manila: where heat meets history and chaos
manila is... well, manila. it's hot, it's crowded, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. i just checked and it's...23.62°C there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. feels like 24.07 though, so maybe a bit more humid than the numbers suggest.
this city sits on this weird narrow delta thing, basically built on swamps and reclaimed land. i read somewhere it was named after some plant called nilad that used to grow along the pasig river. now it's just... concrete and heat.
someone told me that manila is like one of the most disaster-prone cities in the world, right tokyo is number one. earthquakes, typhoons, flooding... you name it. they've got it all. and with all that concrete and buildings, it's just getting worse. the land is basically sinking while the sea is rising. not a great combo.
if you get bored, quezon city, makati, pasay, mandaluyong, san juan, navotas and caloocan are just a short drive away. or at least they would be if there wasn't traffic. oh man, the traffic here is something else. and the air quality... it's like breathing soup.
the city is basically divided by this river, the pasig river, which i guess is kinda interesting. north and south. but mostly it's just... crowded. like, really crowded. they say 43,611-73,263 people per square kilometer. that's insane. it's like living in a can of sardines, but hot and humid.
they've got this old walled city, intramuros, from the spanish times. it's kinda cool if you're into that sort of thing. and binondo, which is apparently the oldest chinatown in the world. pretty neat. but mostly people just seem to be... surviving. it's a tough place, but there's something about it. maybe it's the food? someone told me there's good adobo and sinigang here, though i haven't tried it yet. too busy trying not to melt.
oh, and the weather. it's basically hot, humid, and oppressive year-round. with wet season (june-november) and drier season (december-may). but honestly, it doesn't make much difference. it's always hot. and they get typhoons. like, up to 12 a year. great, right?
not sure if i'd recommend manila for a relaxing vacation, but it's definitely... something. if you're into extreme urban experiences, go for it. just bring an umbrella. and maybe a gas mask. and good luck with the traffic.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/jakarta-where-the-city-is-sinking-and-the-food-is-fighting-back
- https://topiclo.com/post/madurai-musings-ancient-temples-and-a-whole-lotta-humidity
- https://topiclo.com/post/chiang-mai-okay-so-itssomething
- https://topiclo.com/post/guarulhos-more-than-just-an-airport-apparently
- https://topiclo.com/post/ubungo-more-than-just-a-bus-terminal-probably