Manila

Carlos Celdran Walking Tour

A good friend/colleague from Poland visited Philippines. He wanted to see something of Manila, and thought of bringing him to Intramuros. Since I already forgot my Philippine history (shame on me!), I looked up for a walking tour. Luckily, Carlos Celdran has tours lined up for December.

The tour takes you to Intramuros, Fort Santiago, then a kalesa ride, and finishes with halo halo at Barbaras. Why halo-halo? Carlos said, Halo-halo is a good metaphor for Filipinos because our language, culture, have evolved from American, Spanish, and Japanese colonization - it's a mix of different influences.

Carlos depicts Phil history through a theatrical storytelling and it has added sense of humour which makes the tour more interesting. No dull moment!

It was indeed a learning experience! I appreciate Manila more because of the stories behind it.. Now, I know my city better.

They always say (I did too).. "skip Manila and go to the beach destinations instead". The tour changed my perception. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to know more about Filipino history, its culture and how it evolved through time.

The tour costs P1,100 per person. Schedules and rates can be found on this link http://celdrantours.blogspot.com