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Ah, that familiar feeling...

Chaotic traffic, crowded streets, hand-painted billboards. Could you be in Mumbai or Bangalore? Not really, it's Manila

PHOTO: SUDHISH KAMATH

UPMARKET DISTRICT Imposing buildings form the skyline of the commercial hub of Makati. The contrast is just like our metros

When Nokia recently decided to unveil its N series of phones, the company chose Manila, the busy capital of the Philippines, for the spectacular event. The first thing that greets you on arrival is the volume of traffic on the road. It took a typhoon called Xang Sane to keep the Filipinos off the road. Till the typhoon hit and uprooted a few trees, it was impossible to see road space clogged with interesting-looking vehicles.

The traffic in Manila has a unique character, thanks to the jeepneys (colourfully painted, chrome-plated World War II jeeps modified to seat about 20 people), the tricycles (motorcycles with sidecar that can seat four, including the driver), the rare few pedicabs left (cycles with sidecars) and the blue line of the Metro Manila Rail Transit running right in the middle of the road (with traffic on either side, that is). Apparently, the jeepneys and tricycles work pretty much like the share-autorickshaws of our own metros. Passengers heading in the same direction share the fare in tricycles or pay a flat fare to get on board a jeepney, usually about 8 pesos (pesos fetch almost the same exchange rate as the Indian rupee, with one American dollar fetching about 50 pesos).

Just like India

There is so much about Manila that reminds you of India, apart from the chaotic traffic. The hand-painted display boards shops use could make you believe you are on Mumbai's local trains.

Once you get to Makati, the commercial hub, you realise that it is an entirely different world from what you saw on the outskirts. There's Starbucks, Hard Rock Café, TGIF and other global brands to make a foreigner feel completely at home in the middle of Makati.

The hotel we stayed (Shangri-La Makati is world-class) gave us a warm welcome with a gypsy-bead garland before they let the sniffer dogs on us. Then there was the mandatory frisking and security check before we could check into the hotel. We're told these are precautions they take to prevent terrorist attacks.

The best thing to do in most cities around the world on arrival is pick up the local city guide from the concierge. And you're ready to try out basic Filipino on eager-to-be-amused/entertained locals. A "selamat po" (thank you, sir) brings an instant smile on their faces after which the locals would rattle off into a string of Filipino words, which probably means "you're welcome". "Hindi" incidentally means "no" and "oh" means "yes." A "hoy" greeting could be used as an icebreaker when you're out shopping. The language does come handy when you're bargaining. "Magkano ito," means "How much is this?" and "mahal" means "expensive". Simple? Now say that with a singsong accent. Even if it doesn't work, it will surely amuse them.

Great shopping

The malls have the best deals on clothes and electronics during a sale, so it would help to window-shop once before you actually buy. Movie buffs will find that original VCDs are available dirt cheap. Sample: the Back to the Future trilogy at 300 pesos and the entire Star Wars (all six movies) collection for 750. Scanning the market and doing a preliminary research actually helps when you want to buy electronics. I picked up a branded 4 Mega Pixel Camera with a 256MB SD Card for 6,000 pesos (about US$120).

You might have a problem finding vegetarian food unless you live in a five-star hotel. The Filipinos run out of ideas when you ask them to make you vegetarian food. It's almost like they have no clue what they can make without any seafood or meat. So unless you want to eat leaves in the name of salad, stick to bread and butter or cereals.

Unpredictable weather

The weather is extremely unpredictable. One evening, we were lost in the malls and the very next morning, we find a storm out there. And a mighty typhoon at that. Xang Sane ensured there was no electricity in Manila for nearly four days. On our way to the airport, we saw the damage: trees on the road, hoardings blown away and traffic nearly non-existent. Luckily for us, we got out of Manila on Day One, risking the rescheduled flight after waiting nearly three hours just in the check-in counter because the airport staff was doing all work manually following a power failure. About 3,400 passengers were stranded after flights were cancelled or rescheduled. About 22 hours after we left the Shangri La Makati, we got back home, with a seven-hour transit in Singapore because we had to take a new connecting flight.

* * *

Words you could use

"Selamat po" means

"Thank you, sir."

"Hindi" means "No."

"Oh" means "Yes."

"Hoy" is a greeting

"Magkano ito" means

"How much is this?"

"Mahal" means "Expensive."

Say these with a singsong accent. Even if it doesn't work, it will surely amuse the locals.

SUDHISH KAMATH

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