Manila: an endless soundfall of traffic + time for retrospection

Van Manila-Cebu-Bohol-March2009

Woke up early this morning (4 am), and worked for the office till 6 am, nice & quiet, as far as Manila can be suspected of being quiet hehe! in fact it's an endless waterfall of trafficnoise, even during the night I woke up several times because of cars obviously racing with howling engines through the street of this metropolis ... what a difference with the calm & quiet of Cebu (and Bohol, of course, but that's another story). It confirms that this city is not really my place to be ... although the attractions are multiple and very appreciated :-)

Since this is our last day in the Phils for this trip (we do hope to come back soon!), it's time to look back and analyse. What makes the Phils so attractive for us?

I won't give you a list of all the things that don't make specially the Phils attractive to us ... such as the weather, or the food, or the things to be seen and done ... all that we can find in other countries too, so the Phils are not exceptionally special on those items.

What makes the Phils irresistible for us, are the people. Not all of them. I roughly see 3 groups (knowing that this is just a first impression after 2 visits, and it's a generalisation, and there are good and bad everywhere):

* the metropolis people, such as here in Manila: they are ok, but often not very efficient and without a clear goal; they still carry the basic Phils gentleness but they seem to have lost the grip on their lives and actions. I'm not talking about the successful Manila businessman here (that one surely knows his direction: money!) but about the vast population of this huge city, as we have met them during our short stay (which also means that this can only be a general and provisional conclusion); it's as if they are cut off of their roots, and if they feel a bit lost; e.g. we walked around in the adjacent shopping mall this morning, and we saw hundreds and hundreds of shoppers, young and old, and not one of them was smiling and visibly enjoying themselves;

* the wealthy people, such as the businessmen here in Manila, and the daughter of the owners of Peacock Resort in Bohol: they only care about themselves and about their own goals, and others are only there to serve them in achieving what they aim for; not really pleasant company for us, they have become greedy mummies, and have lost most of their humanity;

* the vast majority of Filippinos: not poor, not rich, settled in an environment where they feel at ease: those are really pleasant people to be with, such as Allan, or Roderick, or Jimmy and Nils, or here in the hotel: Ryan, or in Cebu: Heddie, and the list is long and interesting, and heartwarming: they radiate a natural kindness and genuine friendliness, that is hard to find in this world, and that makes staying with them such a lovely experience. Does it mean they are perfect? Of course not, none of us is. But it means that they make life bearable for themselves and their friends and families, just by being a good human. Wish the world would see their examples and follow their actions, it would be a much better place to live in!