DAY 37  -  Manila, Philippines

February 3, 2024

With all of the history in this big city, we were surprised that we were only spending a half day here.  But with a lot ahead on the water for this part of the cruise itinerary, I guess something had to give.

We had four stops in the city...first at the old cathedral, second at the Fort used by all of the occupying countries (from the Spanish in the 1500's to the Americans in the late 1800's with the Japanese and English in between...followed by the Americans again after WWII).....at the famous Hotel Manilla (where Gen MacArthur had his headquarters) and at a large park with lots of street vendors.

This is the entrance to the dungeon....which was quite freaky and gruesome to visit.....

We have been told to be really careful about street food vendors....but some of these looked really good and smelled great!

All of the kids were wearing these "Duckies" clipped in their hair (it was a Saturday and schools had lots of excursions to the sites like we did).

Just recently we found out about a "tradition" in the states that had Jeep Wrangler owners giving out Rubber Duckies to fellow Jeep owners...just as an "I like your Jeep" kind of thing.  So for 5 American dollars I got three duckies and two hearts.

But mine had clips and colored bows!!  WooHoo!

We were supposed to have a ride in one of these...called a Jeepney....but that part of the tour was cancelled due to time constraints. 

 Manilla was not a glamourous city - with lots of traffic and not the best air quality - so after our wonderful city tour, we were ready to go.

Looking back on all of the places we have seen, it would be amazing to spend 4-5 days at each one...get to know the city...find a hotel room....really experience the local vibe...see the city at night....and visit a few local restaurants (they all brag about their fresh seafood and their shopping!)  So if we ever come back to this part of the world the choices of where to come back to would be really difficult!