The Best Way to Experience Old Manila 🇵🇭

I entered the walled city of Manila, known as Intramuros. This was the original city that was built by the Spanish after they invaded in the 16th century.

The walls of Intramuros still stand strong four and a half centuries later. As do many of the buildings such as universities and churches. So there's plenty to see, all within walking distance. The area of Intramuros is just 0.67 sq kilometres or 0.26 sq miles.

But why walk when you can take a fun horse ride? Well, the last time I took a horse ride, at Clifton Beach in Karachi, Pakistan, it didn't work out so well. But I had faith that there were no scams in Intramuros. The local government have everything regulated there and all the tour guides must be licenses.

The cost for a 1 hour horse ride is 1,000 PHP ($18 USD) but a little bit of negotiation and that became 800 PHP ($15 USD.)

My new friend, Ben the horse, took me to the San Augustin Church, where the tomb of Manila's founder, Miguel Lopez De Legazpi is located. The tomb is blocked off from visitors, but my tour guide said it was okay for me to move the barrier and visit the Spanish conquistador's resting place to pay my respects.

After more touring Old Manila, we stopped off at one of the bastions, where there are 14 old cannons. I was able to climb up onto the walls but my view from there was much different than it would have been in the 16th century. What used to be the ocean is now reclaimed land and is used as a golf course.

I met a bunch of kids up on the walls who very friendly, but then one started begging for coins. I hadn't encountered any beggars so far in Manila, but I'd been spending all my time in Makati and BGC, which are the more upmarket areas of the city.

After the Intramuros horse ride tour, I was dropped off at Fort Santiago. This citadel was built next to the ocean by the Spanish and was used to keep the city safe from invaders.

It was difficult to walk around in roasting heat. I wished I was back on the horse, but unfortunately they can't go inside the fort.

I sought shelter from Manila's scorching weather, looking for the nearest McDonald's. Yes, even in the old town, with all the historic buildings, you can find McDonalds, Jollibee and Starbucks.

I found a KFC first, and jumped in there to soak up the air conditioning and enjoy a Coke Zero Vanilla Float. (A cup of Coke Zero with a lump of vanilla ice cream dunked in it.)

Refreshed, I strolled over the new Binondo - Intramuros Bridge that was gifted to Manila by China. This links old town Manila to Chinatown.

I was looking for a food street in Binondo but the locals pointed me in the direction of a street that had only one restaurant.

The Ilang Ilang Restaurant on Ilang street has existed since 1910 and serves authentic Chinese food.

I asked the auntie working there for her recommendation and she suggested I try Lomi. Lomi is thick egg noodles served in a beef soup, with chunks of tender beef.

I Googled about Lomi, and it said it was a Filipino dish, but the auntie and the other customers all assured me that it's authentic Chinese cuisine. That was reassuring, because if I had travelled all the way to Manila's Chinatown just to eat Filipino food then I'd feel rather silly.

With a belly full of Lomi noodles, I explored more of the Binondo area, ending up in a mall. The Lucky Chinatown Mall is all China themed and people are allowed to bring their dogs. I met a cute chow chow breed called Mochi.

I eventually found a street with many restaurants but they had huge queues outside. Chuan Kee restaurant and 'Café Mezzanine - Volunteer Fireman's Coffee Shop' both had more people waiting to get in, than there were people dining inside.

After a full day of exploring, I couldn't be bothered waiting, so I just grabbed a cheap 10 peso melon juice from a street vendor and called it a night.

It wasn't easy getting from Binondo to Makati, though. Grab drivers wouldn't accept my request, in the evening rush hour but some friendly local girls suggested that I use JoyRide app instead, which is an app for motorbike taxis, and that worked well. I got back to my Makati hotel quickly and cheaply.

0:00 Intro
2:11 Intramuros Horse Ride
8:38 Legazpi's Tomb
13:59 Exploring Intramuros
18:30 Intramuros Bastion
23:53 Walled City Horse Ride
31:00 Fort Santiago
41:20 Coke Zero Float
47:21 Binondo Intramuros Bridge
52:27 Lomi Noodles
59:45 Urban Park
1:01:22 Lucky Chinatown Mall
1:07:20 Chinatown Food Street
1:11:34 JoyRide Taxi


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