Manila (2-5 Apr 13)

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Back on the road again! And after a relatively short 3hflight from Bangkok I arrived in Manila, the capital city of the 7000-island archipelago known as the Philippines.

Pretty much the first thing that hit me about the country was what others had warned me about -- the ubiquity of guns here. In short, they're everywhere. Not just guards with the Remington pump guns at the banks, but even those in uniform with their revolvers standing at the doors of just about every other shop, including fast food joints and convenience stores! To borrow from Dorothy's quote from the Wizard of Oz, "I don't think we're in Bangkok anymore". Or any other normal city that I've visited on my travels so far, for that matter! It's impossible to escape the feeling of an atmosphere of generic danger here in the air, even though I'm staying in the touristy area of Ermita/ Malate, a presumed Asian enclave with its preponderance of Japanese and Korean restaurants, and of course obligatory girlie KTV bars. Even the cop talking to the random streetwalker at night waves his automatic pistol audaciously as he jokes with her. I stayed in the US for four years, and certainly didn't feel the guns there as much as I do here...

In any case, I had been warned, and was this mentally prepared to some extent. Manila is one city where I definitely do feel a need to exercise a traveler's heightened sense of alertness. But the city has its attractions too! And so I spent a full two days exploring the Intramuros, home to the historic Fort Santiago and San Agustin Church, as well as Rizal Park and the National Museum and Art Gallery. Manila being a truly sprawling city with traffic and slums that might make the worst parts of the likes of Bangkok and Jakarta blush, the areas I covered represents I believe only two of the dozen-plus regions of the metropolitan area.

But that's all I have time for in the capital, for the time being, as I intend to head north towards the Cordillera mountains and the famed Luzon rice terraces. But I'll be back in Manila again before long, as I transit en route to Southeast Luzon, before swinging back again for my flight out of the country, at the end of my three weeks or so in the country. Hopefully I make it back in one piece!

Stayed at the Mabini Pension.

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Photos

San Agustin Church
One of four Unesco Heritage churches in the Philippines.

Rizal Shrine
For the Philippines' most famous independence martyr.

View from the Top of Fort Santiago
Across the Pasig River.

Rizal Park
And the statue of the famous man, in the distance.

National Art Gallery
This is the Spolarium, by Juan Luna, perhaps the most famous Filipino work of art. It is HUGE.

National Art Gallery
The Botong Murals, depicting the history of medicine in the country.