Manila: Musings of an Off-Beat Traveller

Manila, the capital city of Philippines has hardly been a tourist attraction for the majority of it’s existence, but, the past decade or so has been a steady influx of tourists, partly because of increased exposure levels and partly because of the government’s steady attempts at showcasing the country as a Gateway to Asian roots and culture. That Manila is a major focal point to travel to other prominent Asian cities has greatly helped it’s cause and from merely being a stop-over point, Manila has gained prominence as a tourist destination in itself. Also, a plethora of cheap flights to manila, makes it convenient for tourists to just hop on an Airbus and get into the Gateway.

Seeped in a rich cultural lineage, Manila has a lot of offer to academicians, scholars, researchers and hippie tourists in terms of history and legacy. Villa Escudero, which positions itself as a museum, has a lot many sides to it besides being a museum. About 40 minutes from Manila, it has a self-sustaining coconut plantation, which is major commodity consumed in the Philippines. The biggest attraction of the Villa is the meticulously planned in-house village tour with the native folk. It serves as an eye opener to the very basic roots of Philipino Agri-Community and makes you feel nostalgic with the explicit bearings of the bygone Haciendero era. While there, do not forget to indulge yourself in the endearing Carabao ride with the support staff humming musical notes of the Filipino contour. The culinary servings at the Villa give you an authentic taste which lingers and stays with you hours after you have made an exit from the place.

The most engaging fact about museums here are that they are as diverse as chalk and cheese. The Marikina City Footwear Museum is ostensibly the world’s biggest footwear museum which enchants and enlightens shoe connoisseurs as well as the general public because of it’s collection of any and every kind of shoe, you can think about. It has neatly arranged showcases which earmark the evolution of footwear from the Cave times to the neo-western, modernistic levels they have attained today. For the sheer smiles and quirkiness this places brings in, it is a must see when in Manila.

In the next series of articles, we will talk about the rest of the historic and religious sites in Manila which are slowly becoming tourist magnets. Be it the Santuario de San Antonio, the cathedral in reminiscence of Saint Anthony or Binondo, which is the Chinatown of Manila, there are places which are awe-inspiring for the locals as well as tourists. In the meanwhile, make sure that the Villa and Marikina Museum do make an appearance in your itinerary , way before you have checked-in to one of the many flights to Manila.