The Philippines: Manila

Manila is where they must've filmed Blade Runner. It is composed of endless blocks of low, fully fenced and barb-wired concrete buildings, separated by narrow streets with skinny sidewalks. All of these blocks are held together by millions of miles of electrical wire that, by the look of it, was first stitched together before the Spanish Armada. The city is blistering hot, gray, claustrophobic, choked with traffic and smog, with literally puddles of soot deposited on every available surface. But it is amazingly full of people, from early morning and through the night, with many restaurants and other services running 24/7. Manila is the one city I've been to so far whose energy compares to that of New York. It is not a relaxing place - it has its own very particular rhythm, and you have to find a way to ride it to grow comfortable in it.











The best view of the city, though, is from afar: