Makati City is one of the 16 cities comprising Metro Manila and is the financial district of the Philippines. The city contains many skyscrapers, and developers are adding new high-rise apartments and condominiums everywhere. Many banks, corporations, and international businesses call Makati home, as well as the wealthy, pop stars, and actors. The city is clean, with plenty of skyscrapers, restaurants, and malls. Poor mothers and children wander the streets, begging the affluent for coins and food. 

Makati has a drawback. It lacks local mom-and-pop restaurants that serve homemade Philippine cuisine. Unfortunately, corporate restaurants and cafes dominate the dining market.

The Philippines

• The country's area spans 115,831 square miles, making the Philippines the 73rd largest country in the world.
• The currency is the Philippine peso.
• The capital is Manila, while Metro Manila comprises 12 cities inhabited by 11.5 million residents.
• In 2010, the population was estimated at 92 million.
• Makati City is one of the cities in Metro Manila, and it is the financial district of Manila.
• Quezon City is the most populous city in Metro Manila, with 2.8 million people.
• Approximately 3.9 million tourists arrived in the Philippines in 2011. This number should be much higher because the Philippines is blessed with beautiful beaches, lakes, jungles, and nature.

Manila, Philippines, was one of my best vacations yet. I met a variety of interesting people and had a good time despite the incessant rains from typhoons hovering off the coastline. 

The Philippines has a variety of pluses. 

1. The Filipino people are friendly, and most speak English well despite the Philippines being poor.
2. If you are afflicted by Asian fever, Filipinas are wonderful. Once I was outside the city of Manila, I noticed several curious stares. It is the common law: urban women tend to be more materialistic than non-urban women.
3. Manila has a historic site, Intramuros, which is the home of the Spanish colonial government. Intramuros means "within the walls" that enclosed the colonial city. The Spaniards began building this city in the 15th century and built Fort Santiago at one corner to protect the colony from foreign invaders.

One of the astounding things I learned was that most of the traditional Filipino cuisine was supplanted by fast food, especially the common fast-food chains from the United States. Subsequently, the Philippines developed their own fast-food chains, Jollibee and Chow King. Jollibee serves fast-food burgers, while Chow King is fast-food Chinese. 

I wonder whether the United States will evolve into something that resembles Manila, Philippines. After World War II, the Philippines was the second richest country in Asia after Japan. Then, it quickly disintegrated into a poor country.

1. Filipinos are terrified of crime in their city. Every mall, bank, and building has armed security guards and police checking patrons and customers as they walk through the door. Security guards pat customers and check bags and purses, searching for guns and weapons. Some businesses have metal detectors at the front door. I was even surprised to walk through a door when a policeman worked as a doorman at a local Starbucks.
2. Filipinos consider their government officials and politicians entirely corrupt. The government seems so corrupt that nothing gets done as the city and its infrastructure continually deteriorate. Businesses are shackled by government and police corruption and the many complex rules and regulations.
3. Manila is a large city with over 11 million souls mired in abject poverty. Shanty towns and slums cover significant portions of the city. However, I did not feel threatened as I stumbled through the wrong neighbourhood but noticed a few curious stares.
4. The Catholic church impeded the government programs that encouraged birth control. Most Filipinos are Catholic, and they conceive and raise a large number of children whose futures have abysmal economic opportunities or little chance for an education. 

Palawan Island is a rustic community. Traffic is not severe, and the city has two traffic lights. The island has no taxis, so the locals and tourists rely on motorcycles with a sidecar. Many neighbours grew their gardens and raised chickens. Unfortunately, the roosters crow at five o'clock in the morning.

I visited Palawan to see the Underground River, one of the world's wonders. The river did not impress me because we rode on a boat that went into the cave for several kilometres and then turned around. If tourists plan to visit the underground river, they must go to the government office to apply for a permit because the government restricts the number of tourists who can visit the site.

Island hopping was terrific. Small islands surround Palawan Island, and the clear waters are bustling with coral and fish. I snapped some awesome underwater pictures.