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Hello friends,

We have ceased to update this blog effective  January 2012.

For events, updates and features, please log on to our (more active) Old Manila Walks  FACEBOOK Fan Page account

We are now also co-blogging at Ivan About Town.

Catch us there!

 

Walking Beijing

We eally dig this pedestrian shopping street just south of the Forbidden city! It’s got so much more character than Beijing’s other shopping street Wang Fu Jing. Love the recreated old architecture and actually had to take a 2nd look which were the originals and recreations!

Now, could we do this in Manila?

 

S.O.S. Save Our San Sebastian (Special tour!)

The 120-year old all-steel church of San Sebastian is in slowly rusting itself too death. And want to do our bit so this architectural jewel will survive another century! Join as as on this special walk as we explore the history, the architecture and pressing challenges that is eating up (literally!) this engineering marvel. Together with steel conservationist Tina Paterno, we'll climb where no parishioners have climbed before as we explore every nook and cranny of the San Sebastican Basilica!

Rate: P1,000.00/head (inclusive of tour and merienda)

When: Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 2:30 PM

Meet at the San Sebastian Church steps, Bilibid Viejo Street, Quiapo, Manila.

* All the proceeds of this tour will be donated to the San Sebastian restoration program
* As there a load limits with certain parts of the church that we'll be visiting, slots are will be limited. Reservations required.

 

As Featured

Thanks Entrepreneur Magazine for featuring us in their newest column – aptly called ‘First Steps’- for the August edition. Small factual errors aside, the business angle was a refreshing change from the usual tour feature. We had a ball doing the interview!

Grab a copy and read our story as well as interesting stuff about Divisoria market.

 

From Manila to Singapoh!

Thanks to  Singapore-based writer James Ong for making a little growl about our walking tours in the Lion City.

Sweet!

Look us up at HERE.

 

New Intramuros Restaurant

We tried the newest restaurant in the Intramuros dining scene- Ristorante Il Metre across San Agustin church. Don’t be deceived by its Italian sounding name because its not. Rather its menu is a mix of Filipino, Spanish, American and panciteria food(camaron rebosado anyone?).

Ordered beef salpicao w/mushroom soup, total bill is P200 (+ VAT… pa), wouldn’t say its the cheapest choice in the area. The food was so-so, beef was tender but didnt taste like salpicao (where’s the garlic?). And since it sits in the C.B.C.P. building, the decor is decidedly Catholic.

We’ll show them a little mercy since they have only been open for less than a month and will go try our the other specialties however we suggest they change their name to suit their menu.

 

We just couldn’t resist having our photo taken with these amusing Toy Story cos-players on top of the Intramuros wall at our Intramuros walk today.

Love the alien with green ears and the one with a crocodile head, ha!

 

Ruffa Guttierez look-alike?

Was really amused to find a Ruffa Guittierez look-alike in our walking tour last week.

I swear this gracious doktora looks like the au naturelle version of Ruffa minus the make-up and her over botoxed(?) face!

Perhaps the doktora could make for a good impersonator of the actress?

 

An Open Invite…

Ok folks here's a good one.

We will temporarily be leaving the dusty confines of Old Manila for a while and take whiff of fresh air, on to an exciting new Bonifacio Global City!

On April 24 and May 1, 2010; we will be conducting a special culinary walking tour along the Bonifacio Global City's chi-chi High Street, Serendra and the Fort Strip as part of B.G.C. Summer Passion Fest 2010. Yep, yep, we're taking a breather from our usual historic route (promise, no dark esteros or kalesa markings!) and go contemporary all the way! Let's check out the best of what this new foodie wonderland has to offer, sampling a smorgasbord of Hawaiian, Spanish, Italian, American and of course, local home grown
creations.

If you're fit, fun, creative, hungry and got nothing to do at 2:00 PM on those two dates, join us!

Let's eat and walk.

Just bring your appetite, wallet not needed.

What: Bonifacio Global City's Passion Fest 2010 Food Tour

When: April 24, 2010 @ 2:30-5:30 PM
May 01, 2010 @ 2:30-5:30 PM

Meet at: To Be Announced

This is a special free event. Registration begins at 1:00 PM, slots limited so come early.

 

The people I meet

A lot of people have said I have a very interesting job and I guess it is when you don’t meet the

Of course in the course of five years, I have had the opportunity meeting personalities – both big and small- who have walked with us or we simply just bumped into along the way. I count amongst them ordinary folks, artists, cooks, tv personalities, pre-school kids (always an adventure!), members of the academe, writers, ambassadors, wives-of- taipans, street kids (same faces), beggars (they’re suki) as well as non-showbiz celebs (always low-key) and the occasional people I love to hate.

Here are some of the more memorable personalities we have walked into lately:

I bumped into Secretary of  Tourism Ace Durano while doing the BIG Binondo Food WOK last year.

Somewhere along the way the good  secretary decided to turn a lumpia wrapper into a roti prata and flipped it in the air.  What the …?!?

That said, he was a nice fellow and we talked a bit.  I think his really keen on doing his job.

thanks to Julie de Leon for the photo!

Next is the the former mayor of ManiLA (as he loves to spell it) who, in the run-up to the local mayoral elections decided to do visit Binondo and make his presence felt in the plaza across the church he restored (coincidentally, where we also start our Chinatown WOK). Gotta hand it to him, restoring the plaza revived the business around area but I still cannot forgive him for the Jai-Alai  building along Taft Avenue in Manila 10 years ago. Oh, and may I add,  changing of  historic street names too.  He listened in the first part of our tour while we were being filmed.

Have mixed feelings about the the guy.

And finally, here’s a memorable chance encounter with her excellency on a recent Power, Palace and a SHOT of Beer tour. While it is not the first time we bumped into her in this particular walk, our first few brushes left no tangible memories as shared through here, here and  here.

Well this group (and they were kabalens too) was extremely lucky because not only did they get to meet h her excellency, but she actually stopped to have her photo taken with us.  Easier said than done with some overzealous presidential security guards swarming around even at the palace grounds .  In any case , I think they the photo-op alone made the day for our guests (not to mention the lovely museum tour and merienda)

I  joined in the photo foray and that’s me just immediately on the top of her head.

I’m so glad she’s short.

So there, a day in the life of a walking tour guide.