I'll Keep Coming Back To Manila

Maybe it's because i spent a huge chunk of my growing years here. Maybe it's because most of my friends still live here. Maybe because, every now and then, i need to keep in touch with that person that wants to let loose from time to time. Maybe it's because this place reminds me of so many things that, in a sense, is a lot of of who i still am. Hell, maybe it's for the food. Maybe it's just to keep in touch with civilization. Shopping? Maybe... just maybe... there's something about this place that i still think is good for me. Something.

I've spent X amounts of money to make it a point to travel back into this city i strived so hard to get away from. I've come back at least once a month since this year began. I head for the city anticipating chaos and prepping myself for the heat. I take the bus back to the mountains exhausted, sleep deprived, and longing for the peace and quiet. I have had my qualms with Manila. I will complain about the never-ending stress and long string of "problems" with this city. But with that said, it is still my home.

In the past few months, Baguio and Manila have managed to merge itself nicely together. Both places i consider to be where i belong, but two places that couldn't be categorized farther apart. Does that make sense? Well, to me, it does.

I'm lucky that this place is but a hop, a skip, and a bus ride away. People will move across oceans and, in due time, will declare their homesick-ness for this place. That's just how it is. Perhaps it's not just about Manila. I'm sure people feel that way about their designated ex-home base within a fraction of a time upon moving away from it. It's embedded in our system. There are emotional tie ins and sentimental issues that come with a place you've once called home.

So, here i am, once again. Battling it out with cab drivers, practicing patience with traffic, soaking up the heat, and fully armed with tank tops and my signature flip flops. I have left my jeans at home. There is no way i'm putting one of them on while the heat is blazing- and even with a breezy tube top i already feel like i'm rocking 3 hoodies in one go.

I'm off to a faraway land for now. But, like i said- I'll keep coming back to Manila.