A city by the river

It's easy to fall in love with a city like Marikina. Last night a friend and I decided to visit the many peryas and bazaar set up along the riverside by the city government in preparation for the Yuletide. The place was teeming with Marikeños, and one could immediately feel the sense of community pervading the atmosphere. I've never experienced anything like it in any place I've been to, much less here in Metro Manila where I grew up.

As my friend described it, it couldn't be any happier than any fiesta anywhere in the country. But for someone who grew up in communities where feasts are hardly celebrated, my point of comparison come pathetically only from TV shows and magazines; travel guides with pictures of people in flamboyant costumes dancing and prancing on streets to entertain (foreign) tourists or, if I subscribe to their position, their patrons (saint or no saint) . But what makes Marikina extra special is the intimacy of the place, of the now-positively-famous Marikina riverbanks.

I can't stop myself from romanticizing a river that runs across a town. It is not the cleanest, mind you, but the Marikina river is relatively less "colorful" than Pasig, and way clearer than the typical urban esteros. At least water here has current, and gazillions of janitor fish swim about. At least there's life here. What's more, people really don't mind being around the river. There were about 5 carnival spots along the riverbank on both sides, and at least a hundred food booths and tiangges. Entire families have their picnics on green spots beside the river, and with the volume of people in that place last night, the place was surprisingly clean. These people must be really proud of this place to actually care for it.