Part 61: Makati City.....
'Good afternoon sir'...
'How are you sir?'...
'Have a nice day sir'...
'Nice tattoo sir'...
'Heeeeey sir'...
'Would you like a taxi sir?'....
Oh how I missed the Philippines - there is nowhere quite like it. I'd been greeted, checked out, and smiled at more times in 10 mins walking through the airport than I would do in a whole year in England. It was precisely what I needed after such a crappy delay in Doha.
Casting my mind back to when I first experienced Manila, it could have not been more of a contrast.
The initial culture shock last year was seismic! But now, on the other hand I was buzzing. The traffic and chaos was just as crazy as before, the only difference was that I wasn't crapping my pants - what a difference a year makes. I can now fully appreciate all of Manila's charms.
My preference was to stay in a hostel in the heart of Makati this time, much closer to all the action so I negotiated with a taxi driver at the airport to take me there 'Hey Kuya' I said.
'Kuya' meaning 'big brother' in Tagalog.
It was a respect thing here in the Philippines, instantly bringing a smile to the cabby, making him less likely to rip me off, and conversing with him in very basic Tagalog went down well too.
As the hostel was going to be my home for the next three weeks, I wondered what it was going to be like. Luckily for me this place was perfect with a friendly bunch running it - the vibes were good from the minute I walked through the door.
The backpackers in the small but comfortable common room greeted me as well, which is always a good sign - they were drinking beer and playing video games.
There was also a good kitchen with facilities, and my four bed dorm was immaculately clean - I had no complaints.
One of the staff was playing acoustic guitar as other travellers joined in singing Bob Marley's emancipation song (one of my favourite tracks of all time). This was going to be a great place to meet people.
After a few introductions, I couldn't wait to get my bearings and explore the area so I wasted no more time dumping off my bags to take a good look around.
Ample bars and restaurants, super markets, ATM's, the red light district (more on that later) were all a stones throw from the hostel. And of course the streets were full of armed guards. This was the financial district and one of the 16 cities that make up metro manila, a hugely populated area of nearly 700,000 people and a higher risk area for armed robberies.
I'd already seen most of the famous sights in Manila last time I was here - now its another opportunity to explore this incredible city further.
I never really got the negativity aimed at Manila and felt more than qualified to offer a decent balanced view as I'd spent so much time here before. Its certainly a country for the more curious traveller. So many people would only stop here for a day or two at most before flying out - it was their loss.
A nearby street food market ensured my backpackers budget would be kept, provided I could resist the temptation of all the western food chains scattered all along Makati avenue - I had never seen so many restaurants and eateries.
Traffic jams and beeping horns and the unmistakable chugging jeepney's could be heard. And with this this level of congestion it wasn't a surprise that dozens of people were wearing face masks for the pollution.
And the level of construction was staggering. Building sites and cranes towering high above the city, half built skyscrapers and new malls all around.
This place would rank amongst the major cities in the world in a few years with the amount of money being ploughed in. Paris Hilton and Robert De Niro amongst several celebrities investing millions in its development.
But one thing that has not appeared to have changed was the poverty sadly. Barefoot street kids and homeless families were in view right outside the hostel.
I instantly built a rapport with a couple of adorable kids who followed me down the street.
'Hello sir' they said, pointing to their mouths.
I do still find it hard to take in sometimes, so I couldn't help popping into the 7-11 and buying them some candy.
'Whats your names' I asked.
'Mikey and Tyrone' they replied.
They will flag you down taxis, find you parking spaces, give you directions if you need it, and banter too. I'd instantly made two new friends here. Especially when we took a group selfie.
I wandered away from the busy high street and found a wonderful old cathedral with a young children's school dead opposite. Soon as the kids saw me I was absolutely mobbed. But I did manage to get some great shots of them smiling and playing.
Back at the hostel later I got talking to some interesting travellers and we all arranged a few days sight seeing.
They too had already seen the main sights, so this was a great opportunity to see more of the museums, food markets, a cool bohemian district called Kubao and art galleries showcasing local talent.
The staff at the hostel were really helpful giving us directions on foot passing through suburban areas away from the main strip.
It was good to get away from the carnage for a while for an opportunity to explore more of Manila, passing some superb street art on the way.
The further we ventured from the main strip, the more poverty you would see, highlighting the gulf between the rich and poor.
Some kids asked us if we wanted to join them playing basket ball on the sidewalk, but after a bit of banter we continued on our way eventually reaching Salcedo food market.
This place was a foodies dream - you could quite literally eat your way around as the vendors let you sample the food to entice you into buying, but don't seem that bothered if you just taste the food and move on to the next vendor.
This market sells different types of produce like fresh meat, poultry, bread, pasties, sausages, shawarma, ice-cream, spices, organic products, wine, fresh fruits, homemade yogurt, and many other delicacies from different parts of the world. The people were really friendly and seemed to enjoy our reactions to trying the food.
We'd done a lot of exploring on foot today despite the scorching sun and decided to head back to the hostel, leaving the other places on our list for another day.
I had only just arrived here and already felt settled and welcomed by everyone.
Manila, its so good to be back....