Having just spent 5 days in Manilla for a short break I can confirm it is a long way from my favourite city. Whilst, the city has a depth of culture and history encompassing periods of colonization by the Spanish, British and Americans the city is very slow and busy. The city has a lot of contrasts from glitzy shopping centres, skyscrapers, pristine golf courses to rampant poverty and slumps. The ‘modern luxury’ the city has is somewhat faceless and boring, with lots of security all around. The traffic in the city is probably the worst I have ever seen, even coming from Beijing the traffic seemed bad. Plus the public transport is very limited and overcrowded.
One day we escaped the city and went to the Taal Volcano, which was an interesting sight. The volcano is in the middle of a lake, so it requires a boat to the volcano and then a dusty walk up to the summit. Once back in Manilla we transferred our exploration to the old city and the seafront. The seafront is not particularly pretty by it does have a fantastic sunset. The old city does have more history and culture than the new centre and a visit to Fort Santiago was well worthwhile. The cathedral and Plaza de Roma were picturesque and sitting in the Plaza de Roma in front of the cathedral you could forgot you are in Southeast Asia. However, whilst Manilla has lots of culture and history if you are willing to look, it is not a city I would rush back to.
Robin Bell 