You only have one chance to make a first impression..............

[Tawi2]

Cast your mind back,your plane was about to touch down at NAIA,you had never been before,had done a little research but nothing could prepare you for the assault on your senses that is Manila,what were your first impressions of the place(apart from the cheating taxi-drivers)?Maybe you landed somewhere "Easier" such as Cebu or even Davao in which case your initial views of the archipelago were most certainly totally different than those first timers thrust into the bustle of Manila,how did you find it?Likes and dislikes?

[Englishman2010]

Cheating Taxi drivers yes It cost me 1500 php to get from the airport to Ermita. I've since made the same jorney many times and it's usually between 150 and 200, the cheapest I've done it is 110, but that was at 4am in the morning.
The dirt, polution, overcrowdedness and noise didn't really phase me, I've spent a lot of time in India so am used to large 3rd world cities. Whenever I've been in Manila I've always been in the company of a Filipina g/f who acts as a tour guide, interpreter and negotiator, so it's always been pretty easy for me.
On my last trip I decided to go it alone from Imus to the SM mall in Bacoor, getting a jeepney there was pretty easy, but finding the right one back to Imus was more difficult, but I made it, and even if i did get ripped off 12 peso's each way was a bargain
No negative experiences for me, other than the ex g/f Can't wait to get back there in 15 days time

[Tawi2]

I've spent a lot of time in India

I had already spent a year in India and been to several other 3'rd world countries before Pinas,the Philippines was easy in comparison

the airport to Ermita

My first ever night in Ermita as a kid was spent in a brothel/taxi hotel on Del Pilar street,it was back before Mayor Lim closed down the more interesting establishments,it used to have a great atmosphere,nowadays it hasnt sadly.

[Englishman2010]

You're right Tawi, the Phils is easy after India. I haven't been there for 9 years, but I'm sure it's no better now. The bureacracy is the thing that used to get me. At passport control, 15 people have to look at your passport and then have a natter before they let you through. It's the same when you check in at your hotel, or get a ticket for a bus tour. It's no wonder there's no unemployment in India.

I usually stay at the Lotus Garden or Best Western in Ermita, it's not the best part of town, but i like it round there. I'm sure it is rough, and I'm always careful where I go and what I do there, but I've never been in any trouble there. There are a few good bars where you can get cheap beer and some decent restaurants too. Although I'm going up market next time and staying in Makati

[mickcant]

On my first flight into NAIA in 2007 when the plane was approaching to land I thought what the hell am I doing here, only to find my girl friend was not there to meet me, and my phone did not work there as I thought it would, so somehow I got a taxi to the internal arrivals and I recognised my girl friend there.
After that I expect I was a nerves wreck!
Mick.

[Rosie1958]

My very first trip to NAIA was in 1999 with my son who was 10 years old at that time. It was his first trip to the Far East and he looked totally bewildered and quite scared when we arrived. I was just praying that my brother would make it to the airport on time to pick us up.

As soon as we left Arrivals through the main door, the heat and humidity was the first thing that hit us, followed by the noise, hustle and bustle and the long queue of taxi drivers that were jostling for fares. I didn't feel safe and never do when I go back but what impressed me most about the Philippines was the people ........... always smiling, happy and polite.

[RickyR]

The first time I flew to the Philippines, I stepped off the plane into a Merc S class and headed off to the Shangri La Makati. I looked out of hte window and was shocked. I'd booked a 2 week holiday here, hadn't done any research, and had literally come straight from work in the Caribbean.
I was so horrified with the place, that after I met up with Marvie (we were already dating, and had met whilst work working together abroad), we booked flights to Hong Kong and spent most of the time there. Can't believe i'm living here now, and travelling around by Jeepney!

[JimOttley]

I had done no research knew very little about the place apart from that I could hire some programmers pretty cheap, I had met and worked with two Filipino's in Scotland in 1998 and 2001, the first lad Oliver I never met again, the second is now a good friend that I've worked with for nearly 10 years.

Meeting Oliver in Cumbernauld in 1998 the sheer deference he showed to us westerners was shocking to me, the poor lad could not look us in the eye and could not stop addressing all of us as sir I just remember him as being such a nice friendly chap once he started to relax a bit, he was over in the UK to get some training from me on the factory systems that I had written for a plant in Batangas. I supported those systems for several years but never got to go over to the Phils myself, the hardware guys in our team got to go over but not me.

Then in late 2004 my friend convinced me to outsource one of my own projects to the Phils and suggested I go over to talk to the guys in the company over there and do a small trial project.

First impressions?

These shots are from my first 15 minutes in the city on the way from the airport to the hotel, I was basically stunned.

National Grid



I could not believe the state of of the electric network, I know it's not just power lines but it was just quite incredible how it all hung together.







That last one is the perpetual story of dead slow and stop Manila, I loved the way the bus on the left is pointing at the buses on the right and no one cares about the cars in the middle

We arrived on a Friday and had business meetings planned for Monday but we were spending the weekend with the French owner of the outsourcing software company over there so one day later and I was here:-





to meet this chap



who at the time was going out with this lassie who was a minor celeb member of a Phils pop group (they split up long ago but have a daughter)



I was actually quite ill by the Monday I got the flu just before I went over and it became clear by the Sunday and developed fully while I was there, lost half a stone that week but probably the best flu I have ever had

Anyway back at work on the Monday



I met my friend Seg for the third time, twice in Scotland and we had worked with each other remotely for about 4 or 5 years at this point.



The city was impressive at whatever scale I viewed it, full of contrasts, clearly full of a lot of human suffering as well which was inescapable to anyone with an ounce of compassion



I found it quite overwhelming from the state of the streets to the beauty of the islands to the impressive modern business districts and it was the start of a long adventure for me as I also met the love of my life that week.

[mickcant]

Thank you Jim, a intresting post
Mick.

[grahamw48]

Great post, good pictures !

Just winding my memory back 20 years before I start boring everyone with 'when I wer a lad in the Phils'.

Back later.

[stevewool]

we all have differant memories, mine was just shear nerves at first, landed had to find the loo, just following everyone then , i found it quite easy and very nice afterwards though, my only problem was walking through the airport and like mick says the phone did not work either, was where was everyone, no one waiting for me so i asked, what is your name they said , then they said down the ramp and look under W, was she on drugs i thought but hay ho i am here, so off i went, then it hit me the heat the noise and the crowds, wow wow wow, what a site greated me and there was emma , she was my guide so really i did not get ripped off at all, yes there where times when i paid extra just to get there quicker sometimes but it was worth it and the thanks you got from the people too was a pleasure , i would do it tomorrow if i could and anyone thinking of doing it , go one its frightning at first but that soon goes

[Englishman2010]

Thinking about it, one concern I had when I landed at NAIA was 'Would I recognise my g/f at the airport?' . I'd met her 3 months before in Singapore, and although we saw each other most days on Skype, I was slightly concerned that when I had cleared Customs I would be greeted by a crowd of thousands of 5 foot nothing Filipina's, all with dark hair and eyes..etc, and I didn't want the embarrasment of looking my g/f straight in the face and not recognising her.
Fortunately, a 6 foot 1 white Anglo Saxon sticks out of the crowd like a sore thumb, so she saw me a long time before I saw her and managed to negotiate her way to the front of the queue to meet me.

[JimOttley]

Thinking about it, one concern I had when I landed at NAIA was 'Would I recognise my g/f at the airport?' . I'd met her 3 months before in Singapore, and although we saw each other most days on Skype, I was slightly concerned that when I had cleared Customs I would be greeted by a crowd of thousands of 5 foot nothing Filipina's, all with dark hair and eyes..etc,

Mine is 5ft 6" no problem in a crowd

[Terpe]

First impressions are often the longest lasting.
My first and lasting impressions of Manila were dense air, humidity, humanity, traffic and guns.

Stepping out of the NAIA you're suddenly hit by the humidity and soon build up a good sweat.

After humidity the next thing you notice is the mass of people.
Which isn't surprising as Manila is one of the most populated cities in the world.
One contrast I also noticed was in gender balance. Manila’s gender-balance seemed to me to be skewed to the fairer sex.

Next is traffic. Manila seems always in heavy traffic.
Traffic everywhere, small roads or big roads. Metro Manila does have plenty of big roads, expressways and flyovers. Sometimes, you get a number of those three-lane expressways together, with those awful U turn slots that are so good at clogging up the traffic even more.

Locals with money have their cars and SUVs. Locals without money pack into jeepneys.
There are clearly more vehicles than the roads could ever possibly accommodate.

Manila looks a rich city, but also a very poor one.
The inequality is striking, especially in the close co-existence of private opulence and public squalor. The haves and the have nots.

Which brings me to my final impression. Guns
I’m aware that many countries have armed police and many have armed uniformed soldiers.
But what really struck me was the sheer number of private security forces.
These guys are armed with automatic rifles and light machine guns and are everywhere. Shopping malls, offices, service stations and residential areas.

There are a large number of so called ‘gated communities’. These are basically housing estates that are behind secured walls where the affluent live seggragated from the poor majority.
These gated communities are also guarded by very well armed and highly visible security forces.

There are good reasons for the security. But there just appears to be guns everywhere.

Do I feel safe in Philippines? Yes
I have never had a safety problem, a close call,or needed to take extra special precautions beyond the usual do's and do not's of living in any big city.

I hope this post does not sound too negative. Actually, Manila grows on me. I must be in a minority I think.

[Steve.r]

My first time to Manila I arrived a day and a half before my mahal, who was coming in from Singapore to Clark. I got outside the doors of the airport and asked the guard how much I would pay to go in a taxi to Makati to the hotel. I found a taxi, agreed on a price (several years in Saudi, you get used to getting the price first) and off we went. All the way the taxi driver was asking me if I wanted to go see sexy girls I got to the hotel and booked in, then had a walk around Makati. I sat outside at a bar having a beer and two beautiful girls came over from the other side of the road and started asking questions, I think they wanted me to take them back to my hotel, but that wasn't going to happen, I was too tired, and I wouldn't anyway.
The next day I got a taxi to the GreenBelt Mall and wandered around for what seemed like hours. There are just seas of beautiful dark haired and dark eyed girls all wanting to help you when ever you stop to look at anything in the shops, I was quite flattered to have so much attention. I walked half way back to the hotel, then got a taxi. Ihad a call from Charie telling me she was not far away, so I waited in the hotel lobby for a while, then wandered outside just waiting. Then, a car,taxi pulled up outside the hotel and out jumped Charie. I ran to her and bent down to hug her, I had forgotten just how small she is, we hugged so tight and couldn't believe we were together again. From then on she was my guide and translator and I was safe.

[JimOttley]

Locals with money have their cars and SUVs. Locals without money pack into jeepneys.
There are clearly more vehicles than the roads could ever possibly accommodate.

Manila looks a rich city, but also a very poor one.
The inequality is striking, especially in the close co-existence of private opulence and public squalor. The haves and the have nots.

Which brings me to my final impression. Guns
I’m aware that many countries have armed police and many have armed uniformed soldiers.
But what really struck me was the sheer number of private security forces.
These guys are armed with automatic rifles and light machine guns and are everywhere. Shopping malls, offices, service stations and residential areas.

There are a large number of so called ‘gated communities’. These are basically housing estates that are behind secured walls where the affluent live seggragated from the poor majority.
These gated communities are also guarded by very well armed and highly visible security forces.

There are good reasons for the security. But there just appears to be guns everywhere.

Do I feel safe in Philippines? Yes
I have never had a safety problem, a close call,or needed to take extra special precautions beyond the usual do's and do not's of living in any big city.

I hope this post does not sound too negative. Actually, Manila grows on me. I must be in a minority I think.

There are more cars than space but that's because if the wheels still rotate they just won't scrap it

I was shocked by the guns too but I got used to them pretty quickly, a couple of years back Ana was visiting the Korean Embassy at the corner of Jupiter street in Makati, as she came to the ground floor and was about to exit the building there was an attack on a payroll van by a local gang they killed the occupants of the Van stole the payroll about 6 or 7 million peso and killed at least one bystander Ana saw all of it happen in front of her, she was in bits for a week or more.

The gated communities are called Subdivisions we live in one, but we are poor, so our guy guarding us is usually asleep when we pass the gate our subdivision association fees are only 100 peso a month doesn't buy a lot of security

At the condo where we used to live the guards were great, we always gave them chocolate and ciggies when I came over, they were always very grateful and very nice and helpful to us and I grew to feel quite good about them being constantly armed.

I really like Manila so maybe we are both in a minority, I've said it before it's a dump but it's a nice dump and it's home for me.

[Englishman2010]

Mine is 5ft 6" no problem in a crowd

Haha, likewise, my current Filipina is about 5ft6 so I don't have that problem anymore either

[Steve.r]

I guess it all depends on what shocks you. If you have led a (maybe) more sheltered life, the fast pace of Manila can be overwhelming. Seeing real poverty can be very distressing compared to what we have. My experiences has shown that where there is poverty there needn't be depression, most people I met in Manila and in the province have been resiliant and happy with what the 'do' have.
What I do love is the electrical wiring... it's just crazy, how do you know you are paying for what you use??

[JimOttley]

What I do love is the electrical wiring... it's just crazy, how do you know you are paying for what you use??

You don't, fairly good chance you could be paying for your neighbour and your neighbours neighbour

Where Ana grew up they were the only people in the street paying for their own electric, some of the family's in that street had been didling Meralco for decades, now how can a power company fail to see that?

Electricity prices in the Phils are horrendous!

[joebloggs]

I was slightly concerned that when I had cleared Customs I would be greeted by a crowd of thousands of 5 foot nothing Filipina's, all with dark hair and eyes..etc, and

Fortunately, a 6 foot 1 white Anglo Saxon sticks out of the crowd like a sore thumb, so she saw me a long time before I saw her and managed to negotiate her way to the front of the queue to meet me.

same as me,
but my misses sent her mom as she waited across the road , i got a bit of a when her mom found me

[Englishman2010]

same as me,
but my misses sent her mom as she waited across the road , i got a bit of a when her mom found me

haha, i bet you were thinking that beautiful 20 something yr old girl you'd been chatting to was really a grey haired toothless hag in her 50's (no offence to your ma-in-law intended )

[Tawi2]

electrical wiring

I am sort of involved in a beach resort/english school(for Koreans who come over on a language/accomodation package)and the security guards caught two guys trying to steal the cable last year
I remember first landing at NAIA,the humidity and crowding didnt phase me having been in Hong Kong for months already and having spent time in other 3'rd world countries,my taxi driver was a guy with a perverse sense of humour as I asked him for a decent hotel and he dropped me at a brothel on Del Pilar and also taught me to greet ladies in that area with the words dali na sa katre e**t na ta which he assured me meant "Hello,how are you today?" or somesuch innocent greeting,I got out of manila ASAP as it wasnt half as much fun as Bangkok and headed south leapfrogging from island to island all the way down to Borneo,funny trip including meeting a drunken guy in Iloilo who pulled a pistol out after I bought him a drink and threatened me before making out his behaviour was only a joke Laugh?I nearly choked on my pepsi

[aposhark]

I don't agree with the thread title.

Many times I have hated a place at first and grew to love it later.
The opposite has also happened.

"Never judge a book by its cover"

Manila, Beijing or Buenas Aires - first impressions are often misleading
There can be many factors why we don't like a place at first, it can be something simple like being in a bad mood due to something or other.

[Englishman2010]

The wiring was something that shocked me on my first couple of visits. I took these pics in Ermita in Jan and April 2010

Edit: I'll re-phrase that - surprised me (not shocked)

[grahamw48]

I first emerged from NAIA in July 1990, but then went off down to the Domestic airport for a connecting flight to Cebu, where I stayed for a week before returning to Manila for a further 3 weeks.

I'd spent a few years in Malaya and Singapore as a kid, so more or less knew what to expect climate-wise, and also read my Lonely Planet guide from cover to cover.
.

It was the LADIES that took my breath away...and still do.
.
Lost count of how many trips I've made since, including living in the Phils for up to 2 years at a time.
.

I'll be back !