A few pics of Manila, in the Philippines, with a touch of context here and there. First up is Binondo and Manila’s Chinatown, one of my favourite parts of the city.

You can also see a tricycle here (with the green sidecar and a multicolored umbrella over the driver), which is likely the most common form of public transportation, the equivalent to a tuk-tuk crossed with a motosai in Thailand.

These are the gates to Chinatown and you can see an example of a Jeepney, though this isn’t one of the more colorful ones.

This one’s a better, flashier example:

As is true of most Southeast Asian cities, Manila really shines at night.

I’d told a story of encountering children who’d wanted me to take their photo as they leapt into the Pasig River…

Jumping into a rather filthy river isn’t the only way the kids of Manila have come up with to keep cool…

Filipinos are ardently Catholic but have developed their own forms of worship and prayer. Outside the Quiapo Church, women sell colored candles. People buy a candle, light it and pray over it. The various colors each correspond to a different wish or entreaty.