Storms in Manila

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I hear the Philippines calling my name! So I’m going to have to go. Flights with Airasia are really cheap to Manila from KL and it only took 3hours. As this was a new part of Asia for me and I had heard of the dangers of Manila, I was a bit apprehensive. It didn’t start well for me because I hadn’t booked an outbound ticket from the Philippines. If you are UNLUCKY enough to get asked to show your outbound ticket at customs (they ask on a random basis) and you don’t have one, they won’t let you through. After about an hour booking a flight using the very slow laptop that the airport provided me with we managed to get out of there. Then we realised we were three hours out of Manila because, once again, Airasia has its own special little terminal! I think this should just be assumed in future. We were ushered onto a bus and three hours later we arrived at the bus terminal in Pasay City.

Now this isn’t the best place to be introduced to Manila or the Philippines as a whole for that matter. A lot of it is slum and the area is a bit busy on the streets with the usual offerings. I hopped straight into a taxi and you really need to get the price sorted before you get in. Bargain hard – because they overcharge a ridiculous amount if they think they can get away with it.

“Please, always lock your door when in a taxi” the driver says,

“Oh ok – why?”

“Many times, people get robbed at traffic lights. Many tourists.”

Reassuring.

I was taken to Adriatico Street in Malate to stay at friendly’s guesthouse. They have a really good website for bookings so there is no excuse. The rooms leave little to the imagination but this place has the best common area on the roof and is also perfectly located down the road from Robinsons (the huge shopping mall and place of refuge). The common area is amazing – leather couch with flat screen TV. Internet facilities – balcony overlooking Adriatico Street and a kitchen (free tea and coffee). This is quite important to have when staying in Manila as the streets take it out of you.

It started to rain and then it continued to rain and then it carried on raining – so we cut our exploring short and went to a 7 11 to get some food. Two children were begging for money so I bought them both a chocolate bar in the shop. They ran off looking a bit disappointed and on my walk back I realised why. Just off the main road I watched the children hand over the chocolate to another lady who angrily snatched it from them and added it to her stall – where she was selling a small amount of goods. Apparently the orphans become workers for larger homeless conglomerates around Manila. The homeless here can be quite forward and are not afraid to touch you. This can be daunting if you are not used to it. On one occasion a female got on her knees grabbed my legs and gave me a preview of what she could do to me if I paid her 20pesos. Just say as little as possible and move on. On the walk/run back to the guesthouse we nearly drowned. Some serious weather was brewing.

We had a room without a view (no window) and a tiny fan. It wasn’t too bad until the typhoon hit! At midnight the electricity went out and this meant we were sleeping in a sauna. The only option was to leave the door slightly open to get some air circulation. In a daze I looked up to see a small, scruffy Filipino man smiling at me through the door.

“Hot no?” he says,

“Yes, Very hot”

“Typhoon eh?”

“Yes very windy” Followed by me trying to ‘action’ wind.

“we try to get electric”

“Oh right – well good luck, could use the fan being back on,” I said, slightly more reassured as he must be the electrician and then...

“Nice girl ah?” he says whilst staring at my girlfriend.

“Good night” - the door remained closed for the rest of the night.

Because of the typhoon we didn’t get to do anything whilst in Manila this time. The electricity and water supply was cut off for days. If you spend a lot of time travelling the Philippines then you will definitely pass through here again - on other visits back to Manila we still did not do much but wonder around. Spending a lot of time in the gargantuan malls that grace every corner of this city. As a whole the city is no more dangerous than your average – it’s just ridiculously busy. The place does seem to have an identity crisis – with no real centre. This seemingly increases the amount of areas “you don’t want to be caught in,” and can have a negative effect on the overall vibe here.

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