Philippines - Manila & Tarloc
10 days in the Philippines
From June 30 to July 10, 2018, we traveled to Manila and Tarlac, Philippines.
Saturday, June, 30, 2018
Day 1: First of all, it really helps when you’re in the Philippines to be with someone who speaks either Ilocano or Tagalog and knows the area or how to get around. Chad was the best man in a wedding in the Philippines so we were lucky enough to be with the bride, who is from Manila. We took a flight on Philippine Airlines from HNL to MNL. We were pleased with how nice our flight was and how decent the food was. We landed in Manila at around 4:30 in the afternoon. When we landed in Manila, our friend, Raymart, and his fiance, Sheilla, picked us up from the airport. We checked into our condo and grabbed some food and drinks before heading to bed.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Day 2: We spent most of the day in Manila at this massive mall close to the condo we were staying at. We ate at a Filipino buffet called Cabalen. The food was good but there were so many flies everywhere. We started heading to the country side in the afternoon. It took a few hours to get to Tarlac. There are these jeepney trucks that are like the taxis in the Philippines. They are everywhere and look like ghetto pimped out jeeps. There are also a lot of people on mopeds. Chad was using his GoPro outside our window and our friend suggested not doing that because sometimes the people on the mopeds like to take them right out of tourist’s hands. Other than that, it was a nice drive once we arrived in the province. The mountains were so green and there were so many rice paddies. It was so different from the city. We settled in Raymart’s family’s house and had a few drinks with his family.
Monday, July 2, 2018
Day 3: Today Chad tried balut for the first time. The family taught him how to eat it with salt and vinegar. Chad’s always down to try new foods and experiences. He also tried riding a street bike around the area. The street bikes are a little different than the ones at home and to refill the gas, there are these little markets on the streets that fill up coke bottles so you can purchase them to refuel your bikes. We spent most of the day at the Monastery of Tarlac. Raymart and Sheilla had a photoshoot and we spent maybe 5-6 hours there. It was a nice area to relax. When we got back to the house, we tried this drink called calamansi gin…it was just calamansi and gin with tang. Filipinos love to sing karaoke and at the house we were staying at, they had a karaoke machine. We sang and drank all night long.
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Day 4: Today I wasn’t feeling that well. It was only after taking a nap that I felt slightly better. I’m not too sure if it was from the drinking or from eating different foods that my body wasn’t used to. I woke up and we sang more karaoke, ate Shanghai lumpia, and wet to a freshwater river up in the mountains. It was beautiful. There was no service that far in the valley but it made us take in all the beauty around us. Chad even pet a baby water buffalo. We ate lunch there and even ran into a guy who wasn’t as developed as we are. He spoke a dialogue that wasn’t familiar to the people who spoke Tagalog and Ilocano that were part of our group.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Day 5: Today we went to the Mayantoc Market to buy things to make lunch. We got catfish and Chad cut up a chicken. Most of the day we played this card game called bet game. Chad kept taking everyones money and at one point we were up 700 pesos, which is a lot over there, but it’s really only $14. But it was so much fun! Since we won, we went to buy burgers for everyone from this place called Lalas Burger and Shake. The burgers were only 32 pesos…that’s only 60 cents! We bought 12 burger sand drinks for everyone and it costed less than $10! Of course there was more drinking and singing all night long.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Day 6: Today we went to a resort called 168 Eden Garden Resort for some freshwater pools. We had some time to relax before the fiesta. Normally before a wedding, the bride and groom have a party to raise money for the wedding. There were so many people and family that came to celebrate the bride and groom. Parties like this normally last till about 2-3am.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Day 7: Today the girls had a little bachelorette spa day for Sheilla. There were 9 girls that went to get 3 of either a massage, facial, mani-pedi, foot spa, or lash extensions. It was so nice relaxing but it took 6 hours! The boys went to the same freshwater ponds we went to the previous day to have guy bonding time. The boys planned to a do a little bachelor party too at night. They went to the casino and a strip club. Since the boys went out, Aunty Sharon suggested the girls do too. There were five of us that went out and had a little fun for ourselves.
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Day 8: It’s the wedding day!
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Day 9: Today we woke up on the resort. We had our own room and Chad was having so much fun he didn’t go to sleep until 2am. It was just the four of us again. We went to eat at Mang Inasal. It was really good and cheap, just chicken and rice. We also went to Camiling Market where Raymart bought some live chickens and a rooster. It was our last night int he province so we just relaxed with the family.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Day 10: It was our last day in the Philippines. Today we headed back to Manila. We took pictures along the way and had a quick bite at Chowking. We also stopped to grab some pasalubong or omiyage and spent over 8,000 pesos to bring back for everyone. Then we stopped at Victory Mall to do a little more shopping. We ate at Tokyo Tokyo for dinner and also had some fried quail eggs. Later in the night, we went to this bar called Cowboy Grill to dance, eat, and drink a beer tower. It was a great last night in the Philippines.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Day 11: Today we packed up our things and before heading to the airport, we had to buy stamps of course! Since I work at the post office on Maui, I thought buying stamps in other countries would be a great momento to take home. We headed to the airport and bought some Jolibees.
