BEST CLUBS IN SE ASIA: Club Embassy | Manila

Manila’s answer to Southeast Asia’s Superclubs has got to be the hip, highly hoolabalooed Club Embassy at The Fort in Makati City. This is where the most beautiful people of Manila go on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights!

The whole concept is quite impressive although there's nothing new. The club is divided into 3 sections – the café, the lounge for VVIPs and the main dance floor. People-watching extravaganza and of course make sure they watch you too – come en vogue… gatekeepers can refuse entry.

The sound is in all sorts of house – deep, acid, garage, what-have-you. I was told that on some days they play trip hop and dance music. No shortage of booze but nothing really special. Just standard poison we find in any cosmopolitan city. Nothing fancy with the interior either – plain, huge and needs character. It’s funny to note that it looks like another club in LA or San Diego but thinking you are actually clubbing like this in Asia will blow you away.

Club Embassy is clustered with a number of other night spots, restaurants and lounges in a strip called The Fort – which is in the middle of a huge open space dotted with tall residential towers. The area looks like a typical American enclave lacking of any Filipino character. Is this what we’re doing to our cities lately?

Anyways…the best way to reach Club Embassy is by cab, if you’re a tourist. Just be prepared to wait a thousand years to catch another one when it’s time to go back to your hotel. Taxis are scarce in this area -- just so you know. If you’re driving, take McKinley Road from Ayala Avenue towards Bonifacio Global City (the name of the whole area).


Club doors open at 8pm and the seat-hugging patrons come shortly thereafter. Overly eager crowds come at 10pm but gorgeous people won’t start coming until around 1am. If you’re too early, try Prince of Jaipur next door. Excellent food and the ambiance is one of the best in the whole of Manila. A dinner at Prince of Jaipur is highly recommended by BISEAN.

Club Embassy @ The Fort – Manila’s prime party place.


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*Thanks to Francis for the pics.
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L’INTRAMUROS: La ville murée de Manille

Intramuros à Manille indique l'histoire où au commencement c'était une culture qui a été imposée mais plus tard on peut voir une amalgamation. Les conquérants espagnols ont régné Philippines pendant presque trois siècles et on trouve un mélange unique des cultures est et occidentales. Ici seulement on a permis aux les Espagnols et les métis de vivre à l'intérieur des murs de ville. Intramuros est la ville murée fondée en 1571.

Intramuros était le centre de la règle coloniale espagnole et a laissé beaucoup d'architectures qui sont espagnoles dans le modèle. La classe régnante espagnole a vécu à l'intérieur de la ville. Au 17ème siècle l'Intramuros a consisté autour deux mille habitants. Au 18ème siècle la croissance croissante de la ville a suspendu la croissance de l'Intramuros, car maintenant Manille est beaucoup plus qu'Intramuros.

L'histoire de Manille indique qu'après... l'Espagnol les Américains ont régné pendant presque quatre décennies. Le morceau le plus ancien de construction qui appartient aux Américains est fort Santiago.

Intramuros a été détruit dans la deuxième guerre mondiale quand l'Américain et les forces japonaises se sont combattues. En conséquence seulement quelques bâtiments sont restés comme l'église de San Agustin et la monastère augustine. Mais depuis lors la ville a été reconstituée et des structures comme la cathédrale de Manille et les deux des sept portes de ville (Puerta Isabel II et Puerta Real) ont été reconstitués. On constate également que les feux et les tremblements de terre avaient nivelé cette ville murée dans le passé mais maintes et maintes fois les élévations de cette ville dessus à ses pieds encore.

Intramuros à Manille est un des plus fine dans l'architecture. On ici peut trouver vieux bâtiments, bureaux, églises et forts qui ont une histoire de ses propres. Selon une certaine chaque pierre, le sol, chaque rue et le vieux bâtiment a sa propre histoire à le dire. Dans votre visite à l'Intramuros à Manille vous pourriez être témoin de beaucoup d'attractions comme le fort Santiago, église de San Agustin êtes certains d'entre elles. En général l'histoire des Philippines est associée à l'Intramuros la région de Manille en tant que ce secteur a été un emplacement où la traçage politique, la jalousie ecclésiastique, et en même temps la splendeur et la cérémonie officielles sont allées de pair.

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Articles précédents en français:

*Le Borobudur
*Le temple de la fertilite
*Ville de Louang Prabang
*Ville historique de Sukhothai
*Gunung Mulu: Le Grotte du Dragon Noir

---Pisanu

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FILIPINO MEN: Romantic or Deceitful?

I got a rose here next to my screen. My only witness and confidante on my 2 hour romance with Filipino men. This is a rant, ok sweetie? So if you have a problem with whining bloggers like me, you can get your sorry arse out of here. Shoo!

Morgan, Akihiro, Pisanu and I went to a bar last night around Remedios Circle [I’m not sure]. I think I’m missing something here honey, because it’s Monday night but it’s relatively full. We went straight to the bar to maximize visibility. And one thing’s for sure…people here luuuuvs to stare. And I’m lovin’ it! Ha-ha!

After a while, there’s this hazel-eyed gorgeous guy introduced himself to me. He said... he was waiting for somebody and probably been stood up. So after some pleasantries, he shamelessly invited me to go out the street to buy a pack of cigarettes with him [the bar doesn’t have it, sweetie?]. Being a pleasant lady that I am [and eager to find new conversations aside from the 3 monkeys with me] I gladly obliged. So out we go. This is where I got the rose, honey. Such a sweet guy, isn’t he?

When we came back, Morgan, Pisanu and Akihiro are all surrounded by men! You heard me! MEN! Not women, not girls, MEN! Fede pis! It turned out that Mr. Hazel Eyes was a decoy to get me away from my boys and have their way with them! I am so pissed I went back outside. The nerve!

On my way out, this curly little guy went up to me asking for my number. HELLLOOOO! Aren’t you the guy who just came in with that denim-jacket-wearing girl? Oh my god, are you just being friendly, sweetie? Because if you are, you could ask for my name first! Get your curly-locks out of my face! Out of my face! Huh!

I really think I am missing something here. What kind of bar is this? I really wanna know. Because if I was informed baby, there won’t be any problem. Honestly. I would not let my 3 monkeys get all the attention without a fight! Uh-uh, honey! No way!

Wait a minute… Wait a minute, sweetie… did you just take my pictures? WHAT IS IT WITH YOU? There’s this guy, wearing Nautica [at night!], just took my fokken picture with his camphone! What happened to the good-old-fashioned “may I?” Sweetie, if I see that on the Internet, I’ll turn you into a frog! I’m not kidding!

But nevertheless, I collected 7 roses during that 2 hour ordeal. I tossed 6 out of the car window and kept 1. To remind me of Pisanu – who ditched me for those bitchy Filipino men.

--Sofia

OUR TREASURES: Manila

Manila is one of the world’s megacities. There are more people here than all the island nations of the Pacific combined. In the era of “Oriental Chic” of the 50’s, Manila is in the league of oriental cosmopolitan cities of Shanghai, Singapore and Saigon. Ordinary Europeans may not know where in the world is the Philippines -- but they know exactly where Manila is.

We took Malaysia Airlines flight 704 from Kuala Lumpur and landed at Ninoy Aquino Airport around 4pm yesterday. The very first time I came to Manila was when I was 18, Sofia was here 3 times before but Morgan and Akihiro are first timers. We didn’t pass immigration so, no “picking-on-the-immigration-officer” stories this time. We were swiftly escorted out, through a private hallway and herded to a car. Our passports was given back to us at our hosts’ house! To be quite frank... I hope they didn’t do that! I wanna pass through immigration just like everybody else. And I don’t wanna lose my passport in a foreign land! Uncool.

The Manila that we know internationally is actually a group of 16 cities forming a huge metropolis which – Manila City, the Capital of the Philippines – is part of. The finance center is Makati City (where I am right now) and other government offices are in Quezon City, the former capital.

Manila used to be a Muslim sultanate before the Europeans came. It was ruled by 3 Malay aristocrat rajahs – Sulaiman, Matanda and Lakandula. Spaniards coming from Cebu Island attacked Manila in 1570 and easily fell. It then became the center of Spanish colonial rule 50 years after their first arrival on Mactan Island.

Ever wondered why Manila doesn’t have much building older than 60 years old? It’s because this city was literally flattened in the 2nd World War. The whole city is relatively new -- Historical buildings are either rebuilt in the 1950s or just demolished altogether. That’s why in the 60s and 70s, Manila showed us how a modern city should look like.

Manila has 2 population figures – day and night. At night time it’s more than 11 million people but when day breaks, it soars to a whopping 16 million! Whoa! 5 million workers from the suburbs and nearby provinces come before 7am and go after 5pm. Just imagine the chaos on the transit system everyday! The best way to go around Manila is by taking the Light Rail System. Just like Kuala Lumpur, taxis here doesn’t have a nice reputation.

Manila is the only SE Asian capital that shares it's name with other places abroad -- Manila, Arkansas and Manila, Utah in the United States. *I bet you didn't know that.*

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The SANTUARIO DE SAN ANTONIO

The first place we visited is this little church down the road called Santuario de San Antonio. It means “sanctuary of Saint Anthony” in Spanish. Morgan and I came with our hosts because they say this church means a lot to them. Since Morgan and I are Christians, we happily obliged [while Pisanu and Akihiro are drowning themselves at the pool].

This quiet and lovely little church is where our hosts and their family got married, christened their children and served as a faith symbol to them. They say this church kept them together and I really felt their affection to this place.

Santuario de San Antonio was built by priests of the Franciscan Order after World War II when their mother church in Intramuros [which we will visit later in the day] was destroyed by air raid bombs. On the center of the main altar is an image of Saint Anthony carrying a baby. We were told that this image is hundreds of years old and actually the only surviving artifact of the original church.

This church may not be as historically relevant as other baroque churches of the Philippines but one thing is special about this place: This is where Manila’s richest families come to gather and worship. [Am I allowed to say that? Hahaha!] Santuario de San Antonio is at McKinley Road, Makati City.

So not to cause any awkward situation, I never told our hosts that I have actually been here many times before.

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PRELUDE TO MANILA ESCAPADE

We were invited by a prominent family in Manila to spend a whole week with them. They are so prominent that streets are named after the family -- I don’t think I can persuade one of them to give me a chance to redeem myself and ride a “traysikel" one more time. No, I don’t think so.

Tomorrow would be my first time in Manila after 8 long years -- except a brief stop over on our way to Mindanao Island last April. I wonder how Manila looks like nowadays. I’m sure it’s much much more different than how it used to be in 1999. Is Greenbelt still there? Giraffe? Streetlife? Did you know that Manila has the biggest Hard Rock Café in Asia? I bet you didn’t know that. *And they drive on the wrong side of the road too!*

I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and I wonder if LaMaison on Rada St. is still there. It's just right next to the Royal Thai Embassy! This is where I lived when I’m not out there in the mountains dancing with the Igorots, swimming with the Badjaos or gathering turtle eggs with the Tausugs.

Manila will always be a place with benchmark memories. Here is where I got married for the first time to Dina when I was 18. Here is also where I met my first ever BF named Noel. And my 3rd wife Arlyn comes from here too! Now tell me this is not a memorable place. Ha!

I always write a prelude before going to an escapade. Just so if I couldn’t post anything on this blog, I’m hoping you would understand.

“Manila, Manila
I keep coming back to Manila
Simply no place like Manila
Manila, I’m coming home…”

Argh! This song keeps ringin’ in my ears! Waaaaahhh! ENOUGH!

Sofia, Morgan, Akihiro (did you hear that Misterhubs?) and moi would be singin’ this song the moment we land at the airport. *We promise*


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