A Rate of Decline

I woke this morning to the cheery news that the £ had slumped again on the exchange markets and has now lost 20% of its value against the US$ and thus many other currencies since the Brexit referendum. I am sure this will help the UK tourist industry and our exports but it certainly doesn’t help travellers like me! So it’s more food from the street stalls then.

Diesel fuel at 50-60p a litre in Manila is a great inducement to cram the roads with motor vehicles of all types including, of course, the iconic jeepney bus

which were originally fashioned from the jeeps left behind by the Americans after the 2nd World War and by the look of some of them they are the originals! All this metal on the roads leads to a chaotic mess – just as I remember it. The only change is that lane discipline seems to have improved. I haven’t seen too many people driving on the wrong side of the road – yet! The traffic police do their best to keep things flowing with lots of flailing arms and whistle blowing

but it really is a hopeless task especially during rush hour(s) when most of the major roads are gridlocked.

The other thing that hasn’t changed is the number of people carrying guns. The security guard business is huge here. More or less every shop, every hotel , restaurant, apartment block and certainly every bank has one or more gun carrying guards outside. So, if you fail to get into the police force or armed forces you become a security guard, get a smart uniform – and a gun.

I am told that most of these weapons have never been fired and are probably now too old and rusty to work but I hope I never have to find out, especially if faced with something a little more sinister than a handgun.

Makati, where I am staying, is just one part of the urban sprawl that is Metro Manila and its 13 million inhabitants. It is the commercial heart of the city

and certainly the wealthiest area. it is bursting with banks, shopping malls, designer shops

staffed by lovely Filipina ladies

and top class hotels.

Way back, I used to stay here and recall that the price was US$40 per night! Not a bad deal when the rack rate for a room is now around US$300!

Based on what I have seen and shown today, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Philippines is a wealthy country. The reality is the opposite as the average annual income for a Filipino is around $3500. Yes, that’s per year! Yet another example of the huge gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Today I have seen a fair few ‘haves’. In the coming days I will doubtless see many more ‘have nots’.

When I am out and about with a real camera (as opposed to my camera phone) I am always amused by people’s reaction to my happy snapping. There are very few who just don’t want to be photographed (a bit like me, really); others who just ignore me and get on wth their lives and a number who just love having their photo taken.