The adventure begins in Manila... and lunch in a waterfall

Walking into the hotel restaurant for breakfast brought back a sudden flashback to our Baltic cruise a few years back with all the Filipino waiters. Up to million Filipinos work overseas and contribute a staggering 10% of the GDP through their remittances. The breakfast consisted of a mixture of international and local dishes. The standard cereal, toast, fruit, pastries were on offer plus rice, pork tocino and barbecued fish which was really dry.


We hit the road to Villa Escudero which proved to be long one. Traffic in Manilla is horrendous, even heading out of the city. The road was lined with little stores, mechanics, fruit sellers, snacks. Some stores bore the names of the owners like Chris and Cleo's which was a really nice personal touch. Jet lag sleep intervened, the miles slipped by and we found ourselves at the villa. The verdant green, tree fringed fields were a welcome change to the urban sprawl. The villa was the property of a wealthy family that made a fortune from coconut products, and these days served as a resort. We checked in at the reception and got a welcome drink with a surprise gelatinous strand, not so much to our western tastes but refreshing none the less.

Next up was the replica of the St Augustine church in Manila, painted a resplendent pink and white. Inside was a museum with a mishmash of exhibits. In the center area was devoted to Catholic artifacts and procession floats used for Easter Holy Week with scenes from the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. Filipinos are devout Catholics, making up 80% of the population. Off to the right side of the church was a section devoted to animals found in the Philippines. A row of badly stuffed creatures lined the display, nicobar pigeon, various monkeys, bats and a cloud rat hung from a tree. At the back of the church museum were more religious icons and decorations. On the left of the church was a section dedicated to indigenous peoples of the Philippines, a truly diverse bunch of folks call these islands home. Upstairs was a collection of artifacts brought by Chinese traders. This was followed by a section with information on Jose Rizal and Putti Puri who led movements for independence. The last part was a collection of clothing worn during various periods of Philippines history. Outside the museum was an old Japanese tank from WW2 and an airplane.

A carabao (water buffalo) drawn cart was the transport to the restaurant. Filipino musicians played pleasant music with traditional instruments as the carabao trundled slowly along the dirt track passing farm buildings and equipment on route. A water buffalo was being led by a man in the opposite direction, it had the message Happy Christmas shaved into what what little hair it grew, this was simultaneously funny and weird, I mean think about it who goes around shaving water buffaloes? Along the route there were a couple of colorful statues of people sitting on benches or standing around, also some animals like an elephant, gorilla, pigs, sheep, and surprisingly even an ET. Our journey ended at the main resort surrounded by beautiful gardens and flowering plants. A short walk and we reached the tranquil dam and the waterfall. The water cascaded down the steep dam wall churning white and gliding down the curve at the bottom giving the impression of a wall of water without end. Rows of aluminum tables and chairs were set up in the river at the base of the waterfall.

Due to the weather the restaurant at the base of the waterfall wasn't serving food. But as it wasn't raining at lunch time we got our food from the buffet and took it down to the waterfall and sat down for lunch in the river. Buffet Lunch consisted of a traditional Philippine fare, a thin soup, rice, grilled fish, pork, chicken, beef curry vegetables and salads including okra and a type of eggplant, daikon radish. The buffet was crowded and it was a challenge to get a meal on the plate. The river washed gently over our feet as we enjoyed our food by the waterfall. The experience was truly unique and special.

After lunch we tried out the bamboo rafts, which were about 5 meters long, about 1.5 meters wide and featured two seats for the passengers. Stepping gingerly on board we soon realized the rafts were actually quite stable. Rowing slowly we made a circuit of the peaceful dam fringed by dense forest on one side and the resort on the other. A huge Christmas tree full of decorations floated on a platform in the center of the lake. The sun had started to shine and it was actually turning into a nice day.

It was getting late and it was time to head back to Manila. Bypassing the rest of the resort facilities, we rode back to the main entrance with another carabao. The journey back to Manila was uneventful and long, only arrived back in Pasay after 6PM.

From there we hailed an Uber to take us to Intramuros, the oldest part of Manilla. The journey took over an hour with the heavy traffic and it was already dark. St Augustine was our first stop. The church was already closed but was still impressive. This was the only building in this area not destroyed during WW2, everything was else was rebuilt. Up the street we stopped at the beautifully lit up Manilla Cathedral which has been rebuilt several times. There was a small garden in from of the church were we took some photos and got harassed by beggars and touts.

Beyond the Cathedral to the north lay the Santiago fort which was surprisingly still open late at night. Passing through the gardens and then crossing a moat we passed through the main gate of the fort. The fort was constructed in the late 1500s by the Spanish on the site of earlier Islamic fortifications. Inside the fort is a shrine to the revolutionary and Philippine national hero Jose Rizal who was imprisoned in the fort prior to his execution in 1896 by the Spanish Colonial Government. There is a trail of metal footsteps that indicates the route Rizal would have walked from his prison cell to the site of his execution. Rizal was a remarkable man, he spoke 22 languages, wrote poems, essays and books, was a doctor of ophthalmology, traveled extensively all before age 35. The darkness and eerie quiet made for a sombre moment to contemplate what Rizal must have been experiencing in his last moments. It would take another two years before the Philippines would gain independence from Spain helped along by American victory over Spain in the battle of Manila Bay. Rizal was deified by some and to this day is worshiped by a group known as the Rizalistas.

The fort was also the site of mass executions and atrocities committed by the Japanese at the end of WW2 during the Battle of Manila. It is estimated that over 100,000 Filipino civilians died in the battle and the city devastated to the point that it has never fully recovered. Santiago Fort was the site of a mass execution of 3000 men. As we walked around in the gloom we spotted a statue of Japanese soldier leaning against a light post which scared the hell out of us as we couldn't tell if it was a real person or not. It was impossible to imagine the terror that must have been felt by those incarcerated and massacred here in the closing chapters of WW2.

For dinner we selected Barbara's which included a buffet and Filipino cultural performance. The food wasn't so great but the performance was energetic and entertaining. The highlight was a dance where two bamboo poles are moved back and forth to a beat while dancers step between the poles and back again trying to avoid their feet getting caught by the poles. Verdict, fun but overpriced. After dinner it was a challenge to find a taxi due to the late hour and potential traffic back, but eventually managed to get back to the hotel.