My initial impression of the Philippines is that it is a messy mixture of technology, Asian culture, Malaysian culture, and terrorism all wrapped around a country called the Philippines.
I am not sure how to explain this impression any better than through pictures. So here is the one picture I have taken that I believe describes the Philippines the best.
I believe these lines are the power lines and phone lines all wrapped together. They tend to just wrap up any extra wire and hang it off another strand or hook on the pole somewhere.
When I first saw this I asked, is this area under construction? I have been well assured that this is a very affluent area and one of the most modern in the Philippines.
Don’t misunderstand my intention, I like the Philippines. The food is good, the weather is great, it doesn't smell, and the people all seem to be relatively healthy and happy.. I even love the palm trees and vegitation.
It is absolutely beautiful here. Out of all the places I have visited, this place is one of my favorite destinations. That being said, there is also a downside, like the public transportation
Another interesting part of the Philippines is there local transportation. There are different types of buses on the road, but these buses are my favorite. They are some type of local shuttle that drive people from one side of Manila to the other. This is a picture of one of those local shuttle-buses driving people through traffic. There are two things worth noting here; 1)The people hanging off the back of the buses are passengers not employees, and 2)Traffic here is similar to our concept of bumper cars in the states, without the bumping.
Signs such as one-way, two-way, construction, and no entry really have no meaning here at all. I am not sure if there are speed limits, but I believe the local consider this relative to their vehicles top speed. For instance, a speed limit of 40 is only applicable to a vehicle that has a top speed of 60. So if your vehicle has a top speed of 150, then the speed limit for you is 105.
In a similar understanding the lines on the roadway are really only on the roadway as a courtesy for the painters who needed a job painting lines. I say this because they have no relevance or meaning to anyone.
Home is where my family is...
