Manila 2009 Day 2

Slug's brother woke us at 6.30am for a sightseeing trip in Manila. After dropping off his two daughters at International School Manila, Slug's brother hired a driver named Moses to drive us all to visit some of the cultural attractions.

The first we went to was Kaisa Angelo King Heritage Centre which showcases the historical and cultural legacy of the Chinese in the Philippines but unfortunately it was closed. We then went to the Manila Cathedral to take a look. I fancied the lighting effect of the stained glass windows - the light was just enough to illuminate the different coloured glass pieces but not too glaring to spoil the somehow gothic feel of the basilica.

Kaisa Angelo King Heritage Centre

Manila Cathedral basilica

Very pretty stained glass windows

Slug playing with a simple replica of a pipe organ

Exhibits detailing the milestones of the cathedral

A tiled mosaic depicting biblical images

We then moved on to Chinatown to have a dimsum lunch, visit a Chinese temple-cum-nunnery (the nuns there were kind to give us some bread and water, and they could speak Hokkien!) and shop for some local produce. Along the way, Slug's brother intended for us to mock at the locals by driving us to look at them praying to a cross with Chinese joss sticks.

What a bizarre integration of two religions

Chinatown in Manila

A golden praying hall in the temple

After lunch we fetched Slug's two nieces from the school and spent the rest of the day eating, slacking and watching cable TV (which was actually what we came here for).