The last post was quite long, so here is a short one for you. Enjoy!
Manila is skipped by many travelers we've met . How come? Might it be because it's dirty, grimy and smoggy? Because first timers and even locals find the 'public transport' so uhm... challenging? Maybe it's because Manila so blatantly shows its wealthy sides as well as its poorer sides while smiling down at you and saying 'I'm all of that, It's all here, I'm the Poor, I'm the Rich, I'm Loud, I'm Fun, I'm Big. You are here by no mistake. Make use of it!' And so we did.
Thanks to a relative of mine we were able to see the many sides of the capital. Thanks again for that kuya! We experienced and enjoyed, both just briefly, the life of the big majority while staying in the safe and comfortable home only known to few. We used the jeepney and we used the private cars with driver. We ate simple meals and we had feasts. We walked through luxurious commercial areas and we got to meet, albeit just briefly, people in ramshackle homes. We bought credits for my mobile at a small simple store fronts but we also visited the humongous Mall of Asia.
Yes, you might easily feel lost and not welcome by the city, but then again, it's a big city. Show some balls and you might just get the hang of it and linger longer than you had planned. Marlies showed some and it brought us home from our first jeepney ride in the capital and that was at night! Check out the pictures for image-like impressions on this city.
Baguio and Sagada are next on the menu. As always your comments are welcome!
Damn, I almost forgot how beautiful the rest of the world is. Makes me wanna spread my wings as well...
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed Manila for what it really is...a mix of yin and yang, old and new, gritty and shiny. Hope you and Marlies find the rest of Pinas as engaging...Kung Hei Fat Choi!
ReplyDeleteManila? I tend to look at it as a place full of smog and thick with traffic. That's why when I go to Pinas, I stay there only for a day or two. Well, you have given another dimension of a city to be visited.
ReplyDeleteDid you notice that each jeepney is unique with a quote? One I noted before was, "Pawis ng Italya" (sweat of Italy). The owner must have been a migrant worker in Italy, went home and bought his jeepney.
On my next trip, I'll make it a point to visit the biggest of the big, "Mall of Asia."
You are home, young man. You and Marlies have started bonding with relatives - family and clan - in Manila. I'm sure you'll meet more in the provinces.
Mama