Destination Philippines

Oh, my! I'm a lucky traveler having escaped the big, big blizzard of 2011. My flight with Asiana Airlines with the help of friendly and lovely Korean flight attendants was very comfortable and very filling with on time serving of delicious in-flight menu. Flights from Manila to Europe take 17 hours and to the west coast of the United States.

The Philippine archipelago is part of the Southeast Asian region and made up of 7,107 islands. The three main island groups are Luzon (the largest island), the Visayas (varied islands located in the middle of the archipelago) and Mindanao (Muslim territory). It is bordered by Taiwan to the north, Indonesia - Malaysia - Borneo to the south, the South China Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is slightly smaller than Japan and a little larger than the United Kingdom.

It is believed that the Negritoes of Mountain Province were the first people to live in the Philippines. Groups of Indonesians and Malaysians emigrated to the Philippines from parts of south asia after 3,000 B.C. Japanese and Chinese traders reached the islands sometime 700 A.D. Moslem Arabs traveled to the Philippines in the 1300s and 1400s and converted the Moros of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago to Islam. Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines on March 16, 1521 and introduced Catholicism to pagan Filipinos. The Philippines was under Spanish domination for 400 years until its defeat by American Naval Forces in the Battle of Manila Bay. Unlike South American nations conquered by Spain, the nationalistic resiliency of the Filipinos did not change at all and retained its own language of Tagalog. Most Filipino youths of today but very few speak Spanish. The arrival of American educators called Thomasians in the 1900s contributed to love of education by many Filipinos. The Philippines was granted independence on July 4, 1947 after almost 50 years under American rule. Again, patriotic fervor reigned supreme and Philippine Independence Day is celebrated on June 12th. It was Asian, Spanish and American social and cultural influences made the country vibrant, literate and dynamic. The English speaking population with high degree of literacy contributed to a peaceful working democracy in Asia and the rest of the world.

A break in the sky!

After almost 18 hours with a 2-hour layover at Incheon International Seoul, I landed safely at the old Manila International Airport (MIA) now called Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), named after the husband of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Their son, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, is currently the President of the Philippines.

Getting through airport custom was a breeze. If the line was getting long, a new guy comes in and you get called right away. I noticed a lot of mostly young visitors and tourists from South Korea. At the baggage area, I did not have any problem with helpful handlers. My first but not the last wonderful beginning of my "Philippine Experience."

My first view of modern Manila from the sky.


I checked in at Manila Pavilion Hotel in Ermita, Manila at around 2:00 pm. As soon as I got into my room, I took some photos of the surrounding area. I found out I really made a good choice of hotel through Expedia instead of very expensive and plush hotels in Metro-Manila or high-end Makati because they are a bit far from my favorite places - Luneta or Rizal Park and Manila Bay. True, you get what you pay for. The price was reasonable, a little bit cheaper and I was looking for convenience. The bathroom curtain was moldy but was replaced by a brand-new one after calling the reception desk. There were no bedbugs in my comfortable bed but found a very small ipis (roach), about 7 cm., in the middle of the night hiding behind my make-up kit. I guess the hotel rooms there needed some extermination. I must say no hotel is immuned. When I was staying at a condominium in Maui, I saw a lot of teeny-weeny langgam (ants) crawling in the kitchen counter. The hotel personnel were right-away available and anything I asked, they gave. I love the free, serve yourself breakfast of Filipino foods, also. I feel kind of sorry for the hard-working employees working in the dining room because there are less than enough workers. With many tables I only counted 2 or 3, excluding the one cooking the eggs/omeletes. I just had to give my server (coffee, water) a big tip even if I didn't have to.

Taste of the Philippines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmsLr8lobGA

Destination Manila http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCiAPuQRzUA



Published  3/15/11  lib's labyrinth blogspot
Blog Page:  Destination Philippines