Bringing Back Cocktail Hour – Manila, Philippines

At Manila's Sky Deck restaurant we witnessed dusk approaching as city lights awakened to illuminate our surroundings.  We proposed a toast to the generosity of our good friends, John and Brea who used the Bring Back Cocktail Hour feature to sponsor a perfect evening of dinner and drinks.  The rooftop venue offered a panoramic skyline view, efficient service, and a live band.

The highlight of the evening was the meal which contained a delicious selection of Philippine heritage dishes such as Lengua Sevillana (Slow braised ox tongue, mushrooms, and olives) and Callos Manileno (Spanish style slow cooked ox tripe, ox tail, pork knuckles, roasted bell peppers, olives, and chorizo).  For desert we enjoyed Ensaymada Pudding, a decadent, custard-like bread pudding with crème a l’angiaise and fresh mango.

The meal was accompanied by local drinks of Tanduay dark rum and San Miguel Pilsen beer.  We extend our appreciation to our generous dining benefactors for sponsoring an incredible, memorable evening.

A Day of Culture in Manila

National Museum of the Philippines - Saint Anne Sculpture (She Looks Happy, Doesn't She?)Today we explored the many local art treasures housed at the National Museum of the Philippines where we visited the National Art Gallery and the Museum of the Filipino People.  Many wonderful paintings, carvings, and historical artifacts were on display and we particularly enjoyed walking through the relics recovered from the wreck of Spanish battleship San Diego which sank off Manila Bay in the year 1600.

After a calming day of climate controlled art enjoyment we’ll be ready to face tomorrow’s adventure, a hiking trek and boat ride to reach Taal Volcano, the smallest active volcano in the world.  How could we pass up the chance to visit the “largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island - Vulcan point in Crater Lake on Vulcano Island in Lake Taal on Luzon” ("Some interesting islands and lakes". Elbruz)?