Manila - November 24-26, 2011

Manila
November 24-26, 2011

Only three of these pictures were actually shot in Manila. The rest were in Antipolo, Makati, Quezon City, and other parts of Metro-Manila. But grant me poetic license -- “Manila” sounds quaint and better than the retro-sounding “Metro-Manila” hence the title of this album.

I actually took a lot of pictures while Kuya’s driver, Benny, drove us around. But to my utter horror I found out late in the game that my memory card wasn’t inserted in my camera. Duh.

Ah well, at least I got these.

Click on a picture to enlarge.

View from Kuya's porch in Antipolo City. That is the entire Metro-Manila skyline facing west.

Some narrow street in Cainta, Taytay, or Taguig. I don't really know -- I grew up in another part of Metro-Manila. But this part of Rizal is very well-maintained and clean compared to the Malabon-Navotas-Caloocan region that I grew up in.

A woman cop hiding behind a fence under a tree along the posh Ayala Avenue opposite Rustan's.

Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue. Insular Life Building at the corner of Paseo de Roxas in the distance, once perhaps the only towering structure there, is now a dwarf between two skyscrapers.

Pond at Greenbelt. This is all I remember of Greenbelt. The rest is unrecognizable to me as it is so vibrant now with Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and restaurants with outdoor seating and live music spilling out of the bars and bistros behind me.

Glorietta 4 in Makati. Rustan's, I believe, is somewhere on the right.

Christmas lanterns at a square in front of Glorietta 4.Glorietta is owned by Ayala Corporation. It is “integrated between Greenbelt Mall, SM Makati, Rustan's Makati and The Landmark”. (source: wikipedia.org)

University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

Somewhere street in Quezon City. Benny, our driver, was pointing out to me the wood panels on the second floors of the row of houses. He said no one makes those anymore -- wood planks with grooves on the sides that fit like a jigsaw puzzle.

Jeepney at Central Market in Quiapo.

I used to ride this very jeepney -- the Navotas-Recto line -- to and from work. Commuting was a nightmare (as, I would add some subway lines in NYC) during rush hour because there were just too many people fighting for not enough jeepneys. Men have an advantage over women because they are generally swifter so they beat women in chasing a jeepney when it comes to a stop to unload a passenger.

I, too, ran, elbowed, and fought to be first to reach a stopping jeepney and block the

Raon street in Sta. Cruz, Manila. I used to enjoy walking along this street. I don't I would anymore, not with the newsstands selling Superman and Batman comics gone.

At Barcino's in Makati with two of my high school batchmates. From left to right: Serafin (Trissy's husband), Trissy (one of my high school batchmates), Rita (another high school batchmate), Roger Moore, and Kuya.

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