BACK IN MANILA

 19th - 22nd Dec 2025

Little Venice in Manila. Taguig City. South of Makati.

The flight back to Manila from Bohol was another rather chaotic and tedious exercise in queuing at a crowded airport with few decent 'facilities'. Just a small café and some cake stalls. I was again stung for another 1,400 Pesos for my cabin bag! Not only that but the 8.00pm flight was delayed (for unknown reason) until 10.00pm and I eventually arrived in Manila at midnight. 

Then a Grab taxi to another small hotel (Artemis Place Hotel in east Makati)......which, incidentally, proved to be another cheap (£25pn), comfortable and excellent little place with delightful and helpful reception staff. Left: One of the hotel staff and Christmas tree....they were everywhere! They all seem to provide cheap and efficient same-day laundry service (essential to me with my small 'wardrobe').

A few more street scenes from the traffic jam of Manila to follow. Right: There were these 'officials' in varying forms of dress standing at street junctions waving their hands at the traffic to absolutely no effect.

Left: Many were armed (armed 'police' and guards were everywhere). This chap is wielding a shotgun. I actually asked him what it was and he politely told me it was an American Remington 12 bore 6 shot pump action weapon. I asked him if he had ever had to use it. I got a rather vague reply to that question.

Right: Scraggy, mangy feral cats were much in evidence on the pavements. 

I'm not sure what the locals' attitude to pets is. As previously mentioned (with photos) I saw many smallish mongrel looking dogs, some feral and some pets, and some fluffy cuddly ones which were either carried in arms by doting ladies or pushed around in buggies like this (left).

Whatever, there were dozens of Pet Infirmaries and smart Pet Clinics/shops in the town such as this (right). You don't see these in UK. They must make a good profit from loving pet owners!

Left: A rather curious decoration on the rear windscreen of a car. 'Panty Dropper'??!!

Right: ....and more beggars......

Left: .....on many litter strewn streets.

Right: I took a long walk to the amusement park on the Bay. It features a large Ferris Wheel (the SM MOA Eye). 

Left: I had to take a ride.

Right: The view from the top over the Bay area and amusement park.

The park features all the usual 'entertainments' such as these dodgems (left).

.....and (below) this popular machine...with lots of screaming passengers.

Left: Opposite the park was yet another vast SM 'mall'. They are everywhere! Selling all the same sort of (unnecessary) 'luxury' items such as handbags, shoes, electronic gizmos, clothes, smart motorbike helmets etc.

Right: ....and always these characters dressed up to have their photo taken with you for a small tip.

Left: The next day a trip to 'Little Venice' in the south of the city area; McKinley Hill in Taguig District . This mini-reconstruction of the Venetian canals is surrounded by another enormous shopping complex called the Venice Grand Canal Mall'. 6 floors of tat and a multitude of Italian themed restaurants (most featuring chicken on their menus. Chicken seems to be the most popular food in this city.

Right: There are gondolas, with (I was told) singing gondoliers and smaller 'swan' boats. It was pouring with rain when I arrived and therefore all these were moored up.

So I went on a tour of the 'Mall' and even had a decent meal in one of the Italiano restaurants. Left: There is a chapel, St. Raphael the Archangel Chapel, on one of the floors....not well attended but someone was playing the organ.

Right: ....and believe it or not a 'feeding area for cats' with instructions on what to give them, or not! I give up!

Left: Little trains to take you around.

Right: ...and amusing 'monster' transport for children.

Left: I'm not sure what this emporium featured but I decided I could do without 'body sugaring'. For the time being anyway.

Right: And of course there were the ubiquitous 'photo op' characters.

Left: Signs to the various 'Venetian' locations.

Right: There was even an imitation 'St Mark's Square' with a replica of the St Marks Campanile tower. The square was home to a colony of pigeons which you were encouraged to feed!

Left: More canal which ran around the inner part of the Mall complex and was crossed by several pretty 'Italianate' bridges. Not sure if they had a Bridge of Sighs, but similar.

Right: The rain stopped in the late afternoon and the gondolas began to make an appearance. I didn't hear any gondolier singing. They charge for a minimum of 3 passengers (I think), so a bit expensive for just one. Anyway, I am prone to sea-sickness even in calm conditions, so I didn't partake.

....and then back to Makati.

Left: My favoured 'watering hole', the Tiabuela in Makati. Good food at very reasonable prices, a pleasant covered outside patio and good staff. These sort of 'homely' places seemed not too common in the city (or I didn't find any better). There were a plethora of 'plastic' food joints (MacDonalds, Jollibees etc.) and some expensive hotel top-floor restaurants but few like this.

I think that just about covers my Philippine adventure. I may add a post-script if I remember anything else. It was all most interesting and generally most enjoyable. The locals (that I met) were unfailingly pleasant and there was a very diverse range of sights to see and things to do. 

On the 23rd Dec I flew on to Saigon, Vietnam, for my annual 'festive' break and to meet a few ex-colleagues and friends. I don't think I will report from there as I have done so many 'blogs' from Vietnam previously and would probably only be repeating myself. Just a vid of the New Year's Eve fireworks in Saigon (below).

......and a few dancing girls from the 'backpackers' area of Pham Gnu Lao

A DAY OUT ON BOHOL. PART 2

 18th Dec 2025

The Tarsiers sanctuary.

Antonio, my helpful driver and guide, then took me to the 'Tarsier Sanctuary'. This is in quite a large wooded area and seemed to attract a fair amount of tourists. 

I had no idea of what a tarsier is and, at the entrance, is a dummy tarsier (left) and I was told it is a form of nocturnal monkey and an endangered species. From the size of the 'dummy' I assumed it was quite a large creature.

We followed a path around the outside of a  bit of dense woodland fenced in with wire netting. Myself and several other 'tarsier watchers' were peering in and unable to see any signs of life. Eventually someone whispered (silence please!) that they had seen one. We all moved to join him and peered through the netting. 

.

Left: ......and with great difficulty saw it. A tiny creature, the size of your fist, with big goggly eyes, staring myopically out from inside a bush. Rather disappointing in my opinion! I think we saw another one at some point. Not exactly the spectacular animal I had imagined!

Below: A better photo (not mine) of a tarsier. They didn't move, but then as they are 'nocturnal' perhaps they only come alive and leap about with all the joys of spring after dark! Anyway, not much more to report from the tarsier sanctuary.

We then moved on to an Adventure Park (not the same as the first place on the previous blog). En-route we stopped at a place which offered 'quad-bike' tours (right). They looked rather fun, but would have taken too long (all the afternoon) so I just sat on one for the sake of it.

Left: The entrance to the Adventure Perk. This offered zip-wire rides. I couldn't resist trying that.

A climb up to the start point (right). There was a couple ahead of me. I was undecided as to whether to keep my i-phone in my hand to record the trip, but as I had lost the strap to secure it to my wrist I didn't want to risk dropping it, so kept it in my pocket.

Left: We were laid out in a kind of sling and fired off over a very deep valley for the half-mile trip.

Right: This was the valley below. It was about 800ft down to the Loboc river. This photo was taken from a cable-car in which I returned.

Left: Someone coming in to land.

Right: ....and someone in mid-flight. It was quite an exhilarating short ride.

Left: There was the opportunity to zip-wire back to another station or, as I chose, to take a more sedate cable car ride..to let me get some photos of the valley below. Apparently there are several other zip-wire sites on the island.

That was about it for my day out on Bohol and we drove back over the causeway to Panglao. All most enjoyable and perhaps I should have given myself more time to see some of the other sights on the island.....

I had most of the next day to do a bit of pleasant lounging around the Alona beach before getting a flight back to Manila. Plenty more to report from there.

However, I think I have a problem. For some reason 'Google' will not let me download photos at the moment. I hope that can be resolved, but until it is I will not be able to proceed with future blogs! 😱 I think I've solved it......phew! Maybe 🙌

A DAY OUT ON BOHOL ISLAND. PART 1

18th Dec 2025

Some of the 'Chocolate Hills' on Bohol Island.

I left the hotel at 8.30am in a car driven by a very amicable chap called Antonio, who spoke good English (as most of the locals do). We crossed the causeway onto Bohol and proceeded to visit some of the many sights and 'experiences' on the island. Many things like caves, waterfalls, bee farms, beaches etc. we didn't have time for. You could amuse your self here for a few days.

Left: Bohol Island with the places I visited marked. As with all these photos; click on to enlarge and read.

The first port of call was the famed Chocolate Hills. They attract many tourists. People were queueing up to have 'group' photos taken behind this sign (right). I did a bit of 'tactical barging'.

Left: A steep climb up 584 steps to the higher viewpoint. Good exercise if nothing else.

Right: A description of how these hills were formed. They turn a chocolate brown colour in the 'dry' season, hence the name. Click on to enlarge and read.

Next onwards to the 'Eco-Adventure' park near the town of Loboc. This consisted of several 'zoo-like' enclosures. Below: At the entrance was a rather nice café with this couple playing 'jolly' Christmas tunes on bamboo instruments. Very talented I thought.

Left: There was a display of various snakes. This is, I think, an Albino Burmese Python. It seemed very docile (but it was alive!). I gave it a delicate pat on the back. It just stuck its tongue out at me. I'm told they are fed a chicken a week. 

Right: More snakes but mostly in these cages so not easy to see. They didn't 'do' much. Sleeping mostly.

Left: Exotic small parrot-like birds.

Right: A dozy couple of buffalo were wallowing in a small pond.

Left: A statue of a ........??

Right: ...and a large 'shoe' on display. Not sure of its significance.

Left: It was, in parts, a somewhat 'untidy' and litter-strewn area. Can't think how this 'toilet' ended up here.

 

Right: A rather scrawny small horse. There was sign next to it saying 'For Sale. 23,000 Pesos'. That is approx £285. I know a racehorse trainer in UK who is always on the lookout for a good deal. I'm not sure if he would be interested.

Left: Another nag saddled up and ready to go. I resisted the temptation.

Right: An enclosure contained butterflies like this. There were several flitting around. I haven't a clue what they all were (I am not a 'lepidopterist'). Rather dull to be honest.

Below: Another compound contained these delightful little creatures. They are 'Sugar Gliders'; a sort of 'nocturnal gliding possum' I read somewhere. They have a predilection for sugary foods, hence their name, and the ability to glide through the air, like a flying squirrel. I didn't have any sweeties to offer them.

Wandering on further I came across this ominous sign (left). What on earth could they have here to warrant a risk to 'minors below 18 years old'?!

I went over the bridge to be confronted by this! Right: For the life of me I couldn't understand why it was in a nature park! They obviously have a robust sense of humour around here.

Left: The explanation of its significance. How interesting.

I was by no means finished with places to go and things to do on the island. I will, however, be wary of meeting any lady called Mana. So leave you now on this happy note and will continue my Bohol tour on the next......