On some Sundays in the recent months, General Luna Street in Intramuros becomes a walking street. The people behind VivaManila wanted to revive the charm of Old Manila and they offer a peek to a different kind of rest day inside the walls. There's another one happening on May 25 if you're interested =D J & I then headed out to find one of Manila's oldest restaurants (Sun Wah - now closed) and ended up eating at an even older one Ambos Mundos (1800s) just across the street hehe.
Ah, Manila. The last time I went on a stroll in Intramuros was that walking tour we did with Ivan and Journeying James... I loved it and well, got busy to come back. Limited time offers like the Intramuros Pasyal Sundays do make it more urgent (and I can plan ahead) to come because in a whole month, there's only gonna be one particular day that you can catch it...
I saw these lovely bamboo bikes first. If we use bamboo, we're promoting green (and renewable) technology and innovation, right? I've read about Kawayan Tech (members of UP Mountaineering Club) and how they want to promote a healthier lifestyle and have taken the community-based approach (Gawad Kalinga) to build the bikes =D
Hmm, what else? This booth was selling old photos and records.
This booth was selling statement shirts for P50. I bought one hehe. The owner told us that the shirts were made from excess fabric in their factory and they didn't even think about marking up anymore.
He was doin' some fancy artwork on a polo (I think it was one of those Pinoy-style long sleeves with button-down design).
He was expressing himself freely on stage. It's not a contest but people were just reciting poems =) Made me think about what people do in plazas before during the Spanish times...
There were not a lot of booths and people when I went there but still, it was a nice walk. We walked all the way to Bahay Tsinoy (just that it was already closing by the time we arrived there - around 6 p.m.) =D
There's a puppeteer, bubblemaker, hulahoop person, magician
and a yoyo guy.
Look who I bumped into!!! Lawrence - our friendly guide and pal from the Manila Postal Heritage Tour with FPJ =D He's still conducting free tours every month and they passed by here on this day!
When I saw this setup, I could just imagine the potential of Intramuros Pasyal Sundays - al fresco dining with friends in the afternoon... just like old times?
The kids made this meditation circle (I think that's what this was). It made me think of the piko game...
They were just jammin' and singin' their hearts out. Such a relaxing ambiance here.
First time I heard about the Smokey Mountain Tours...
He was just sharing his music and the kids started joining in =)
Oh my goodness, I loved the sound of these drums! They took me straight to the beach and made me think of Bob Marley... I think it's called djembe hihi. It's amazing what I find in my walks haha.
There's this shop near the San Agustin Church called The Paper Tole Shop. Their items are souvenir-worthy for a tourist (I see some of their paper wallets and notebooks at department stores). The only thing to watch out for here and during the walk are lots of mosquitoes!
There's Barbara's - which is a permanent restaurant with a Filipino cultural show and this setup outside. I couldn't help but wonder if we can have lots of these awesome street setups in Intramuros all the time...
Our Intramuros trip was short and it was quite enjoyable because we came during the late afternoon when the sun was about to set. We were trying to look for the old Chinese restaurant Wah Sun at Florentino Torres Street somewhere out there in Sta. Cruz, Manila. We were told that it was closed a few months earlier due to BIR issues. Anyhoo, the guard told us that we can enjoy some of their food over at their sister restaurant across the street - Ambos Mundos (Both Worlds). We wanted to find the oldest and well 1888 seemed like a good reason for us to try it out. =D
We chose to dine in at the 2nd floor and we saw people in groups dining here.
The cuisine was supposed to be Spanish and Filipino and I saw a lot of callos, lengua and the like (too exotic for me haha). Read more about Ambos Mundos in Carlos Celdran's old post here. I was happy they had gulaman with sago in the menu but the sago was not good ;)
We tried these 2 dishes - sweet & sour pork (I think)
and the canton. The dishes were huge for just two people so it's better to bring an army next time (probably those that don't have qualms about eating in a not so posh setting). By the end of the night, I was overcome by a feeling of nostalgia. Certainly, there was a reason to why this restaurant was still here. It felt like I was transported back in time with these dishes. It tasted home-cooked.. They had so many dishes in the menu that I couldn't help but be thankful - that this restaurant evolved with time but stopped at a certain era and they kept it alive. You can still taste a mix of Spanish (there's paella), Chinese and Pinoy in here.
Oh, I believe they have exotic animals as pets for luck..
We would definitely come back because the food was unexpected and good =) As I said, we need an army of more than 2 for our escapades and food trips! Anyone want to join in? KKB Haha. FYI, I just found out that there's another Ambos Mundos Restaurant that says it's the original (survived by Ms. Maria Teresa Gaudinez) and we have yet to try that. Read the story here.
Restaurant Details:
Ambos Mundos Restaurant Manila
750 Florentino Torres Street,
Sta. Cruz, Manila
Intramuros Pasyal Sundays by Viva Manila and Finding One of the Oldest Restaurants Ambos Mundos (Since 1800s) in Manila!
Restaurant Details:
Ambos Mundos Restaurant Manila
750 Florentino Torres Street,
Sta. Cruz, Manila
Intramuros Pasyal Sundays by Viva Manila and Finding One of the Oldest Restaurants Ambos Mundos (Since 1800s) in Manila!
