Ten years after I last set foot in Manila, I was astounded at how much the place has changed. It is to be expected, of course. Ten years is a long time after all. The country is keeping up with the times and the capital is intent in being a globally competent metro. Metro Manila has put up a facade that’s far greater than the last I’ve seen. I even admit to falling in love at first sight with Bonifacio High Street. Having the biggest book shop I’ve ever been to and a line of top brand boutiques, I need not see the entire place for me to declare it as one of my favourite places to visit. However, no matter how much the place has changed physically, it still holds the same old stench: the crazy traffic, overpriced food, suspicious characters, overcrowded streets, and rude people (case in point, that stuck up bitch from ABS-CBN Tours’ front desk). Just when you think you might actually like living there, these things make you stop to reconsider. They make you miss home’s far more tolerable traffic, less crowded streets, reasonably priced food, and the people who are far more eager to please its clientele.
I’m not saying my hometown’s far better because, like every other place in the world, we have our own flaws. We have our share of shady characters and soap opera-like antagonists. Commercially, we are a little behind compared to Manila. We are growing at a much slower pace and I think we need to learn a thing or two from the capital city in terms of innovations. The only thing I can guarantee is that Cebu has a much more laidback atmosphere. It has the right mix of the metropolitan high life and the homey feel of the country. But much to my chagrin, Manila would easily trump us in terms of industrial growth and modernization.
Manila sure made me appreciate home, but I can’t say I didn’t like it there. The three days I spent there was more than satisfactory that I even ended up writing about it. This year's visit is a far cry from my last memory of the place. I enjoyed it enough to not make me cringe at the idea of coming back. Well, to put it more accurately, I intend to come back. To visit, that is. A wider selection of books, fashion strip you can't find at home, international concert tours, and professional theater productions of well-loved plays and musicals! I'd say Manila hasn't seen the last of me yet. ;)
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