its louder, brasher, less refined cousin. Those who remember the Baywalk during the last decade when it was still overrun by bars and cafes will feel right at home here at Seaside Boulevard. There are days (Weekends in particular) where it feels like the whole populace of Cavite is in the bayside, and yes it is exactly as scary as it sounds. But do try to come over on a weekday, where the crowd's much thinner. Then at least you can stop and appreciate the restaurants lined up along the boulevard, as well as the fun rides and leisure activities dotting the stretch.

I wanted to visit the oldest Chinatown in the world so we made a stop here on our trip. I figured…read moresince we were on vacation we needed to visit something historical. We took a rideshare from our hotel. We crossed the Jones Bridge then drove under the Binondo Chinatown Arch. We got dropped off on Ongpin Street and walked to the Binondo Church then stopped by Eng Bee Tin for Hopia. It was crowded but a fun experience. I'm glad we got to check out the neighborhood.

The World's oldest Chinatown! (MANILA Philippines)…read more We booked a van to drop us off at Lucky Chinatown Mall and came here on New Year's Day. From there we rode a tuk-tuk cart (a 3-wheeled gas passenger novelty taxi tricycle). That thing fit 8 of us inside plus the driver and his toddler so ten total). It dropped us off at Ongpin Street. I would've thought that the place would be empty because of the holiday but surprisingly many businesses and vendors were open. We came back a couple of days after and the streets had a more vibrant and bustling atmosphere. Ongpin Street in Manila is lined with restaurants and many shops including jewelry stores. There were many shops to pop into. You can find the Ongpin Northbridge Arch, and the Chinatown Welcome Arch and the Arch of Good Will at the end of Ongpin Street (cross-street Ronquillo Street). It ends on Juan Luna Street. Review #3287

If Maginhawa Street was a person, it would be a pop-culture savvy foodie who is probably part of…read morethe academe. It probably has a bunch of tattoos and buys most of its clothing in thrift stores, too. Malingap Street would be its younger sibling, carving its niche in the world, just on the verge of hitting puberty - with all eyes on it. We know Maginhawa Street as the place to be in UP Village, but Malingap Street is gaining almost as much traction as its better-known older sibling. Here, you can find eateries of a wide range of cuisines, from Korean, Pinoy, Lebanese, Vegetarian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and so much more. Malingap Street is also home to The Z Compound, an intimate collective of eateries and drinking places where people of all stripes come to hang out and bond over a plate of bagnet on rice, a hot shawarma wrap, or a couple of bottles of beer. Before The Z existed, however, a lot of restaurants have found their home and a loyal fanbase there, including Don Day, an all-you-can-eat Korean buffet, breakfast places such as Pi Breakfast and Pies and Ally's. When you come to Malingap Street, it's impossible not to find something good to eat, or a place to hang out with your friends in a chill, relaxed setting.

I actually wrote an article about Malingap for Pepper.ph, which was a gig that I did a couple…read moremonths back. The research for the article brought me to a lot of places along Malingap street, and I must say it was a pretty good experience. I was able to make friends with a lot of the business owners around the area, and I love to think that the country is full of adventurous risk-takers who are willing to put their hard-earned money on the line to pursue their passions. Most of the businesses in Maginhawa and Malingap are mom-and-pop hole in the walls that started from really meager capital, and have grown into such well-loved names. I wrote in that article that if Maginhawa is popular because of it's tried-and-tested brands, Malingap is also worth trying because of the newer and more adventurous food choices. Of course, some of the restaurants, like Ally's and Uncle Moe's have been around for quite a while, but the shops and food stalls in The Z are still pretty much new. Pi Breakfast and Pies, Pino, and Pipino, which all come from the same family of restaurants and food ventures have also been satisfying tastes for quite some time now, and yet, many more restaurants have been popping up along the street. I love how the street is also expanding to cover the areas that are approaching Kalayaan. There is a newly-constructed building that is promising in its food-related tenants. There is now a Happy Thai branch (a local branch of the famous Thai-food place in Baguio's Ketchup Community) and a 24/hour sosy angus tapa place. The street has quite a variety in cuisine. There is typical Filipino fare alongside Thai, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex and Indian. I am glad that this eat street is just a couple blocks away from my place. Quite recently, there have been reports of theft, as snatchers are known to ride around the are on their motorcycles, so always be vigilant when you are walking along these streets.

If QC has Malingap and Maginhawa Streets in UP Village, and Makati has Felipe Street in Barangay…read morePoblacion, Pasig has East Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo. Known as one of Pasig's Eat Streets, East Capitol Drive is home to a whole bunch of homegrown eateries that run the gamut of cuisines from Thai to Portuguese, with price ranges that run from 'cheap cheap' to pricey. Here you'll find places like Thai Dara, Open Kitchen 48 (Western fusion cooked with French techniques), Mad Mark's (ice cream and manwiches), Poco Deli (really good bacon platter, holla), Three Sisters (a barbecue place that has withstood the test of time), Epic Coffee Roastery (a neat little cafe that's riding on the third wave coffee wave). There are so many more restaurants I personally haven't discovered along East Capitol Drive; chalk it up to the fact that Pasig is fairly uncharted territory for me. But that makes it even more exciting, and gives me more of a reason to tick off all the restaurants I haven't tried yet along Barangay Kapitolyo!

This can be considered as Pasig's version of Maginhawa Street. This long street has a lot of…read morerestaurants and food stops for the adventurous city dweller. East Capitol Drive offers a variety of cuisines and food options for whatever you are in the mood for. There are also pubs and speakeasies where you can hang out with friends for a chill night of catching up alongside cocktails or bottles of craft beers. However, my slight concern with the strip is that most of the restaurants here are quite pricey. So should you want to visit more than one stop, you and your wallet should really come prepared. The best places here doesn't come cheap. So if you want to fully experience the gastronomic adventure this place has to offer, come in groups to lessen the expenses and enjoy this must-go-to foodstrip.

What an experience! I watched tons of blogs before coming home and I was super excited. Although…read morethe market is about 15 minutes away, the heat made it little hard to walk. Once we got there, I was overwhelmed with all the great food and flavors. I'm so glad we came, it was hectic, lots of people but the food experience made it worth it.

Must visit if you're in the area on a Saturday morning. This market is held every Saturday morning…read moreat Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati. The market offers a wide variety ranging from Fresh produce, fruits , local Filipino snacks, seafood & a ton of food vendors. I loved the pumelo & went back to buy more. It gets busy so get there early. There's so much to choose from and wanted to try a little if everything. It's a great spot for a snack or lunch. Many vendors offer free samples. There are tables to sit but you can find a seat in the park to enjoy your food. I had a great time here. They also sell beautiful fresh flowers.

The Pasig River Ferry is a unique way of seeing Metro Manila. The service has come and gone over…read morethe past few years, and the current incarnation has been active since late last year. The ferry service's resumption was so under the radar that a lot of locals aren't even aware that it's up and running again, and fewer still have actually taken it. That's a shame because it's a gorgeous, gorgeous experience. Okay, the Pasig River is not known for its cleanliness, which is a damned shame. However, rehabilitation works on the river have been undertaken intermittently through the past few years, and the river's quality has improved a lot. Which is good because the ferry's open air. The boats the ferry service uses are slim and sleek, and should fit around 40 passengers. There are seven active ferry stations from Intramuros in Manila to Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, although most of the people who use this service get off at the Guadalupe station in Makati. The trip from Intramuros to Guadalupe takes about 40 minutes and gives you a glimpse on how important the Pasig River is to Metro Manila, in terms of livelihood, commerce, and interconnection. The fare varies depending on your embark and disembark points; Intramuros to Guadalupe costs P50 (roughly a US Dollar). Whip out your cameras as you pass by the Manila Post Office, as well as some old buildings and quaint riverside residences. Tuck that camera in as you pass by Malacañang Palace, the residence of the President of the Philippines, for security blah blah blah whatever. Seriously, it's a shame you can't take pictures of the Malacañang Palace because it's grand and majestic in the way most structures in Metro Manila aren't. The approach leading to Circuit Makati and Rockwell Center is picture-worthy and gives us a glimpse of the future of the river.

A less-popular and actually very convenient way of getting yourself from Makati to several parts of…read moreManila is via the Pasig River Ferry. If you're a local and you know what Pasig River is, then this mode of transportation won't exactly sound enticing. But you know what? It's cheap, comfortable, fast, and not bad at all. Fellow scout and cousin Ronan E. and I have just finished scarfing down double vegan cheeseburgers at a cafe nearby, and we had absolutely nothing to do. We've already walked along EDSA, went fruit-shopping in Guadalupe, took sneaky pics of that obscure park no one goes to at Guadalupe, and naturally, this was the next, obvious activity. We're both in our late twenties and until now have not been on the river AT ALL. They have several stops that can take you to Pinagbuhatan, San Joaquin, Sta. Ana, PUP, Escolta and Intramuros. For Php 50, you can get your butt to Plaza Mexico, Intramuros, the furthest stop in this ferry route to Manila and it will take you around an hour or more, depending on how many stops the ferry has to make because if you were a boat and you had to ply through Pasig River, that only means A LOT of things can get stuck in the engine/motor thingy (honestly I have no idea what this should be called). We had to stop several times to fix these small issues. But DON'T WORRY, this thing happens normally, so you won't actually get stuck in the middle of a trash-filled river. The only pre-requisites for anyone who wants to ride the ferry are as follows: you are definitely not 'maarte', and you can handle scents that vary from normal canal to very bad toilet to chemical/sulfuric fumes. Operated by the MMDA, the stations are actually quite nice, clean and well-maintained. But as for the river itself, Pasig River's 'cleanliness' varies from point to point as we saw during the trip. There are areas where it actually looks pretty 'okay', and there are other, horrifying areas that are floating with mounds of plastic, styro, and other non-biodegradable crap (I even saw a floating, dead cat! :( Huhu). The river has been in worse states, but it still needs some major rehabilitation. I also do think this ferry ride is quite educational, as you really see where OUR TRASH goes. Here. It will really make you think of switching to a more sustainable lifestyle. Even with those things being said, I still HIGHLY recommend everyone to give this ferry route a try if you'd like to experience a different, more rugged side of Manila. You get nice views of the several bridges, the Post Office, and Malacañang, too. NOTE: This route passes by Malacañang Palace and you can see how beautiful it is and not exactly orange like the bill (Haha), like Ronan. E here kept joking about. Though, don't take photos! It's prohibited. I was scolded by the boat crew. Haha. TIP: Try to avoid getting splashed by the water. You don't want any of that on you.

The Bonifacio Arts Foundation, Inc (BAFI) is the core program that promotes the arts across…read moreBonifacio Global City. Throughout the years, we've seen art evolve along the streets of BGC. Some sculptures are already iconic in itself. It wouldn't be BGC without these sculptures or installations. About a few years ago, they started teaming up with artists both local and international to paint the town red. Okay, well not red. But make it colourful and make the city beam with life! It first started with colourful paintings on garbage bins. Then on empty lots, there were a couple of art installations by Japanese artists. In the past year, there were murals abound the walls already! It was so widespread that you'll realise that there's so much this city has to showcase. One of their remarkable projects is the establishment of The Mind Musem - the first word-class science museum in the country! It's not just visual art that we see in the city. It is also felt and heard especially in common areas such as High Street Central. If you ever happen to chance upon guys and girls in guitars or pianos singing their hearts out, it's one of their programs as well. Another great thing they did is they made the city photo-friendly. Nowadays, you'll see photography hobbyists and aspiring models come to the city and shoot to their heart's delight no matter what time of the day. It's really nice that people are starting to become open to different types of art.

We arrived to Legazpi Sunday Market around 10am and it was already bustling with people, especially…read morearound all the food stalls. It was nice to see a variety of things to eat or drink and even purchase like handmade clothing, bags, and trinkets. Since the market is right by the park, you have access to the restrooms and places to sit and eat. So we ended up staying in this area for a good few hours. We had a pleasant time, so we highly recommend checking it out!

Outstanding Sunday market if you want to stroll a bit and have a bite. The vendors were all…read moreextremely friendly, especially the chicharron tita who adopted me on the spot. While it initially appears very small, it's like Harry Potter waved his wand with the spell to make the inside of the tents bigger. It was a veritable maze of delicious goodies. Great spot to walk off a long flight and take in the local eats.