{"id":670,"date":"2013-11-04T15:42:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T15:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/?p=670"},"modified":"2025-04-10T18:47:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T18:47:46","slug":"5-quirky-things-to-do-in-manila","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/5-quirky-things-to-do-in-manila\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Quirky Things To Do in Manila"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 Wonderfully Weird Things to Do in Manila<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Manila is a vibrant city where everything<\/em> seems possible. People are loud, full of life, and seem to know no embarrassment \u00e2\u20ac\u201d at least, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what it looks like to an outsider. I only spent a couple of days in the metropolis, but I immediately LOVED it. It’s fun, hectic, chaotic, and weird. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no other place quite like it.<\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve put together a list of quirky things I did in Manila \u00e2\u20ac\u201d hopefully it inspires you to embrace the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eccentric side!<\/p>\n

1. See the Pros at Work After a Cockfight<\/h3>\n

While cockfighting is popular in several countries, there aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t many places where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fully legal \u00e2\u20ac\u201d let alone hosted in designated cockpit arenas<\/em>. In Manila, these fights go until one rooster dies.<\/p>\n

But what happens to the wounded winner? I had always assumed they were put out of their misery, plucked and maybe cooked for dinner. Not here! The wounded champions are taken to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cock surgeons,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who patch them up with surprising professionalism. Wounds are cleaned with antiseptic and meticulously stitched \u00e2\u20ac\u201d all in makeshift surgery stations right outside the arena.<\/p>\n

I thought the fights themselves were bizarre enough, but these impromptu post-fight surgeries might be even quirkier.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: La Loma Cockpit<\/em> in Quezon City is a great spot to catch both the action and the patch-up jobs.<\/p>\n

\"cockfighting<\/a>
at the arena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"cockfighting<\/a>
cockfighting as a national sport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the<\/a>
the doctor will fix it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chickencut\"<\/a>
cleaning up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chicken<\/a>
closing up the wounded winner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Be a Rockstar for a Night with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rockeoke\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h3>\n

Why settle for regular karaoke when you can be backed by a live band, headbanging as you belt out your favourite song?
\nFilipinos take karaoke very seriously \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and have taken it to a whole new level. All you need to do is (get a little liquid courage first), request a song and sing your heart out.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: During the past decade, at least half a dozen people in the Philippines have reportedly been murdered after singing Frank Sinatra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My Way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> These so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My Way murders\u00e2\u20ac\u009d have led some bars to ban the song altogether. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been warned!<\/p>\n

\"everyone<\/a>
anyone can be a rockstar…<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Visit the Chinese Cemetery \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Where Graves Have Toilets and A\/C<\/h3>\n

The Chinese believe in treating their dead well. Very<\/em> well. The tombs in Manila\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Chinese Cemetery are mind-boggling. Most include a toilet and a mailbox \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how else would you send letters to your deceased loved ones? Some are equipped with air conditioning, others are two stories high. A few even have jacuzzis, Wi-Fi, or round-the-clock security guards. Many of these tombs are bigger and more luxurious than my own house!<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not every day you get to wander through endless streets of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fancy shmancy zombie cribs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just quirky \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a powerful cultural insight into how different societies view the afterlife.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: The cemetery is massive. Hire a guide at the entrance to get the most out of your visit. These caretakers know the area like the back of their hand and can tell you all the juicy background stories. Plus, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hilarious \u00e2\u20ac\u201d in true Filipino fashion.<\/p>\n

\"chinese<\/a>
basic toilet and sink<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chinese<\/a>
wo storey church-like grave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chinese<\/a>
personalised simple graves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chinese<\/a>
mansion graves with pet dogs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. MC for a Night at a Midget Boxing Match<\/h3>\n

Yes, midget boxing<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a thing. A bizarre, slightly comedic show where little people duke it out in a boxing ring. The audience? A mix of one confused tourist and about 30 working girls from the bar, screaming with laughter and cheering on their favourite fighter like the world depends on it. Once the match is over and they realize you’re not there for them<\/em>, the girls sit back down, looking spectacularly bored. Then, four of them climb into the ring to perform some PG-level dance moves that look like they were choreographed at a third-grade recital.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more performance than fight \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so odd, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re lucky (or unlucky?), you might even get invited to MC the match. Go ahead \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you dare.<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find this surreal show in the Burgos<\/em> area. Entrance is free, but the drinks are expensive \u00e2\u20ac\u201d so just order a beer and consider it your unofficial ticket.<\/p>\n

\"midget<\/a>
welcoming sign right outside the bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"midget<\/a>
midget boxing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"midget<\/a>
we have a winner!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you care to see a short video\u00c2\u00a0Midget Boxing Manila<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Slurp Up the Embryonic Juices of a Young Duck<\/h3>\n

Walking through the streets, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll hear vendors yelling, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Balut! Balut!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a local delicacy and a true rite of passage in the Philippines. Balut is a fertilized duck egg \u00e2\u20ac\u201d boiled alive and eaten straight from the shell. Add salt and vinegar, slurp up the broth, and dig into the embryo. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely a memorable bite!<\/p>\n

TIP<\/strong>: Eating balut can get messy \u00e2\u20ac\u201d especially if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a first-timer. Bring napkins or wet wipes, just in case.<\/p>\n

\"note
note the staring eye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Manila is not for the squeamish or the tightly wound. But if you embrace its madness, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find it endlessly entertaining, disarmingly raw, and completely unforgettable.<\/p>\n

\n

A special thanks to my dear friend Aubrey Aliguyon<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0for pointing me in the right direction for a quirky Manila experience<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you enjoy doing quirky things while traveling?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The post “5 Quirky Things To Do in Manila<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5 Wonderfully Weird Things to Do in Manila Manila is a vibrant city where everything seems possible. People are loud, full of life, and seem to know no embarrassment \u00e2\u20ac\u201d at least, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what it looks like to an outsider. I only spent a couple of days in the metropolis, but I immediately LOVED it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,103,119],"tags":[5,50,46,39,44],"country":[220],"class_list":["post-670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-lists","category-the-philippines","tag-asia","tag-manila","tag-quirky","tag-the-philippines","tag-top-things","post_format-post-format-image","country-the-philippines"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phrKJj-aO","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.travelcake.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/feat.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&quality=89&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4419,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions\/4419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}