For Christmas 2022, I decided to get back in my habit of traveling somewhere. Because of COVID, that activity ceased for Christmas 2020 and 2021. In those cases, I stayed home in the Middle East, which was actually not so bad since it was a chance to relax and take it easy without having to deal with travel and COVID regulations. I also ceased traveling during that time since I was in graduate school at the time, and I made a promise to myself that I would not travel until I finished the degree. Since I finished the degree in May 2022, and COVID seems to have decreased with regulations being lifted for the most part, I decided to renew my Christmas travel tradition.

I’ve had numerous opportunities to visit the Philippines in the past since I’ve traveled in that general region before, but I always put it off. This time, I decided on the Philippines since I had put it off for long enough, and I knew that I definitely did not want to stay in a cold climate (despite being from a cold climate area, I cannot stand cold weather). With the exception of Indonesia and Vietnam (somewhat), I had previously visited all the other countries in that region, and since it would be Christmas, a visit to the Philippines made perfect sense to close out 2022.

On the day of my departure from the Middle East, the trip almost got derailed upon arrival at the airport. When I went to check in for the flight to the Philippines, I was asked for my health registration that was required for all visitors. I was not previously aware of this and did not have it. The airport had wifi, so I quickly applied for approval, but when I saw that it would take at least one business day, it become clear that was a chance that this trip might not happen at all since the check-in staff would not proceed further until the approved health registration for the Philippines came in. Thankfully, the registration got approved within about 2 minutes, and I was soon taking it easy in the lounge waiting for the flight.

The flight to the Philippines was about 8 hours from Doha and uneventful, and upon arrival in Manila, everything went smoothly, and it was when I got my first taste of the notorious Manila traffic. I based myself in Intramuros, which is the historical part of Manila, and I am almost sure that for the entire ride from the airport to the hotel, the car did not go faster 20mph at anytime due to traffic. However, the car reached the hotel with no problem.

During my time in the Philippines, I spent most of the time exploring Manila with a focus on the sites in Intramuros. Since the area is fairly condensed and surrounded by a wall, it is extremely easy to walk around and not get lost. Since this area was damaged from earthquakes and World War II, a lot of original buildings no longer exist, but there are signs everywhere telling visitors what buildings or churches used to stand in those areas. Two of my personal favorite attractions within the walls are St. Agustin’s Church and Museum and the Casa Manila, which is an example of a wealthy colonial home.

I am fortunate to have gotten the chance to see the Casa Manila since it is only open once a week. On the day I went, it was Christmas Eve, and I was not sure if it would be open at all. However, it was, and it was definitely worth visiting. I was surprised at how ornate everything was. For me, it was also unique seeing the large home chapel inside. While I do know there are people who actually have relatively large home chapels in their homes today, it is something I find quite unique if not unusual.

While I spent most of my time in Intramuros, I also did make a journey into Chinatown, which was a bit north of the area I was in to explore for a bit and see the Binondo Church, which was extremely large and in the middle of a large and busy intersection. I also checked out the three national museums (The National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, and National Museum of Natural History). All of the national museums were very interesting, and in each of these cases, the health registration that I needed to have for the airport came in useful because everyone who wanted to enter had to show the document either in paper form or via an app.

I also did a couple day tours to get out of Manila for a bit. The first tour that I did was to Cavite to see some different sites, such as the Aguinaldo Shrine, which is where the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain was declared in 1898, and which was the home of Emilio Aguinaldo, who was the first President of the Philippines.

Admittedly, this tour was not really to my expectations. The company was not organized at all and misleading. For one thing, the guide was not actually a guide but only a driver who barely knew the itinerary, did not how to get to some of the sites, and who did not speak much English. While the driver was friendly enough, the company clearly was not organized. For instance, the pickup was very early, and the first stop was to be the Aguinaldo Shrine, but we got to the location almost two hours earlier when it was closed and not yet open. The driver did not know what to do, so he called the company, and the company just recommended we hang out for two hours. I got quite annoyed at this and asked why the pickup was so early to which the company had no answer.

From the start of that tour, it was just not a particularly positive or memorable experience. I actually got quite fed up and decided to end the tour somewhat earlier than scheduled because of the seeming lack of preparation on the part of the tour company after visiting a convent that is apparently famous because the nuns wear pink habits (I saw one from far away from the back). Of the sites visited, the most interesting was the Aguinaldo Shrine and even the historic Candelaria Church, which we could not stay in for long because of a wedding (the bride fell entering the church at the start of the ceremony). However, this tour was definitely lackluster and not to expectations.

The second tour I did was a hike with a different company, and this one was a complete 180 from the less-than-impressive tour to Cavite. The hike was up Mount Batolusong which was about a 2 hour drive from Manila. The pickup was for very early in the morning before the sunrise. Unlike the driver on the previous tour who barely spoke English or said anything, the guide was very social and genuinely seemed interested in the job. The hike itself was not particularly difficult but muddy, so by the end of the hike, my pants were muddy and needed to be washed. This tour was by far my favorite part of the Philippines trip since the views from each of the four viewpoints (Duhatan Ridge, Mapatag Plateau, and Rangyas Peak) were impressive with perfect albeit somewhat humid weather.

The Philippines is the most Catholic country in the world, and it was Christmas, and despite not being religious, I decided to attend Christmas Eve Mass at St. Agustin’s Church in Intramuros, which is the oldest stone church in the Philippines. As to be expected, the church was packed with people along with an equally large number of people standing outside in the courtyard. While I initially thought the language of the service would be in English, it was done in Tagalog, so I did not understand anything that was said, but it was an interesting experience. The last time I went to Christmas Eve Mass was in Zagreb Cathedral in Croatia back in 2013, and in that case, the Mass was in Croatian.

Overall, aside from the tour in Cavite with that disorganized tour company, the Philippines trip was generally successful. I really enjoyed walking around Intramuros and seeing the different sites, the hotel was excellent with beautiful views of the Manila skyline, and the hike up Mt. Batolusong was amazing with genuinely beautiful views. During this trip, I stayed mainly in the Manila area and did not have a chance to venture to some of the other islands, but I am definitely interested in seeing more of the country in the future.