In Manila—A Café & Motor Scooters

Feb 21

As usual, I’m working in a café. The image above is my way of giving you a sense of my Manila café choice, Apartment 1B, located in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), one of Manila’s thriving business districts, with at least 100 high-rise buildings on 1100 acres.

No matter where I go, I always find one café, and once I find it, I return again and again, like a homing pigeon. Yes, please, call me predictable.

I’ve been in Manila since January 9. I’ve been driving a fair amount. The traffic around BGC is similar to diving in the States. But it’s a different story on the main roads and side streets. During the morning and evening rush, it often takes over an hour to travel five miles in a car. But it’s another story for the motor scooters, they fly around like a murmuration of blackbirds.

Driving in Manila requires instinct and a sense of timing; it’s like playing jazz. When I change lanes, I signal, glance in my rearview, and push over until one of the cars gives an inch and lets me in. It’s slow going while the motor scooters dart in and out, missing bumpers and side mirrors by inches.

The drivers are not joy riding; these characters are working 12-plus hours a day delivering everything you can imagine in this mega-metro of 13 million people, groceries, car batteries, ice, folks to their workplaces, medicine, packages from department stores, you name it.

I like driving in Manila because it reminds me I’m a tiny speck among millions. I have no idea what’s going to happen next. I may be predictable sitting here in my café, but Manila traffic is anything but. Here’s to cafés, Manila traffic, and the murmuration of blackbirds and scooters. Click HERE for a YouTube view of Manila traffic.

James Navé

James Navé is a poet, storyteller, creativity consultant, and arts entrepreneur. He co-founded Poetry Alive! a theater company that has performed traditional poems as theater for millions of students, K-12. He and Julia Cameron established and directed The Artist’s Way Creativity Camp in Taos, NM, 1995-2003. Navé helped pioneer the performance poetry movement in the United States. He has been on the TEDxNewYork Salon organizing committee since 20012. His work has appeared in two books of poetry and in numerous journals and magazines. He is a co-founder of Twice 5 Miles, a content and marketing collective based in Taos and Brooklyn. He holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College. He has memorized over 500 poems.

In Manila—A Café & Motor Scooters

Appreciating Vintage Guitars with singer-songwriter and vintage guitar collector Walter Parks