Back to Manila, or, Will I Ever Learn?

So I got back to Manila after an overnight bus trip.  I found a place to stay and then set off to give Manila another chance.  I took a walk down to the park where I began the debacle that dimmed my view of the Philippines.  (That would be the one where I met the "nice" people in the park, who proceeded to bring my some food laced with some drug, take me to a bank machine and steal all of my money.)  I went to the Department of Tourism and got some great sounding advice, some maps, and a couple of suggestions on how to spend the afternoon.  It was suggested that I go to see the area called Intramuros, an old Spanish enclave when the Spaniards were in control of the Philippines.  I could even catch a ride with one of the pony carts that did tours.  They could be paid whatever was agreed and it wouldn't be too costly.

So off I went.  Almost immediately, I met Lando, a likable fellow with a pony cart.  He offered to take me around.  How much, I asked him.  He said it was up to me.  Great.  I got in.  Lando told me I was very friendly and he liked my face.  And he showed me around.  He showed me the most expensive hotel in Manila, at $200 a night and upwards.  It's hard to see it because it's from the pony cart.  We didn't stop really.







Next Lando showed me one of the oldest churches in Manila, and Asia.  It's 300 years old.  The guy at the Department of Tourism told me the oldest church in Asia was around this area somewhere as well, but Lando didn't show me that one.  I don't know why.  But I still agreed with him when he said he was a great guide.






Lando showed me a building where the Japanese hid out during the war.  It was bombed by the US and was never restored.  It is now just a shell of a building, possibly a reminder of the horrors of war.

Then Lando took me across the river.  This was a special tour.  He showed me the post office, another old building with character.










He showed me Chinatown...

...and Muslim town...












...and the markets in between.  We never stopped to get down at any of them.  We just kept on riding by.  But Lando did make sure to tell me where to take photos.  He liked that I took lots of photos.  He wanted lots of proof on Facebook that I had a great time and that he was a great tour guide.








And then he made the tour he was giving me even better.  He took me to the government quarter where he showed me where the President resided when in town.  I didn't really get to see it too well because the gate was closed and I wasn't high enough, but Lando definitely wanted me to take a photo there.  Then Lando did something really nice.  He stopped and bought some water.  And he bought some for me as well.  What a nice guy!

Then he introduced me to some kids and told me they loved having their photos taken.  He practically lined them up so I could take this photo.  That Lando, he was so helpful.










He  also wanted me to take a photo of the area that got flooded a couple of years in a big typhoon.  Many people died.  How sad!  I didn't feel exactly right about photographing an area like that.  I did draw the line though, when Lando suggested that I take photos of the homeless people we were passing.  I know Lando wanted me to convey the full picture of what I was seeing.  He was such a thoughtful tour guide, don't you know.

And then it was time to draw the tour to a close.  The pony was getting tired after all.  Did I mind that he would drop me off near the mall?  Not at all.  Oh, but wait, he wanted to explain a couple of things to me, and he wasn't actually going to drop me off AT the mall, just near it.  (Thinking about it later, I think that had a lot to do with the presence of police that might be called upon, if I hadn't been so annoyed that I didn't think of it.  I wonder what would have happened if I had suggested having a chat with some form of police officer.)  And then he began to explain.  You know, an actual tour guide would show me all that stuff and would charge 80 dollars, a hundred even.  But he was going to give me a deal.  (But wait, Lando, I thought you said it was going to be up to me when I got in your pony cart.  I guess it's not really up to me.)  And his pony had worked so hard.  So he was only going to ask for 60 dollars.  What!!??!?  Are you kidding?  Perhaps a real tour guide would ask that much, but one, they ask for it up front, and two, they would earn it by stopping at each site and explain it in full detail, not in passing as we rode by.  You're not getting 60.  Besides I don't have that much.  He looked crestfallen.  And annoyed.  It was ridiculous.  I ended up giving him way too much for the "pleasure" of his tour, but I did have the pleasure of telling him he wasn't a nice man.  The worst part of this all was that I got taken by a 65 year old con-artist.

Am I ever going to learn?

I did however see something quite nice while I was riding along.  Outside an elementary school, the students of that school had done some sort of project to make the neighbourhood nicer.  And this was the result.  So it wasn't a complete loss and annoyance.