Manila, one of my least favourite cities so far. I wasn't expecting much from it, but I was not prepared for the poverty, pollution and general seediness. The traffic congestion here is amongst the worst I have seen anywhere, and sometimes you can see the choking fumes in the air. In the area I was staying (Malate), there were mothers and children sleeping on sheets of cardboard on the streets and in the filth. And yet, just around the corner was a huge shopping mall with fashionable shops and an 11-screen cinema. The difference between the people's wealth in this one area was staggering. The Philippines has a reputation for it's sex scene, and it appears to be justified. I saw lots of middle-aged men walking around with young Filipino girls, and there are lots of
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