We lost our paths in Tagaytay so the best solution to find them again is to go to the place that everybody knows: Metro Manila. I know, I know. I called it traffic hell. But I also said that’s a bit exaggerated description. It’s just one of those big cities. Big asian cities. Even though Manila is for most tourists just a stopover on their way to other destinations in the country, the city does have some pretty well known sites and/or landmarks.

I think the most famous of them is the old town of Manila: the Intramuros.

Does it sound Spanish? It should. Because in Spanish it means “within the walls” (city walls). These walls were constructed out of necessity – the settlement was located in a strategic location and in addition to that the surrounding area turned out to be rich in various resources. No wonder it was a target for hostile forces. The constructed walls provided some form of protection for the citizens behind them.

Another major attraction in the city is the Rizal Park. If you do have some spare time you can walk along the sea side. Be warned though: the coast in not very clean (not very clean is a mild description of some parts of the sea front). Here are some random photos from such a walk:

Almost forgot: for all the fans of shopping there’s the Mall of Asia. And it lives up to it’s name – it’s huge. And popular.

Manila was my last stop on the trip to the Philippines. It was there where I boarded the plane and headed in the same direction as Lucky Luke: into the sunset.

I enjoyed this trip a lot and I hope I will be back soon in this great country.

But before that happens I will be posting some photos from other parts of the world.