One of the things I love about Manila is the abundance of cheap thrills. Especially now that a lot of the malls and shops are on "Mid-Year Sale" mode. (Probably in response to all the sales happening Asia-wide.) It's increasingly difficult to stay away from shops these days, especially with their huge SALE signs bannered outside. The biggest I've seen is the sale sign of Crossings Department Store in TriNoMa - I'd say it was 12 feet high!
Nowadays, you can get a pair of VNC shoes for P300, an ultra-chic wood and leather platform sandal for Charles and Keith at P700, and a structured skirt from Bayo for P250. But the cheap thrills I've been indulging in aren't clothes or shoes (but I did buy the abovementioned items... har...) since their state of being "cheap" can be questioned. After all, one can get a pair of shoes or a mondrian-style shift in HKG for about P150.
The past week, I've been raiding malls, sidewalks and even train stations for cheap eats. When it comes to that, Manila trumps HKG, definitely. Aside from the P10 turon near The Podium and the P15 Green Tea drink at St. Francis Square, I've come across more goodies at very appetizing prices. Among my favorites are:
1. Mister Donut Donuts (every corner has one)- P10.00
2. Large Buco Pandan Drink - with real buco and pandan jelly (Cubao MRT station) - P15.00
3. Mini-empanadas (EDSA MRT station) - P4.50
4. Hong Kong style noodle with siomai (St. Francis Square) - P25.00
5. Gummy Thai Tamarind Candy (SM Department Store) - P13.75
These finds make me miss my teaching days at St. Scholastica's. I remember how Prichy and I would walk around campus and discover all these little restaurants serving good food. (There's Miggy's in front of school, and another restaurant near Nursia whose name I can't remember now.)
Now that I have spare time, I should go back to that area and look for more cheap thrills to add to my list.
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