Read the rest of the series: Nostalgic in Ermita
The second spot I visited was an independent café operated by a spunky lady called Yolly, the Aroma Café. But before I got there, I had to cross the street. I noticed the toxic fumes from the Jeepneys plying their route were twice as noxious as before. Perhaps it is the increased congestion that has occurred since all around towering buildings that once were not there had emerged, or perhaps it is the relatively pristine conditions that I have gotten used to that made me perceive it that way.
Asian cities are known to be crowded and polluted for the most part, and the smell of diesel never seemed to bother me before. But as I was experiencing things once again after a long hiatus, I was sensing everything as if for the first time in a heightened sort of way.
