THIS is the most awesome statue of Andres Bonifacio in existence. Not the one in Monumento (A…read moretravesty, really), and not the one in front of the National Post Office. THIS. I am totally in love with the raw energy, the fierceness, the drama of this monument. Not content to showcase Bonifacio standing, they show him charging into action, ready to fight, ready to sacrifice his life for the country as he actually did (Though not at the hands of the enemy, but this is not the time for that discussion). If you angle your shot at just the right spot, you can actually depict Bonifacio attacking Manila City Hall. It's an incredible shot that may or may not be representative of whatever.

The City of Manila and Manilenos love Andres Bonifacio, placing him on a pedestal practically at…read morepar with National Hero Jose P. Rizal. This is with good reason. Bonifacio was founder of the movement known as the Katipunan, which waged a revolution against Spain in the 1890s. It is one of Philippine history's greatest tragedies that Bonifacio became a victim of the very revolution he started, being assassinated by the men of Emilio Aguinaldo after the revolutionary forces split into two factions. Today, the nationalist and Leftist movements consider Bonifacio a national hero. He is their symbol as well as rallying point in their modern day war against oppression. Bonifacio Day is celebrated as a national holiday and the most important shrine to the revolutionary from Tondo is the Kartilya ng Katipunan shrine in Liwasang Bonifacio. No less than National Artist Ed Castrillo created this metal and wood sculpture. The plaza in front is often used for different events, from political rallies to city fairs. Above it all stands the mighty Bonifacio, wielding his bolo and rallying his men to fight the better equipped Spaniards.

Looking at the artifacts left behind by Gregoria de Jesus, the "Lakhambini" or First Lady of the…read moreKatipunan, as well as the paintings here, I am swept into a world of fierce love and courage, and the extraordinary strength of this woman. I already knew then that Gregoria de Jesus, or Oryang, as she is more fondly called, is one of the most courageous women in Philippine history. But a glimpse of her life in this old house where she once lived made my respect for her soar and made her all the real to me. It was here that I learned of some of her bad-ass moves, like how she and other women smartly fooled Spaniards while Katipuneros were having meetings. She knew how to shoot, but she also tended to the wounded. She even has some teachings of her own posted at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista ("Sampung Aral ni Oryang"), some of them bad-ass too. I also got a warm feeling reading about her love story - how she was both unabashedly her own person and at the same time wife to Andres Bonifacio. When he died, Julio Nakpil, a general and the musical composer of Katipunan, took care of her protection and fell in love with her. The two married, and thus, Oryang lived in the beautiful stone and wood house of Bahay Nakpil.

The Bahay Bautista Nakpil is a former residence of the illustrious Nakpil family who have turned…read moreit into a museum-cum-workshop. The place has kept the old world charm of late 19th century Manila. Of special interest to art collectors are the wood carved santos created by master craftsmen and artisans at the site itself. The wooden carvings are not cheap. A bust or a head of a saint goes for P2,000 and is the most affordable of the sculpted works. The larger pieces go for anywhere from a low of P25,000 to a high of P100,000. It goes without saying that churches all over the country are among the favored clients of the sculptors, who unfortunately will never be known to the owners. Skilled as they are, they will never be known as artists like Castrillo or Orlina. This is a shame, but that's how the business side of art works. Still, the life-sized wooden santos are a joy to behold, and to own for those who can afford them.

I noticed that a lot of the monuments here in Metro Manila tend to be placed in the weirdest of…read moreplaces. Some of them are located in places where people are unlikely to pass by. They might be visible, but that would make it difficult for people to walk up to them and see what they're like. Anyway, Gabriela Silang's monument is one of those monuments that has a sort of awkward position. It's located along the corners of Ayala and Makati Ave. It's a bit hard to get up close and personal with the lady who serves as the symbol of the country's feminist movement, but it's worth it. The only real issue that I have with this particular monument is poor maintenance. Anyone who musters the effort to get up close and personal with Gabriela will be a little bit dissapointed since the plate at the base of her monument giving info. about her has started to fade, and little to no attention has been given to it.

The rallying point of the famed "Gabriela" party (also named after the hero for which the monument…read moretakes its image), Gabriela Silang, wife of Diego Silang, and the more famous of the two for their rebellion against the Spanish is often toted as one of the female heroes of Philippine history, and the symbol of feminists everywhere (aside from, you know, Cory Aquino, the first female president in Asia, who was a Filipina). While scholars may argue about the historical accuracy of her depiction in the monument, which shows her on horseback, leading a charge with a large bolo in hand as she rallies forth into battle (and some historians would insist that she never wielded a blade nor rode a horse), her monument in the corner of the Ayala Triangle Park overlooks the areas near the grand shopping centers of Makati and an intersection where very memorable events in recent history have caused hordes of women (and men) to come together near this statue to oppose questionable actions against women in the Philippines. While the Philippines arguably enjoys more rights for its female population than other conservative Asian countries, such as in the case of how Filipinas can hold high positions in businesses and government without much incident, while in more "developed" countries like Japan, a woman, regardless of rank in the company, will always be the one charged with serving tea, the Philippines also has much to do in the way of improving the state for all women, impoverished or not. And this monument, historical accuracy or not, still serves as the place where we all come to remember the importance of women in our lives.

I have to admit, I was very surprised by what I saw when I came here. Initially I figured it would…read morebe completely historical with stone fortifications, but instead there's an actual city with restaurants and homes. Must be pretty cool living within history, there's also an amazing view from top of the walls.

Intramuros has endured wars, calamities and foreign invaders and yet this 64-hectare stone city…read morestill stands as strong as it first did 400 hundred years ago. How could it live through such a beating? Clearly, there was so much more to these massive stone walls than its impeccable engineering. Everybody has a lot to say about this citadel, its squatters and scammers but it's the only window to our past and even if we try to look away, we will always come home to it. It's the heart our city, the last breathing structure that has escaped the commercialization of Manila. And while all of us will go on, the undead will remain on its streets guarding the last memory of the Philippine's colonial past.

I don't know whether to give this building one star or five stars. In the years that I worked in a…read morebuilding in Intramuros, I would often look at the El Hogar Building across the Pasig River. What a sight it must have been in its heyday. Today, you can only imagine what it must have looked like before whoever owns it allowed it to deteriorate to its present state. This is another historic landmark that begs to be restored, not torn down and replaced with some fancy condominium, as what has happened with other old buildings in the Binondo district of Manila. It's a sad reflection on us as a people that there is insufficient appreciation of the architecture around us. I am hoping against hope that somehow, this old structure will be restored. Its premiere location alone makes it a must see. There's no reason why it can't be restored by the present owners, then rented out to any of the country's top 1,000 corporations, any one of which should be proud to be based at such a site. I'll give it five stars and keep my fingers crossed.

I wanted to check out Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world. We got picked up by a rideshare…read moredriver. He was a pretty cool guy. Luckily we got matched with a good driver and for the duration of the trip he was our personal tour guide pointing out interesting places. The ride was $5. I learned early on, on our vacation, that rideshare trips are really affordable in the Philippines. If we did the same route distance in Seattle, the trip would have been 40 bucks. We crossed the Jones Bridge into Binondo. It was a surreal experience driving across a bridge with European-style architecture. A bridge named after an American. Then driving under a massive Chinatown Arch. That's a lot of history to unpack. After our visit to Binondo we requested another rideshare trip. We drove across the Jones Bridge again. This time I took note of the ornamental railings and ornate lamp posts reminiscent of the lamp posts on the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to walk along the Pasig River Esplanade which is connected to the Jones Bridge. The promenade is like the Berges de Seine, also in Paris. I'll have to visit the Pasig River Esplanade on my next trip to the PI. It looks like a pretty popular place.

Jones Bridge is a Manila landmark, first built over a hundred years ago and then reconstructed…read moreafter World War II. It's one of the prettiest parts of the city, with a long walkway--the Pasig Esplanade--lined with shops and eateries lining the adjacent area along the Pasig River. We were there at the wrong hours for this, but it apparently gets quite lively with foot traffic and street vendors. The bridge connects Binondo and Intramuros, two of the most tourist-friendly parts of the city. I ended up there twice during a five-day trip to Manila, and it was a definite highlight, with nice views of the city, even if the waters of the Pasig are not exactly crystalline blue. The neoclassical architecture was attractive with a touch of Euro kitsch, with black iron street lamps and little sculptures of people carrying shot glass-shaped candle holders. I didn't spend much time at Jones Bridge, but it was a lovely place to walk, and I'm sure it's fun when the vendors are out. Certainly worth a visit if you're traveling through Manila.

There were recent reports that the magnificent Post Office Building in Liwasang Bonifacio would…read moresoon be sold to a Korean conglomerate which would turn it into a five star hotel. The purchase came with the promise that the exterior would not be touched. If this report is true, then it may be acceptable. For all its beauty, there is no questioning the fact that the global postal system is in flux. The traditional post offices are all facing serious challenges brought about by modern technology. The Philippine Postal Corporation tried to put up a bank to make remittances easier. Instead of sending postal money orders by mail, it would be infinitely better to send funds bank to bank. There have also been serious attempts to speed up the delivery system. All these attempts have been in vain, and the reason cited for possibly selling the awe inspiring Post Office building is because of the heavy losses of the government agency. As long as the building itself is never destroyed, we can live with whatever it becomes in the years and decades to come. But it would be better if a Filipino rather than a foreign group were to take over the edifice with its classic Roman architecture.

We took a bus trip from El Nido to the Underground River. The trip there was a little scary because…read morewe had to switch buses in a small area where there was only a bus stop. We weren't sure that we were in the right place. Once we got on the correct bus, we felt better. The bus ride was bumpy with a lot of turns. My son even got car sick. The town where you get the boats to the Underground River was packed with people. We had to wait in line for quite a while to get tickets. The tour included a lunch which was served in an outdoor tent like area. I even saw a rat! It wasn't very good food. The boat ride to the Underground River we really rough that day. Luckily it wasn't a very long ride. The actual tour of the Underground River was fabulous! My pictures speak for themselves.

When in Palawan, the Underground River is a must! I've toured this river in 2009 (without kids) and…read morein 2018 (with a 1- and 3-year-old) and it was effing amazing both times. It starts at a dock by Sambang Beach where you board a motorized (loud) outrigger boat with about 5 other people. Staff hands out hardhats and life vests. My hubs and I were the only folks who brought kids of any age and while they had childrens' life vests, they were too big for my kids. Yet, we made them work while holding adult hardhats on their heads. We were lucky that child protective services weren't watching. It's about a 20-minute ride to this other spot where you walk a little and switch to a simpler paddle boat you share with about 11 other people. Staff gives you an earpiece to listen to a recorded narration while your tour guide tells you more. It's a short and beautiful ride into a underground/cave part of the river. I don't have good pictures inside the cave because it was too dark, but there are lots of beautiful formations thousands of years old that your tour guide will illuminate with a flashlight within an incredibly peaceful ambiance. This part lasts about 45 minutes. My family really enjoyed it and I super recommend it! TIPS: **Wear rugged clothing (or stuff you don't mind getting f*cked) and waterproof/resistant footwear. **Expect to get your crotch wet. You have to wade at certain parts of the tour. **Try to bring a dry bag (brands like Earth Pak, Marchway, etc. which are also sold at stores along the way there) for your personal belongings. **Your tour guide will offer to take your picture with your own camera/phone. It's a good chance for a full family/group photo. **Life is simple around these parts including the toilet. Bring your own toilet paper for rest stops along the way. Hand sanitizer's also a good idea. **Bring cash to tip your boat crews and tour guide.

We were part of a US/ PI Ambassador Tour group with several dignitaries and business people. One of…read moreour stops were to meet some dignitaries and politicians at Malacanang Palace. We were invited to have lunch at the Palace as one of the politicians gave a keynote address. Unfortunately, the President was not on the groups during our visit. As our tour bus came on grounds, we had to wait for the all clear. Prior to us going inside the gates, we were already warned of no cell phones, so we left our phones on the bus. If we were to bring our cell phones, tape would be placed on the part of where the camera is. So we opted to just leave it altogether. We drove into the gates, and we had to be searched in the lobby before proceeding to the ballroom. Your name had to be checked off the list and then we were escorted to our table. The dress code is business casual, but for our luncheon, all guests were wearing the barong or the filipinana. Since I don't own a filipinana, I dressed in an appropriate conservative dress. We were served a buffet luncheon, and the food was really good! Sorry no photos since we left our phones on the bus. Nonetheless, the food and desserts were very good. We were then treated to a tour of the museum. What was NOT told to us was that photos are allowed in the museum. GRRRRR!!! So basically we didn't have our phones, but the museum was amazing! Luckily, one of our friends decided to bring his phone so we scabbed off him to take a few photos of us. Lots things to see on the grounds of the Palace. If you get invited or even a chance to go, do so!

There isn't anything more grand than the house that shelters the Head of State of the Philippines…read more Malcanang Palace has served as the home of our Presidents since the Commonwealth in 1935. Its halls are filled with history and stories of the Filipino People. By scheduling a tour through the Presidential Museum and Library Office you too can walk these halls and get a glimpse of the life inside the protected walls. I've done this tour several times since I was a kid and I learn something new each time! Up to today it's still being used by the President so be sure to follow the proper guidelines in booking your tour and don't forget the security measures! They don't charge too much (50 pesos for an adult) so missing out on this tour would really be your loss. If you're a Filipino or not, I would put this destination up there on your things to do!