History, Posh, and Poverty

Manila Bay

11 August 2012

Pedro Gil is a one-way street in Manila that goes from Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, and reaches until Paco. The street is quite historical, and holds access to landmark buildings as well as Manila Bay itself.

My sister studies medicine in UP Manila (the best med school in the country, if you ask me *chos*) and she stays in a condominium along Pedro Gil. It makes me jealous that her school is five cartwheels away from her home (translate: across the street). The convenience... OH THE CONVENIENCE!!!

I walked along Pedro Gil this morning, because I rarely get to do so alone. Fortunately, the floods were not as bad here. Roxas only gets inundiated if the winds are strong enough.

I had to take pictures with stealth because Pedro Gil is just like most streets in Ermita: a mixture of history, posh, and poverty.

I started walking towards the bay. I told my sister I was just going to buy breakfast. Meh. Impulse.

Hello, St. Paul. 

Rob Ermita is a favorite haunt of foreigners coming into the city. Unfortunately, it creates an unfair competition with the small businesses in the area. Fortunately, the small shops, restaurants, bars, parlors, and brothels of Malate and the rest of Ermita are still going strong.

Hyatt Hotel

Hello Roxas Blvd!

Diamond Hotel. I babysat there once.

It was very tempting to jaywalk. But I didn't want to die.

It took longer than I thought. But at last... Baywalk!

It looks ok from afar (see picture at the start), but the Manila Bay is very polluted. 

People come anyway.

People even fish here. Some enterprising manongs rent out reels.

Parts of the pavement were damaged by the typhoons and rains. Hopefully, nobody steals these bricks.

On the way back, I saw some kids playing near the unappreciated monuments.

Hello R. Magsaysay Building! You so pretty.

It was 8AM by the time I started to go back. My sister was pretty mad at me, because I told her I was just getting breakfast. I took more than an hour.

So I bought her breakfast and went back.