MANILA BAY: SUNSET TO DUSK

When I arrived at G Hotel by Waterfront, I realized that the orange sun was about to set!

I was confused... should I leave all my bags in the room before running to the Baywalk area of the Roxas Boulevard, or should I go directly to watch the Manila Bay sunset?

I was bringing many little bags which turned out quite bulky... so I run first to the room to leave my things.

I remembered the place I went to, to get a beautiful view of the Roxas Boulevard...and that was at the Promenade Hall of G Hotel at the Seventh Floor!

The place was closed but I went in anyway (pardon me!) and found my way to the balcony!

YES! I was just in time....

The Roxas Boulevard, previously known as Dewey Boulevard is an eight-lane highway in the heart of Manila and viewing the Manila Bay.

late afternoon at Roxas Boulevard facing the Marina and Sofitel

one of the sidewalks at the Baywalk of the Manila Bay at dusk

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxas_Boulevard 


Roxas Boulevard (formerly known as Dewey Boulevard) is a boulevard in Metro Manila, and an eight-lane arterial road that connects the center of Manilawith Pasay City, Parañaque City. It is one of the major arteries in the city's metropolitan network, designated as Radial Road 1. Formerly named in honor of the American Admiral George Dewey who defeated the Spanish navy in the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, the boulevard was renamed to Roxas Boulevard in the 1960's to honor President Manuel Roxas, the fifth President of the Republic of Philippines. Roxas Boulevard runs along the shores Manila Bay and is well-known for its sunsets. The boulevard has become a trademark of Philippine tourism, famed for its yacht club, hotels, fine dining restaurants and parks. The arcing road runs in a north-south direction from Luneta in Manila and ends in Parañaque City, at the intersection of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Road or NAIA Rd.^[3] Beyond its southern terminus, starts the Manila-Cavite Expressway or Coastal Road.


Manila Bay is known for its beautiful sunset and the Roxas Boulevard is a good place to view it.
Many times, other places with boulevards like Dumaguete City and Zamboanga City compare their boulevards with the Roxas Boulevard, and they also view interesting sunsets there.


from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Bay


Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines.
The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and its neighbouring countries^[1], becoming the gateway for socio-economic development even prior to Spanish occupation. With an area of 1,994 km² (769.9 sq mi), and a coastline of 190 km (118.1 mi), Manila Bay is situated in the western part of Luzon and is bounded by Cavite and Metro Manila on the east, Bulacan and Pampanga on the north, and Bataan on the west and northwest.^[2] Manila Bay drains approximately 17,000 km² (6,563.7 sq mi) ofwatershed area, with the Pampanga River contributing about 49% of the freshwater influx. With an average depth of 17 m (55.8 ft), it is estimated to have a total volume of 28.9 billion cubic meters (28.9 cubic km). Entrance to the bay is 19 km (11.8 mi) wide and expands to a width of 48 km (29.8 mi). However, width of the bay varies from 22 km (13.7 mi) at its mouth and expanding to 60 km (37.3 mi) at its widest point.^[2]


The Manila Bay sunset is a photographer's dream and I, too, was amazed by the "orangey" sunset.

Then, another question popped in my head... Is this a sunset scene or a dusk scene? These terms are noted in point-and-shoot cameras.

So, I looked up Sunset and Dusk from the Wikipedia and also found a new word, Evening Twilight.

Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.

The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west. The ray path of light from the setting Sun is highly distorted near the horizon because of atmospheric refraction, making sunset appear to occur when the Sun’s disk is already about one diameter below the horizon. Sunset is distinct from dusk, which is the moment at which darkness falls, which occurs when the Sun is approximately eighteen degrees below the horizon. The period between sunset and dusk is called twilight.

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening, and occurs after twilight, when the sky generally remains bright and blue. Civil dusk is when the earth has rotated enough that the center of the sun is at 6° below the local horizon. This marks the end of the evening civil twilight, the point where artificial illumination is required to read outside.[1] It can be confused with sunset, which is the point at which the earth has rotated enough, that the sun is no longer visible from the local horizon.

So it starts with Sunset then Evening twilight then Dusk.
I specifically mentioned Evening twilight because there is also a Morning twilight between Dawn and Sunrise.

And we thought Twilight was just a blockbuster movie!

The photos are not exactly of premium quality since I just used the Nikon Coolpix P500 36x superzoom and not the Nikon D90 DSLR.

I didn't bring the DSLR because I thought it was a Convention I was attending and no special occasion for photography.

But, I would still like to share it anyway.

By the way, no Photoshop here, just a little bit of tweaking from iPhoto...

SUNSET 

The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west.

When I arrived at the Seventh Floor, I was sad to see heavy clouds covering the brilliant vermillion sunset!

But, eventually, the sunset was visible again.

** wide

View of the sunset faraway

sun was still covered by the dark clouds

the sun is now seen again

** zoom

as sun peeks from the clouds

more visible sun coming out from covering cloud

sunset

as it goes down behind the mountain

sun sets behind the mountain

EVENING TWILIGHT

The period between sunset and dusk is called twilight.

Evening civil twilight is the point where artificial illumination is required to read outside.

** wide

sun has set and no longer visible

Roxas Boulevard facing Manila Hotel and the Manila Ocean Park

** midzoom

DUSK

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening, and occurs after twilight, when the sky generally remains bright and blue. Civil dusk is when the earth has rotated enough that the center of the sun is at 6° below the local horizon. This marks the end of the evening civil twilight, the point where artificial illumination is required to read outside.

** wide

the blue color of dusk

sky is starting to be blue and the Baywalk lights are now lighted up.

** midzoom

at dusk, the sun has set and the sky acquires a blue hue
and the lights of the Baywalk are now open 

Seems like a Science Class instead of an Art Appreciation blog, right?

Anyway, there will be more beautiful sunsets in Manila Bay than the ones I got, but I am happy I was able to experience it just the same.

G HOTEL MANILA BAY BY WATERFRONT

When I was asked where I stayed in Manila, I answered G Hotel.

And the next line usually is, "Saan yan?" (Translated: Where is that hotel located?) as in really in wonder.

I should answer proudly, G Hotel Manila by Waterfront!

Well, don't put the place down. G Hotel is described in their website this way!

http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/waterfront/g-hotel/

G-Hotel Manila

With its residential chic appeal, G Hotel Manila by Waterfront provides a cozy yet comfortable backdrop for both business and pleasure in the metropolis.

Backed by a solid management support team, Waterfront Group, G Hotel Manila by Waterfront offers premium service to give guests a unique experience. Its intimate setting is ideal for G Hotel Manila’s brand of truly personalized service. All details are double-checked to assure quests that they get more than what they expect from a regular hotel.

Combining world-class service with posh modern minimalism, G Hotel Manila serves a unique balance of substance and style in a trendy boutique hotel.

Location

G Hotel Manila is a first-class boutique hotel situated on Manila’s historic Roxas Boulevard. This ultra-modern building features a residential chic theme with its black and white interiors and a modern minimalist contemporary design by world-renowned architect Gerry Contreras.

A few minutes from the financial district, shopping malls, golf courses and a stone’s throw away from the famous Baywalk, it is the ideal choice for business and pleasure in Manila.

G Hotel Manila by Waterfront
2090 Roxas Boulevard
Malate, Manila
Philippines

Yup, I also asked the lady in the front desk what kind of hotel this is and she answered, "Ma'am, this is a premiere boutique hotel by Waterfront."

This is sort of a business hotel, although, there is a pool at the seventh floor.

Among the people who book here are those attending seminars and conventions, people on business and also even foreigners.

So, what is a Boutique Hotel?
From Wikipedia, this is how it is defined:

Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities. Sometimes known as "design hotels" or "lifestyle hotels", boutique hotels began appearing in the 1980s in major cities like London, New York, and San Francisco.^[1] Typically boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or aspirational manner. They usually are considerably smaller than mainstream hotels, often ranging from 3 to 50 guest rooms.

Well, here is more of the G Hotel by Waterfront!

It is a seven-storey hotel and indeed, it is a small hotel in the Roxas Boulevard line.

The G Hotel is near the Quirino Avenue corner where the Ospital ng Maynila and the Manila Zoo are located.

As we enter G Hotel, this is what we see. 
Straight ahead is the front desk. 

These are the minimalist black and white sofas in the lobby area, which has a charm of its own.

And this is the entrance to Cafe Noir, where we have our breakfast.

This is located close to the elevators.

Here are some of the Ad displays in the elevator.

Try to check out if you can read the advertisement... 

As we pass by the aisles to the rooms, this is what we see.

Here is Room 608.

The room is comfortable and cozy. I liked the feel when I entered the room.

There is a place to prepare some food and drinks, which most hotel rooms don't have. This is most convenient.

The cabinets are across the area and so it is organized.

This is the bathroom, which is really large relative to the room size.

This is what we had for our buffet breakfast at Cafe Noir.

Cafe Noir

Encounter the mystique of Asian Fusion cuisine served at a cozy and interactive coffee shop at Café Noir.

Oops, I didn't get the meaning of interactive coffee shop!

The food was Asian and so we appreciate that. In fact, breakfast was like a heavy Filipino lunch!

The bread and omelette station.

The dimsum station.

The fruit and salad station.

The mami station.

Main dishes. 

Korean Rice

Hawaiian Spareribs

Chicken Adobo

Creme Dory in Lemon Sauce.

Farmer's Potato.

Crispy Bacon

The second day, I came earlier but they didn't fill up the trays when the food trays were almost empty so I didn't take pictures then.

There was garlic rice, pork tonkatsu, sausages but some were not available anymore.

The bread, omelette, fruit, salad and mami stations are always present.

I came at 10 a.m. the day earlier and I had more choices then. Actually, breakfast is up to 10 a.m. but they were kind to extend it to 10:30 a.m.

If you are into Asian, the food choices are really good.

But for me, what I look for in a Hotel is the Wi-fi availability! 

Even, some 5-star hotels charge for their wi-fi so the free wi-fi here is precious to me.

I went to the seventh floor and from there I saw the Manila Bay sunset.

This is my second time in G Hotel so I knew my way to find the best area to watch the sunset, at the balcony of the Promenade, which is a function hall at the seventh floor but it was empty at this time and appeared closed.

After I left the balcony area at the seventh floor, I saw a group of young photographers finding the best spot to take pictures, but they were at the back part of the Hotel at the Mirage Pool Bar. I guess, they did not dare enter the empty function room. 

Well, not so lucky for them...

G Hotel by Waterfront is worth checking out as one of the choices for a hotel in the Roxas Boulevard area.

I remember, though, that I didn't choose this the last time because I would prefer the hotel to be walking distance to the venue of the seminar site.

(P.S. I don't exactly like Manila taxis!)

I like G Hotel by Waterfront...