Hot Manila: Welcome to the Philippines

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	The Rice Terraces
	photo by Ed Tirona

I'll probably bundle that trip with a return to the Mountain Province, where years ago I covered a peace agreement between the government and communist rebels in Mount Data. It was a hasty ssignment, which meant a late night to early-morning jolting drive from Manila to Baguio in a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle with defective shock absorbers. In Baguio, shivering in the cold, we transferred what remained of our bodies to a bus for the trip to Banawe. At that point I was basically slumped in my seat, dead to the world, until I saw where the bus was passing and my eyes blinked. We were driving on what seemed the edge of a precipice, surrounded by mountains clad in pine trees and wreathed in mist. Across a vast green gorge I could see another bus threading its way on what seemed like a mere ribbon of road cut on the side of the mountain. I couldn't' see the bottom because of the ethereal mist, but it must have been several hundred feet below. Later I found out we were near Sagada and the rice terraces. I never got to see them, because after the signing of the peace treaty I had to rush back to Baguio to file the story.

At least there were some consolations. Just before driving back to Manila we managed a quick trip to Baguio's market, where I loaded up on fresh strawberries and a kilo of newly roasted Benguet blend coffee beans. Later in La Union, we stopped to pick up a gallon of fresh oysters and some dried fish. Breakfast at home in Manila next day -- crispy dried fish with garlic rice accompanied by brewed coffee followed by strawberries in cream - helped ease the bruises of the trip.

Wait, though. Hold on. Reading what I've written so far, I notice I've just given brief descriptions of various places in the country. If I were I real travel writer - with somewhat more concerns than the size of the bed I'll be sleeping in during my junket - I'd probably make sure to mention that one good reason to visit the Philippines is Filipinos.

We're probably the most passionate, fun-loving people in the region. To be more exact, we have a single-minded determination to enjoy ourselves in the face of adversity, of which there seems to be a lot in this country. Yes, we can be disorganized, maddening and unpredictable - but isn't that what life is anyway? Walk along Manila's streets - I recommend the student belt area near San Sebastian (Asia's only steel church) and you can actually feel this electric vitality.

It's this ability to extract what enjoyment we can from life that gives us our sense of humor. It lets us survive in a place like Manila, which as we all know is basically a hopeless dump, mismanaged and chaotic. One of my not-so secret refuges in the city is Virra Mall in Greenhills, which I like to think of as Manila's oriental bazaar. In its warren of shops you'll find merchants hawking shoes, perfume, clothes, furniture and , south sea pearls. When I have time I like browsing at the computer shops, picking up spare parts for the PC, and then strolling over to the part where you can find DVDs. Which reminds me, I think I should be working on a story about the government's latest crackdown on intellectual piracy…

What's that you said? Why should you visit the Philippines? Beats me. I'm only a news reporter.

hotmanila.ph

<1>

gago :

Posted 1049 days ago

ako mukang aso

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