That sweet, heavy smell of wet streets and carbon monoxide in the air, that’s the welcome that brings me home every time I step out of the airport in Manila. There’s also the trusty traffic circus—the flash of yellow lights and blow of horns as the audience heats up to cue in the alpha male, Mr. MMDA, who just waves his hand again and again and again. Five minutes (or not even) into the city and I’m suddenly nostalgic about any other place I’ve been to, but no hurrah, I’m stuck—in traffic.
For some reason, though, there comes that pull, that sneaky charm that makes me forget the traffic in five minutes, or maybe thirty, and sets me right—I am home, I am home. I click my heels, and start my chant.
Why Manila? If you listen with a sincere heart, you'll hear it, the secret life in the Philippine capital that is beyond the traffic and mess. You’ll feel the city’s pulse in the hawker’s food and chicken chatter of the kids, in the busy churches and schools of June. There it is in the unsanitized streets, the daydreaming jaywalkers, the loud-mouthed jeepney conductors who spit on occasion; the abrupt brownouts, the omnipresent fear of intensity 5.0 earthquakes and signal no. 2 typhoons, of sensationalized news reporting. Even bad governance makes it home; without it, what would fuel the hope for its antithesis? We all know that hope in something is sometimes better than the real thing.
Manila is a suffering city, and it’s what makes it alive. When rules are bent and things aren’t how they should be, what’s one to do, really, but smile? Actually, it may be no answer at all, but it works, for many. And what is a life of smiles anyway, but a life of hope, of creating from nothing, of making beauty out of the ugly, no matter how ugly? To live in a place with no rules leaves much room for gray areas, for non-cookie-cutter lifestyles. And Manila, in all its wet glory, has given me that. http://manilarat.blogspot.com/
Quick Tips:
A good decompression camp for first-timers would be Makati City, the main business and commercial hub of the National Capital Region (a.k.a. Metro Manila, or just plain Manila). It is where pedestrians are welcome and given due space, and where meeting other "travelers" is most likely. It is also strategic in location, with access to the Metro Rail Transit, various hotels and apartelles, and shopping districts. To experience a more "authentic" feel of the capital in a short time, however, Malate area is suggested, given its proximity to Intramuros and the parks and museums along Roxas Boulevard.
English is widely spoken, and most modern conveniences are readily available. Cellphones and prepaid cards are cheap to buy.
Suggested Hotels (Makati): Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-la Makati, Manila Peninsula, New World Hotel.
Suggested Hotels (Manila/Malate): Manila Hotel, Westin Philippine Plaza, Manila Pavilion.
Suggested Hotels (Others): EDSA Shangri-la.
Events: http://www.clickthecity.com/event/eventcal.asp/
Newspaper (also click on Weekender section): http://bworldonline.com/
Best Way To Get Around:
Metro Manila is not a pedestrian city (except for Ayala Ave. and nearby streets in Makati, which are interconnected by walkways and underground crossings), but it’s not commuter hell either. Cabs abound and drivers are generally amiable. The local jeepney is an un-air-conditioned public utility vehicle, which loads and unloads everywhere, making stops wherever there are passengers. To commuters, it is a convenient and cheaper alternative to a bus or taxi, but it is also, more often than not, a road hazard to other drivers. Inarguably, however, it is a cultural gem, manifestation of the Filipino’s artistic tendency to overdecorate. Car rentals are also possible, although if you don't know what defensive driving is and have no intention to learn it, it’s not recommended.
http://www.dotc.gov.ph/actioncenter/agency/railtransport.htm#METRO%20RAIL%20TRANSPORT
http://www.urbanrail.net/as/mani/manila.htm