We left from Mumbai on TG318 for Bangkok at 11:35 PM, a little before midnight.
There was a meal service onboard and the rest of the flight was comfortable. We landed on time around 5:35 AM.
During transit at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, we visited the Miracle Lounge near Gate D5 for a quick breakfast.
They had the usual breakfast spread: cereal, fruits, bacon, and eggs, along with dim sum.
Our next flight was TG620 at 7:25 AM, which took us from Bangkok across the South China Sea, to Manila.
There was a meal service onboard and the rest of the flight went by quickly and we landed in Manila at around 11:45 AM.
We were met by a ground agent after we deplaned. He was aware of our connection between Thai Airways and United Airlines. He instructed us to clear immigration and collect our luggage (which was not checked all the way to our final destination). He told us where we could leave our bags at the airport if we wanted to head into the city.
We took a taxi from the airport to the Manila Cathedral, also known as the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. We hired an electric tuk-tuk from here for a local sightseeing tour of Intramuros.
The next stop was Manila 1945 Memorial.
We then headed to San Agustin Church. Constructed in the 16th century, it has vaulted ceilings & detailed frescoes.
We visited Casa Manila next, a restored 1850s house which is now a museum displaying Spanish colonial furniture, art & architecture. Instituto Cervantes was nearby.
We passed by Museo de Intramuros on our way to see the Philippine Presidents’ Murals: artwork featuring large plaques of all former presidents of the Philippines.
Next we saw Baluartillo de San Jose and Reducto de San Pedro.
Our next stop was the San Diego Gardens and the Japanese Cannon.
We saw the Puerta Real and the Puerta Real Gardens after that.
Revellin del Parian was our next stop, along with the ASEAN Gardens.
Circling back, we saw the monument for Felipe II, Rey De España and Fort Santiago.
After the tour, we walked across Rizal Park and saw the Bust of President Diosdado P. Macapagal and Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom (Lapu-Lapu).
We visited the National Museum of Natural History. The building had a beautiful atrium and many zoological, botanical, and geological specimens on display.
After spending some time there, we had to head back. We took a taxi from the museum gate back to the airport. We picked up our bags from storage and dropped them off at the United Airlines check-in counter. After clearing security and immigration, we decided to visit the Marhaba Lounge.
The lounge was not very big, but it had a good selection of food and drinks. Overall, a nice place to wait before the next flight.
Having skipped lunch because we wanted to make the most of our day in Manila, we were hungry. We got dinner and relaxed there for a while.
We left the lounge to board our flight to Guam, UA184 at 10:25 PM. There was a meal service onboard and it was amusing to be flying a United Airlines narrow-body aircraft in this part of the world.
