What will the first full day of Go in the Philippines bring him?
Welcome to the second part of our Japanese journalist Go Hatori's extreme low-budget trip to Manila, where he attempts to fit the costs of round-trip airfare, hotel, food and entertainment into a budget of 50,000 yen ((US$333) (see part 1 here)! After his first night, he still had a comfortable amount of money left, but was he going to spend it all on the second day?
Day 2: Manila, Philippines → Tokyo, Japan
When Go woke up in the morning, he was immediately ready to eat. He intended to find pandesal, a standard bun in the Philippines, and things took an interesting turn when he realized that he could enjoy it in a place that was both familiar and foreign to him here.
That's right, he was heading to the Filipino McDonald's. Its breakfast menu includes pandesal-based breakfast sandwiches.
Therefore, he ordered the Cheesy Eggdesal with Sausage for 148 pesos (390 yen). It was something like a cheese muffin with a hash brown and a drink on the side.
Taking a bite, he almost screamed with happiness because it was really good. Why the hell had he never eaten anything like this before?! The bread was of course good on its own, but combined with the cheese and sausages it was beyond divine. Highly recommend you try it if you visit the Philippines.
Even the coffee was good and he was totally happy with his choice to go to McDonald's.
Overflowing with happiness, Go returned to his room to pack his things and leave. From now until 4:45 a.m. the next day, he would explore the city with his backpack, just like in the good old days.
He stopped at a convenience store again to buy today's Coke for 45 pesos (119 yen) and bottled water for 21 pesos (55 yen). He had learned during his younger years of serious travel that there was a mystical property in Coca-Cola that always revitalized him when he was tired. Another advantage was that he could find it in every corner of the world, so it was a reliable source of energy no matter where he went.
He moved steadily under the blue sky towards his next objective.
This goal was none other than another gastronomic destination: this time, a famous restaurant called Lydia's Lechon. Lechon refers to a roasted whole suckling pig.
Go asked the staff for a serving of lechon that would be enough to satisfy one person and the next spread arrived. Note that he also decided to really celebrate by ordering a Sprite instead of water. The total order amount was 548 pesos (1,444 yen).
The skin was incredibly flavorful and crispy, while the meat was deliciously juicy.
He took this opportunity to practice saying masarap! (“delicious!”).
With a full and happy stomach, Go then headed off to explore further. He decided it was the best time to try driving a Jeepney.
Although he mapped the area he wanted to go to and showed it to the drivers of about five vehicles, unfortunately none of them were heading in the same direction as him.
But finally, the friendly middle-aged driver of the sixth vehicle told him to get in. Go presented him with the fare of 13 pesos (34 yen).
So this is what it was like to ride a Jeepney!
His adventure, however, took an unexpected turn when he was dropped off somewhere near a train station he didn't recognize from his previous research.
Maybe the driver had dropped him off there because he thought he would want to take a train to get to his destination.
In any case, it wasn't serious and Go was able to laugh about it. After all, getting lost (sort of) is part of the fun of traveling.
He decided to continue traveling on foot for the time being. Slowly but surely, we are succeeding.
He walked again and again until he was greeted by the vast expanse of the ocean.
It was strange to think that just yesterday he was in Tokyo and now he found himself walking along Manila Bay.
To be honest, the water smelled a little unpleasant…
…but he was able to ignore it by focusing on the clear blue of the sky and water.
It made him think that he should really take a moment of reflection like this every day.
Meditation finished, return to the city. On the way, he spotted a sign outside Max's restaurant advertising a Filipino candy he definitely wanted to try: Hello Hello, a cold dessert consisting of crushed ice mixed with condensed milk and various small toppings such as fruit.
He didn't need this giant version, but he went in to see what other size options were available.
Luckily there was a regular size, so he ordered one for 129 pesos (338 yen). It was quite pretty.
Once again, Go was blown away by his deliciousness. He compared it in his mind to the Vietnamese sweet drink chè, only with ice and other toppings added.
In fact, he loved the halo-halo so much that he immediately decided to look for another one at a nearby Chinese-style restaurant called Chowking.
Wasn't that a thing of beauty? This second one cost 90 pesos (236 yen) and was even sweeter than the first, if that was possible.
In the midst of his halo-halo hypnosis, Go realized that it was already past 4 p.m. He began to feel like his time in the countryside was numbered.
So he started heading towards Nuat Thai, a chain of very famous massage parlors that was recommended to him. The nearest place was still a bit far away, so this time he would get on a motorcycle taxi to take her there.
The driver collected the fare of 60 pesos (157 yen) and they left. It was the first time he rode in a sidecar. He was so close to the ground that he felt like he was driving a go-kart. It was great fun!
He thanked the kind driver and got off.
He soon arrived at the massage place.
Now Go was still doing pretty well with his money, so he asked the staff what the recommended course was. They suggested a body scrub with a 2.5-hour Thai massage course, which he agreed to because it cost 1,600 pesos (4,193 yen), which was pretty cheap compared to the duration of a massage at home.
Needless to say, the massage itself was amazing and he left feeling very rested. He even left a 100 peso tip for the massage therapist.
When he came out, it was already dark. At this point all that was left was to eat and head to the airport.
On a whim, he ended up heading to a place he saw everywhere called Mang Inasal.
He had no idea what kind of chain it was until he walked in and was greeted by a menu of barbecue and other similar dishes.
The menu even featured the famous Filipino dish Sisig (made from chopped pork jowls/ears/belly, chicken liver, garlic and onions), which Go was keen to try. It seemed as if fate had brought him inside.
And it was a very good thing that he was brought there. It might have been his favorite meal of the entire trip. Just look at his expression of utter disbelief at how good it was.
While eating this food, he also decided that a third halo-halo wouldn't hurt either, since calories consumed abroad ultimately don't count. All told, the sisig, halo-halo, and a sweet black tea drink recommended by the staff came to a total of 213 pesos (558 yen).
It was now after 9 p.m., but he still had many hours before his flight. He let his tired feet make the decision to take him to another branch of Nuat Thai.
Since he had already received a body massage, this time he opted for a foot massage and a head massage lasting a total of 1.5 hours, which was a total of 800 pesos (2,097 yen) .
Yeah, his exhausted feet thanked him. A lot.
Before Go knew it, it was 11 p.m., so he headed to the airport.
He took a taxi and tried to chat a little with the driver about other good places to visit in the Philippines. The driver said Cebu was crowded like Manila, so he recommended visiting Palawan next. It was actually already on his Go list of personal places he wanted to visit one day.
So, even in the middle of heavy traffic, Go enjoyed his time chatting until they reached the airport. The fare this time was 408 pesos (1,067 yen). All he had to do now was kill a little time before running away.
Putting together a 90-second recap video of his trip seemed like a great way to start.
So, what was the end result of Go's Manila trip with its extremely high budget? Here is the breakdown of all his expenses:
Airfare and accommodation
Round-trip flight from Tokyo (Narita) to Manila (NAIA) with AirAsia: 24,940 yen
Pre-booked accommodation (shower, toilet) in Manila: 1,757 yen
Day 1: Tokyo, Japan → Manila, Philippines
Taxi from the airport to the city: 183 pesos (481 yen)
Dinner (Jollibee): 164 pesos (431 yen)
Sweets (fried ube spring rolls): 49 pesos (129 yen)
Fruit snack for itself from the supermarket (pomelo): 79 pesos (209 yen)
Souvenir for himself from the supermarket (high quality soap): 114 pesos (302 yen)
Souvenir for the supermarket office (two packs of candy): 113 pesos (297 yen)
Reusable bag with the supermarket logo: 54 pesos (144 yen)
Coke from the convenience store: 45 pesos (118 yen)
Bottled water from the convenience store: 17 pesos (45 yen)
San Miguel beer from the convenience store: 75 pesos (197 yen)
Frappe in an elegant café: 90 pesos (237 yen)
Day 2: Manila, Philippines → Tokyo, Japan
Breakfast (McDonald's): 148 pesos (390 yen)
Coke from the convenience store: 45 pesos (119 yen)
Bottled water from the convenience store: 21 pesos (55 yen)
Lunch (lechon and Sprite): 548 pesos (1,444 yen)
Jeepney transit: 13 pesos (34 yen)
Candy (first halo-halo): 129 pesos (338 yen)
Candy (second halo-halo): 90 pesos (236 yen)
Transit by bicycle taxi: 60 pesos (157 yen)
First massage (2h30): 1,600 pesos (4,193 yen)
Tip: 100 pesos (262 yen)
Dinner (Sisig, drink, third halo): 213 pesos (558 yen)
Second massage (1h30): 800 pesos (2,097 yen)
Taxi from city to airport: 408 pesos (1,067 yen)
Total spent: 40,237 yen
Remaining: 9,763 yen
Amazing! Despite splurging on everything from taxis to massages, Go still came out on top, by far. It was a far cry from his trips to Thailand and Cambodia where he went slightly over budget. He also regretted a little that he hadn't stayed in a luxury hotel.
Everything was amazing about this brief trip. The food was delicious, the people were wonderful, and the climate suited it. He would definitely return to the Philippines and explore other islands in the very near future.
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