To me, the city of Manila was amazing, in many ways, but also gross and disgusting and full of very in-your-face poverty that, frankly, isn’t for the faint-hearted. The nightlife’s amazing and if you live in a place like Makati or Quezon City, you might have a grand ol’ time for the most part.
However, if you want to live there long-term, as I did? I really, really wouldn’t recommend it. Especially not if you have children. I swear to God, two weeks in even the cleanest part of the city and you will find that the color of your snot changes… it darkens. Air pollution is a big issue, traffic is insane, and I would never in a million years want to raise a family there. Even though Manila is the capital of what is still very much a third world country, the cost of living and especially housing has gone up quite a lot and it’s not the sort of environment that I’d want the little Jean-Marie’s exposed to, as you can understand.
Which is why I commuted a lot. Got a house in the province. Personally I love the mountain areas of the Philipines. The Cordillera region, Sierra Madre mountains comes to life… it’s where one can experience the true Philippines, away from the bars, the chicks, the parties and the pollution. Also, perhaps most importantly… away from the disgusting foreigners. Maybe you are the type of person that doesn’t mind some foreigners around. Me, I don’t like it. Makes one ashamed to be a Westerner. Or Chinese, or Russian, or Middle-Eastern for that matter; the Philippines truly attracts the dregs of society, the worst of the worst the West has to offer.
In the provinces you can have a house and lot at a much lower price. Cost of living is affordable, gas cheap, and commuting isn’t hard if you own a car.
This was my view… not the girls, not the bars, not the vibrant young people of the often very metropolitan business area of Manila, Makati… no, it was the quiet, endless green mountains, hills and valleys of the Cordillera, home to the Igorots, the Bugkalots and various other tribes with names that escape me, each with their own unique language, their own unique culture and often cuisine… the climate is much more agreeable, too, compared to hot and humid Manila.
Manila is fine if you are young. Or childless. Or just an older bachelor or lady looking for a good time. The moment you have kids, you want to get out of there. You want some fresh air, a change of scenery, a slower pace of life, something a bit more wholesome. A retreat to get away from the madness of the world, to find and embrace stability. Manila is very much the madness of the world I wanted to get away from. In the mountains, I found peace.
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