Destination Manila - last 2 days of the greatest month of my life.
Have you ever looked at your life and realized that at some stage it was a life changing moment, the last month has been like that for me.
It was with some sadness that finally, preparations were being made to fly with my family to the capital, for me, it was the start of the beginning of the end, for others, an opportunity to visit the capital of their own country, something of which they had never done, I don't really care about myself in this, it was mainly the pleasure and excitement it would bring to others.
Wednesday night, our youngest cousin came over to sleep over, this is the usual Filipino custom of togetherness, you have to see this and experience it for yourself to understand just how secure and happy you seem, I found this recently, we all piled into our bedroom in the house, 3 of us in the bed, LOL, myself, Gin Gin, and our younger female cousin, a couple on the floor, Filipinos do not like to be seperated, they are quite happy to all pile in to a room, its cheaper on cost, and, they sit up until all hours of the morning cracking jokes and exchanging general chit chat.
That was kind of how it was, Thursday morning was a funny experience for me, since we all had to get up and use the bathroom, it was 4.30 in the morning, and we had a 6.40 am flight from the provinces to Manila.
I don't know how this happens, but everyone seem to move around me, like my clothes were laid out, but I could not see how ? I go in the shower, oh by the way guys and girls, I managed to get hot shower, hot shower is a big thing for me, cos finally it works hahahaha, great, 2 days before I go home, the shower is now working, someone sure is smiling on me, hot shower, in the Philippines at the house, wow, we are getting sosyal.
I get dressed and the younger female cousin has been sent in to put on my socks, I am LOL as this is a nice gesture, again, I think Gina is sending in the cousins to help, you know guys I am getting used to this, this is a family that really works together, I tell Gin, dont send in the girls to help me, she laughs, "No she says, I told them to help you, shut up and dont be silly, the girls love you....."
I am privately very touched, one of the cousins tells me, "I will miss you, and gives me a bear hug which is a tall order, considering she is 5 foot 1 and the smallest girl in the world , hahaha, small maybe, but big in affection and cuddles", this will not be easy when finally we all go our seperate ways.
Whats even more amazing is that we all manage to pile in our car, which I bought about 2 years ago, its a Kia Sportage and should really only have 4 in it, in usual brilliant Filipino fashion, we manage to squeeze 7 of us in it, me in the front with JOJO our driver, and 5 others in the back, don't ask me how they do it, they do, and off to the airport we go, well wishers, and travellers all at the same time.
We arrive on time, and check in for the flight, our cousins so excited to go, and also, Gina's sister in law is going to Manila to meet us on Friday, so she is leaving from a seperate airport, she is in the capital to buy new breeder fish for their business, Gina gave them a little bit extra business capital to buy new fish, they wanted to buy certain imported types that can only be found in Manila, our sister in law is ecstatic because they now have the money to take the business forward, my brother in law has been working hard on his land, because he is to become a major supplier of tropical fish to wholesalers, again, we did not give much money, but enough to put a few smiles on a few faces.
Our flight lands in Manila 25 minutes ahead of schedule, so its quite early when we arrive at Terminal 3, for me Terminal 3 has got better over last 2 years, the aircon seems to be working much better, and seems to be better organized now, thats the general impression I got.
We decide to jump in a metered taxi this time, although their are 5 of us, the taxi driver does not complain as they would in UK, no elf and safety to worry about here, he is all smiles, as he asks for P250.00 to take us to Makati, my wife told me, that he said he could put the meter on, or just ask for P250.00, Gin tells me its ok, let him have P250.00 at least we know what to pay.
I am happy because the first day we arrived we took a airport white taxi, which cost us P750.00, something for some of the newer guys who have yet to go in country, I have a suggestion for some of you reading this, this may at first seem hard to do, but I wholly recommend if you really trust your girl, let her do the budgeting, giver her some money, if not alot of money, and tell her what your budget is for the trip, tell her straight how much you have to spend.
I find a Filipina will respect that, if you tell her, you have say P100.000 (thats around £1300.00), then she knows how to budget for your stay, they will handle everything from all the petty payments that need making, like taxi fares, buying you food, airport terminal fees, and your Filipino girlfriend, Fiancee etc, can be a great source of savings, remembering that for most of their life, they have been used to stretching money and making it work for them, since in truth, they probably have had so little to work with.
Its just a thought, but my Gina handles all financial matters in Philippines, and to be truthful, I like it that way, if I want an ice cream she gets it, if I want a snack like fish balls, she pays for it, she pays for everthing, and this is really a compliment to the girls, who budget very for everything.
Going back to the taxi, we are down in Makati, and went straight to our hotel, the Great Eastern, known as Aberdeen court, we have used the hotel over several years, but I decided that this year will be the last, our experiences on the 2 occasions we have stayed there, have led me to beleive that sadly, the hotel has let itself down.
We booked 2 rooms over the phone, for our stay, and got verbal confirmations, on arrival, they could not find our name again, this is the 2nd time this has happened, and its kind of irritating since I see lots of koreans again in the hotel, and do they have this happen all the time, surely not.
On getting our 2 rooms, we end up with 2 superior rooms and not 2 deluxe rooms as we had booked, when we get to the room Gin and I had arranged, we find that its 2 single beds, and not a double as we had requested, again, a minor point you may feel, but irritating to me.
Then I notice their is no remote control for the t.v., Gin calls down to reception and is told, "Maam, you have to request it, because they are stolen so much" when I go in the bathroom, I note that their is no toilet tissue, again a call to reception finds that their apologies and someone will come up, someone does about 15 minutes later and comes with 1 roll.
The first t.v. remote control has faulty batteries in, and a second call has to be made, this is becoming a joke, and I am trying not to loose my cool, after all, why would I want to ruin what has been a great month for me, I decide to bite my tongue and let Gin deal with it.
The rooms we are offered are starting to look delapidated, I know we could have stayed at a 1st class hotel, but as we are on our way home, its pointless paying out P5000.00 to P7000.00 on a room down at Intercon, or Shangri La, etc, maybe Makati Palace, or Dusit Thani, there is plenty to choose from, but we are paying P2000.00 a night, and in the provinces, P1200.00 a night gets you a fantastic room, Manila is definately getting expensive, for comparitive rooms, this is something we have noticed, things are getting expensive in the Philippines, this has also been commented on a freind of mine, whose wife has gone back after 2 years, and was shocked at the prices of basic commodities.
But for P2000.00 a night we expect to be able to sleep together, and our reservations are in advance, so it should not be an issue, I make a mental note, that for next year, we will make alternative arrangements, also, we check the 2nd room and find their is a support pillar in the center of the room, thus seperating the 2nd bed from the t.v. line of sight, this is getting ridiculous, the towels have to be changed as I complain that they are not white, but like a slight creamy brown, shortly after my complaint, new towels are sent up.
Gina tells me, there are some pretty dirty people, the staff were telling her, that people wipe the floor with the towels, however, I say, that has nothing to do with me, I want clean towels, and I am paying for a service.
Hotels aside, I really want to go around today, as I want to go to some places I hear often visited but as I use Manila for a stepping stone to the provinces, I rarely visit them.
This was one of those days, Intramuros, literally means "CITY WITHIN THE WALLS", its the old Spanish colonial Manila from 1545 onwards, and I have never actually been up to Intramuros, I also wanted to see the Manila hotel, and JP Rizal monument, and the Government parks, that line that part of Roxas boulevard.
We engage a taxi again to take us across from Makati over to Malate area, due to the severe traffic, it takes around 45 minutes, considering its only about 8 KM it seems to take forever, our taxi driver tells us, the traffic is getting worse, and he takes several chances near other taxis, how they don't collide I will never know.
The Old Spanish Garrison of Fort Santiago - Intramuros
Intramuros is probably not visited by many BRITISH guys who go in country for the first time, often they are meeting a lady in Manila, and they get taken to Makati, we all know why, all the first class hotels are there, plus many of the first class shopping malls, its generally cleaner, safer and it makes sense to go there.
Getting out of Makati, opens up the capital a little more, and I am quite interested in the history of the Spanish occupation of Manila, the one thing that seems to restrict my touring is of course by elimination, the incredible heat in the daytime, Manila is great to tour around, but the heat is a killer, especially for me, who is a bigger guy, th heat is excruciating, and no matter how many times I go, and get aclimatized, I cannot take long periods of being out in the open.
I always carry a pack of moist scented tissues with me, and also a sweat rag in my pocket, by the time I have been out in the open for about 15 to 20 minutes, my back is starting to trickle with pockets of perspiration, my Gina is well aware of this, and does her best to make me comfortable, sometimes I look at Filipina's and they don't seem to be perspiring at all, however, my Gina tells me, yes its hot, we are used to it, but we don't stay out in it too long either.
The taxi drops us off at the gates of Fort Santiago, the cost to go in and walk around is 75 Pesos, not bad about a £1.00 a head, a Filipino guide comes over and shows us a map of the area, there is quite alot to see, however, it becomes apparent he is not doing this for free, he talks about the Spanish occupation, and after about 5 minutes tells us we can hire a guide and a horse and cart type bugey for around P1000.00, Gina gets irritated quickly by this, and tells the guy we will just walk around, he rather rudely tells us, that their is other customers to attend to, Gina says, "We did not ask you to come over and talk to us", she is going on about his rudeness for about another 5 minutes, she is clearly irritated and embarassed by his attitude.
The gardens in For Santiago, have clearly been well looked after, the Government is obviously investing money in making this a tourist attraction, there are many school parties there, and I would recommend, if you do go there, allow about 1 hour, because any more, and your going to be feeling the heat, we head out and visit Manila cathedral, we don't spend more than 10 minutes, there, I am about to pass out, and we jump in the nearest aircon taxi we can hail.
Within 5 minutes we are heading down Roxas boulevard, to the JP Rizal monument, in Luneta, this park is amazing in that its incredibly clean and tidy, clearly much money is spent on its upkeep, and it rather does the Philippines much credit, Roxas boulevard is clean, and quite wide, puts some of our roads here to shame, we pass the Manila hotel and the United States Embassy, again another building with a commanding prescence in the area.
Our historical sight seeing over and many photos having been taken, we are of course destined to head down Roxas Boulevard for the Mall of Asia, a must see place for anyone who goes to Manila, Mall of Asia is SM's group largest project in the area, perhaps slightly smaller than EDSA Mega mall, but not much difference in content of shops.
I have been to Mega Mall of Asia a few times, but this time I get to see more of it, I am visibly impressed by the night life around this area, on Sunset Boulevard, this week there is an United States Naval Fleet anchored off shore, I can cleary see an Aircraft carrier, and a few support ships including a couple of Missile cruisers, I note in the mall, a few hundred American personel going around, I also notice that I am not stared at here, I ask Gina why ? she tells me, well they are used to seeing foreigners in the malls here, its no big deal, no one seems to bat an eyelid, that makes me feel kind of at home...
For me Mall of Asia is a giant monolith and testimony to American shopping methods, I mean come on guys, this place is huge, like a giant maze, what amazes me is just how many different eating places there are, the food court is the noisiest place in the world it seems to me, with every different kind of food to eat, not just inside but outside too.
Have you noticed just how many eating places there are, there must be hundreds, from snacks stands to restaraunts, you are so spoiled for choice, it does kind of put some of our large shopping malls to shame, even at Westfield in London, the food courts there, do not stack up to mall of Asia, you can easily get lost in here, and by the way, Gina wants to take me to Shangri La Plaza and Edsa mega mall, this is a triple diet of shopping malls, all within a 10 KM Radius.
I find the whole thing not only tiring, as my constant requests to sit down at the food court and get a drink are a testiment to, Gina simply laughs and says fine, lets do that, in the end, I ask to be put in the cinema, as I reall don't have anything I am interested in buying, and I decide to go and watch GI Joe, which is P200.00 at least twice what it would have cost down in Visayas, I note that Manila is twice as expensive and it some cases 3 times as expensive as Davao City, something for you guys to note, that if you are courting a Davao Girl, you are probably going to find your money goes 3 times as far.....as if you court a Manila girl.
HAHAHAHA, I am going to be in trouble with the girls from the Manila area now, I can see this will happen, sorry girls, its a fact, Manila and surrounding area is expensive compared to Davao City, cinema is only P60 to P70, depending on the cinema, Manila is P200.00.
I really want to go to the IMAX Theatre, that is really why I am here, I am a little dissapointed to find that there is only 2 movies showing, that is Transformers and Harry Potter, I had already seen Harry Potter in the provinces, and I was not overly impressed by it.
So we booked Transformers in 3D, by the way guys its P400.00 per head, a 50 per cent hike, its late and we are at the IMAX, Including Gin and myself there is 5 of us, it just cost me P2000 to go in, remember thats around £25.00, just be aware if you have a big entourage of family doing this, it can work out pricey, hahaha, just be aware, I was happy to do it, as it was a great experience for those travelling with us, they were anxious for photos, for Facebooooooooook and Freindster....
It was enjoyable, the IMAX is a great experience, and well worth the money, I am impressed, and the only thing I noted is that half way through the presentation, my guests fell asleep, I am afraid, the day had taken its toll on them, and tomorrow its Shagri La Plaza, and EDSA....I hope they are up for it.
