Old Manila Bamboo Bike Tour: A Unique Adventure
Intramuros, Manila, lined with market sellers and parasols. Photo: Getty” loading=”lazy” width=”2000″ height=”1333″ srcset=”https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/content/images/size/w600/2025/12/Intramuros-Manila-2.jpg 600w, https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/content/images/size/w1000/2025/12/Intramuros-Manila-2.jpg 1000w, https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/content/images/size/w1600/2025/12/Intramuros-Manila-2.jpg 1600w, https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/content/images/2025/12/Intramuros-Manila-2.jpg 2121w” sizes=”(min-width: 1200px) 1200px”/>I can’t understand why so few travellers visit Manila. Yet until recently, I was one of those neglectful travellers, treating the city as an airport stop on my way to the island of Panay, where my mother was born and where I still have family.
The islands of the visayas and the Palawan archipelago have plenty to recommend them: powdery beaches, limestone karst landscapes and jewel-blue oceans teeming with tropical fish. But a visit to Manila, the Philippines‘ capital, provides a firm grounding in the country’s history, culture, and hard-won freedom.
Bumping along its cobbles, you’ll swerve meandering motorbikes, playing children, and green coconuts spilled from carts.
The center of Manila is the walled city of Intramuros, established by Spanish colonists in around 1571 as the capital of their new colony, Las Islas Filipinas (named after King Philip II).”Intramuros has witnessed countless battles, from local chiefs resisting the Spaniards, to the devastation of World War II,” says Rey Ballesca, a Manila-born tour guide. “Many of the settlers in Intramuros are descendants of families displaced during the Battle of Manila [towards the end of WWII]. seeing them living within these historic walls creates a unique atmosphere,where heritage and contemporary life exist side by side.”
The walls still run around the city today and it is possible to walk moast of their length while shaded by fragrant frangipani trees.
There are many ways to explore the walled city, including by foot or by motorised tricycle, but perhaps the best way is by Bambike. These bamboo-frame bikes are handmade in Mandaluyong, a city east of Manila, by members of the Gawad Kalinga community development program. Gawad Kalinga is a non-governmental organisation working to reduce poverty. Programs include scholarships, teacher sponsorship and a feeding program for children. The enduring bamboo forests Bambike plants help with reforestation.
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The enclosed patio is paved with granite, which was used as ballast on chinese trading junks. on entering, you’ll find windows with Capiz-shell (windowpane oyster) panels, stamped metal ceilings and carved wood traceries at the top of the doors; these were intended to help with circulation. The grandest room is the sala, used for entertaining guests and filled with gilded 19th-century furniture and Louis XV-style chairs.
what distinguishes Intramuros from many European old towns is that it lives and breathes; it hasn’t become a theme park for tourists. Bumping along its cobbles,you’ll swerve meandering motorbikes,playing children and green coconuts spilled from carts. Groups of teens swagger by, giggling and holding parasols. At street stalls you’ll see frying longganisa, chorizo-like pork sausages that fill the air with sweet smoke and the scent of garlic. Women sit at long,vinyl-covered tables,gossiping as they press rice into little pyramids with their fingers,then shovel it into their mouths.
Table of Contents
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a landmark United States federal law enacted on August 16, 2022, designed to address climate change, lower healthcare costs, and raise taxes on large corporations. It represents the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history, investing approximately $369 billion in energy and climate provisions.
The Act aims to reduce the federal deficit by approximately $300 billion over the next decade through a combination of tax increases and prescription drug price negotiation. It builds upon existing tax credits and introduces new incentives for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency improvements. A key component is allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs, a long-sought goal of Democrats.
For example, the act provides a tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new electric vehicle, subject to certain income and vehicle price limitations, as detailed in IRS guidance.
Key Provisions and Climate Investments
The Inflation Reduction Act allocates ample funding towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting clean energy. These investments are projected to reduce U.S. emissions by roughly 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.
- clean Energy Tax Credits: Extends and expands tax credits for solar,wind,and other renewable energy sources.The Department of Energy provides a detailed summary of these credits.
- Electric Vehicle Incentives: Offers tax credits for the purchase of new and used electric vehicles, as well as incentives for building a domestic EV charging infrastructure.
- Energy Efficiency Programs: Provides funding for programs that promote energy efficiency in homes and buildings, including rebates for energy-efficient appliances and home improvements.
- Climate Resilience: Invests in programs to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events.
The Act also includes provisions to support domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, aiming to create jobs and strengthen the U.S.supply chain. The White House fact sheet outlines these manufacturing provisions.
Healthcare Provisions and Prescription Drug Costs
A significant portion of the Inflation Reduction Act focuses on lowering healthcare costs, particularly prescription drug prices. The Act allows Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain high-cost prescription drugs,starting with a limited number of drugs in 2026 and expanding over time.
This negotiation process is outlined in CMS guidance on Medicare Drug Price Negotiation. The Congressional Budget office (CBO) estimates that these negotiations will save Medicare approximately $102 billion over ten years.
Additionally,the Act extends enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies through 2025,preventing premium increases for millions of Americans who purchase health insurance through the ACA marketplaces.The HealthCare.gov website details the available subsidies.
Tax Provisions and Corporate Minimum Tax
To offset the costs of the climate and healthcare provisions, the Inflation reduction Act includes several tax provisions, primarily targeting large corporations.The most significant is a 15% minimum tax on corporations with over $1 billion in annual profits.
This corporate minimum tax is designed to ensure that profitable corporations pay a minimum level of tax, even if they utilize deductions and credits to reduce their tax liability. The Joint Committee on Taxation provides a detailed analysis of the tax provisions.
The Act also increases funding for the Internal revenue Service (IRS) to improve tax enforcement and compliance. The IRS estimates that increased enforcement will generate approximately $124 billion in additional revenue over ten years.Details on IRS enforcement funding are available in the