Manila

After spending the night in Kuala Lumpur airport I had a nice flight to Clark Airport, the former American Air Force Base. Then I took a bus to Melate, a district in Manila. Manila is as bad as you think - but only in the outskirts. Melate and Ermita are not that bad and have a lot of high rises. Karaoke bars and sleazy bars dominate the scenery. The Intramuros is a district just north of Melate and is surrounded by an old fort. Old mansions inside still tell something about the history of the capitol. But if you take a wrong side road you instantly know you are in the Philippines.
Beer at about 60 cent is cheap and pretty good. Transport, accommodation and food are surprisingly expensive. Jeepneys dominate the streets. A jeepney is what the Superconstellations is in air traveling. A fancy designed vehicle that is all about the looks. A ride costs 20 cents and takes you for up to 30 minutes. It can get really packed in the pack and sometime people are on top of it or above the engine in the front.