The Philippines: Sa wakas, nakarating na tayo! (Finally, we've arrived!)

It has been five long years since we had to cancel our trip to the Philippines. Back in 2020, the world shut down due to uncertainties surrounding Covid. But, we never gave up on our desire to visit this country and we have finally made it!

Our arrival into Manila occurred at 5:30 in the morning. Because pre-registration is required before flying into the country, customs and immigration were very simple. After a 14.5 hour flight from Vancouver, we were looking forward to grabbing our luggage and meeting our hotel shuttle as soon as possible. However, that was not to be. We waited and waited, and waited some more. The amount of bags and parcels coming off the plane was simply incredible. Our luggage eventually appeared after an hour, maybe more.

Many of the Filipino travelers were bringing gifts and supplies to their families. This is partly traditional and partly due to an upcoming festival, Sinulog, an annual cultural and religious festival that occurs on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City. This festival is in honour of the Holy Child, Jesus, and commemorates the conversion of the Filipino people to Christianity. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan arrived on the shores of Cebu and planted a Christian cross, thus claiming the territory for Spain. Some of our seat mates told us that it is a very special celebration and includes street dancing, parades, river processions, and special church masses, followed by many parties. Last year, in 2025, over 4 million people attended the festival!

Because of the 15 hour time difference between here and Alberta, we decided to spend a few easy days in Manila to get acclimated. We chose the Grand Westside Manila Hotel. It is near the international airport and, interestingly, is one of the largest hotels in the city with 1500 rooms. Another impressive hotel down the street is the Okada, a massive golden building with over 40 restaurants and a fountain that is open to the public. Similar to the Bellagio in Las Vegas, showings run every 30 minutes between 7:00 and 10:00 pm. We posted a video on our Facebook page, Travelllers3.

We wanted to see some of the sites without being too touristy so we caught a ride share down to the old part of the city, Intramuras. We were looking for the old fort but instead found some very old, historic churches and an old neighbourhood still adorned with Christmas decorations. Although there were a lot of people, everyone seemed very relaxed and it was easy to walk down the narrow, cobbled streets. This neighbourhood is an historian’s dream. The original Colonial buildings are still being used for a variety of purposes, including local government offices. We only came across one small market near the Basilica. Food, jewelry, wallets, and other small items were available. It was pretty low-key and there was very little pressure from the vendors.

On the way back to our hotel, we decided to make a stop at the Araya shopping mall. This huge complex is 5 floors with any and every store you can imagine. If you are a shopper, this place is for you! We explored for about an hour before finding an amazing coffee shop. Up to this point, we had been drinking mostly instant coffee. The fresh brew was a real treat and we enjoyed it along with a slice fresh-baked lemon pie.

One of the most popular topics of conversation no matter where you are in the world is traffic. We have encountered all kinds of traffic in large cities but Manila was a little bit different. Normally, large city congestion cumulates in a cacophony of blaring car horns with drivers making rude gesters and exhibiting all kinds of anger or impatience. Although very busy, Manila drivers tended to accommodate others, and the only horns we heard had to do with either letting a motorcycle/scooter know a car was behind them or when a motorcycle driver cut in front of a semi truck. It was a scary maneuver and I sided with the truck driver in that instance!

We have successfully navigated our time change and are headed to our next stop, Puerto Galera, for some scuba diving. Check out our next instalment for photos of what think will be fabulous, underwater views.