Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
TOUR DATES! TOUR RATES!
IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK!
Text +63 920 9092021 or Call +63 2 4844945 (Ms. Lesley)
Email Reservations : celdrantours@hotmail.com
(Please list date of tour in subject line. e.g. "December 5 - Friday - 3:00pm")
Walk around Manila's ancient walled city of Intramuros with me. I will analyze Philippine architecture, culture and history as we stroll through it's storied streets. Learn ALL about Manila literally one step at a time. There will be humor, drama, candy, and carriage rides. Promise.
Disclaimer: This is performance art in the guise of a walking tour.
WalkThisWay operations do not discriminate against people of any colour, race, sexual orientation, gender, taste in music or taste in politicians. However, Celdrantours operations are adamantly against bigots and humourless characters. Kindly move along.
We sadly do not serve your kind.
We sadly do not serve your kind.
Check my reviews here on TRIPADVISOR.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
MY FAVOURITE PHILIPPINE GUIDES!
Should you need a tour of Manila, allow me to recommend the following guides. I'm not the only game in town, you know. Bookmark this page in case you need them.
This is an updated version. April 2016
For the best guides in town:
MABUHAY GUIDES of the Department of Tourism. Trained by Blue Badge of London, they are perfect for touring around dignitaries or your own relatives who are in town visiting. They are young, fun, street smart, and are the kind of people you would want to hang out with anyway.
MABUHAY GUIDES
Ms. Goya Reynoso (63) 917 8411246
MANILA FOR A DAY - Dustin Ancheta does really creative tours of Manila. Time travelling he calls it. Intramuros is his specialty and he can tailor make tours to your preference. Check his site here: MANILA FOR A DAY
Reservations : Ms. Anne (63)939 397 6478
Dustin (63) 999 196 4715
BAMBIKE TOURS - Award winning bamboo bicycle designer Bryan Mclelland has put together a team of guides to take you all around the walled city on their funky rides. They were featured on CNN and are totally the most hipster thing you could do when in town. Check out their site here: http://bambike.com/ecotours
(632) 5258289
ecotours@bambike.com
SMOKEY TOURS - See the deepest heart of. Go around the city's lesser known parts and discover gems in the rough. Visit an old dumpsite, visit a prison, a marketplace, a slum, a cemetery, or see a cockfight. A tour that is for people with big hearts, not faint ones. And this isn't "Poorism". The guides are involved in uplifting the communities you visit. Check out their website: www.smokeytours.com
(63) 917 578 5398
(63) 2 622 1325
info@worldexperience.ph
GREG DORRIS - Tall American (easy to spot when walking through crowded areas). Also has a book of archival photos of Old Manila like mine. My official alternate.
(63) 916 7669170
gahdorris@hotmail.com
BRYAN OCAMPO - Blue Badge trained veteran of the Mabuhay Guides. Aside from his Manila tours, he now has his own operation which specialises in food tours of Pampanga (1.5 hours out of Manila. Check his website: www.mangankapampangan.com
(63) 917 899 3948
IVAN MANDY - The master of Chinatown. Does tours of Binondo, San Miguel, and Chinese Cemeteries. Check oldmanilawalks.com for his schedules. He is the master of his own walking tour operation called: Old Manila Walks.
(63) 917 3291622
oldmanilawalks2@gmail.com
ARMANDO HILDAWA - One of the smartest tour guides in town, if not THE smartest. His specialty is Corregidor. He practically lives there.
(63) 916 4940623
VITO HERNANDEZ - Smart dude from University of the Philippines. Really really nice guy. Knowlegable in history, sociology, and geology.
(63) 916 6349649
PATRICK TUDANCA - Speaks German. Affable and organized. He does out of town trips too and is quite knowledgable
(63) 917 5266786
PJ CARITATIVO - Department of Tourism trained French speaking guide. Charming and knows the ins and outs of Old Manila. She also does tours of Sagada, Banaue, and other points north.
(63) 915 1426468
pearl.caritativo@gmail.com
JULIUS GERARD MAGNO - Department of Tourism trained Spanish speaking guide. Perfect for those who want to learn about Manila's Hispanic past. Also part of a whole bunch of DOT accredited guides.
(63) 917 8664137
(63) 917-8204747
(63) 932-1277437
milalcuaz@yahoo.com
JJ YULO - Best Food Tour Guide in the City. No one knows how to go about Filipino food the way this man does. He also has his own blog: PINOY EATS WORLD. He is Makati based and can do early evening dining tours.
(63) 917 5301160
FOR THE CITY OF VIGAN AND ILOCOS AREA:
CARLO CALDITO - Premier Tour Guide of Laoag. The act to beat up north. Very Theatrical and knows all the cool places in the great North.
(63) 917 4396759
FOR PUERTO PRINCESA AND HONDA BAY:
GENER and KAT (TAO TOURS) - Does a highly recommended Honda Bay tour on a traditional sailboat and picnic. Amazing.
(63) 9052646377
CEBU:
Ka Balbino Guerrero - A guy who certainly knows the Queen City of the South. Check out his facebook profile here.
(63) 9328151975
Tell them I sent you.
Cheers!
Thursday, May 05, 2016
MY MANILA ITINERARY..
Most Entries are Google-able..
INTRAMUROS:
From within it’s walls Manila springs forth. From Fort Santiago (the former bamboo palisaded fort of Rajah Sulayman) to Casa Manila (Imelda Marcos’ recreation of a 19th century nobleman’s home), from the baroque UNESCO treasure that is the San Agustin Church (the only survivor of World War II), to the ramshackle aesthetics of its sidestreet shanties, one can fully see and experience the history of the Philippines in just one location.
Visit:
Fort Santiago and the Jose Rizal Shrine
Casa Manila
Bahay Tsinoy (Museum of the Chinese)
The ruins of St. Ignatius
The San Agustin Church and Museum
The National Museum of the Filipino People (Across Intramuros at Luneta)
Eat:
Ilustrado Restaurant
Barbaras
Shop:
Silahis Handicrafts
La Monja Loca ( Plaza San Luis Complex)
The Manila Collectible Co.
CHINATOWN
The core of Chinese culture and influence in Manila. Starting from Binondo Church (check out it’s converted pagoda belfry), explore the streets of Paredes, Carvajal, Ongpin, Salazar, and Benavidez until you reach Santa Cruz Church. All along the way you shall find quaint shops, herbal drugstores, and some of downtown Manila’s best Chinese cuisine.
Visit:
Binondo Church and Plaza Ruiz
The Chinese temple on Kipuja St
Sidestreet markets of Carvajal
The Sto. Cristo de Longos on Nueva Street
Madrid, Barcelona, and Jaboneros Sts. in San Nicolas (old houses)
168 Mall
Eat:
Suzhou Dimsum
Lailai Palace
Po Heng Lumpia House
Sincerity Restaurant (Nueva St.)
Shop:All along Ongpin Street
(mahjong tiles, cheongsams, gold jewelry, hardware, and chinese traditional medicine)
La Resureccion Chocolate Tablea
Eng Bee Tin Hopia
Tai Shing Bakery (Salazar St.)
Salazar Bakery (Ongpin St.)
QUIAPO and SANTA CRUZ
From Jones Bridge, take a stroll down Escolta street and admire an impressive collection of the city’s remaining pre-war Art Deco architecture. After passing through Santa Cruz church and gazing at the Carriedo fountain, check out all the mid-20th century architecture and discount stores of Rizal Avenue before capping the trip off with a visit to Quiapo Church (be sure to go behind the altar and touch the feet of the Nazarene for good luck).
Visit:
Quiapo Church,
The Escolta Museum
The San Agustin Church
Herbal Market on Evangelista Street
Dine:
La Cocina De Tita Moning (Rafael St., San Miguel)
Wah Yuen Restraurant (Escolta)
Polland Hopia Cafe (Escolta)
Shop:
Rizal Avenue
Carriedo Street
Villalobos Street
Underneath the Quezon Bridge (Ilalim ng Tulay)
THE CCP COMPLEX
This section of Manila reclaimed from the South China Sea was all part of a master-planned complex of convention centers, exhibition halls, and art institutions designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin and commissioned by former Philippine First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. From the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum in the Central Bank Complex, cross Roxas Boulevard and enter the modernist masterpiece that is the interiors of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Don’t forget to tour the Coconut Palace next door to the Sofitel. With walls made of inlaid coconut and built for the pope by Imelda, it’s a kitsch lovers delight. End the day by choosing your own dinner from a wet market at the Seaside Paluto on Macapagal Avenue.
Visit:
The Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Coconut Palace
The Metropolitan Museum
Design Center of the Philippines
Star City Carnival and Ballet Theater
GSIS Museum
Shop:
Hall 6 and 7 Antique Flea Market Philtrade
Dine:
Seaside Paluto Tiangge Macapagal Avenue
INTRAMUROS:
From within it’s walls Manila springs forth. From Fort Santiago (the former bamboo palisaded fort of Rajah Sulayman) to Casa Manila (Imelda Marcos’ recreation of a 19th century nobleman’s home), from the baroque UNESCO treasure that is the San Agustin Church (the only survivor of World War II), to the ramshackle aesthetics of its sidestreet shanties, one can fully see and experience the history of the Philippines in just one location.
Visit:
Fort Santiago and the Jose Rizal Shrine
Casa Manila
Bahay Tsinoy (Museum of the Chinese)
The ruins of St. Ignatius
The San Agustin Church and Museum
The National Museum of the Filipino People (Across Intramuros at Luneta)
Eat:
Ilustrado Restaurant
Barbaras
Shop:
Silahis Handicrafts
La Monja Loca ( Plaza San Luis Complex)
The Manila Collectible Co.
CHINATOWN
The core of Chinese culture and influence in Manila. Starting from Binondo Church (check out it’s converted pagoda belfry), explore the streets of Paredes, Carvajal, Ongpin, Salazar, and Benavidez until you reach Santa Cruz Church. All along the way you shall find quaint shops, herbal drugstores, and some of downtown Manila’s best Chinese cuisine.
Visit:
Binondo Church and Plaza Ruiz
The Chinese temple on Kipuja St
Sidestreet markets of Carvajal
The Sto. Cristo de Longos on Nueva Street
Madrid, Barcelona, and Jaboneros Sts. in San Nicolas (old houses)
168 Mall
Eat:
Suzhou Dimsum
Lailai Palace
Po Heng Lumpia House
Sincerity Restaurant (Nueva St.)
Shop:All along Ongpin Street
(mahjong tiles, cheongsams, gold jewelry, hardware, and chinese traditional medicine)
La Resureccion Chocolate Tablea
Eng Bee Tin Hopia
Tai Shing Bakery (Salazar St.)
Salazar Bakery (Ongpin St.)
QUIAPO and SANTA CRUZ
From Jones Bridge, take a stroll down Escolta street and admire an impressive collection of the city’s remaining pre-war Art Deco architecture. After passing through Santa Cruz church and gazing at the Carriedo fountain, check out all the mid-20th century architecture and discount stores of Rizal Avenue before capping the trip off with a visit to Quiapo Church (be sure to go behind the altar and touch the feet of the Nazarene for good luck).
Visit:
Quiapo Church,
The Escolta Museum
The San Agustin Church
Herbal Market on Evangelista Street
Dine:
La Cocina De Tita Moning (Rafael St., San Miguel)
Wah Yuen Restraurant (Escolta)
Polland Hopia Cafe (Escolta)
Shop:
Rizal Avenue
Carriedo Street
Villalobos Street
Underneath the Quezon Bridge (Ilalim ng Tulay)
THE CCP COMPLEX
This section of Manila reclaimed from the South China Sea was all part of a master-planned complex of convention centers, exhibition halls, and art institutions designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin and commissioned by former Philippine First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. From the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum in the Central Bank Complex, cross Roxas Boulevard and enter the modernist masterpiece that is the interiors of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Don’t forget to tour the Coconut Palace next door to the Sofitel. With walls made of inlaid coconut and built for the pope by Imelda, it’s a kitsch lovers delight. End the day by choosing your own dinner from a wet market at the Seaside Paluto on Macapagal Avenue.
Visit:
The Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Coconut Palace
The Metropolitan Museum
Design Center of the Philippines
Star City Carnival and Ballet Theater
GSIS Museum
Shop:
Hall 6 and 7 Antique Flea Market Philtrade
Dine:
Seaside Paluto Tiangge Macapagal Avenue
Thursday, April 14, 2016
CITEM Design Week & #VivaManila 2-Day Intramuros Pasyal Street Fair!
PASYAL IS BACK!!
VivaManila is thrilled to invite you to our first INTRAMUROS PASYAL of 2016! We took a bit of a break, so we wanted to come back with a bang!
This Pasyal, we are partnering with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions's DESIGN WEEK PHILIPPINES. CITEM has a full weekend of workshops, mural paintings, and tours planned throughout Intramuros, and they've asked us to do what we do best: fill the streets with color, art, live performances, delicious food, and the coolest artisanal, home-grown goods we can find!
We're stepping up our game and throwing a 2-DAY STREET FAIR this time around; the Weekend Pasyal Market will take place on SATURDAY and SUNDAY, APRIL 16 &17 from 3 PM to 10 PM along GENERAL LUNA ST. [at the CBCP Parking Lot].
Come spend the day strolling through Manila's oldest streets, shopping, eating, taking in the street performers, and artists. Come remember that cities are living things, and that Manila's heart is beating strong!
Thanks and See you all on April 16 & 17!
xoxo
Carlos Celdran and VivaManila
Friday, April 01, 2016
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