Makati, Philippines 菲律宾，马尼拉马卡蒂
March 13, 2026
We disembarked from the ship today and will fly home tomorrow. Since our flight departs early in the morning, we decided to stay overnight in Makati. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines, known for its modern skyscrapers and well-planned streets.
The Grab ride took more than an hour to cover a distance of only about 10 kilometers. Heavy traffic and busy market streets slowed us down before we finally arrived at The Peninsula Manila Hotel, a beautiful hotel in the area. After waiting for our room to be ready, we had a buffet lunch at the hotel to sample some local cuisine.
After a short nap, we headed out to explore the neighborhood. We soon noticed that many places in the area carried the name “Ayala.” The Ayala family is one of the oldest and most influential business families in the Philippines. Through Ayala Corporation, founded in the 19th century, they played a major role in developing Makati into the country’s modern financial and commercial center.
We first took a leisurely walk around Ayala Triangle Gardens, then visited Ayala Museum. One of the museum’s most impressive exhibits is the gold collection called “Gold of Ancestors,” which features pre-colonial Philippine gold artifacts dating roughly from the 10th to 13th centuries. The collection showcases the remarkable craftsmanship and wealth of early Philippine societies. The artifacts were truly impressive—we had never seen so many gold items displayed in one place.
After leaving the museum, we walked through the Greenbelt Gardens and malls. In the middle of the garden stands a small chapel, where many people were already waiting for the 6 p.m. Mass. We stayed there for a while to observe the religious gathering and admire the deep devotion many Filipinos have to the Catholic Church.
Later we stopped at a café for some comforting Filipino dishes. The food was delicious and made for a pleasant final evening of our trip.
Tomorrow we will fly back to our home in Arizona. This two-week journey through Southeast Asia has been wonderful. We visited four new countries and eight new destinations. We probably became more accustomed to Filipino food than Malaysian cuisine. The weather in the Philippines felt slightly cooler, but overall Malaysia seemed to have better infrastructure and modernization. Among the countries we visited, Brunei impressed us the most.
2026年3月13日
马尼拉是我们这次邮轮行的最后一站，今天早上我们从邮轮下船，明天一早就要飞回家了。由于航班时间较早，我们决定今晚住在马尼拉的马卡蒂区。马卡蒂是菲律宾的金融中心，高楼林立，街道也相对整齐现代。
在船上吃了最后一顿早餐后，下船从港口叫了一辆 Grab，虽然只有大约10公里的路程，却花了一个多小时才到达。一路上交通非常拥堵，还穿过了不少热闹的市场街道，最终我们抵达了 马尼拉半岛酒店（The Peninsula Manila），这是一家非常漂亮的酒店，上海外滩也有。入住后，我们在酒店吃了一顿自助午餐，顺便尝试一些当地菜肴。
午休片刻后，我们出门在附近散步。很快就注意到这一带有许多地方都以 “Ayala” 命名。阿亚拉家族（Ayala family）是菲律宾历史最悠久、最有影响力的商业家族之一。他们通过 阿亚拉集团（Ayala Corporation），在19世纪开始发展商业，并在后来主导开发了马卡蒂，使这里成为菲律宾现代化的金融和商业中心。
我们先在阿亚拉三角花园（Ayala Triangle Gardens） 悠闲地散步，然后参观了 阿亚拉博物馆（Ayala Museum）。博物馆里最令人印象深刻的展览之一是名为 “祖先的黄金”（Gold of Ancestors） 的黄金收藏，展示了大约10至13世纪菲律宾西班牙殖民时期之前的黄金文物。这些展品展示了早期菲律宾精湛的工艺和富足的生活。我们从未在一个地方见过如此多的黄金器物，令人非常震撼。博物馆还详细介绍了当时在西班牙流行的马尼拉披肩，色彩鲜艳漂亮，用于弗拉门戈舞。但实际上都是从中国进口的，马尼拉只是转手一下去了西班牙，成为马尼拉披肩。
离开博物馆后，我们走到Greenbelt 花园和购物中心。花园中央有一座小教堂，许多人已经在那里等待晚上六点的弥撒。我们在那里停留了一会儿，感受这种宗教氛围，也对菲律宾人对天主教的虔诚信仰留下深刻印象。
随后我们到当地一家热门的连锁餐厅吃了一顿菲律宾菜。食物非常美味，也为这次旅程画上了一个愉快的句号。
明天我们将飞回亚利桑那的家。为期两周的东南亚之行非常精彩，我们一共访问了三个新的国家和八个新的目的地。相比之下，我们似乎更适应菲律宾的食物，而不是马来西亚的菜肴。菲律宾的天气稍微凉爽一些，不过整体来说，马来西亚在基础设施和现代化程度方面更好。而在这三个国家中，文莱给我们的印象最好。