Just now, 15 makcik-makcik signed petition against COAL-FIRED plant...

They pledge to bring more of their relatives and other orang kampung to sign this petition!

Do your part, my friends!

SIGN HERE

to STOP COAL PLANT!

(coal is not cool!)

My first solo trip was to Manila almost 3 years ago (spent 12 days there). It was supposed to be a duo-travelling trip,tp kawan aku cancelled last minute. Jadi, aku ambi keputusan untuk pergi saja sendiri. With the outdated LP book which i bought in Bangkok, aku cuba untuk explore everything here. Actually, aku kurang buat research before pegi sini..nah, matai befikir apa mau bgtau itu taxi driver...haha..Masi ku ingat scene dalam taxi tuh, berpeluh membuka LP book itu, and the first place caught my interest was Malate St. And, unprepared i may seemed, but it turned out to be the best decision i made so far! (after my solo trip ni, ramai travelling friends aku ikut stay area ini juga)..According to my pinoy friend, pelach di Manila ini dicategorised to several classes, Malate class rendah punya (duh!)..haha... Why I so much in love with Malate area?..

One thing i discovered bila aku pasal solo travelling nie, ialah, kita akan banyak bergaul dengan orang tempatan. A pinoy suggested to me to go to The Hobbits (dekat area Malate juga masa tuh; now suda relocated to nearby street, last year aku pergi), where Freddie Aguilar (yang femes nyanyi lagu Anak tuh) perform 2x a week. And lucky me, i got the chance to see him performing live on stage (well about 1 hour gitu)...  and to talk to him too at the bar! Oh ya, this bar is called The Hobbits sebab it is wholly served by   orang Hobbits aka dwarf (orang-orang kerdil ya)

                                                                                      

Area ini juga dekat sama Manila Bay. It is dubbed to be one of the best places in SEA (dekat laut) to view sunset. Memang cantik juga. Masa aku sedang jalan-jalan sini, ngam-ngam ada satu kapel ni duduk di siring-siring. Ini favorite own shot picture aku in Manila. Banyak pinoys juga memenuhi ni, so a bit crowded la sikit. Oh ya, in 3 years back, banyak open space bar dibuka sini, banyak show bole nampak, each bar is unique; stand up comedy, acoustics performance, etc. But when i was here last year, ini area suda kosong, no more bar suda; Mayor baru tidak benarkan suda..ntah napa...sayang juga..

Nite scenes in Malate memang happening! Bar berhamburan di area ni. The best thing to do (bagi aku la) is to bar-hopping..Minum sikit-sikit and tengok live band, live stand up comedy, pole dancing,  acoustic performances etc. One of the places aku pergi ialah The Library (nama sounds so boring!) tapi,  sebenarnya sangat oraits, rerengs yang buat stand up comedy (banyak in Tagalog la), tp memang lucu. Rerengs bar sini memang banyak (macam rasa di kampung sendiri) hehe..sebab Malate ialah tempat gay parade dibuat annually! (Try Superman bar!)..

Every city in Manila, ada church diorang sendiri. Aku suka tingu exterior and interior churches lama di Manila nie... Ini gambar aku ambil at Malate Church.  Stand at almost 400 years, ini church memang buat aku kagum, facing the sea...Sempat juga aku ikut Sunday Mass sini... By the way, yang menarik perhatian aku dalam ni church, ialah reminder to church goers (haha!) Bunyinya begini...

Attention To all Parishioners:

Please Do Not Leave Your Personal Belongings Unattended.

Somebody Might Think it is the 'ANSWER' to their Prayer   

                                                      

Cheap beer and cheap food! Pilihan ku selalu (ngings!).. Mana tempat murah (dan oraits rasanya) situ lah muka ku duduk-duduk makan. Lepas bar hopping, singgah ni tempat cheap beer, minum la banyak-banyak...sebab di bar tuh macam mahal la kan minuman gembira!

Kriks...Tiba-tiba rindu pula mo pigi sini lagi...I miss the nite scenes (plus the cheap beer and street food!)

I love street food! Mana-mana tempat aku travel memang aku aim street food! Setiap tempat ada jenis makanan mereka sendiri; yang memang the food is their culture! And bila sebut saja jenis makanan ini, we know the origin of the food. So, based on my past travelling experiences, aku mau share makanan ganjil (but surprisingly taste delish) yang aku pernah makan (note:biasa on street food ne, aku apply concept 'eat first then think'..haha)


Location: Khao San Rd, Bangkok (pagi)
Description: Udang-udang kecil ini masih bernyawa hidup lagi masa aku makan ni..melompat-lompat dalam mulut aku!.(fresh tuh!)..rasa asam-asam and PEDAS!

Location: Khao San Rd, Bangkok (malam)

Description: Banyak jenis serangga diorang goreng nie...Aku paling suka makan cengkerik tapi awas, kaki cengkerik sungguh tajam, bikin panas masa makan, kaki tajam sangkut-sangkut dalam mulut! Ada 1 jenis ntah apa nama serangga tuh, macam mau muntah aku rasa..pernah hidu bau tahi lipas? nah, macam itu la rasanya...Tips makan nie-tarukla banyak-bayak cuka dan kicap! hehehe

Location: Chiang Mai (malam)

Description: Ini katak sedap..Aku suka! ada satu jenis lagi aku makan, yg dried frog (nipis) dan dibakar. Rupa makanan mengaburi rasa nya.. Not bad! Tips makan nie- tarukla kicap-kicapan...heheh

Location: Khao San Rd, Bangkok (malam)

Description: Telur puyuh goreng....tidak puas makan satu saja yaa....Mesti makan at least 1 dozen (kalau aku la..hehe)

Location: Malate St, Manila

Description: Hehe..nama makanan ini is Balut, partially developed embyro...(telur itik)..rupa dan bau nya sunggu kick, if air tuh kena baju, memang menyesal...haha..bau buruk..tapi kan, surprisingly, rasa dia sangat sedap..lembut and at the same time bony sikit...of course kena taruk cuka and kicap sikit la (bagi rasa)..Seingat aku, lebih 2-3 balut aku makan (during my two trips to Manila)..Ada sekali tuh, aku kena buka bulu muda yang tumbuh kat embryo itu...adoi lah... for the pinoys, makanan ini memberi kekuatan tenaga dalaman.. patut la ramai ja org kerumun beli balut ni waktu pagi, tengahari, malam..pendek kata setiap masa..

Location: Khao San Rd, Bangkok  (pagi)

Description: Ikan (ntah spesis apa), rupa weird...tp sedap..ini ngam makan dengan nasi...buruk betul muka si pemakan if makan macam makan sate..hehe

Actually ada banyak lagi makanan weird aku pernah makan..but i didnt take pictures pula macam BBQ pork's ear and intestine organs in Boracay, Thailand sausage (only God knows what animal organ they stuffed inside) in Chiang Mai, Soto paru-paru in Brunei, sate usus ayam (panjang gila!) in Krabi...
Rindu pula mau makan street food yang weird!! Apa-apa pun, all street food ini, personally, aku rasa tambah kick bila diiringi dengan minuman gembira seperti local cold beer..(pendapat aku la) hehe!