MANILA, PHILIPPINES REPORT TRAVEL.

I take the flight of the Australian company Jetsatar which reminds me of the old days of traveling around the world where thanks to it I was able to close the ring with the Honolulo - Sydney connection.

It is the only low cost companion that allows you to do so and it is the only low cost company that allows me to make this tour of the Far East.

The Australian from Sydney, like me too, travels the world but a little differently: a 20 kg backpack, a backpack bigger than mine and even a pair of 2-meter skis in tow.

He came for 2 weeks skiing in Japan and now he allows himself a week at the beach in the Philippines.

I land at Ninoy Aquino Terminal 1 in Manila at 17.00 with a bit of delay to tell the truth and I decide to use the Australian card which is on purpose ready waiting only for me because he is forced to take a taxi due to 2 meters of skis that he takes in tow while I can choose between bus and taxi but in the end I choose to share the taxi with him even though I know that he will cheat me as usual and in fact this happens: as always the taxi driver gives me the beautiful smiling face in front and then when he asks you for the bill he asks you for it quadrupled because of the impossible traffic: 9.900 PHP; 300 puts them on the Australian who gets off before me, 90 I ask for a discount and I put the rest on.

The taxi gets bogged down in the unsustainable traffic of Manila, there are also the beautiful, colorful Jeepneys that carry up to 12 people, then the motorized tricycles that carry 5 people and then many beautiful and ugly cars.

A sultry and unbearable heat, bare-backed people sleeping on the sidewalks.

It is 19.00 and the streets, some are very bright, some completely dark.

This impact does not seem to me the safest city in the world and the taxi driver also confirms that the night here is hard.

Arrival by taxi in front of Pink Manila Hostel (10.70 Euros including breakfast and free internet), located in Malate.

I have not yet gone down and already a guardian with the very old machine gun in his hand pointed towards me and the shot in the barrel takes my backpack and carries it inside me.

I pay the taxi driver and the guardian invites me to enter quickly and so; I do. I take the elevator and arrive at the 5th floor where another world opens up: it is full of Westerners, buckshot music, go-go cocktails, swimming pool on the gigantic terrace, breathtaking views of the capital and the skyscrapers of Makati. It is 8.30 pm and it is impossible to heat up. The phone here picks up.

I leave the Pink Manila Hostel, in Malate at about 8.00 in the morning and walk on the road

main where I take a Jeepney that takes me downtown, in front of the City Hall of Manila for the price of 8 PHP. Jeepneys are the most used vehicle in manila: beautiful and all different

colorful and people sit on the 2 benches where there are a maximum of 12 people. The itineraries are written on the windshield.

Unlike Japan and

South Korea here in is a hellish chaos but the writings are all in English and most of the people

speak English.

In front of the City Hall a Filipino mi proposes a tour of the historic center with the tricycle that are those means

with a bike pulling a cabin with 2 seats.

He shoots me a price of 1000 PHP but in the end I offer him 350 PHP.

Let's take a quick tour inside the walls of about 1 hour. He

pedal implanted and goes against the hand even when cornering; then sui throws in the middle of the road from 8

lanes and raises his hand to signal that he is passing. I would like to drive it I'm a tricycle but in the end I rely on destiny and they don't invest in it.

Then I take the

underground but it is full of stairs and it is impossible to use as there are too many people and the queues at the ticket office are very long as the automatic machines do not work and you are also crushed

from the crowd.

After a tour in Makati I return to the Pink Manila Hostel where I had left my backpack. The Manager accompanies me to take a taxi

in order not to make me take the usual jab and in fact this time the taxi driver shows all the honesty of him by making me pay as per the taxometer 120 PHP for

get to the Philtrancro Bus Terminal in Pasay City where I take the

Philtrancro company (there are few a day) which takes 3 hours and 30 '(changing bus at the Cubau Bus Station in Quezon City) to reach the tiny Clarck Airport located only 60 km north of Manila.

Luckily I decided to sleep there

and so I avoided missing the plane.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2015/06/viaggio-in-estremo-e-medio-oriente.html