Memories of Manila

Day 1 
Hostel check in (with the jam and the delayed timing with Zest Air, reached at 4-5pm)
Malate Church - just to have a look see
Baywalk
Dinner at Aristocrat Restaurant at Malate
Drinks around Malate area - too many girlie bars in the area

Day 2 
Woke up early to have breakfast at the hostel
Walked up to the Quirino station and stop at Central Terminal
Got lost and finally reach Intramuros - visited Casa Manila, St Augustin Church and Museum, Manila Cathedral was closed for repair, walk around the old town area until Fort Santiago.
It rained like mad and had to take shelter in a cafe.
Walked out to Rizal Park and back to hotel via United Nations station.
Went back hotel to freshen up before we hit the stations again. Dropped down to take a jeepney to Divisoria Night Market. Nothing much to see there and had dinner at one of the roadside stalls.

Day 3 
Took a train to Edsa station and then exchange over to Ayala. It's quite a distance away to reach Greenbelt
Went to the Ayala Museum and spent like 2 hours there looking through the exhibits, nice but expensive entrance. Walked around Ayala Center's malls - not a shopping trip and got back to hostel by 3ish to rest. It rained the whole day but it's ok because we were already tired by day 3.

Day 4
Left for the airport at 4am as Zest Air only flies once a day for Kuala Lumpur at 7am.

Overall, it's a nice place to visit even though it won't be the top of the list for most travelers unless they are going to places like Cebu, Palawan or even Borocay.  It certainly does not deserve such bad rep - people esp from Malaysia are like people in glass houses who should not throw stones. It has its ups and downs like any city in South East Asia - same old story of dishonest taxi everywhere anyway. I felt safe to be there even though I stayed in a not so glamorous place. It was very colorful and most people are helpful and signs are mainly in English so that shouldn't be a problem. Favorite place obviously would be Intramuros because I love old historical buildings and it houses some of the best Catholic art outside Europe.

In terms of budget, was under/nearly RM800. This is inclusive of flights, taxis, hostels, some small souvenirs, food and also airport terminal fee, everything else basically. Not the most expensive trip ever, not sure if it's the cheapest.