To me, the nicest time to explore the city of Manila is early on Sunday morning. There is no traffic, and if you are traveling by taxi, there are many available. There are many things to do in Manila, this is just an example of what I did one Sunday morning in March 2009.
Started the day off with an early morning breakfast at the historic Manila Hotel. The hotel has been around since 1912. It served as General McArthur’s headquarters during the first part of World War II in the Pacific.
The lobby of the hotel is very beautiful, with lovely large flower arrangements centered around large sitting areas with over stuffed antique sofas and chairs.
Breakfast at the coffee shop is a real treat. You can enjoy an all you can eat breakfast buffet from 6am to 10am for 750php. Ala Carte breakfasts run around 350php, and they are more than ample for me.
After a delicious morning meal in historical, luxury surroundings, we took a short walk to the brand new Manila Ocean Park . The Ocean Park features some good aquarium exhibits, and is well worth the 400php entrance fee. Including a very nice “tunnel” going through a large reef aquarium complete with large rays, sharks and reef fish. I was impressed with the beginnings of this park, and look forward to seeing the planned mall and other exhibits completed.
To finish our exploration of the wild life offerings in Manila, we jumped into a taxi for a quick 10 minute ride to the Manila Zoo. I have mixed feelings regarding the Manila Zoo. It certainly does not match up to zoos in more developed countries. The cages are quite old, and the amount of animals is fairly small. However the grounds are shaded with large trees, the kids are all laughing, and families are spread about the grounds enjoying picnics. Considering the entrance fee of only 40php, I have to suggest you try it at least once.
All in all, if you find yourself in Manila on a Sunday morning looking for something to do, I can recommend this little excursion.
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