TOURS! TOURS! TOURS!
NOTE: NO TOURS ON MONDAYS
(MY APOLOGIES)
IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK!
Walking Tour of Historic Intramuros
Fort Santiago (Deluxe Tour Only)
San Agustin Church and Museum
Almost four years running now, its the most popular tour in the selection and a definite must for beginners in Philippine History. Take a leisurely afternoon walk around a selection of Intramuros' most stunning structures and take in a humorous analysis of Philippine art, culture, and society from Pre-Hispanic Manila until the present. A small snack is provided of course...Ironically irreverent yet informative.
Itinerary:Fort Santiago (Deluxe Tour Only)
San Agustin Church and Museum
Intramuros Wall Tour
Plaza San Luis
Plaza San Luis
Casa Manila (optional)
LIVING LA VIDA IMELDA!
Architectural tour of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex as seen through the life and aspirations of Imelda Romualdez Marcos
The Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Philippine International Convention Center
LIVING LA VIDA IMELDA!
Architectural tour of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex as seen through the life and aspirations of Imelda Romualdez Marcos
It's a tour all about the Philippines in the 1970’s and the tumultous era of Martial Law, bell-bottom jeans, and Miss Universe. Its a little bit disco, a little bit New Society, and completely Imeldific. So come take a trippy trip through National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsins finest buildings as we analyze one of the most controversial periods in Philippine history as seen through the life and ambitions of the lady who defined it, Imelda Romualdez Marcos.
Itinerary:The Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Philippine International Convention Center
CCP Complex Grounds
Sofitel Hotel (optional)
DOWNTOWN EXPRESS!
A Stroll Through Binondo and Quiapo.
Plaza Calderon dela Barca (Plaza Ruiz)
Binondo Church
Carvajal Street Market
The Kipuja Street Temple
Ongpin Street
Carriedo Fountain and Santa Cruz Church
Evangelista Herbalist Market
Villalobos Street (Quinta Market)
Ilalim ng Tulay Handicrafts District
ROCK OUT!
Rediscover the Rock
(The Overnight tour to the Island of Corregidor)
Log onto all Information here: CLICK
DO IT YOURSELF (DIY) TOUR:
EVANGELISTA QUE LINDA!
Afternoon tea and window shopping through
the flea markets of Evangelista Street in Bangkal, Makati
Fat Michaels Restaurant
Evangelista Street
Apolinario Street
Hison Street
Call/text Jude Mancuyas at Fat Michael's Place for directions and to obtain a map of the neighborhood.
Tel: 8431953 or 8442638
Cell: 0917 4078528
ALL TOURS ARE IN ENGLISH
*Please note that itineraries may change at last minutes notice due to weather or accessibility. Please ALWAYS confirm your attendence.
No email or text to confirm. No reservations.
DOWNTOWN EXPRESS!
A Stroll Through Binondo and Quiapo.
Rediscover the Heart and Soul of Manila on this real "Halo-Halo" Tour. Check out the charms of one of the city's oldest districts and take in history lessons about the multicultural melange that is Manila. This tour will visit three historic Catholic Churches, and a Taoist temple. We will also visit traditional chinese pastry shops, two open air markets, and a bizaare herbalist bazaar. It's a really fun walk. Much of the area's mid-20th century architectural legacy remains and its still the cheapest place in Manila to buy shoes, hardware, appliances, clothes, sex gadgets, jewelery, pearls, beauty queen tiaras, voodoo potions, flowers, handicrafts, videos, electronics, and of course, salvation. Wear practical shoes. There is an option to ride the Pasig River Ferry back to Makati at the end of the tour.
Itinerary:Plaza Calderon dela Barca (Plaza Ruiz)
Binondo Church
Carvajal Street Market
The Kipuja Street Temple
Ongpin Street
Carriedo Fountain and Santa Cruz Church
Evangelista Herbalist Market
Villalobos Street (Quinta Market)
Ilalim ng Tulay Handicrafts District
ROCK OUT!
Rediscover the Rock
(The Overnight tour to the Island of Corregidor)
Log onto all Information here: CLICK
DO IT YOURSELF (DIY) TOUR:
EVANGELISTA QUE LINDA!
Afternoon tea and window shopping through
the flea markets of Evangelista Street in Bangkal, Makati
Check out the flea market paradise of Bangkal: Makati's mecca for shoppers looking for that fabulous find. Bring a bunch of friends and let's go scour for old records, retro furniture, vintage fashions, and whatever funky things might be lurking within it's rows and rows of second-hand shops. Lots of wooden mid-20th century architecture and a cute little market adds to the charm of the neighborhood. It is recommended to start and end the tour at Fat Michael's Place, a cute little homegrown neighborhood bistro. Maps of the neighborhood are available at Fat Michael's. Price: Free.
Places to visit:Fat Michaels Restaurant
Evangelista Street
Apolinario Street
Hison Street
Call/text Jude Mancuyas at Fat Michael's Place for directions and to obtain a map of the neighborhood.
Tel: 8431953 or 8442638
Cell: 0917 4078528
ALL TOURS ARE IN ENGLISH
*Please note that itineraries may change at last minutes notice due to weather or accessibility. Please ALWAYS confirm your attendence.
No email or text to confirm. No reservations.
Labels: tours tours tours
posted by carlosceldran @ 3:00 PM
60 Comments:
matagal na kita narinig (kay market man) ngayon lang ako dumaan because it just going to break my heart that I keep reading about your tours and we have not made a final date yet when we come
am sure time comes I will check the dates of your tours. My swiss husband is very well acultured to our Filipino ness...
the year I first took him in Phils it was the centennial and he knows about Rizal and everyone.
I was in the centennial comm here in Athens Greece and he saw all what we did and prepared.
Gosh I look forward meeting you one day, I can bring all my walking boots... am very well equipped LOL except for dealing with pick pockets
TEA??? ahh think you just got a client coming in the near future.
can I link you to my wanderlust blog?
walking tours to chinatown, evangelista and cubao!!! and here i was racking my brain for the perfect alternative activity!!! instead of harrasing my dogs to play frisbee with me (besides they end up just lying on the grass, looking dumbly at me from time to time, and enjoying their kibitzing with the bugs), i'd love to walk around manila and rediscover it!!! tell me how. tell me how. TELL ME HOW!!! please. :)
Hi-
Congrats on the write up on www.clickthecity.com.
Although I do have one question about her statement 'Manila was the second most destroyed after Warsaw in the Second World War.' Should this be the 'second most destroyed Allied city after Warsaw?' Did Manila suffer more destruction than say Nagasaki or Hiroshima or maybe even Dresden? Just curious. (Although if the comparison is just Allied cities I wonder if Manila might even beat out Warsaw in this some what morbid category.)
Anyway... keep entertaining and educating... I love the way you continue to show a new prespective of Manila to Filipinos and foreigners alike... Any bit of historical appreciation goes a long way...
One could argue that Hiroshima and Nagasaki deserved the bombs. Warsaw and Manila did not deserve their destruction.
hi, i live in bangkal makati. and i didnt know that evangelista is now a "mecca for the shoppers!" fat michael's place is something though, a bit to pricey for normal species, but you've gotta love the ambience - very original.
and o, i've gotta give my kudos to you for keeping me entertained on tv for living asia. especially with laila and the guy from on foot.
ciao!
I already experienced his Intramuros tour around 2001/2002(?) after reading about it in Manila Bulletin(?i'm really not sure what broadsheet), and I highly recommend it! I learned more from this tour than from my history classes back in high school.
...and carlos is such a cute, animated and sarcastic tour guide making the whole experience more fun.
saw you being featured in Living Asia channel. it was the north bank tour i think. it was fun seeing you on tv. makes me wanna join one of your tours these days. :-)
hey lalon here... i was really glad i finally got to see ya back there... you know over Casa Manila.. it's kinda silly but.. i was a little starstrucked back there.. hehe... anyways my friends wants to give their bravos to you.. they were as well impressed by the way you handled your tourists.. hope to see more of you soon... by the way.. i noticed that when i introduced myself as marlon (im the blind guy wearing black last March 8, at Casa Manila.. remember?) .. you kind of think a bit as if trying your best to remember me ... when you know me by my nickname, Lalon.. sorry about that hehe.. well anyways... i was EVEN more a fan now.. hope to be a part of your tour one of these days... provided that i might get a timeout coz i'll be looking for a job real soon... thanx!
Hi Carlos! I'm the girl with the parasol on the Intramuros tour. I must say I LOVED it! :) Met your friend Nena in Donsol this weekend and she gave me your webpage. I think I will tour the rest of Manila with you!!! Great job!
to henry ma, just a minor correction: hiroshima and nagasaki certainly did NOT deserve the atomic bomb. The hundreds of thousands who died there were innocent men, women and children, not the japanese military high command. If the point of the americans was to end the war by scaring the japanese with their firepower, why drop it on thousands of innocent people, why not in the ocean in front of japan? Surely that-- with the awesome atomic mushroom cloud-- would have made the point. And even more disturbing, why drop ANOTHER bomb on nagasaki the next day? wasn't one nuclear attack enough? I guess the americans wanted to see the effect of their new death bombs on human flesh. The american way: kill and destroy first, ask questions later. that's why manila was carpet bombed as well, the US must win, to hell with civilians, let's bomb the enemy to oblivion. and it continues in Iraq today...
hello carlos, i'm entertaining some american guests and suggested to them to do "take the tour less travelled"-- the walking tours. i read through the schedule though for the tours and note that you are doing tours only until July 16.
would you have trips for the week of july 24 or july 31? intramuros and quiapo/escolta are the tours of choice.
Speaking about walls...
What is your opinion on the planned demolition of the walls of poverty along the railways? According to My Sari-sari store, http://my_sarisari_store.typepad.com/my_sarisari_store/, there are about 200,000 families that will be relocated to Cabuyao, Laguna.
Sidney, the blog owner of Sari-sari, also posted a letter from the Archbishop of Manila to VP Noli de Castro regarding the relocation.
I FULLY SUPPORT THE RELOCATION and I think the niggling opinions of the Catholic Church do not matter. As it is their fault why they are so many to begin with. Those poor people should all be given housing by the Catholic Church too. I would have preferred a letter from them saying they would help contribute to the relocation instead of trying to hinder it. We need those trains and I'm sure Noli is doing his job in trying to solve the problems. The relocated communities are given FREE transpo to Manila everyday to work! Screw them if they are too lazy to do the commute. So let's not try to "pity the poor" once again and pander to them. They should not live by the tracks. Period. Trust me, the trains will help more in uplifting the greater majority in the end.
hi Carlos,
I texted the contact number the other day asking for a slot for tomorrow's Intramuros tour. Now, my relatives are interested to join too. Can we still be accomodated? There might be seven of us coming.
Just to let the people here know. I did the Escolta and Intramuros tours on two consecutive days (Saturday and Sunday) and I gotta say, if anyone is reading this who has lingering doubts in his or her mind about joining Carlos's tours, let me tell you: it's one of the most interesting educational experiences one could ever hope to go through. The way he describes it--a history lesson for those with attention-deficit disorder--is spot-on. It's fun, it's exciting, and it's good for your health (because honestly, who _walks_ these days?). Do it, and bring your friends, especially foreigners so that they may appreciate the Philippines through something other than horrible news on broadsheets and TV.
Finally Carlos, I had the pleasure of meeting you!
I truly enjoyed everything about your tour today that I just had to rave about it:
http://senorenrique.blogspot.com/2006/08/carlos-celdran-on-local-history.html
Expect me to join your other tours.
Many thanks, Carlos!
eric aka senor enrique
Good afternoon carlos,
Thanks to your website, I got myself to evangelista to do some shopping and fill up my new apartment. Wow! Saved myself lots of money there!
Thanks for the tip
suzy
Just something off topic, Carlos. That ukay-ukay place you love so much on San Andres corner Mabini has reopened. I thought City Hall shut them down. It looks like they've kept the whole inventory, too.
The ever so humble Mr. C who never fails to make the tours so interesting.
In behalf of Polland Hopia, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude for making us a part of your interest.
You are always welcome to pass by whenever you feel like relaxing and the likes..
Till Then, See you
hi carlos,
i joined the intramuros tour last dec 27 with my brother and my nephew.
it was a very entertaining and informative session. my nephew wants your hat, by the way. :)
i hope i'll be able to go to your other walking tours when i get back from singapore.
thanks again!
hi carlos! my arki students and i are planning for a fieldtrip to intramuros on february!!!(by d way, we're from nueva vizcaya). timing naman bec the scheduled tour dates coincided with ours.
ive been surfing the net for 15mins. now,hoping to come across any information about u and ur tours (ive watched u from a tvshow a year back and i said to myself i gotta meet this person!!! bec ive never seen and heard any guide like you!!)and im so thrilled to finally locate your blogspot!!! haha!!! yes!!!our trip wont be complete w/out u! ill contact u for the reservations once we have our final itinerary.probably we'd reserve for the feb15 or 23 tour.see u soon!
hi, carlos,
We joined your tour of Intramuros last Tuesday, January 23. I'm the bald guy with the goatee walking along with the folks from CITEM.
First of all, the walking tour was great. I'm currently making a list of friends who I can get to tag along with me for another one of your tours.
The one thing that caught my attention most in your presentation is that picture you showed us while we were at the ruins. It was that aerial shot of Manila with the US bomb in the foreground.
I was hoping you can give me a copy of that image OR, if there are copyright issues, please give me advice on how I can get access to it.
I am in the process of developing a storyline regarding that time period and that picture would be of use if and when I do pitch it to a movie or tv documentary producer.
My contact information:
Albert Lester Lupisan
writer
mobile: 0917-386-4801
e-maiL: bumman80@yahoo.com
Thanks.
Intramuros Tour on 26 Jan. 2007
I was so lucky to have been a part of the tour. Having grown up in Tokyo (with a Manilan mother) and having visited Manila on so many occasions, I was never made aware that there were tours on the history of Manila as there might be in any other major city--and there probably weren't many significant ones until this one!!
Some twenty years later I am lucky enough to have been recommended to your tour whilst on a business trip to Manila... Interpreting for Japanese colleagues was a bit of of a chore as the pre and post-WWII generation seem to be quite split in opinion and sentiment |-:
However, personally, to hear an alternate/irreverent viewpoint instead of the status-quo we learned in classrooms is a GREAT relief and affirmation of sanity (-: and just makes SENSE--as our parents who lived through the terribly dark days of WWII days would rather not discuss with us...
Walking through Intramuras listening to "Moonlihgt Serenade" has been a priceless experience... I've downloaded it already and think I have also earned the ire of my partner as I listen to it on 'repeat' every time I try re-live the Intramuros tour experience in my memory...
Thank you so much--and will definitely be recommending your tours... are there any plans to make anything translatable?
Cyna Bosworth
hi! my partner, my daughter and i joined "If these walls could talk" tour yesterday. im now a big fan. what possessed you to come up with these tours? do you think you can downplay the intramuros tour for young graders? (a bunch of 6-8 year old students) do read our blog about you :)http://2explore.blogspot.com/2007/02/carlos-celdran.html
thanks and see you on your la vida tour!
Yes. No problem! I can downplay it for kids. I usually do that when I tour gradeschool kids.
thank you so much for the post too! You guys are great! I don't know how I came up with these tours, they just developed themselves along the way to tell you the truth.
See you at the CCP!
PS. The doc is my dad.
hi! i can't wait to bring my daughter for a check up so i can tell your dad about you :)
for sure i'll be in touch regarding the fieldtrip for gradeschoolers. your tour is perfect for our curriculum on Manila. thanks for reading our blog :)
I'm sure you're so used to compliments by now but I just have to add mine! 5 of us came to see your Intramuros tour in December and loved it, of course! We've been back home now for months (Australia) yet you are still being quoted, whether it be about frying things to death (fish, in particular), the origin of Filipino words, or the decorating style of the Filipinos. We got home and kind of looked around the house with your eyes! Thanks again and well done on your amazing tours. We will definitely be back for another one.
Hi Carlos,
I know it's kinda early,but do you have tour schedules on December christmas week and onwards?Sensya na,medyo excited na ako eh.Going home for Christmas,it's my first in 5 years.And the tour with you is one of the highlights of this bakasyon.Thanks
Alex E.
Hi alex.
Sorry no schedule just yet but do you have a date in mind already? Maybe I can synch it.. Give me three possible dates for you..
Hello Carlos,
It will be fab if it will be on the last week of December or first week of Jan.I won't mind any day from this.But if not,it's alright,I'll find a way to join.Thanks.Amazing what you've done for Manila Carlos,Keep it up!Just make sure you get a healthy dose of oxygen,everytime you do a tour.You know,pollution isn't nice on our body,specially on our lungs & brain.See you & take care.
Alex E.
thanks for the concern but actually, believe it or not - Manila's air quality has improved - just a little - but nevertheless, it still has.
My only tours for now that I have TENTATIVELY planned are on Dec 26 and Dec 27.
Stay posted as to the time... I hope the days are ok though...
Both dates are fine.Can't wait now.By the way, who do you think should be the next Mayor of Manila? Do you prefer any of the candidates.Vice-mayor Lacuna was asked in a TV interview about the badminton court in Intramuros,guess what,he doesn't know anything about it.And to think his the Vice-mayor!Funny ain't it?!
Alex E.
Lacuna comes across to me as a bumbling alcoholic. But that's just me.
Ali Atienza will be the next mayor I predict. If not for anything, it's because of the political machinery his father has in place.
Hi Carlos,
Doesn't matter who wins,as long as they take good care of Manila.Even just the basic needs like,traffic,pollution(air & noise).Better transport(lick the jeepneys,tricycles,side-cars off the streets).I know,wishful thinking.Encourage investments in Intramuros like, re-build the Ayuntamiento & Intendencia(are there any plans like these?)
Can we still recapture the old Manila that we only see now in pictures?Can politics actually help achieve our wishes for this city.I really wish we had Bayani or Sonny Belmonte.Sigh!!
Alex E.
Hi Carlos!
Thank you so much for your tour today, May 19. I was the girl in the black stretchy pants. :-)
I'm leaving the country very soon to work, and your tour was a wonderful way to say goodbye to a city I feel both love and annoyance for. It made me appreciate Manila for all its quirks and highlights.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will recommend you to everyone I know.
My pleasure. Thank you!!
Am I the only English man that loves Dinuguan?
Carlos, I joined your tour late this morning! You helped me understand the history of Manila so much more, I find your country and culture fascinating - and despite the D.O.T's uselessness, its great to see you providing a great service to your city and it's history, I wish you all the best and I hope to join one of your tours again next year when I return!
I have to say also, I think Manila is one of the only places in the world I've actually been sad to leave!
I'll always come back to Manila, Manila I'm coming home!
Best regards!
Hi Carlos! Thanks for the WONDERFUL morning adventure in Intramuros. I have to be guilty that this is the 1st time I've stepped inside its walls... and I've been born & raised in the Philippines!!! hahaha Thanks, it was 24 years well worth the wait!
Better late than never!
So glad you enjoyed the trip. Hope to see you at another tour.
Cheers!
Hi, Carlos. I finally had to go to Ebay to get what I needed, but I did enjoy Quiapo that day.
I blogged about my Ebay find first -- fabulous glasses, do have a look -- but soon I'll be writing about that trip to Quiapo just as well. (As my luck goes, I've been snagged by a manghuhula. Of course it was darkness darkness darkness all throughout; I don't even know why I'm still alive now. I want my 100 pesos back!)
But despite that, it was still fun walking along Paterno, although the Sound System Street gave me a bit of a headache.
See you soon!
I am a big fan. This is not to patronize you. But I regard you as the best tour guide we have in Manila. You spread awareness on our heritage without being preachy. I am a practicing architect who have somehow learned the riches of our city through my training and education. Since college, i have been touring foreign friends (for free) like a proud manileno, boasting what we have and what could have been. I stopped when I graduated and when I meet foreigners I instantly recommend your tours. I was moved by what you said, that you cant change the way Manila looks like but you can change the way we look at Manila. Subconsciously, thats what I have been doing back then. I intend to go back to touring people. I am definitely lightyears away from how you do it, and you will remain the best that we have. Just thought that we need more people to spread and encourage love for their city, and I dont have to be a super talent (like yourself)to do it. Do you encourage other people to follow your footsteps? I dont mind if I become a protege of yours
Nobody has wanted to follow my footsteps till now...
I would be more than happy to have a protege. Who wouldn't be?
Do you still tour? I'd like to check it out. I got more work than I can handle and I would be more than happy to recommend someone who has the same passion for the city.
Thanks for the nice post!
Free PS3
Great tour of the North Bank yesterday, especially when you pointed out the remnants of architectural grandeur still barely discernible and the spells and talismans around Quiapo Church - 'freakin' Harry Potter' indeed. After 25 years of residence Manila is still endlessly fascinating to me.
Here's more I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R2Ej-Y_65Y
I had a good shop after the tour and am writing about it for other British ladies, so a most interesting and satisfactory afternoon.
Thanks again!
Hi Carlos,
I was with one of your tours on Dec '06 and enjoyed it immensely. I suggested it with my cousin who was visiting on '07 and he commented how you acquired your data. I assumed you have done a tremendous amount of research and it would probably wont hurt if you can post a few literary references so I can point people to it the next time they ask.
cheers,
crez
I really don't have to do this but if your friend has doubts about my data then here is a PARTIAL list.
Manila my Manila by Nick Joaquin (as well as the Manila Almanac). Streets of Manila by Luningning Ira, History of the Burgis. the University of Wisconsin website of SEA images. And a loooooot of personal interviews of surivors of World War II. to name just a few.
And of course, wikipiedia. :o)
I kraz you zo mats!
i saw your tour the other day and thought you were the sexiest thing i've ever seen! weeeeee!
there i just needed to get my schoolgirl crush out of my system! ahahahhahahahaha!
i think yours is a capital idea. and congratulations on being the top blogger in wikipilipinas. :-)
Too bad I won't be coming home anytime soon! I'm so glad that you're doing what you're doing. I absolutely love Old Manila (Although it's more of a passionate, one time love, not one whom you can stand to live with on a daily basis). I hope you have no plans of slowing down, I still want to go on one of your tours someday.
Also, History of the Burgis is one of MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS!
Hi Carlos, I have been to Manila once, and I love the city. I have most of the time stayed in Makati, and only seen the good sides of the city. I also would like to go around to places like Tondo and see Smokey Mountain. Is it possible to have a tour to those places so I can experince both sides of Manila?
tommyhaaland@yahoo.com
Hey Carlos - thanks for showing some stray Aussies around Intramuros- you really bought history to life; Janie and I are still talking about the tour and amusing our Philipino friends with your anecdotes! Seriously the best tour I've ever taken.
Hi Carlos! Thanks for the great tour last Friday. One of the best tours IN THE WORLD that I have joined! My dad and I enjoyed it immensely. And I finally got back to Old Manila. Will come back for more soon.
Monica in NYC
nice blog. i agree with gonzo's comments about the bombing of manila. it was so unnecessary... manila had these grand beautiful buildings. but americans bombed every standing structure regardless of civilian casualties. my mom in law lived in manila during the japanese occupation.
It would be nice to tour them also on the MET or Ayala museums or any museums that showcase the history, arts and craftmanship of Philippine jewelry. I always tell my friends to visit Hoseki or Jewelmer bcoz they showcase our National Gem: South Sea Pearls. It's like a museum of pearls.
Museums in Manila also have ancient gold jewelry exhibited that are found in Butuan and Surigao del Norte.
Hello, Mr. Carlos!
First off, please take note of the date today... it's Aug. 2008. So I don't know if everything that I've read just now would still be valid when my daughter and her " white " boyfriend come to the Phil. for a visit in January of 2009. We are already doing their itinerary and would like to include your walking tour. Please let me know through this blogspot or email me . I'll be checking for any response soon. Thank you !
I kinda feel like going to the cemetery tour again. I miss that tour. :) And I can bring a friend if the tour will be on Sunday.
Get well soon!
Thank you, Carlos for the very informative and entertaining morning walk yesterday (Nov 9). You definitely gave us a different perspective of Manila and its history/soul.
Cheers!
hi carlos,
i joined your tour this morning (mar. 22)... and congratulations man! your tour is really the best!
i've already asked a couple of friends to join your tours. what you said this morning really made a difference on how i see manila.
i'll definitely join your other tours. i'll see you again!
cheers!
nice post
hello Carlos. Ive always wanted to join one of your tours. I don't see anything for June 7 to 10. That's my only time in Manila. do you have anything scheduled for then?
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