Ah, the first post. I wish I could have written a more clever title, but hey, it couldn't get more direct-to-the-point than this.
After a very bad day at the office, I wrote to a good friend in California. I offered to send pictures of Manila, the city, for him to have an idea what it's like here. And so I took pictures. I am not the most gifted photographer, in fact, I just used my phone to capture these images. They are photos that are as raw as photos can get.
I thought, I could show pictures of how beautiful Manila truly is. But what I caught on camera was a wee bit different; it will show the people that comprise Manila and will mold the city into what it will become in the future. If you want a more tourist-y site, here you go:
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/Pages/default.aspx
Okay, the photos:
Population is often blamed for rising poverty incidences. These are homeless people (lots of them in Manila) literally living in the street and have even set up a small eatery there. They also own pedicabs that charge 40 pesos (about $1)per ride. Not bad, three rides a day will place them above the poverty line (of about 26.1 million filipinos or 29% of the population). Their shelter, of course, is a different situation.
These are the pedicabs that these people drive.
Murals on the wall by the sidewalk. They were drawn by school kids at a nearby public school.
Perhaps the most iconic image of the Philippines, the Jeepney is a common mode of transportation in the country, especially in Manila.
Another common sight in Manila is the sidewalk eatery, where you can get 4 burgers for $1, and while eating those towards your way to obesity and a bout of hepatitis, you could buy a discounted prepaid card to add credit to your cellphone.
An empty sidewalk on a very busy hour... filipinos would do everything to avoid walking, so they would rather take a jeepney than walk. Sometimes it actually takes longer to get to your destination when on a jeepney, due to the heavy traffic in Manila, deemed by some as the "worst" in the world.
A woman selling hair accessories on the sidewalk, where she probably lives with her child. Apparently, she also sells buko/coconut juice. :-)
The poster boy for globalization. :-)
The National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila. News crews often cause traffic here, like the time when Ampatuan tribe leader was brought to the building and attracted protesters to wait for him so they could throw things at him. (The Ampatuans are the family held responsible for the massacre of more than 50 innocent people including journalists in the southern part of the country.)
A few meters away from NBI HQ is the Supreme Court Building.
The infamous
balut, a national delicacy. I personally can't eat this, it grosses me out. I like quail eggs though, pictured here in a smaller bowl next to the notorious embryo-bearing fertilized duck egg.
Bunnies for sale on the streets!!!
Argh, my camera doesn't take pictures at night very well. This is Baywalk, a former hot night spot in Manila. It used to have live bands, restaurants, and other carnival-esque street performers. It was shut down by the new Mayor, who claimed it caused pollution and that it spiked up the crime rate.
Okay, now let's go to where I live and where I grew up.
I was raised in a quaint little 'resort' village (suburbs). A little better off than most people, I was fortunate enough to grow up in a very picturesque and peaceful place. This village attracts a fair number of tourists evey year.
A popular restaurant on water, this place was very popular in the seventies. Movies during that era were filmed here.
There is a park next to this man-made pond and restaurant. They make the best crab omelette.
The area next to the park, this is where I jog and ride my bike with my mom and dad on weekends. (Nice way to spend the afternoon with the family :-)
:-)
