Phillipines Adventure - Infant Baby Jesus Trading Store

The traffic in Manila is bad.   Wait, that is an incredible understatement.  The traffic in Manila is so bad that I don’t understand how people actually move from one place to another.  Left turns were recently made illegal in the city in an attempt to ease the horrific congestion.
 
There are several factors contributing to the chaos.  The first is the fact that Manila is essentially several cities, all crammed next to each other.  It is huge.  The second is that, along with an absence of traffic regulation, there’s basically no public transportation.  The third factor is the jeepney phenomenon.
 
I am fascinated by jeepneys.  I don’t really know how to describe them, except to say that they are essentially privately owned mini-busses.  They have a jeep or truck-like front end and are encased all in steel with metal bars.  They have no glass on the windows and open backs, making them look like they belong on the set of Mad Max, until you see that they’re painted or airbrushed with the most random themes.  There are a hundred, million, billion of them in the city and they are apparently uniquely Phillipino.

I could fill a memory card with all the awesome jeepneys I’ve seen.  Solidly half of them give some kind of homage to Jesus.  One boldly stated in huge airbrushed letters that it was PRO GOD, followed by the more targeted slogan “Go Racing with Jesus!”  Well, why the hell not!  There was a Pegasus jeepney.  There was a Moluccan cockatoo and green parrot jeepney.  There was Jesus carrying the cross, now with more jeepney.  Almost all jeepneys, taxis and trucks had a “How’s my driving?” note on it with a number to call, which cracks me up because, really:  How in the world would anyone single out a vehicle within this incredible mess to call out for bad driving?

Much of today was spent driving around Manila.  I apparently saw four of the seven cities that make up metropolitan Manila, including the old city – I couldn’t tell the difference, so I am taking the word of one of the local people traveling with me.  We drove through the lechon capitol of Manila.  Lechon is roasted whole pig.  The area is only a few blocks long, but it’s demarcated with huge gateway signs on either end, letting everyone who enters know that they will be suddenly surrounded by whole pigs on sticks.  Sadly, I have yet to take a single picture.  [Editor’s note:  This behavior is unacceptable.]

It’s back to the hotel early this afternoon so I can get some rest and catch up on sleep.  Tomorrow I leave for Bohol Island.  Please, let me know if you want me to pick up anything at the Infant Baby Jesus Trading Store.  Or let me know if you want me to get you some Placenta beauty products. I’m more than happy to do so.