I’m back in Manila again, and this time I’m going to get to see the parts I wanted to see the first time I was here. In 2008 I had planned on visiting Intramuros, until I discovered I was actually on the far side of the city, and the traffic in Manila is, well, it’s something else. I mean, I don’t think I’ve seen any traffic lights here, so that should give you some idea of what it’s like. When I checked in last night, I was told by the Tournament Organiser that the venue was pretty close by, but I couldn’t walk there. This morning at breakfast (on the top floor, because apparently I had a room on the swanky folks floor) I spied the Mall of Asia out the window through the thick smog. Oh man, the smog. The sky looks like concrete. Anyway, I almost took the not being able to walk there as a challenge, until I saw the major intersection in the way. I’m pretty sure trying to cross that in anything less than an armoured truck (or at least a vehicle piloted by a local) would be suicide.
Intramuros is the oldest part of Manila, and features prominently in my favouritest of books – “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson. I find Stephenson’s writing to be evocatively detailed, and it seems that he strives to be accurate as much as he can with things (my Dad told me the telecommunications stuff in Cryptonomicon is pretty spot on) so for quite some time, I’ve wanted to see this part of Manila myself. One of the local players has offered to guide me around the area, which is terribly nice of him! I’m kind of curious to see how any photos I might take turn out with the ridiculously high humidity here, but hopefully it I’ll have something I can post in the coverage tomorrow to keep Ted Knutson happy.