MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Our publisher, editor and two reporters were graciously invited to Manila as guests of the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT).

DOT wanted us to experience first-hand the many unique and fun things in the country as it prepared to launch Part Two of its  tourism campaign called “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

We were booked at a resort hotel just a few blocks from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Our hotel room had one-and-a-half baths:

After being treated with a delicious local breakfast of tapsilog (beef steak, eggs and garlic fried rice), we were taken to a nearby mall for some shopping. We took this escalator to the second level where SM ShoeMart (the equivalent of Macy’s in the U.S.) was located:

One of our reporters needed some cash so he had to go to a nearby ATM Machine. Alas, he wasn’t tall enough and kept entering the wrong PIN for his debit card:

Our DOT guide then gave us a tour of one of the many condos being built in Makati City. The luxury units all had great views from their balconies:

Finally, we were given a sneak preview of a new bridge that was being built to connect the islands of Luzon and Visayas. The bridge needed just a little tweaking before its scheduled opening next week:

And that concluded our first day in the Philippines!

Follow us on our all-expenses-paid tour as we embark on Day 2 tomorrow.