Things are starting to look up from my last visit to this city about a year ago.
Writing this seated at an eclectic jazz bar called Bloom in Greenbelt 3 in the outside section. A gentle breeze occasionally wafting over the diners with laughter mingling with the sounds of Bossa Nova.
This bar apparently is owned by the same people who ran the previous incarnation Bar Nu-Vo - my favourite bar in Makati.
Highly recommended.
This is Jazz FM's roving reporter signing off for the night.
@Lotus Eater
We lived in Manila 12/13 years ago for a year when Ben and I first met, for sure there are some great places, in the belt, Makati etc, and enjoyed often the comedy clubs where as a westerner was always pick at and enjoyed but we lived in San Lazaro Sta Cruz some 40 minutes away in a 22 story condo to be close to his work, PNR.
Go upmarket and enjoyable but where we lived though a great area with malls, plenty of public transport our 3 bed condo was always coated with black oily soot, floors, furniture and a weekly scrub down. Busy plus all the time, noisy.
I'm sure living in upmarket condos would have been better for me but not Ben going to treasury every day with up to an hour travel each way. What I did notice many times while staying in Makati that 2/3/4 blocks back were the poor areas.
Hear you OP and for sure I miss live music/atmosphere but not the crowds and pollution, we have live bands and fun in San Juan La Union 20 minutes away but as an older hermit too busy, too many tourists that visit 365 days a year. Manila for us is a 1/2 day stay then jump on a flight, same when we return and take in the sights while there. A question? Would you live there permanently?
OMO.
Cheers, Steve.
The answer to which is an emphatic NO. But then the same goes for London.
I guess I'm spoilt in the sense that back home I live in the ex Roman city of Bath (population of 85,000) blesed with elegant Georgian architecture. Many Londoners move here to retire so lots of 5 star restaurants and coffee shops. It is now in a ‘clean air emissions' zone which means commercial vehicles have to comply with certain standards. NO traffic jams! Im a 10 minute walk from the city centre.
Planning in my later years to ‘over winter' in the Philippines from Jan-March. Looking at Iloilo perhaps. Being out in the 'sticks' would not suit my lifestyle.
Each to their own, we all have choices.
Cheers, Steve.
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