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Things to see and do in Manila
Manila’s museums are some of the best in Asia. Start with a wander around the Ayala Museum, famous for its collections of gold artefacts – more specifically, 1,000 items dating back to the sixteenth century. The National Museum, which has been free to visit since 2016, has collections dedicated to archaeology, ethnography and natural history, along with –slightly randomly – one of the largest collections of endemic plant species. For a history fix, head to the Intramuros district (meaning “within walls” in Spanish). This fortified city was founded by the Spanish in 1571 and its layout, with neat plazas, cannon-topped walls and thick stone archways, is a world away from the rest of Manila.
Equally historic is Binondo – the world’s oldest Chinatown. It was founded in 1594 by the Spanish, who decided to set aside a hilly slab of Manila (hence the name, derived from the Tagalog word binondoc, meaning mountainous) for Chinese immigrants who’d converted to Catholicism. It’s colourful, chaotic and crowded – horse-drawn carriages share the road with over-stuffed jeepneys (kitschly decorated, jeep-shaped buses you’ll see throughout Manila) and shopkeepers’ wares spill into the road. The temples and the Chinese restaurants are the main attractions, along with the rust-red Binondo Church, otherwise known as the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz. This baroque-style church was founded in the late sixteenth century by Dominican priests.