My Very First Blog

This is my last post on my Manila trip in January 2011. Can you believe I am actually feeling sad about it being the last post? I guess I have enjoyed blogging about the trip as much as I have enjoyed visiting Manila!

Where would I be going next? A trip to somewhere outside Asia would sound great, wouldn't it? A week-long Greece holidays perhaps? I would surely return with lots of photos and exciting stories to tell! But for now, let's resume with my Manila story : )

On my second last day (5th day) in Manila, I met up with Ishmael Ahab, my good blogger friend who stays there. He brought me to a buffet lunch at Kamayan which I blogged about HERE.

After lunch, we went to Rizal Park nearby.



This is the park where José Rizal was executed and became a martyr and national hero of Philippines. You can read more about Rizal Park HERE.

I took a picture of the Rizal Monument, where the statue of José Rizal and his remains were located. You might be interested to read about my visit to the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago HERE if you haven't already.



It was a nice pleasant Sunday afternoon and I remember telling Ishmael that the weather was perfect for strolling around the park.

There is a Chinese Garden here but we did not enter. I guess I was more excited about going to eat balut at Quiapo! Haha!



The park also has a man-made lake with a relief map of the Philippine archipelago in the middle. Unfortunately, I could not see the map very clearly from this spot.



We also crossed the Roxas Boulevard road to visit the Quirino Grandstand opposite Rizal Park. Ishmael told me that was the place where the famous August 2010 hostage incident that was beamed live worldwide took place - where Hong Kong tourists were taken hostage by a former national police officer.



As I was crossing the road, I noticed this funny road name. Ped Xing? It did not sound Filipino or Spanish but the word Xing sure sounded somewhat Chinese to me. What kind of name was that?



To my amusement, Ishmael explained that Ped Xing is short for Pedestrian Crossing!! The alphabet X stands for cross!! Huh? Like this also can?!



We actually did not walk all the way to the Quirino Grandstand as there was really nothing much to see. I however, just took a picture of that clock (above).

After that, we proceeded to the LRT station to go to Quiapo for the balut and kwek kwek which I have blogged in the previous post.

Now if you think balut and kwek kwek were the end of my Filipino foodie adventure, you are wrong. Ishmael brought me to SM North Edsa Mall to eat Wham! Burger next, which he said was even better than Jollibee burgers!!



The above is the front entrance of the Wham! Burger restaurant. As we were both quite full after the buffet and the balut and kwek kwek, we decided to just buy one burger and share.



Look at the beef patty! Although looking slightly charred, I learnt that 100% real beef was used! In addition, they used fresh vegetables too.



Ishmael cut the burger into half while I took the photo.



The burger was juicy and delicious! If I was not so full, I would have eaten the whole burger myself!



After that, it was time for me and Ishmael to bid each other farewell. It had been a fun outing with him and I hope I will get to see him again if I visit Manila in future!

The next day, it was time to go home. Truth be told, my 6 days, 5 nights in Manila seemed more like just 5 days to me. This was because on the 6th day, I had to wake up at 5am to check out of the hotel and take a taxi to the Pasay Bus Station, where I had to board the 6am bus to Clark International Airport.

You see, there was only one AirAsia flight back to Malaysia and it was at 11am. Buses to the airport were scheduled to depart at either 6am or 10am. Since the bus would take about 1.5 hours to reach the airport, I had no choice but to take the 6am bus. What a waste of my last day!!

In future, if I ever go to Manila, I would not fly with AirAsia unless they land at the Manila International Airport!

With this, I am wrapping up my Manila travel posts. Farewell, Manila!!

For those of you who have missed some of my Manila posts, here is the complete list.

1. From Clark International Airport To Manila
2. Lotus Garden Hotel In Manila
3. Shopping At Robinsons Place Manila
4. My Very First Jollibee Burger
5. The Manila Cathedral Of Intramuros
6. Exploring Fort Santiago In Intramuros (Part 1)
7. Exploring Fort Santiago In Intramuros (Part 2)
8. My Visit To Casa Manila
9. Baluarte De San Diego In Intramuros
10. Riding A Cannon At Baluarte De San Andres
11. Eating Dumplings At Dong Bei Dumpling
12. Exploring Binondo And Shopping At Eng Bee Tin
13. My Visit To Manila Central Post Office And Red Ribbon
14. The Manila American Cemetery And Memorial
15. Shopping At Greenbelt And Glorietta In Ayala Center
16. The Cheapest Way To Visit Taal Volcano
17. Riding A Jeepney To Picnic Grove
18. My Filipino Buffet Lunch At Kamayan
19. Eating Balut And Kwek Kwek In Quiapo

Coming Soon : My Very First Trip To Cambodia!

I did something bad during my 6-day trip in Manila.

I ate balut.

Don't know what balut is? It is a boiled fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo that is eaten in the shell.

Puking already? Haha! Can't blame you there. In fact, when I first heard about this Filipino delicacy, I was not sure I wanted to try it. But I knew I had to. It was as if I could not proudly claim that I have been to Manila without eating balut!

And so when Ishmael Ahab, my good blogger friend whom I met up in Manila, wanted to bring me to savour this famous street food, I was all for it!





Right after our buffet at Kamayan, we walked over to Rizal Park, which I shall blog about in the next post.

The walking at Rizal Park was good as it helped my digestion so that my stomach was not too full and was ready to take in the balut! Ishmael led me to the United Nations LRT station where we would be taking the LRT to Quiapo.





I was wondering why the LRT tracks look like a traditional railway track with stones and all.





Noticed the time? It was 3.15pm on a Sunday afternoon in Manila. I had chosen this day to meet up with Ishmael as he was more free on Sundays.

Quiapo was very near from Rizal Park - just two stations away. In fact, Quiapo is just next to Binondo, Manila's Chinatown where I visited during my second day in the city. Read my Binondo post HERE if you haven't already.

We got down at the Carriedo LRT Station. Oh my goodness! Look at the crowd below!
































Ishamael led me to Plaza Miranda, which was in front of Quiapo Church.





I think the church was having a Sunday evening mass, so there were lots of people around! I don't like crowds but if I have to go through this massive sea of people to get to my balut, then that is what I have to do! LOL!





If there weren't so many people, I might have visited this Quiapo Church. One of the most popular churches in the Philippines, it is home to the Black Nazarene - a life-sized, dark-coloured, wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ.





Soon, we came upon a stall selling what looked like orange balls in skewers!





These orange balls are actually boiled chicken or duck eggs that are dipped and coated with orange-coloured flour batter and then fried. They are called kwek kwek.

Guess what? Kwek kwek is pronounced almost like "Quack Quack" which of course reminds me of ducks. LOL!





There were two kinds of kwek kwek sold at this stall. I tried the balut kwek kwek first. It is simply a balut that is fried.

Gosh! Can you see that duck head and its beak?





Here, let me magnify the picture for you. How was I able to eat this?!





I did not think too much. I just gobbled it up, beak and all! I can still remember the crispiness of the beak when I bit into it!

And guess what? It was not bad! Really.

Served with chilli, onions, cucumbers and vinegar sauce, I thought it was pretty palatable.





Look, if I can eat a duck, I don't see why I should freaked out eating an almost developed embryo of a duck! Was I really doing something bad?

Besides, this is such a common street food in the Philippines and I heard some restaurants in Manila even serve kwek kwek as appetizers!

Next, I tried the penoy kwek kwek. I guess most of you would be able to eat this without puking. Haha!





Penoy kwek kwek is the same as balut kwek kwek except that it is a duck or chicken egg that is developed after 9 - 12 days, without the formation of embryo yet.

But if you are really adventurous, you must try the steamed or boiled balut, without the frying and which you eat straight out of the shell!

Ishmael led me to another stall nearby selling the steamed balut.





You are supposed to peel the shell open like you do an ordinary boiled egg, add in the vinegar sauce, salt and chilli.





OK, I have to admit it felt a bit yucky to me at first sight. I could see the almost fully formed embryo with the veins and all.





I think I was supposed to sip the broth around the embryo before I peeled the shell open, but I did not do so. I just peeled it, add in the vinegar, did not even bother about the chili and salt, and just ate it.

Over and done with.

Not that bad really. In fact, I thought this balut was fresher and juicier than the kwek kwek! Probably healthier as well since it was not fried in oil! Haha!





Well, would I eat the balut and kwek kwek again if I ever go to the Philippines in future? I won't say that I will be craving for it, but yes I would.

There is another version of kwek kwek called the tokneneng, which I did not try. Tokneneng is the same as kwek kwek but it is quail egg instead of chicken or duck.

Now if you would like to know how to make your own kwek kwek, here is an instructional video just for you!



I also found this video of the guys from Without Borders trying out their very first balut kwek kwek (although in the video, they mistakenly called it balut since the seller told them it was balut)

Enjoy the video and notice the expression on one of the guys' faces when he saw what was inside the egg! LOL!



Coming Up Next : Farewell To Rizal Park, Wham Burger And Manila!

It was my fifth day in Manila, Philippines. I was so excited as it was the day I had planned to meet up with Ishmael Ahab, my Filipino blogger friend and to savour Filipino food!

Since Ishmael told me he would be bringing me to a buffet lunch, I decided to skip the hotel's complimentary breakfast that morning. I also had the luxury to sleep in later which was good, as I had been waking up at 6am everyday since arriving in Manila.

To my surprise, Ishmael brought me to a restaurant very near my hotel. In fact, it was along the same road (Padre Faura Street) just a minute's walk away!



The restaurant is called Kamayan. Oh wait...it's actually called Dads, Kamayan, Saizaki.

That's because it's actually three restaurants in one! Dads offers continental fare, Saizaki Japanese specialties and Kamayan authentic Filipino cuisine.

I was more interested in Filipino food so we focused on Kamayan.


Top : lechon de leche (roasted suckling pig)
Bottom : liempo kawali (crispy pan-fried pork belly)

Kamayan is a Filipino word means to eat using hands. Not such a foreign culture as we Malaysians also love eating using our hands! But of course, in this restaurant, we were provided with forks and spoons so we did not use our hands!

The photos did not turn out nice as the light in the restaurant was quite dim. I hope you can see the pictures of the food clearly!

Here are the rest of the food we ate. I am not sure if I got all the names and their translation correct! So if you are a Filipino reading this, do point out my mistakes - thank you!


From left to right : kamayan yamang dagat (kamayan seafood), bopis (diced pork lungs and heart), kuhol sa gata (snails in coconut milk)


Pusit sa gata (squid in coconut milk) and bangus belly guisado (milkfish belly stew)


From left to right : pancit (noodles), kalderetang baka (Filipino beef stew), crispy chicken


From left to right : embotido (Filipino style meatloaf), gulay sa coco (vegetables in coconut cream), pla pla (tilapia fish) in garlic pepper sauce


Inihaw liempo-bicol (Bicol's grilled pork belly)

There were quite a variety of desserts! Please don't ask me their names!



But the one I like best was halo-halo!



Halo-halo is a very popular Filipino dessert which is made up of shaved ice and evaporated milk and which you add into the mix various boiled sweet beans and fruits. I would say it's something like a version of Malaysia's ice kacang.



By the way, the word halo means mix.

For the price of 600 pesos (RM42) per person, you can enjoy the buffet from Kamayan, Dads and Saizaki. What a great deal!!!

Drinks were however, not included in the buffet price. So each of us ordered a drink (I forgot what the drink was!) which costs 200 pesos (RM14). Now that's expensive! But we were given a toy bear each! How nice!

It would be nicer if they could give us a panda bear each! Haha!!



Guess what? After chit-chatting with Ishmael for some time, I got thirsty and decided to order another drink.

So we ended up with three bears on the table! Two whites and one brown! Haha!!



We were also entertained by a group of singers and musicians! We requested for a Malaysian song but none of them knew except the girl, so they ended up singing an English song for us!



We were both quite full eating those Filipino food that we did not try the continental fare from Dads and Japanese food from Saizaki! What a waste!

But it's OK, I just really wanted to try Filipino food so I got what I wanted! All thanks to my Filipino blogger friend, Ishmael! Thank you so much!

Now if you are wondering why there is no picture of Ishmael, that's because like me, he values his privacy and does not like to have his photo posted online. High five to that! LOL!

As we left, I took a picture of the restaurant's interior. A lot of customers had already left by that time.



It was an enjoyable lunch and I would not mind coming back to this restaurant again in future!

There is actually one reason why I did not want to eat too full at this buffet. Do you know what's the reason? Well, that's because right after the buffet, Ishmael would be bringing me to eat balut, which is fertilised duck or chicken egg with a nearly-formed embryo inside!

Sounds like a Fear Factor challenge? Perhaps, so stay tuned : )

After I had an awesome time climbing Taal Volcano, I left the Taal Lake Yacht Club in a pedicab and reached a Jeepney Station. I had wanted to visit Picnic Grove in Tagaytay City and the jeepney was the most suitable mode of transportation to get me there.

Believe it or not, I did not take any photos of jeepneys even though so many of them passed me by while I was walking the streets of Manila! I really do not know why!

Anyway, here is a photo of a nice looking jeepney I found online.


Image courtesy of The Bumpy Journey Of Life

Is that an awesome looking jeepney or what? I just love the flamboyant decoration or paintings! And guess what? I have yet to see two jeepneys with the exact same paintings!

Now although I love the appearances of a jeepney, I hate sitting in one! That's right.

Jeepney is the cheapest (if you don't count the pedicab) and most popular mode of public transportation in the Philippines. But you know what? I rather take the taxi! Haha!


Image of an electric jeepney courtesy of jrcantos.com

Originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II, jeepneys have become a symbol of Philippine culture.

You can flag down a jeepney like you flag down a taxi and the driver can stop anywhere upon the passenger's request as long as it's along the planned route. The thing I don't like about the jeepney is that it takes in passengers even though it's already packed like sardines and there are hardly any places left to sit!

By the way, as a passenger, you can only enter the jeepney from the back. And since I am a tourist there, I chose to sit nearest to the driver in front so that I could communicate with him.

Bad move! I ended up helping to collect the fare from passengers and passing them to the driver since I was the one sitting right behind the driver! And when the driver returned the change, guess who had to pass the money to the passengers?

This is how the interior of the jeepney which I sat on my way to Picnic Grove looks like. I took this photo after all the passengers left for a daytime market in Tagaytay. I was the only one going to Picnic Grove.



As you can see, it would be quite impossible for passengers sitting at the back to pay their fares. As such, they would need the help of adjacent passengers to pass their money to the driver.

Of course since I was seated right behind the driver, I ended up receiving most of the money from the passengers and doing the voluntary work of handing them to the driver. Oh well, that was quite a unique experience. I can't imagine doing the same thing in a bus in Malaysia! LOL!

And guess h0w you stop the driver when you reach your destination? There are many ways to do it and most of them just called out to the driver to stop. But I noticed some simply knocked on the roof of the jeepney and the driver would stop for them!

By the time I reached Picnic Grove, it was already 3pm. I have to say the weather was cooler and certainly more pleasant in Tagaytay than in Manila.

The entrance fee to Picnic Grove was 50 pesos (RM3.50) per person.



There were quite a number of attractions at Picnic Grove. One of them was horseback riding which costs about 200 pesos (RM14) per hour. I did not take any photos of the horseback riding as there were quite a lot of people there!

I learnt that a lot of Filipinos like to visit Picnic Grove during the weekends, hence the big crowds!

Walking further along, I saw this signboard welcoming visitors to the eco-adventure trail.



Here's the magnified image of the signboard.



I thought the warning or reminders were a bit too extreme as I found the eco-trail nothing much to shout about. Perhaps I have been to places like FRIM in Malaysia and I was used to such nature walk?

The most exciting activity in Picnic Grove has to be the Tagaytay Ridge Zipline! This involves soaring above mountains and the magnificent Taal Lake with just a security rope tied to the zipline.

I have a fear of heights and this would certainly be the last thing I wanted to do! But I knew I just had to do it! Looking at the queue however puts me off!



But I was determined to do it. First however, I decided to observe how they "flew".



It sure looked scary to me. I was wondering if that zipline was as secure as I would like it to be.



But everyone just seemed to enjoy it. Although there were some who screamed their lungs out. That was not too encouraging!

I was thinking perhaps I should just sit in the cable car instead. The cable car was something like a bird cage (photo below left) and looked so much more safer to me!



Then I got to know another lone tourist (from Australia) and after some discussion, we both decided to give this zipline thing a shot! Although I must say I was way more nervous than him! LOL!



OK, no photos of both of us "flying" at up to 60 km per hour and soaring 300 feet off the ground over hills and mountains but "flew" we did!

Gosh! The moment we were up in the sky seeing the majestic Taal Lake in the distance was an experience I would not easily forget! I was glad I survived it! Phew!!

It costs me 300 pesos (RM21) for a one way ride across the zipline. A two-way ride would be 400 pesos (RM28) and I should have taken that but I was afraid I might not enjoy the ride so better just take one way to be safe! Haha!!

It would however be cheaper during weekdays - only 200 pesos (RM14) one way or 300 pesos (RM21) both ways. So if you plan to visit Picnic Grove and ride this zipline, do go during the weekdays. Not only do you avoid the crowds, you also get to ride for a much cheaper price!



For more details of this Tagaytay Ridge Zipline facility, read HERE.

After all that excitement, I spent some time back safely on the ground walking the eco-trail. This is the suspension bridge I got to cross.



OK, nothing much to shout about here.



The greeneries and forests surrounding the area however, was nice and calming in the cool air.



I tried to capture the majestic Taal Lake from this place but I found the air too foggy that evening. So my photos did not come out clear.



There were a lot of people having picnic in the park. Most were sitting inside covered huts overlooking Taal Lake.



Overall, I was not too impressed with Picnic Grove. If it was not for the cool air and the Zipline, I do not think it's worthwhile coming all the way from Manila City!

But if you are dropping by Picnic Grove as part of your tour of Tagaytay City and the nearby Taal Volcano, then I guess it's OK.

It was close to 5pm and knowing the traffic jam in Manila, I hurried to take a jeepney to the Olivares Bus Station, where I got onto a bus heading to Pasay Bus Station in Manila. But it was too late! It started to rain and I was trapped in one of the most nightmarish jam from Tagaytay to Manila. Instead of 2 hours, the journey took me more than 3 hours!

Even worse, after alighting from the bus, I could find no taxi to take me back to my hotel! I walked around and ended up having dinner at ChowKing.



ChowKing is a fast food restaurant serving Chinese food like noodles, dim sum and rice dishes. I ordered rice with chicken in sweet and sour sauce. Being a Chinese, I did not find the food particularly good, but I guess I could not complain much as this was just a fast food outlet.

After dinner, it was still raining and the traffic jam was still very bad. I walked to the nearest McDonalds and waited it out with a McD sundae. It was only after 10pm that I finally managed to get a taxi back to my hotel.

I was so tired I immediately went to sleep after my bath. I was looking forward to the next day, where for the very first time, I would be meeting up with a Filipino blogger from Manila itself. I could hardly wait!