"If you can drive in Manila, you can drive anywhere in the world!"

I have other photos of our sail-in to Manila that are much more dramatic with the sun coming up  behind the buildings, but I'm putting this one here to show what struck me as being very different from other cities we have approached in the early dawn.  There are NO lights on in the buildings.  Admittedly, it is early Sunday morning, but I thought this was unusual.  

Claimed by Magellan for Spain in 1521, the archipelago of 7,641 islands was named for King Philip II.  The Spaniards introduced Christianity to the islands previously influenced by China and Islam.  From 1565 to 1821, the Spanish consolidated the islands, built towns and fortresses, established schools, and imported foods from Mexico.  As a result of the 1898 treaty ending the Spanish-American War, the U.S. bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million.  The Japanese occupied the country from 1942-1945.  The following year, the Philippines was officially recognized as an independent country. The country has a population of over 105 million.  Manila is the capital city and the most densely populated city proper in the world at about 185,000 residents/sq. mile.  The name of the city originates from the flowering mangrove trees that grew along the river, or "nilas".  People referred to is as Say may nila, or "the place where there are nilas".  

We didn't get to see this group dance, but the musicians were very entertaining as they played.

Since it was Sunday, we wanted to attend church.  I searched for an English speaking family ward on the lds.org meetinghouse locator.  After our experience in Sydney using an Uber-esque transport service, we tried it again with great success.  We knew we were in the right place when we saw the steeple and the basketball standard.    

 The members were very friendly with both men and women coming to shake our hands to welcome us.  As the members started gathering, the favored seating was by the open door.  The fans stirred up the air a little, but the 92 degree heat predominated until the young men came and fussed with the thermostats of the ceiling mounted air conditioners and at last they started to work.  Although the church unit had been listed as English speaking, that turned into a "more or less" reality.  Each speaker started their message with a sentence or two of English, then drifted into a mixture of English and Filipino.  We could get some of the gist of what they had to say, but not much.  We enjoyed being there and had a good time smiling at the beautiful children. 

After the meeting we spoke with the missionaries.  Elder Shelley on the left is from Ephraim and Elder Harkness is from Mapleton.  Elder Harkness told me what a pleasure it was to listen to my "perfect English"--something he hadn't heard for awhile.












We got back to the ship in time to have lunch before getting on the bus for the included excursion to see the "Best of Manila".


 We went to Intramuros, the historic Spanish old town.  We drove past the Manila Cathedral on such a narrow street that parking the bus to get out was impossible

We did get out of the bus to explore the Casa Manila Museum.  It was built in the Spanish colonial style from around 1850. I loved the beautiful bougainvillea which added such color to this plaza.

As we walked through the rooms, I had to do a reality check because it felt like I was touring a European home, but I knew I was in Asia.

The next part of our tour was centered around the legacy of their national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.  He was a leader of the Filipino reform movement who was accused of treason by the Spanish for his writings.  He was imprisoned in Fort Santiago (top and right photos) for 56 days prior to his execution (bottom photo).  The left photo is the Rizal Monument.

Our bus driver took us for a quick ride into Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world.

Transportation in Manila is very colorful.  Car ownership isn't what it is in the U.S.--if it were, the traffic would be at a standstill all the time.  Instead, people find creative ways to get around--clockwise from upper left--a motorcycle driven "rickshaw", three on a scooter, a three-wheeled, covered scooter, and a jeepney--modified army jeeps left in the country after WWII.

The horse-drawn carriages are used more for a leisurely drive around park areas, but there were a lot of them of every size and shape.

This officer was making an attempt at keeping traffic running smoothly...

but it wasn't working too well.

We came to a place where a long line of traffic was stopped at a light.  In between the "lanes" of vehicles were street hawkers trying to sell their wares to the drivers.

In many places around the city we saw the squalor common to big cities.

But even there we saw the wonderful Filipino smiles.

Even on the faces of these girls who played between the lanes of cars at the stoplight.

 The people of such diverse backgrounds are proud to be Filipino.

Opposite the Rizal Monument is the small gray Kilometer 0 marker (on the right side by the street).  All distances from Manila originate at this marker.  In the background is the Viking Sun.

After a wonderful day experiencing Manila, we were treated to another destination cultural performance.  This was the best we had seen so far.  What a rich heritage can be found in the Philippines!

Currency--1 USD = 50 PHP (Philippino Peso)  They used to have a 5 peso paper note, but it's been replaced by a coin with Jose Rizal on it.  

This photo taken at the end of the day shows lights on in the buildings, unlike the darkness in the morning.