A Trip to Manila

In late February I made my first trip ever to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. My main goal was to visit the national archives as well as the National Irrigation Administration to accumulate some data regarding policy reforms which occurred during the 1970s.

Since it was my first trip there, I also made a quick visit to some of the tourism spots, including the area called Intramuros. It's the historical district of Manila.

 Here is the gate to Fort Santiago at the north end of Intramuros.

 Within Fort Santiago are a number of historical markers for Jose Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines. Here you can see his statue in the courtyard.

 At the North end of Intramuros is the river. Across the river is Chinatown.

 I wandered around the walls of Fort Santiago as well as the whole of Intramuros for a few hours to learn about the area.

 If I recall correctly, this is the Manila Cathedral. I wasn't able to go in, as it is under renovation.

 The Saint Agustin Church is nearby, which is one of the oldest in the Philippines.

 My favorite part of the church was the Chinese guardian dog statues which sat in front of the statues of the saints. It's an interesting melding of cultures.

Two things struck me about the Philippines. First, it was dirty. I'm used to dirty cities with lots of experience in Bangkok and Jakarta. Even so, Manila was worst I've been in. Even in the tourist area, people were living on the street. Many had commandeered the sidewalks and set up shacks, which served as their homes. I had to walk around a number of chickens in the Intramuros area. Apparently Filipinos bring the country with them when they move to the city.

Second, the people were extremely willing to try and take advantage of me. I realize that I am white and stick out like a sore thumb, which makes me an easy target. Even so, after being in both Thailand and Indonesia, I felt like I could handle locals' attempts to overcharge me. I wasn't quite prepared for the Philippines. They got a pretty fair chunk of change from my pockets before the week was over.

Despite those two negatives, I did find some really nice people there. I think if I were able to travel outside of the city, I would enjoy it much more. Also, it was much easier to conduct research in English. It's almost enough to tempt me toward focusing on more research in the Philippines.

The city did have some nice parts. I liked Rizal Park.

 The park is right downtown, just south of Intramuros. It got very busy in the evenings as people relaxed after work.

And Manila Bay was beautiful at sunset.