Exploring Tomas Morato

Sorry for the blurry jeepney shot. But, it does capture my adventure on Tomas Morato and Timog Ave.

Last Saturday I decided to explore the neighboring streets on foot and on jeepney. There are so many places to eat on Tomas Morato, to me it is comparable to the Ave at UW. Coffee shops, fast-food, two burger joints, and a couple of bookstores.

I decided to eat pho for lunch at Pho Hoa. It tasted the same, it cost the same too. But, the typical "student-on-a-budget" atmosphere was most certainly not there.

Went to Popular bookstore and bought three books for my growing Filipiniana library =) hahaha. Ended up at the ABS-CBN network, walked around inside, saw a couple cute shops, and then decided to have a foot spa (yeah, I know, extravagant, but I needed a little R & R time). Started walking back to Tomas Morato, when it started to drizzle, then it quickly turned to a downpour. I ran quickly to a nearby coffee shop, ordered green tea, and read the introduction to "Venerating without Understanding."

Timog area (from wikipedia)

Surrounding Timog Avenue (South Avenue, Carlos P.Garcia Avenue ) and Tomas Morato Avenue is a popular entertainment area. Located along these two avenues are many fine-dining restaurants and bars. Discotheques, Karaoke joints and comedy bars provide patrons with all-night-long recreation. It is home to many gay bars such as Chicos, Adonis and Gigolo, which are popular for their lively night time entertainment.

In the South Triangle (the area bounded by Quezon Avenue (R-7), Timog Avenue ( South Avenue,Carlos P.Garcia , and EDSA) are located the head offices of ABS-CBN and GMA Network, the top TV media companies in the country. Most Filipino entertainment is produced here, and it is also the home of many Filipino celebrities.

Most of the streets in the surrounding area were named in honor of the 20 boy scouts who died in a plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Jamboree. A memorial stands in the center of a rotunda at the intersection of Timog and Tomas Morato avenues. Because of this, Timog area is also often called Scout Area. In fact, one of the barangays (small local government unit) in the area is called Laging Handa (always ready), the motto of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.