Ayala Museum

Located just outside the Greenbelt Mall, one could conveniently walk to this museum. The collection of gold jewelry from pre and during Spanish times (over 400 years old) pars with any European, American, and Columbian museum display of old gold jewelry. Enjoy the diorama display capturing the culture and history of the Philippines. As you exit, it shows the various political stages the country was ruled under and a description of each leader including their height which was interesting.

A patch of green and inspired public art in the center of the business district. Free wifi throughout the park.

Intramuros, "The Walled City," is the oldest district in Manila. This is what remains of the fortified city, which was the seat of power during Spanish Colonial times (1521-1898).

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This tadpole-shaped rock island is the largest of five islands between the historical Bataan and Cavite shores. Some geologists theorize that Corregidor was once part of a huge volcano that erupted on one side and gradually eroded to become partly invisible beneath the sea. It is called "The Rock" because it served as the major bastion of Philippine's Allies during World War II

Taal Volcano is located about 60 km (about 37 miles) south of Metro Manila. Last major eruption was reported back in 1965 that affected villages in the surrounding area.

This grand exhibit house features the country's most historic works of culture and national heritage, including the paintings of heralded Philippine artist Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo.

Transport in Manila

Bus

Getting out of Manila by bus is harder than you might expect, as there is no central bus terminal and no central source of information. Bus information seems to seep into the collective conscious by a weird osmosis. Ask around and you'll find the right answer. Two good resources (besides your hotel) are taxi drivers and www.clickthecity.com. The former often have an amazing knowledge of the myriad of bus lines. Tell the driver the city you want to go to and you'll be taken to the right bus station. The latter serves as a good online guide. You can search for 'bus lines' and add in the name of the city that's your destination. Often the correct company will come up. Alternatively, search for 'bus lines' and 'Manila' and you'll get a list of over 100 bus companies with services to and from Manila.

The myriad of private operators have their own terminals scattered around the city. Most are close to EDSA (Manila's ring road), which connects the highways going north and south of the capital. All the terminals are accessible by public transport; the suggested routes (jeepney or LRT/MRT) to the terminals are from Ermita and Malate. From Makati, the companies are often just an MRT ride away. It should be noted that Filipino bus drivers are among the most maniacal on the face of the earth, although the number of accidents is surprisingly low. If you're not used to travelling at breakneck speed, you may well be in for a white-knuckle ride.

Train

The ramshackle Philippine National Railways (361 1125) has its main Manila station just north of Binondo at Tayuman St and Dagupan St. As such it is commonly just referred to as Tayuman. Services at the station like trains are few. The one rail line from Manila goes south as far as Legaspi in Southeast Luzon, passing through Lucena and other points along the way. Schedules are nonexistent and are more a matter of the overworked and underfunded staff trying to get enough cars working to form a train. For information and fares, your best option is to visit the station, which is a 10-minute walk west from the LRT1 Bambang Station.

Boat

The port of Manila is divided into two sections, South Harbor and North Harbor. Unfortunately for the traveller, two of the shipping lines use the hard-to-reach North Harbor. It's best to take a taxi to North Harbor, as the area isn't a place for a foreigner to be wandering around with luggage.

There are three major shipping lines handling inter-island boat trips from Manila: