?
a
Boeing 737 passenger plane of China Southern Airlines roared through the blockade of heavy clouds at Nino-Aquino International Airport in Manila and flew to Guangzhou from journey to the south.
In the evening, the black sky embraced the dark clouds under the window and gradually merged into one, as if to weave a huge black net and engulf this small plane. At this time, the last ray of sunshine in the distance, when it is about to fall, passes through the clouds, leaving a touch of brown, red, purple and yellow, mixed with wisps of dark gray, woven into a strangely beautiful ribbon, which makes people feel a rare sadness in the world and a little scared. This kind of beauty is really breathtaking, so unreal that it seems like a swan song in the sky.
The last ray of light gradually sank into the deep darkness. Ten thousand meters below, it was the countless typhoons that swept through the South China Sea in the south of China. Except for more than 111 people on board, how far was it that no one was found around?
About three years ago, Malaysia Airlines mh371 also took off from the South China Sea and flew to China. When their relatives were looking forward to it at the Beijing airport, when they were glad to finally go home and reunite with their family and friends at the moment of boarding the plane, time stayed forever in that night.
The people on the plane disappeared forever, and I don't know where the soul goes.
people at home are lost forever and can't find the way forward.
the door, closed, is always open, expecting and waiting.
countless nights, I heard a knock at the door and saw the familiar face, right?
perhaps, one day, even the figure will be blurred, but the heart will have nowhere to put it.
will such an accident happen today? If it happens, can I, who has run dozens of marathons and 111-kilometer cross-country races and is about to race for 24 hours, have a chance more than others?
Or, in the face of powerful natural forces, we are all just a tiny ant, and there is nothing we can do with any struggle and tenacity?
? 2
At eleven o'clock in the evening on October 23rd, the plane landed at Nino-Aquino Airport in Manila, and it was already twelve o'clock after settling down at China City Hotel in Minleno District. The boss warned me that the security in Manila is not very good, and it is best not to go out alone too early or too late. But I'm used to running in any city, and I still get up before six o'clock, put on my running shoes and run outside along the feeling of coming at night, plus the impression of Google Maps.
just about to run, a local old man saw me greet me warmly, and I waved back. Although it's only six o'clock, cars are already coming and going in the street, opposite which is a US-Canada Plaza with a Chinese logo, and the motorcycles passing through the street make a huge roar, which seems to wake up the whole city.
Running towards the gatehouse of China City, I saw many grotesque cars speeding by, with a jeep head in front and an open trunk behind. There were many people sitting in it, which should be like a bus, and the noise was deafening when accelerating. When I came back, I learned that this kind of car is called Jeepney, which is also a scene of Manila. It was originally modified from a jeep retired by the US military after World War II, but now it is generally modified from a car eliminated by Japan. It is the main public transportation tool in Manila. Although each car has a fixed driving route, it can stop at any time. The price is cheap, you can take a trip for a few pesos, so it is more popular with local ordinary citizens. This kind of car is similar to the previous domestic minibus. Of course, the condition of the minibus in China is much better than that of Jeepney, and it is far less noisy. This kind of car is convenient for passengers to get on and off, and there is no door at the back. Some passengers even hang behind it. It is really scary to watch, but the locals seem to have become accustomed to it for so many days, and they have never seen any accidents. Some people say there are eight strange things in Manila, two of which are: traffic chaos and few car accidents. The motorcycle is loud and the jeep is noisy. I ran out for only one kilometer in the first morning, and I had a deep feeling about it.
One kilometer from the hotel to the gate of China City, cross the river and you will find a Romanesque building, Manila City Hall. Then turn left and pass a black Nazarene church where the market is Catholic. 85% Filipinos believe in Catholicism, which is a rare Catholic country in Asia, and churches can be seen everywhere in the city. On the side of the road, there are many homeless people sleeping on the street, black and skinny, and they see pedestrians reaching out and showing their eager and sad eyes. The light rail runs over the road every few minutes, with six cars on each trip. Later, I learned that Manila's light rail has only two lines, mainly passing through the old city area. I am not familiar with the local area and have no chance to take a look.
On the first day, I ran through Sandulo District on the north bank of the Pasi River, which is the old city of Manila. The houses are dark and old, but there are many schools. I kept passing through primary and secondary schools on my way and saw students wearing various school uniforms. Schools in Manila occupy a very small area and have no walls. Generally, a doorway is left on the first floor as the school gate. All the schools I saw in the local area had no playground, only one or two open spaces as big as basketball courts. According to the son of a friend, the boss of a well-known Chiang Kai-shek school in the Chinese area, students have no chance to run at all. Even if they do exercises, they can't completely straighten their hands, which shows how crowded they are.
I usually run about ten kilometers every day. After running five kilometers, I go back to the hotel. After the shower, according to the boss's suggestion, go to Jollibee (Happy Bee) opposite to have breakfast. Jollibee is the largest restaurant chain in the Philippines, and has entered the China market. Its boss is also a Chinese, and its goal is to beat McDonald's and become the largest restaurant chain in the world.
According to my boss, Jollibee's business in the Philippines is better than McDonald's. From my observation in the local area for ten days, the number of stores and the number of consumers are indeed higher than McDonald's and far better than KFC. In fact, the products and pricing of the two sides are not much different. Perhaps Jollibee's boss knows more about the Philippine market and the tastes of ordinary people. Judging from my consumption experience in two local restaurants, Jollibee's taste seems to be more delicious.
I ordered a set meal, which included a coke, a hamburger and a chicken leg. The price was 95 pesos (pesos to RMB 7.5:1, 95 pesos to RMB 13), which was much lower than the domestic price of McDonald's. At first, I thought that McDonald's could not compete with Jollibee because of its high price. After all, Filipinos generally had low income. But I later saw that the price of McDonald's was similar.
Although Jollibee's breakfast is quite economical in our opinion, the local people regard it as a luxury. I saw that most local people eat it at roadside stalls. I didn't ask. I don't know how much a breakfast costs. It is estimated to be around 21 or 31 pesos.
during the day, I watch the local market with my boss. Opposite the hotel are the 168 and 999 shopping malls, the largest small commodity wholesale markets in Manila. Several floors are divided into several square meters of small shops selling all kinds of small commodities. The boss said that these shopping malls are basically Chinese from developers to sellers, and there are very few Filipinos. Filipinos, if they study well and go to college, will join government agencies or foreign companies. No one will do such a small business, while ordinary people have neither economic ability nor resources to do business, so they can only work for Chinese bosses.
Except for a few second-generation old overseas Chinese, most of these Chinese are new-generation overseas Chinese who came to the Philippines after China's reform and opening up in the 1981s, and most of them are from Fujian, and most of them are from Quanzhou.
The market is crowded and moving slowly. The boss said that in a while, when Filipinos want to buy Christmas presents, this road will be even more crowded. People are like crucian carp crossing the river, and there are all kinds of stalls, which makes it even more difficult to walk. At this time, there are still some cars to pass through these roads. I really don't know how long it will take to get through in a short distance.
I noticed the vendors selling fruits on the roadside, and they looked no different from domestic varieties, just apples, bananas, longan, oranges, etc. I tried to buy several kinds in the next few days, and the prices were slightly lower than those in China, and the taste was not bad.
Wednesday
The next day, I ran to Rizal National Park from the Spanish imperial city. Spain began to rule the Philippines in the middle and late 2116, and it was not until the end of the 19th century that it was replaced by the United States, so the Philippines has a deep Spanish brand, and the Spanish King City is also the highest quality and best preserved part of the old city of Manila.
When I went there, I passed a church. It was magnificent, solemn and beautiful, simple and dignified, which made people admire. I took two photos in a hurry and continued to run. Those traditional Spanish buildings passed by in rows, and I suddenly thought I was in Madrid instead of Manila.
After running, I punched in and found that there was an Augustine Cathedral, which I thought I had run through. It wasn't until the day before I left Manila that I realized that I was passing through Manila Cathedral, while Augustine Cathedral was not far to the south, only a few hundred meters away. Both churches were built shortly after the Spanish ruled Manila at the end of 16. I am a little surprised. They are so close, why should they be built almost at the same time? Perhaps the Spaniards are too fanatical about religion, and a church is not enough to accommodate their admiration for God.
Manila is not a big city, only over 6 million square kilometers, but the actual population is over 21 million, so it is called the most crowded city in the world. Therefore, there is very little public space in Manila, and it is difficult to find a good place to run. Rizal National Park should be the largest public park in this city. The park is divided into three blocks by the road, the middle block is the core, and there are also many people running and exercising in the morning. The brick paved road in the middle is just one kilometer, surrounded by a beautiful waterscape and fountains of various shapes, and there are several small gardens in the garden, such as China Garden, Australian Garden and Japanese Garden. China Garden is the largest and most beautiful. At the door, Mr. Sun Yat-sen's "The World is Public" was inscribed. I also ran in and took a walk. In the park, besides running, there are people who practice Tai Chi and sword, and those who dance a square dance similar to China's, but their square dance is more exciting, and there are also leading dancers, but the participants are mainly young people.
After that, I will run to Rizal Park and run several times in it. Only once, I left Luo Cha Park and ran to Rawls Haibin Avenue below, because I had to stretch the distance on weekends as usual and wanted to see the scenery of Rawls Haibin Avenue, which is said to be the most beautiful in Manila.
It's Sunday, and it's strange that there are no cars on Rawls Avenue. On the opposite side, there is a procession that looks like a float parade, while there are many people running on my side, but there are not as many people as the domestic marathon, and there are no road closures. There are no cheerleaders and volunteers on the roadside. More importantly, these runners have no number plates on their chests.
When I went to Manila, I always wanted to have a chance to take part in a local running race, preferably a half marathon. When I turned to the bay and ran to a seaside square, I saw that there was really a timing arch for running races. It should be a half marathon. After taking a photo, I continued to run, and ran for several kilometers. When I came back through the arch, the race was not over yet. Finally, I saw some runners with numbered cloth hanging on their chests, but most of them didn't. I wonder if most of them came for a stroll or if they didn't have to hang numbered cloth. Later, I asked the proprietress, and she said that the local marathon was held every Sunday, and Rawls Avenue would be closed. But on the one hand, because of the weather, on the other hand, in order to less affect the traffic, the game started early. No wonder I started running at five o'clock in the morning. After running in Luo Cha Park for a while, many half-horse runners had already finished running on Rawls Avenue. The local marathon is far less formal than that in China, but it is a bit like a reunion run in China. Maybe you are responsible for the supply yourself. Next time I have a chance to go to Manila, I will try to take part in their marathon.
? 4
When going to Manila, it is very important to inspect the local real estate industry. Compared with domestic real estate, which is the mainstay of the economy, Manila's real estate is also very hot in recent years, but it is far less than the topic that everyone cares about in China. It is even said that it has nothing to do with most Filipinos. According to a rough observation, Manila, with a population of more than 21 million, may have a turnover of less than 1 million square meters a year, which is not as good as a prefecture-level city with a population of one million in China.
On the one hand, the average GDP of Manila is only about 5,111 US dollars, and the gap between the rich and the poor is wide. The monthly income of ordinary people is only 3,111 to 5,111 RMB, while the price of new houses in Manila is more than 15,111 RMB, which is of course beyond the ordinary income class. Moreover, Filipinos are far less enthusiastic about buying a house than China people, or only China people in the world are most enthusiastic about buying a house. For them, renting a house and spending money on eating and playing will be much happier. What Filipinos like to say most orally is that the most important thing for people to live is to be happy, so they will spend most of their income on consumption and have little savings, let alone bear the mortgage for decades to be house slaves.
The underdeveloped real estate in Manila is also due to the private ownership of land in the Philippines, so developers can only buy land from private hands if they want to acquire it for development. Because the land is scattered, it is very difficult to develop large-scale projects. Therefore, the ordinary scale of real estate projects in downtown marathon is very small. If it covers an area of 21,111 to 31,111 square meters, it will be a big project. Moreover, the marathon is not limited by the floor area ratio and building density, so most houses are densely packed, and many units have poor ventilation and lighting. Of course, it is impossible to have the domestic common garden landscape facilities, so the overall living quality is relatively low. Like the house rented by the boss, there is a shopping mall on the bottom six floors and a residence on the top. There is an overhead garden on the shopping mall, where you can take a walk, which is already a good condition in the local area.
Of course, there are a few big developers and big projects. For example, Ayala, the largest developer in the Philippines, is a Spanish consortium. Maccati, the CBD of Manila (called the local city, actually equivalent to the size of a street office in Shenzhen), is planned and built by Ayala as a whole, with a high level of construction, which can be said to be no less than the CBD of any first-tier city in China. Many internationally renowned enterprises are working there, and there are also a large number of international famous shops. Maccati began to develop in the 1971s, and then Ayala developed BGC New Town not far from Maccati, which is a more modern business office area than Makati. When you come here, you feel that he is completely different from the old city. The building is fashionable and beautiful, full of modern flavor, luxurious and elegant, with wide roads and orderly traffic. High-end shopping malls are connected together, and the public space is clean and comfortable, like a paradise and beautiful.
BGC has been developed, and Ayala has started to develop a new city called ARCA SOUTH after running five kilometers of BGC. This new city covers an area of nearly a thousand acres, with