MANILA THE UNFORGETTABLE

I found another oldie in Youtube and this one was sung by VICTOR WOOD ( hey tukayo! ). I bought many of his audio tapes when I went home in 1988 ( first time after 12 years ) from Alemar's along Avenida..The sky train was not still constructed then so Avenida has still the ambience I enjoyed when I was a College student.

I love browsing over its books. That's all I can do because then, I was still in college. My pockets were still very deep. And some pockets have holes in them. In short, I was always short of moolah!

But I did spend most of free time in Avenida and its surrounding networks of streets..Raon, Ronquillo, Carriedo, etc. Either street you go, you can always find interesting shops or eateries that would really make your salivary glands swell like crazy..Very nice aroma of Comida Chinas or all kinds of meat in their barbeque spits..AND all I can afford then was a siopao and a coke..Rest of money was for jeep or bus fare going to school.

Avenida Rizal is now a grimy street out of a Bladerunner movie set. Dirt, black mud and piss are splattered all over..The surviving book store is now National Book store with its numerous franchises in various swanky malls all over the metropolis..

Manila is still the place for me to wander if I only have the freedom to pull up my stakes and leave Canada.

But then, you need a good place to stay in Manila too so hustlers won't deprive you of your wallet ( or maybe even your life ) while you are doing some serious window shopping..:)