Metro Manila is the political, economic, social, educational, cultural and recreational hub of the Philippines. It is a vibrant metropolis and nowhere else in the country can any visitor acquire a greater dose of its local color, a better understanding of the country’s multifaceted culture, or as many glimpses of its contrasts. Manila’s streets are alive with colorful jeepneys, rumbling buses and sleek automobiles.
Manila’s old sections like Intramuros (the old walled city) and Chinatown is where visitors can see clip-clopping horse-drawn carriages pick their way through traffic. Glass and concrete towers rise side-by-side with Spanish colonial houses and neo-classical government buildings. Dragon arches, gold-domed mosques and elaborately-styled mansions define the enclaves of the Chinese, the Moslems, the rich and famous.