Similarities

There are quite a few things here in Manila that remind me of Luanda. I think the traffic and the pollution are probably the easiest to recognize. Although there is not as much trash on the streets I'd have to say that the air pollution here is probably a bit worse. Both are over-populated areas with 5 million in Luanda and 12 million in Manila. Poverty here is easy to see as well. Not to the same degree as in Luanda but fairly close. There does seem to be a middle class here that was absent in Luanda - where 90% were extremely rich and 10% were extremely poor. You can still find lots of street vendors and small "mom and pop" shops where the locals buy their goods. In the mornings there are particularly a lot of people on the streets selling groceries for the day. Here's a few pictures I took while driving the boys to school. Yes, plenty of raw meat and fish being sold without refrigeration. Occasionally I'll see a "butcher" behind the counter without a shirt on and smoking a cigarette. Probably not something you'd see back in the States.