I’ve never felt so insecure in any city before. There is garbage in the streets I pass with my backpack, and when you approach the walls on the side of the road, the sharp smell of urine, dark unlit streets, homeless people sleeping on the side of the road, half-naked eyes sitting in front of the door, where I don’t know if it’s a house or a shop… This is Manila. >, the capital of the Philippines, where I come face to face with its dark streets.
The streets are crowded, the children are running around in shouts, they are playing games, laughter, shouting, calling. Calmly, after Borneo, this crowd, this noise was too much for me, not to mention it frightens me.
However, I am confident in myself, on the way Google Map shows me, to my hotel in the entertainment and food center of Malate. i was walking. Saying “hello” to those who call me from time to time, I walked towards my hotel in a relaxed state without looking at them.. Later I realized that it was one of the worst streets to walk on.
In the morning, we went to the airport to board an AirAsia flight from Kota Kinabalu, Borneo Island.. I was lucky to buy a ticket for the same day in Kiiten, which I met at the hostel I was staying at.. His friends dropped us off at the airport. After a 2-hour flight, I landed at Angeles Clark Airport, which is 2 hours away from Manila.
I jumped on one of the buses going from the airport to Manila right in front of the airport (P450). By the way, 1 TL makes a Philippine Peso.. We got off at Pasay Terminal after a 3-hour journey with a beautiful view at the beginning, but then a jam-packed traffic.. We took a taxi and drove together to Kitten’s hotel.. There I said goodbye and went to the nearby Taft LRT subway station.
People were flocking up the subway stairs.. Since MRT, another metro line, has a station here, it was so crowded.. Security checks are carried out at the entrance of metro stations. That’s where I thought of the 80cm parang in my backpack.
This traditional sword used by the Sarawak tribes for skull hunting was gifted to me by Nancy, whom I met when I was in Marudi, Sarawak.. I shouldn’t have done anything to not open my bag, otherwise I would have to go down all the way and stairs and go and take a taxi.. I don’t think of using a taxi on my trips unless I have to.
When the officer asked to see the inside of the bag, I said that I had just arrived from the airport and that the security tape was still on it.. He just said it’s too late. It turns out that this security check is just for show.. If they had done a proper security check on this crowd, I think it would have been my turn in only an hour.
LRT ticket price is 12 pesos.. In the waiting areas of the subways in Manila, give women a designated waiting area, and another security guard is waiting right in front of this place.. I barely threw myself into the subway that came shortly after. It’s packed and if you don’t get on in that short time, the doors close in seconds.. I didn’t even get a chance to put down my backpack.. I followed it on Google Map and got off at Quirino, the closest LRT station to my hotel Malate Pension.
Adriatico Street’ with popular entertainment venues. Located in Malate Pension, it is one of the most affordable places to stay and the dorm room fee is 350P (15TL) per night.. Another reason I chose this hotel was that it was the place where I would finally get my camera, which I had been away from for 454 days. He left it as a escrow before he left.. Most of the photos I’ve taken so far have been taken with an Iphone.. We shared some of them with the camera of my friend, Iranian-Dutch Farid, with whom I traveled for 3 months.. Finally, I can now take pictures as I wish.
My adventure of walking in the dark streets of Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world with a population of 21 million, just started.
Day 454: Philippines:1. Manila, 31 October 2011
