My trip to Manila was quite an eye-opening experience for me. I had expected Manila to be a modern city since it is the capital of the Philippines. So I was pretty shocked by what I saw.
I did not expect to have to queue up to purchase a ticket whenever I wanted to travel on the LRT or MRT. I did not expect the LRT and MRT to be overcrowded during off-peak hours. I did not expect to see pushing by commuters without due regard to the safety of other commuters. I did not expect the traffic in Manila to be such an eyesore. I did not expect Filipinos living in Manila to be unable to speak or comprehend English. (A lot of the trishaw riders, jeepney drivers & roadside stall owners did not seem to be able to speak or comprehend English.)
Something praiseworthy about Manila is that there are security officers stationed at the entrances of all shopping centres and LRT/MRT stations, to make sure that shoppers and commuters do not bring in anything deemed as dangerous.
Dare to Dream