Saturday, September 30, 2006

A better sense of Manila

I got off to a slow start this morning. I've been partially felled by a cold, which leaves me phlegmy and coughy (which I'm sure my seven dorm mates appreciate so, so much), and by a bizarro spider bite or something on my right index finger. I think I got it on my last night in Hong Kong, and it's swelled up such that I can't crook that finger. Eewie, I'm gross.

I spent the day wandering around Intramuros, the historical, Spanish-flavored part of Manila. Neat architecture (the Manila Cathedral, Casa Manila museum/restored home, and Fort Santiago) juxtaposed with some extremely poor neighborhoods. In the evening, I thought I'd walk back to my place, through Rizal Park and along Manila Bay. Power still hasn't been restored throughout the city; I though it interesting that along some parts of the big boulevard running along the coast, the street signal lights still weren't working, but the decorative streetlamps were. Along the streets, whole trees lay, uprooted and upside-down, but people just seem to walk around them without a second thought. Traffic here also drives on the same side of the road as in America. Bizarro! The drivers also sit on the same side. Funny how that looks strange to me now. Also, there are tons of people sitting out on the sidewalk, all the time. I don't know if it's because of the power outtage, or because it's the weekend or what. Lots of people everywhere.

My walk along the bay, during sunset, was quite nice. There are a few wooden benches with two seats facing each other, set in a frame, rigged such that they were swings. Fun! There are also numerous cafes and restaurants dottin the sidewalk, almost all featuring patio dining and stages for live bands. Manila was described to me as a big, dirty, traffic jam, and it kind of is, but it's more than that too. I've liked it decently so far but I won't get to explore it much more; tomorrow morning I fly to Boracay, and in another couple days, I fly to Palawan!

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanks for the postcard. its awesome!

Saturday, September 30, 2006 11:50:00 AM  

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