Old Manila Speed Run (January 14, 2026)
Edwardo saw me a mile away. He knew I was exactly the tourist he wanted in the back of his Kolong-kolong to visit the old historical parts of Manila as part of a “land tour.” What’s a Kolong-kolong you ask? It’s the cage that wraps around a tricycle (i.e. three wheel motorcycle) and looks like this:
Edwardo in his Kolong-kolong ready to show me historical Manila
His timing was perfect. I was walking towards the historical part of Manila ready to see all that this city has to offer. Of course, I was in “explore” mode and less interested in a destination and more curious about what I would stumble across. Edwardo had a better offer.
So a “land tour” is a clever marketing strategy deployed by these drivers of Kolong-kolongs and similar passenger vehicles. Why settle for a small fare taking passengers from point A to point B when you can step into the role of their tour guide and charge WAY MORE?
First of what will be many pictures today …
How a “Land Tour” Works
So you’re new to a city (or just visiting) and you’d like to know your way around. Cab drivers know these cities like the back of their hands as they need to take people to all sorts of popular destinations. So they figure out the most popular places every tourist wants to go and rather than just taking them to one location, the sell them on a bundle of multiple locations.
The catch? They negotiate an upfront rate which is multiple times what you’d pay if you just hired a motorbike or car for point to point destinations. Then again, so what? Edwardo knew all the popular destinations and was willing to drive me around to each of them, so let’s see how much of Manila we can see in about 90 minutes.
Above was the first stop called the San Diego Gardens. This was an important military fort that has since been turned into a garden park that can be used to host events (including wedding receptions). What I enjoyed seeing from the top of the fort was that it is surrounded by a beautiful golf course on three of its four sides. The caretakers do a really beautiful job of rewilding allowing nature to absorb much of the old stone structures. Beautiful sight to see, but of course, I’m on a clock, so I took a number of pictures to admire later and found Edwardo.
Next to Edwardo was a Bamboo Bike tour including a side car
Before moving on, Edwardo wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the anti-aircraft cannon used to defend this fort during World War II. If I understood Edwardo correctly, this gun was used as part of the Japanese invasion and occupation during the war.
Eduardo, loving the role of tour guide and photographer also showed me some bullet holes from the wall outside and had me pose there too. I leaned into all this. Why not?
From there, Edwardo took me to Puerta Real Gardens. Here again, this stronghold was converted into a beautiful garden area. I was most impressed with the giant tree covering the walking path. And, of course, the natural growth between the moat and the wall that’s now covered in various plant life.
Next up is walking along the wall itself and then checking out the rooftop garden where Marlon and I had dinner last night. It’s free to go up during the day and it’s a totally different experience and epic view during the daylight hours vs. night time.
By the way, I think this particular post is breaking my Squarespace hosting platform. The images are loading at a snail’s pace and I hope your ability to read / scan this post is better and faster than I’m experiencing writing it. Turns out my speed run didn’t just fill up my phone, it appears to be clogging up my website for this page too.
Almost done! Just one last stop to complete my 90 minute adventure and fully immersed “Land Tour” of historical Manila. And that would be the “crown jewel” as Edwardo positioned it: Fort Santiago.
Yes, BONUS kitties. So cute.
That’s my way of thanking you for taking the time to scroll through all these images. I did say it was a “speed run” and any gamer knows what I’m referring to. That’s when you complete the game as fast as you can. You’re on a clock and you’re making it all happen. Not quite as fun as just relaxing into the playing of the game, but it’s a different type of adventure and that’s exactly what today felt like.
And I couldn’t “complete” my tour without at least seeing one cathedral, so I asked Edwardo to drop me off in front of the most famous cathedral in Manila: San Agustin. Enjoy!
Sneak peak! Tomorrow I’m meeting up with more Positive Intelligence customer service team members. These are the ones who were unable to join me in Boracay, but still wanted to connect while I’m in the Philippines. While I’m not 100% sure who’s joining, I believe it will at least included Pedro and Hazel. The more the merrier.
