2022
Five-Hour Layover in Manila - now what? ✈️🛫🛬🛩️
Inbound flights to Manila will arrive at Terminal #1 of NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (NAIA).
I highly recommend confirming that your baggage is checked in already for your connecting flight before doing anything else.
Airport taxis are expensive, so download the Grab taxi app before arriving in Manila as Wi-Fi is weak in Terminal 1. Grab taxis are excellent!
The nearest market is in Makati, about 20 minutes away by taxi. Remember, most international flights require you to check in 2 to 3 hours before your flight here, so manage your time wisely.
For us, we chose to visit the oldest Chinatown in the world in Binondo, located about one hour from Terminal 1. Traffic is horrible here, so plan ahead.
The reason we chose to visit Binondo was for a dish called congee, a type of porridge for us Westerners. Expats like me who live in Tokyo love a hot bowl of congee and can enjoy some of the best Japan has to offer in Shibuya.
Binondo, however, has been around since the 1500s and is home to the greatest Chinese cuisine outside of China proper, especially its congee!
We chose a place called Ying Ying Tea House and Beth was our server, a super nice and lovely person. She made our stay comfortable.
We ordered the congee with chicken and pineapple bread! Seafood fried rice and dumplings with a hot pot of brown Chinese tea. The best congee I ever had! It was well seasoned with just enough thickening, and the chicken blended perfectly with it.
Other write-ups I recommend reading by fellow LG members:
How to enjoy 2.5hours of Singapore
And
Your Most Adventurous Under 24-hour Layover?
