Wandering Manila

The last full day in Manila was more leisurely. Finally I spent time by the pool, swimming and reading a book.

We went looking for more vegan Filipino food. We took a taxi to one that is a barbeque place. However they did not have seating. Undeterred, we ate on the sidewalk watching people go by. It was delicious food. Sisig is usually made with pig face and belly and cooked until it is crispy. The word sisig (pronounced see-sig) stems from sisigan, an old Tagalog word that means “to make sour,” it did have a slight sour taste that paid well with beer. Bopsis had Spanish origins and is a spicier dish with tomatoes, chillies, and onions.

From there we walked through the streets to another restaurant. Great sights along the way but they did not open when they said they would be.

I wanted to try another Filipino desert called Boku pie. It is a delicious in a different area of the Philippines but we traveled to a bakery that is supposed to have it. But they did not have any. They did have ube hopia which had purple sweet potato in it. It is similar to a pastry in Yunnan province in China but a bit heavier.

In our wandering I came across a free library with a resident kitty.

The Sofitel had great Christmas decorations and music. Festive!

And the hotel had great food: sisig, eggplant with mango salsa, and turon a la mode which is fried bananas with ube ice cream.

Now off to Bali!