Too Broke to Travel?
What to do for fun in Manila…
Working MOM Magazine April Issue
by Anton Diaz (blog version 🙂
(Get your magazine copy now 🙂
The long holidays are fast approaching. During this time, Manila life slows down as most people travel out of the metro to see the different beaches and travel destinations in the country. This is the perfect setting for Manila to show you its beauty, usually hidden in the commercial activities and multitasking of everyday life.
It is also the best time to foster nationalism in the hearts of our children. Our kids live in a time when being Filipino is cool and more parents are deciding to stay in Manila rather than migrate to other countries. To love the Philippines, Manileños like us should start by appreciating our beloved Manila.
Here are top 5 ideas for exploring the beauty of Manila with our children…
Explore Manila by Commuting
Kids just love riding trains, buses or boats. As Manila decongests during long weekends and holidays, it becomes a pleasure to ride the LRT from Monumento to Baclaran, or the MRT from Edsa to Trinoma. Most kids would jump for joy, hopping on and off the train. During the ride, you’ll get a scenic tour of Manila from an elevated vantage point, which you don’t normally see from the window of your car.
Riding a ferry on the Pasig River, from Guadalupe to Escolta, also gives you a different appreciation of Manila life. One could go easily on this laidback cruise and enjoy Chinese food in Binondo by getting off at Escolta station. Parents and kids can learn the lessons of environmental protection and love the river even more. When our kids are in their teenage years, they will hopefully get to enjoy the wonders of a rehabilitated Pasig River.
Catch the Manila Bay Sunset
If there’s anything that Manileños would be proud of, it would most likely be the awesome sunset in the heart of the metro. The Manila Bay sunset has influenced the colors of Fernando Amorsolo’s paintings, the designs of proud-to-be-Pinoy shirts, and the logos of countless nationalistic websites (including Our Awesome Planet).
Everyday, the Manila Bay sunset performs a goodbye dance on the horizon. One can catch the performance by strolling along the Baywalk on Roxas Boulevard, by riding the M/V Spirit of Manila cruise, or just by hanging out in the Esplanade area in front of SM Mall of Asia.
Enjoy gazing at the dance of colors in the sky. Don’t forget to bring a camera so you can immortalize it in your family’s photo album of memories.
The LRT and MRT usually shut down their operations during Holy Week!!
Thanks Minette for the info, I will check out the official schedule and post it here 🙂 thanks for the comments!
Hi Anton! Minette is right. I heard in the news that MRT will stop operations during the Holy Week.
hi! my first time to comment. mostly just an active lurker 😉
for holy week, MRT and LRT will have normal operations from april 6-8. then suspended from april 9-12. will resume again on monday, april 13. 😉
just a commuter here. so i memorized it already by heart hehe 😉
Thank you so much! I was looking for that exact info from an expert 🙂
I actually rode the MRT just today. It’s my second time together with my daughter. Kakatuwa, I might try it again. It’s a lot faster and we really plan to go to Manila Bay to watch the sunset. I pity naman my kids cause they only see it sa pitures eh, they live here naman. Nice tips, Anton!
anton! happy easter!! i should have read this earlier but okay lang, we actually did a manila bay sunset!
yeah you have to commute!
memorize!
MRT & LRT addict@