May 19, 2007

Manila (PHILIPPINES)

Exploring Manila: Jeepneys, Police Presence, the National Park, and Intramuros

I was only entitled to a twelve hour stay at the motel, so by 8am I was out the door in search of public transport to the more "traveler friendly" part of Manila. I passed a newspaper stand with a particular headline catching my eye: "15 dead as explosion rocks train station."

The country is in the process of counting votes from last weekend's elections - during which time 101 people were killed in mass rioting - and every store in Manila is protected by at least one security guard. I actually felt quite safe because it seemed like every 5th person was an armed officer on the streets. At more popular places like McDonalds, 7-11, hotels, and train stations the police actually wield shotguns and M-16 carbines. I would have tried snapping a few pictures, but I don't think safety is an issue that is taken lightly. And rightly so.

After clearing a stiff security check at the train station, I found my way onto Manila's Light Rail Transit. I was crammed in with the rest of the morning commuters, but a local directed me off at the right stop. After a bit of a walk I came across a string of cheap lodging where I checked into the worst room I could find because it was the cheapest and I don't plan on staying in Manila for more than a night.

Afterward, I was desperate for a cup of coffee (it has been a wearying 15 hours since I landed), and I also took advantage of the wi-fi to post a few updates and send off emails. To all those who responded to my one-year anniversary email, thank you for taking the time to write. There were a few suggestions I will work on in the coming weeks and some additions will be made to the webpage - particularly, an answer to the why question. It is a big topic, so I will take my time in properly formulating a response.

I set off on a walking tour of the historical part of Manila. Along the waterfront was the US Embassy, and similar to when I was concerned over my safety in Indonesia I tried stopping in to register. Unfortunately, the embassy was closed for the weekend, and pictures were forbidden for safety reasons. Nevertheless I felt a strong sense of pride looking at the United States of America wording at the marble entrance.

I next passed through the national park of Manila where structures like the National Library and National Monument are located, along with a collection of war memorials. Remember: an independent Philippines is a relatively new development. For the past several hundred years the country has endured the brutal  conquistadores of Spain, the colony builders from America, the Japanese occupation, and it served as the battle ground for some of WWII's bloodiest battles - 100,000 civilians died in the liberation of Manila alone. In more recent years there has been a mini-civil war raging in the Southern Philippines with widespread kidnappings, modern pirates (not a joke), and of course assassinations.

In the park, I passed a group of men playing chess and a variant of checkers, but I opted out of playing because money invariably changes hands at the end of every game. This isn't the kind of stuff I want to get caught up in, so instead I watched on chatting about baseball: from where Joe Torre's future lies to whether Big Poppy's heart will hold out.

American influence is huge in the Philippines.

In the afternoon I reached the oldest part of Manila: a walled community called Intramuros, which was built by the Spanish hundreds of years ago. I was surprised to see a golf course skirting the city's walls, but such inconsistencies are common in many Asian cities - be it glaring wealth in the face of dire poverty, architectural masterpieces surrounded by expansive shanty towns, or historical integrity playing second fiddle to outright capitalism.

Enough preaching: I happily take the good with the bad and accept each place as it is.

I passed the oldest church in the Philippines, and I was lucky enough to observe a traditional Catholic wedding in progress. The women were all wearing soft pink dresses while the men wore airy cream shirts or tuxedos, but no one seemed to mind me watching as long as I was discreet about it. The most touching moment came at the end when the bride and groom released two doves in union and all the women through flowers on the bride and groom.

I continued on through Intramuros and I passed the oldest stone church in the Philippines (also built by the Spanish). It was interesting to read the five prior churches built on this location were all destroyed - either by fire or earthquake - but they kept rebuilding and, presumably, improving upon earlier designs. The final product towers over the surrounding town.

At the far end of the walled city was the old Spanish fort where all important dignitaries lived. Despite being bombarded by the Americans during the liberation of the Philippines, there was still much to be seen.

The highlight of the fort were all the exhibits designated to the national hero of the Philippines, Rizal, who was a Renaissance man (doctor, poet, writer, fencer, and he spoke several languages) with an unwavering love of his country. The Spanish hanged him for his writings about the unjust nature of the Catholic Church and the brutal Spanish rulers.

I passed a few boys in the park who were throwing their shoes into the branches of a tree, hoping to knock loose fruits. Here is the video (if anyone knows how to rotate the video I would appreciate the help):

For dinner I searched out "The Hobbit" restaurant, which was recommended by Allen back at the KK airport. Although the food was nothing to write home about, the staff were a great deal of fun and the atmosphere was easy going. How often do you come across a restaurant where everyone is "vertically challenged" (I'm not sure what the politically correct term is because such rules apply mostly in Western countries).