Traditional Filipino Dances Over Metro Manila Should Not Be Missed
The most sophisticated night in town has to be dinner and cultural show at the magnificent Maynila, the Manila Hotel’s grand restaurant where native Filipino dishes and traditional Filipino dances merge to form an evening to remember. The Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company performs tribal, Spanish influenced, Muslim and rural dances in an atmosphere of art-nouveau elegance created by the world-acclaimed architect Leandro Locsin. A more proletarian experience can be had by visiting The Aristocrat, a restaurant which has served good, cheap fare to virtually all Manila’s social classes since it opened in 1936. On a typical night, a police chief could be spied having dinner (sitting, naturally, with his back to a wall and watching the door) next to a schoolteacher and a cabdriver.
Down the road, can be found nightspots with such strange names as My Father’s Moustache and The Hobbit House. The former is a lively bar and restaurant where country and folk music are on tap, the latter a bizarre establishment staffed by 28 midgets. The music is good and many bands cut their teeth at the venue before going on to higher things, as it were. For Spanish colonial ambience, restaurants like Muralla’s cannot be beaten. The establishment was destroyed in the war but rebuilt in exact detail, using the original blueprints. For Vienna style, try the cafe scene, Manila’s latest trend. These are dimly-lit, chic coffee shops with expensive “deli” food. And for genuine Filipino fare, the 24 hour restaurants in Roxas Boulevard, close to Manila Bay, are worth visiting. Local specialties include Tanguigue Steak (tenderfish sliced and marinated in spices) and Pinausukan Pata (charcoal grilled pork knee) along with the inevitable Lapu Lapu, the Philippine garoupa and a clear favorite among tourists.
Experiencing the city’s abundant nightlife doesn’t mean ignoring its daytime attractions, though. In particular, the historical heart of Manila should not be missed. Intramuros was a fortress during the Spanish occupation, a walled city within a city. Now it is being reconstructed. The saga of the beautiful Manila Cathedral gives some insight into the city’s turbulent history. First built 1581, damaged by typhoon 1582, destroyed by fire 1583, rebuilt 1592, partially destroyed by earthquake 1600, rebuilt 1614, destroyed by earthquake 1645, rebuilt 1654, destroyed by earthquake 1863, rebuilt 1870, destroyed during the Battle of Manila 1945, reconstructed 1954.
The cathedral is a delightful place to visit on a Sunday morning, but there is much else to see in Intramuros. Probably the most haunting sight in the old sector is the powder magazine chamber used as a cell by the Japanese in World War Two. Eight hundred people were packed into the tiny space, 600 of whom came to be buried there. No city tour should miss out on the Chinese Cemetery. Here you’ll see block after block of large mausoleums, often two-storey and built like apartments with balconies. Some mausoleums have air conditioning, many have letterboxes. Outside, the streets are swept and garbage collected. It could be any street, except all the “residents” are dead. On all Saints Day, the area is filled with Chinese families who spend the day in fiesta mood at the graves.
The Malacanang Palace is, of course, living history. Cory Aquino lives and works in the adjoining guesthouse and the main palace is now a museum to the Marcos era. Every room has the imprint of their opulence. The most famous shoe collection in the world is there for everyone to see Imelda had 1,060 pairs, Ferdinand Marcos a mere 200 pairs. There are countless other attractions in Manila, but if you’re in the capital on a Sunday, you should experience a cockfight. There are cockpits all over Metro Manila. The fights themselves are cruel and bloody but mercifully only last a few seconds. The losing cock, if it survives, is stitched up in the first-aid area, after a few week’s recovery, it might fight again. Getting around the city is easy, simply jump on a jeepney. These bright, loud and lovable vehicles are everywhere, and in Metro Manila they make nearly six million trips a day. Fares are usually a peso a ride and once you understand the routes and the system, they are easy to use. Just look for the direction signs on the front, if you can see them among all the other colorful writing.
A jeepney will whisk you out to Makati, the city’s main shopping area or to Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown, where you can switch to horse drawn buggy, the area’s localized transport. Or it can take you along Roxas towards Cavite where you can enjoy broiled chicken Manoc, washed down with a local beer, and watch another Manila sunset. And plan your next exciting day in the pulsating Philippine capital.
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