Adventures in Manila: It’s not for tourists, but perfect for explorers

A TRIP to Manila reveals a fascinating trajectory from war-torn city to selfie capital of the world.

Richard Noone

@richard_noone

4 min read

August 24, 2014 - 12:00AM

THE PENINSULA HOTEL, MANILLA .. for Richard Noone story .. the loby

Asia

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THERE is a moment when John Silva adjusts his glasses and wipes his eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

It could be the Manila heat, a stifling humidity that squeezes the sweat from you like a sponge. It could be the late-flowering mahoganies, whose fragrant petals take flight and dance among the countless white crosses.

But when the 68-year-old’s voice wavers a second time, there is no mistaking the emotion. Silently etched in the travertine stone walls around him are the names of 36,286 American, Filipino and Allied soldiers – including Australians – who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Pacific during World War II but whose bodies were never found.

Stretching out in 11 concentric circles around the memorial walls lie a further 17,206 marble headstones marking those whose bodies were interned – almost 2000 more than Normandy.

Silva grew up flying model planes in the sprawling 62ha manicured grounds of the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial during its post-war construction. His father, Tony, served as a US Lieutenant Colonel, his uncle Jose – a sergeant with the Philippines’ 26th Mounted Cavalry – never came home.

The writer, historian and former National Museum director has forgotten more about WWII than most will ever learn. But here, amid the names of the fallen, like the loss of five Sullivan brothers – whose real life Saving Private Ryan deaths prompted US President Roosevelt to pass a law making siblings exempt from service – he is briefly overcome.

The Magnificent lobby of the Peninsula Hotel, Manila.

With Australia turning its focus towards next year’s Gallipoli centenary commemorations, the cemetery serves as a potent reminder of the sacrifice made in the Philippines, a couple of decades later, that stemmed the tide of the Rising Sun before it reached our shores.

The Philippines may be still reeling from last year’s deadly Typhoon Yolanda, but its resilience is only matched by the compassion and geniality of its people whose indomitable spirit are seeing it renewed.

Outside the gated solitude of the memorial lies a thriving metropolis; a skyline dotted with cranes over the least Asian of Asian cities. Manila was once the second-most bombed city outside Warsaw, today it is the “selfie” capital of the world.

And the best place to explore this vibrant city is from the “Jewel in the Capital’s Crown”, the Peninsula Manila Hotel.

Opened in 1976, the hotel’s majestic fountain and waterfalls on the corner of Ayala and Makati avenues is a landmark of the central business district.

Boasting almost 500 rooms across two wings the five-star hotel, like Manila itself, is no stranger to conflict, with its palatial lobby the scene of a dramatic bloodless coup in 2007. The then detained Senator Antonio Trillanes – on trial for an earlier failed coup at a military base – marched out of court into the streets with his supporters before seizing the hotel’s second storey and demanding the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The siege ended in a hail of bullets as the military stormed the lobby. Remarkably no one was hurt.

With its floor-to-ceiling granite, towering palms and twin sweeping staircases to a mezzanine level complete with string quartet, the lobby is every bit the hotel’s heartbeat.

The 225-seat lobby offers 24-hour dining and is the place to be seen among Manila’s social set.

A deluxe twin room at the Peninsula Manila Hotel.

My earlier stroll through the grounds of the war memorial with Silva is part of what the hotel calls its Peninsula Academy. This links guests with leading artisans, guides, historians, designers or chefs to customise an experience.

Far more than a tour, the Peninsula Academy is rather a total immersion in Filipino history, culture, arts or its culinary “fingerprint”.

The following day, I pass through the cobblestone streets of the old world city of Intramuros, the original colonial Manila, on a horse-drawn carriage taking in nearly 400 years of Philippine history before a catered lunch at the Finale Art File gallery.

Tucked away in a converted industrial warehouse, the gallery has been a contemporary fine art institution since the early 1980s but one you won’t readily find in guide books.

“The Philippines is not set up for tourists,” my Intramuros guide Greg Doris explains.

“But it’s great for explorers and if you want to explore the Philippines, you will discover things that amaze you.”

Between lunch at Cafe Juanita – an Aladdin’s cave and living testament to Filipinos’ “fear of open spaces” where every inch of wall is adorned in Asian kitsch decorations – to the sweeping views from the top floor of the 71 Gramercy restaurant, cocktails in the dimly lit speakeasy The Blind Pig and a private fashion show by the designer behind the traditional weaving label of Filip + Inna, the Peninsula Academy reveals a city like no other.

Later, I’m course-hopping with none other than leading chef Colin Mackay between hors d’oeuvres at his fine-dining eatery Sala, mains at his People’s Palace Thai and dessert at Sala Bistro.

Steeped in history, awash in culture and boasting a strong culinary scene, Manila is the ideal portal to explore the Philippines’ riches.

*The writer was a guest of Philippine Airlines and Peninsula Manila Hotel.