December 8 – 9, 2019
Asis and I went on a photo walk December of last year. I know, I know, this post is so long overdue. I’m just so lazy to update this blog since this year started. Anyway, I remember we really wanted to take a break from work and stress at that time, and since it was already December I know lots of people opted to go to these nearby destinations: Tagaytay, Baguio, Subic, Zambales, La Union, Bataan, and Antipolo. And so we just chose to go to Manila. We were both really looking forward to this activity. Asis got his new Fujifilm X-T20 while I also started venturing into film photography November of last year, so it was very timely to do this. We’ve always wanted to join big photo walk events, but we didn’t find any available on those dates so we just made our own budget-friendly photo walk/weekend getaway within the Metro.

By the way, these photos were taken using my Canon AE-1 Program and Pentax Espio P (the images with date-stamp). I used a total of 3 and half rolls of film: just a couple of photos here in Lomography 800 (I thought my camera got jammed so I panicked and rewound the film, but it turned out the lens wasn’t installed properly. Hahaha! Fail.), Kodak ColorPlus 200, Fujifilm 200 Speedfilm, Fujicolor C200, & Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (ran out of colored film that day)

First stop: Quiapo

We rode the LRT1 from Roosevelt to Carriedo then we walked for a few minutes to get to Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, Quiapo.

Second stop: Intramuros

Rode LRT1 again from Carriedo to Central Terminal then from there we walked for a couple of minutes and reached Intramuros. We only went to Baluarte de San Andres, Landmarks & Historical buildings along the street of General Luna. We didn’t get to see other attractions since we didn’t have a lot of time to roam every street of Intramuros.

Third stop: National Museum of Natural History

From Manila Cathedral we rode an e-jeepney to National Museum. It was our first time visiting the National Museum and we were amazed by the humongous structure of the place. It was so beautiful. We didn’t stay for too long though but we made sure we see every floor. I also wanted to go to the National Museum of Fine Arts but we ran out of time. So next time!

Fourth stop: Rizal/Luneta Park

We walked again to Rizal Park. It was just a street away from the National Museums.

Fifth stop: Aristocrat, Malate

We finally decided to eat our very late lunch at Aristocrat in Malate. We rode a taxi from Rizal Park since it was pretty far. My goodness, I was famished and exhausted. This was what I was really looking forward to that day: the food of Aristocrat (first-timer). I love their desserts!

Sixth stop: Manila Baywalk

After regaining our energy, we went to Manila Baywalk which was just across from the Aristocrat Restaurant. We just sat there and chill and wait for the sun to set. It was so nice.

Final stop: Manila Crown Palace Hotel

We walked and walked again to find a nice cheap hotel to stay in for the night, and we found the Manila Crown Palace Hotel. It was a so-so hotel. Pretty expensive, but it was the cheapest one we saw.

So that’s it. By the way, Malate comes alive at night so after we freshen up we also went to a nearby cafe and restaurant to kill time.

Next day stop: Lucky Chinatown, Binondo

We woke up early to get ready for our day. We were contemplating where to go next. We were planning on going to Ocean Park but ended up at Lucky Chinatown in Binondo which was a wrong decision. The traffic was just bad and yes, too crowded. So we just went to buy some fruit and cheese tarts and roamed around to take some photos and that’s it. We headed back home.

All in all, it was such a nice experience. Our feet hurt, and our bodies were sore, but it was so fun. A nice bonding activity for couples. Now can’t wait for our next photo walk! ♡

P.S. No decent photos of myself. No decent photos of us together. Meh.