The many faces of Manila

Does Manila signify 'the gates of hell' as referred to by Dan Brown in his latest book, 'The Inferno' or does it signify the 'gates of heaven' as another author, Paul Coelho has tried to defend it?

You decide.

The Manila I saw last week cannot simply be summed up in 1 witty caption. It is a conglomeration of 16 islands, of centuries of invasion and integration from various nations ranging from Malayasia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Spain and US among others, of a past that is steeped in culture and history and a future that stands poised to engulf it in its steel and glass modern facades visible across the city in its new business and residential districts.

The Manila I saw in pictures and captions below:

The American cemetery: To honor more than 17,000 who died and 30,000 who were missing in action in World War II

Intramuros - the 400-year old remains of the Spanish walled city and the last bastion of the Japanese army; reportedly it took the American army 5 days to enter the gates  

Once a moat that surrounded the walled gates of Intramuros and acted as the first line of defence, the Americans turned it into a golf course after they successfully entered the gates

St Augustine Church, one of the few buildings that withstood the onslaught of time in Intramuros

Pineapple plantation - Once famous for its plantations and for its rice exports,  Manila today has started importing rice from other countries

Manila bay - for a view of the setting sun

The ubiquitous jeepney - left behind by the US army post World War II, the jeepney is a common sight in Manila and part of its public transport system along with pedicabs, rickshaws, taxis and the like. But all of them combined seem ill equipped to cope with the massive traffic situation in Manila as traffic and tourism grinds to a literal halt in the absence of efficient and mass transit system 

The coconut palace - Built by Imelda Marcos during the 1981 Pope  John Paul visit, the  palace is more famous in history because the Pope refused to set foot inside the expensive and pretentious place. And I am not even beginning to talk about Imelda's shoe museum, which still stands today.

The Spanish rulers may have left Manila but the Spanish Ayala family is still one of the richest, they still own real estate and companies in Manila with net worth amounting to ~$11B - an example of their staggering wealth and richness is the Ayala Museum which we felt best to view from the outside

A short day trip from Manila - Tagaytay and Taal Lake offer views of an active volcano and crater

A view of the New Manila - Makati City, Pasig City, Bonifacio Global Street all stand tall with imposing structures and modern facades that could easily pass off for any global city in the world, a sign probably of the rising urbanization, consumerism and wealth disparity in Manila

Food options in Manila are plenty - due to its multi-cultural background and experience but any description of Manila is incomplete without a mention of Halo-Halo, its local desert that tastes divine and transports one back to a world of enjoyment of simple pleasures

Manila may well be at the cross-roads right now, a city trying hard to retain some part of its unique cultural identity and history even as it grapples with the issues of poverty, traffic, pollution and the like and gets thrust onto the world stage as an upcoming economy that is already home to a mushrooming BPO industry and could lead to other new economic opportunities .

Hopefully, as Manila puts one foot firmly forward and tries to create its equivalent of the 'American dream' with people faithfully aligning with American influences in food, fashion, music and the like, it can keep its other foot firmly in its past with institutions like the Asian Development Bank trying to develop policies that can address its deep-rooted issues and people like Carlos Seldran (who runs historical walking tours in Manila) who can help residents and visitors look at Manila differently and give a boost to its tourism industry that till now seems very much dormant with travelers still asking the question 'Why visit Manila?'.