Arrived in Manila recently. Was taken aback by the temperature. At noon, it was a blistering 37 degree Celsius! Anyway, it was a good thing that I did not find my own transport to the city. Shangrila Hotel Makati provided a car and driver for me.
Driving out of the airport complex was very surreal. It is standard operating practice that there should be a buffer zone between an airport and manufacturing concerns as well as homes etc. For a country that does not have a major land issue (Hong Kong was an exception when they had Kai Tak Airport, but realising the safety issue they reclaimed land to build a new airport) immediately after the border of the airport, there are already concentration of people instead of greenery or open spaces.
Traffic was also wild. The picture below shows multi-lane roads with no lane markers, cars crossing left to right (right to left as well). Chaos!
Love the confidence drivers have! Everything seems to be left to faith.....
A self portrait.
Buses making 3-point turns!!!
Typical small businesses in Manila.
There are many districts that make up Metro Manila. Apart from Makati, the rest have yet to be redeveloped.
The change in scenery was dramatic when crossing into Makati district. Suddenly, there's greenery and modern tall buildings.
The entrance to Shangrila Hotel Makati.
The queue to go through a thorough security checks for all cars.
TO BE CONTINUED.
No comments:
Post a Comment