SURPRISED BY MARIKINA! Clean Streets and Famous Shoes In Manila (Becoming Filipino)

MARIKINA CITY SURPRISED ME WITH ITS CLEAN AND ORGANIZED STREETS! I ALSO LOVED THE COMMUNITY VIBES!

I accompanied my wife for some work errands to this city along a river in Metro Manila. I expected to find shoes… which I did in abundance! We stopped by Konzept, and chatted with the owner of this fashionable store. We checked out Otto, and its massive historic almost mall like shop… which even had a funky shoe art museum! I loved the plaza nearby, the ancestral style building was beautiful… I think it is a cafe? Unsure, because we ended up eating at a place called “Sundays”. Great coffee, a big menu of Filipino and North American dishes. We enjoyed the ribs, chicken burger and buffalo shrimp salad! Oh, and just outside the cafe, a beautiful church.

At one point I found myself walking through the public market. It is a very cool concept… the stands are seemingly houses? And there is a road big enough for trucks that runs through it. Oh yes, more shoes and sandals can be found too! This was just a random day, but something really stood out to me! I was surprised how clean all the streets were! For a busy city in the NCR it was so refreshing seeing little garbage, lots of street sweepers, people using crosswalks, and organized vibes. Is Marikina absolutely spotless? Of course not. But it certainly looks like the locals and lgu take care of their streets here. Even all the tricycle drivers were parked organized with their work shirts… and sharing good vibes of course!

Oh, and I got an awesome spontaneous haircut from a local family. Great experience, and he did a great job!

This errand day in Marikina was surprisingly awesome! I want to come back, walk around and explore!

*** FOR MORE STORIES AND ADVENTURES CHECK OUT #BecomingFilipino Facebook Page.