"Even Filipinos will happily admit that their capital is a chaotic, disjointed mess," said Australian news site The Age, listing Manila as one of ten "awful" cities "you should still visit."
While there are cities that have a "justifiably awful" image, there are others that "seem to get repeated reputation trashing that's not entirely warranted," it said.
“These 10 cities aren’t quite as grim as you might imagine.”
That might seem like faint praise—but Manila, the article went on, "has a passionate boisterousness missing from other South-East Asian cities—the garish jeepneys and wall-to-wall karaoke bars are the best examples of this."
The Age noted that travelers should visit Intramuros, which it described as the heart of the city, with its centuries-old churches and "highly bizarre" golf course.
It also listed Ayala Museum and the American Cemetery and Memorial—the latter of which is the largest war cemetery in the world—as must-visit tourist sites.
The other cities on the list are Detroit, Michigan (US); Bogota, Colombia; Downtown Johannesburg, South Africa; Belgrade, Serbia; the Ruhr district, Germany; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US); Beirut, Lebanon; Kingston, Jamaica; and Baltimore, Maryland (US). --Source: GMA News
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| Quiapo Church in Manila |
While there are cities that have a "justifiably awful" image, there are others that "seem to get repeated reputation trashing that's not entirely warranted," it said.
“These 10 cities aren’t quite as grim as you might imagine.”
That might seem like faint praise—but Manila, the article went on, "has a passionate boisterousness missing from other South-East Asian cities—the garish jeepneys and wall-to-wall karaoke bars are the best examples of this."
The Age noted that travelers should visit Intramuros, which it described as the heart of the city, with its centuries-old churches and "highly bizarre" golf course.
It also listed Ayala Museum and the American Cemetery and Memorial—the latter of which is the largest war cemetery in the world—as must-visit tourist sites.
The other cities on the list are Detroit, Michigan (US); Bogota, Colombia; Downtown Johannesburg, South Africa; Belgrade, Serbia; the Ruhr district, Germany; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US); Beirut, Lebanon; Kingston, Jamaica; and Baltimore, Maryland (US). --Source: GMA News