Summary
- The Philippines was the most chaotic country I have ever been to. So many people are left in poverty, and the public infrastructure is a nightmare. Virtually, there is no public transportation there, so we have to take a taxi every time we travel, which makes it much more expensive to travel despite the low cost of living.
- However, there are tons of fascinating things to see, and our one-day trip was full of surprises. Exploring the ancient ruins, some dating back hundreds of years, felt like exploring dungeons in Minecraft.
- Many European-style buildings from the colonial periods have been preserved, and there is even a UNESCO-registered church that has an impressive collection of religious items.
Highlights
Aerial Photography
- While some skyscrapers look modern, there are still a lot of slums. The coastline is poorly maintained, and many areas need development.
- The clouds in the Philippines are tall and magnificent; the city appears to be between the clouds, resembling the scenes in “Weathering with You.”
Transportation
- I’ve never seen worse transportation than this. Public transportation is in short supply, and the security checks make it much more time-consuming to get in. We have to exit the station to reach the other platform. This is a good example of how short-term cost cuts hurt efficiency and reduce overall revenue. They don’t put numbers on the buses, which makes it really hard to get on the right one.
ARROCEROS
- A mini rainforest park right next to the station.
Robinsons Place Manila
- A huge department store but located at an inconvenient station.
Churches
- As a legacy of the colonial era, there are many historical churches.
Intramuros
- This historical city is built within the giant walls and is home to many historical architectures.
- It looks much older than it is because it has not been replaced by new materials and has been constantly corroded by rain and moss. It is much closer to ancient Roman ruins or Ghibli movie ruins. As a fort, we can still feel the tragedy of war from wear and tear.
Fort Santiago
- It used to be an important fort during WWII.
- Unfortunately, the underground room was used for torture by the Japanese army, and the many statues tell us about this event.
- It’s amazing that we can still enter a place built a few hundred years ago that has remained the same even as it has gradually eroded due to nature.
Manila Cathedral
- This is one of the most famous cathedrals in Manila.
Archdiocese of Manila
- This is a UNESCO Heritage Site, and we can get inside the church and museum. However, the museum entrance is very small, and many people probably don’t know how large the inside is.
- The ceiling is painted but still magnificent. It is probably one of the attempts to recreate European architecture with limited resources in the Philippines.
- The collection of religious items is impressive despite this place being less known. As they also emphasized art and science in addition to religion, the museum has an impressive collection of fine arts and engineering records.
Rizal Park
- A giant park home to many national museums and themed gardens.
- They have Japanese and Chinese gardens and memorial statues commemorating historical events.
Foods
- Jollibee is a famous hamburger shop worldwide. As you can see, the character first looks like a mouse but is a bee. Unfortunately, I don’t notice any difference among the burgers.
- The next food is Filipino local cuisine, and the BBQ was epic as usual.
- The in-flight meal consisted of coconut meat and milkfish. The coconut meat was mild, and the texture of the milkfish was much firmer than I expected and very different from the eggs, even though it looked similar.
Opinion
- The Philippines was the worst country in terms of infrastructure, and I realized the importance of city services. Comparing them makes me realize what makes a huge difference and what just costs money.
- I think the key to attracting customers is earning their trust. Reliability, comfort, and affordability create confidence in the service and make the business more efficient and profitable.
- The reason why some department stores are located in inaccessible places from the station is probably that they only want wealthy individuals. Cars are very effective for separating people by income and placing them in isolated locations makes it difficult for homeless or low-income people to get there. I'm not sure of the true reason, but if it is true, that is a selfish idea that abandons helping poor people.
- I find that I have spent more money on taxis than on food. We often direct money to rich companies rather than to poor individuals, and therefore I think inequality will just get bigger if we don’t do anything. I hope for a world where even the poorest individuals can live happy and meaningful lives.
