Manila was hot but we marched on with our plans. I was acting as tour guide since I had been here before and there is no way you can do Manila in one day.  First a brisk walk to the entrance of Intramuros.  This is the oldest colonial district.  Eventually the Spaniards fortified it with walls to stave off attacks.

There are two very important Cathedrals in the Intramuros.   San Augustine Church and the Manila Cathedral are two of the oldest cathedrals in the Philippines.  We did go into San Augustine and it was beautiful  but the Manila Cathedral  was not open.  This was the opposite case the last time I was here so now I have seen both. Cathedrals inside and out.  After lunch Joan took a taxi to the ship as the heat was too much but Fran and I soldiered on.  We walked through the Intramuros until we got to Fort Santiago which is  a very old fort with beautiful grounds.

Next we took a taxi to the Manila Hotel which , in my opinion, is more spectacular then Raffles  in Singapore and the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.  The staff at the buffet restaurant allowed us to walk through the buffet so Fran could see the extravagant display of food.

After touring the hotel we did go to the bar and have a beer.  The walk back to the ship was quite difficult as it was at the peak heat of the day but I made it.

Manila gave us  not only a great welcome but they gave us a great send off as well.