A month on from my previous visit to Makati in Manila (post here), I found myself back for a further week. This time I decided not to take my camera as the schedule was expected to be hectic, and I was skeptical that there would be time to make use of it.

Nonetheless, there were some great opportunities during the week to snap away, so this time I relied on my iPhone (6), along with some filters.

Trees and Towers

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll probably gather that I’m most comfortable photographing buildings and urban scenes, which Makati has in abundance. It’s a very busy city, with lots going on all around, yet for me it doesn’t have that sense of being congested that is more typical of cities like Hong Kong – Filipinos don’t seem to rush from place to place in quite the same way as some of their Asian neighbours, and there is space for all.

Storm Clouds gathering

There are many views where the Towers are complemented by the abundance of greenery

Some B&W fun, taken from the 23rd floor

Ayala Triangle Gardens #nofilter

One of my favourite shots – A jeepney stop, with great shade

Back in the Peninsula

As with the previous visit, I had to ‘rough it’ at the gorgeous Peninsula hotel, it’s a tough job, but hey, someone’s got to do it.

The wonderful hotel lobby

One feature of the hotel that I did discover on this trip was that one of the bars, The Salon de Ning, had a seating area dedicated to the famous airship The Zeppelin, where you can soar over Manhattan, as the city plays host to none other than King Kong! Perhaps not the most obvious place you would expect to meet him, but it made for an interesting location to enjoy a drink.

Driving The Zeppelin (Cocktails mandatory!)

An unhappy guest?

Sauntering around the city

There wasn’t a great deal of time to explore on this trip, however, I did get the opportunity to venture out for refreshment a couple of times, and Makati has a wide choice of venues, with food and drink from just about every corner of the globe.

A delightful late lunch with a pot of English Breakfast – you can take the boy out of England!

Street food, Makati style

Canes at night

For my last night, along with colleagues, we decided to do something a little special, and went for dinner at the nearby Blackbird restaurant. It’s a place with a real history, located on the site of Nielson Airport. Originally a military air base that opened in 1937, it was also used for commercial flights after WW2,  until it’s closure in 1948.

The restaurant is centred on a re-development of the original control tower, in a very art-deco style. The food and drinks were wonderful – it was an excellent way to end a very busy week.

We all went for the Wagyu Steak!

Preserving aviation history

How the tower looks from the inside

Table with a rainy view

The Blackbird Restaurant’s website

TWG Tea’s website

The Peninsula’s website