Mark Goes to Singapore!: Philippines and Bangkok (Finally!)

Philippines

In the Philippines, I went to Manila and Boracay. I am fascinated by Filipino culture, particularly for its heavy Spanish and American influences. It's the only country where you'll find an Empanada Nation, Tsia Tao, and McDonalds all next to each other. And, of all the Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines easily plays the most basketball, which necessarily means that it's my favorite country (but really). Also, the people were extremely polite. "Hello, sir; thank you, sir; have a good day, sir" was the norm.

Manila

At least by appearance, Manila feels like a place under martial law. There are armed security guards with assault rifles, drug-sniffing dogs, and airport-like security measures at every tourist spot. That said, we all still had a great time in Manila.

There's really heavy traffic in Manila, but at least you get to drive around in these tank-like cars

Intramuros, the Philippines's colonial district. Very strong Spanish influence here.

Almost looks like a Quinceañera...

I met a very friendly group of Filipinos. They thought I looked like the guy from One Direction.

Manila Bay, one of the best places to see the sunset

Boracay

Because of its beautiful beaches, Boracay is a popular tourist destination. That said, there are still many locals that live in Boracay. Through Frisbee and Basketball, we were able to befriend many locals. They told us where to eat, let us use their paddle boards, and some even shared their life stories. All in all, there was a lot to love about Manila: the locals were extremely friendly, the food was great, and the beach was easily the best beach I've ever been to.

On the way to Boracay

Exchange students + 3 Boracay locals

The Boracay sunset

I would play here everyday if I could

Bangkok

There is A LOT to do in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to do everything, but I did have enough time to cover all the major temples and other major attractions. Among these include Khao San Road, which is perhaps the most happening road you can find Southeast Asia, the Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is a very large and cheap marketplace serviced by both locals and tourists and is open only on weekends, and Victory Monument, which is a less-popular tourist spot but a good place to better understand local (urban) life! The food in Bangkok is unbelievable, debatably better than Singapore. I also got a Thai foot massage just before my flight back home, which was definitely a major highlight of my trip. I felt obligated to tip even though it's not culturally practiced because (1) my feet are much larger than their average client and (2) my feet were in desperate need of a massage.