Sun 28th Dec – Planning on spending the new year celebrations
in Manila, so the main objective was to find somewhere nice to stay, so that
Sheira and I can do some sightseeing at the same time. The main area for
attractions is the area of Intramuros,
which is to the west of the municipality and adjacent to the harbor area. The
best place to see in the new year is apparently at the SM Mall of Asia, which
is also along the Roxas boulevard near to the Malate area. Chose a hotel for a couple of nights central to both. Was
planning to be back in Silang on the 2nd January for a Concert that
Sheira’s sister Kaye is involved in. Or so that was the plan. Read on....
Mon 29th Dec - Today was one of those bizarre events where you
don't know what went wrong. It started pleasant enough and then war seemed to
break out around me. It transpired that there was an issue which meant I had to
leave whilst it was resolved. There is more to this, but cannot go into it. This
was so unplanned that it was a bit of a shock. Amidst much discussion, I made a
decision to leave and go somewhere else for new year. Had to think quickly and
pack my backpack ready to go, and then dash out to get some money, whilst
thinking the new situation through.
Decided to go to Mindoro, which required aiming
for Batangas city pier by bus first. Local bus to Robinsons up north first,
squashed in amongst the locals and a tonne of baggage.
Only FX vans going south from where I was (150
pesos), and they wait until full. Fortunately, that didn't take long and so
headed off, complete with some local snacks and Bako pie for the journey. Got
to Batangas at 4:50pm and the next boat was at 5pm, so almost ran through the
ticket process and straight on to the waiting Bangcas. The crossing was cold as
darkness was falling and a cold wind blew through the boat.
Arrived in the dark to the normal melee of
tricycle drivers bartering for business. I hadn't decided exactly where I was
aiming for as these decisions are best made spontaneously...it has been that
sort of day! So...white beach it was to be, for 100 pesos. A rather bumpy
tricycle ride over a hill and having no idea where I would finish up. The ride
finished down a track at a busy place right on the beach. Wasn't too bothered
for the first night and just wanted a room with a warm shower, so picked the White Beach Resort & Restaurant for 800 pesos. More than I would have liked to
pay, but got free wi-fi in with that. Today has been a disaster, and been
communicating with Sheira throughout the journey. Never in a million years
would I have thought this would happen, but life is unpredictable. Worse thing
is that this place is full of families and couples, come here to celebrate
their new year. Surprisingly, many foreigners with their Filipino partners!
After dinner I went for a stroll along the beach
to see what this place has in store. Not that big but the beach is wall-to-wall
restaurants and bars. As it is holiday season it was noisy, with one of the
main bars doing a transvestite show. Yet another surprise! Seemed to be plenty
of ladyboys here, and apparently the neighboring Sabang beach is even more so. The nightlife here doesn't have a
finish time. It just goes on until nobody is left, which can be all night.
The videoke downstairs went on until 2am and was
a mixture of some great singers and some really terrible ones. One guy was so
good, I had to go down to see who it was.
Tue 30th Dec - There is building work going on next door, and
so got disturbed early by the mechanical noises. As seems normal lately, things
seem to be changing rapidly. Was sat having breakfast watching the banana boats
whizz to and fro in front of me and the sky then open its taps in a downpour
that obliterated the view. The beach emptied in seconds....apart from the kids
of course, who just carry on playing. Ever wondered why people go to the beach
for a swim, but then run for cover when it rains....either way you get wet?
Anyway, had been communicating with Sheira since yesterday about events back
north. Enough family issues to write a book about. I did want to be somewhere
with a good atmosphere for the celebrations and had hastily made the decision
to come south, when I should have gone to Manila. So, tomorrow I head back
north to Manila for new year and then talk about the way forward. Well that
came about rather quick didn't it....life on the edge!
Seemed to get stuck on the internet for a crazy
amount of time this afternoon. Isn't it funny how so many people are on
messenging servcies now, and the more you use them, the more they swamp your
life. I also notice that some people get very impatient of you don't give an
answer in seconds. It has become a world of chat rooms and messenger services. Life used to be patient when we had to use
snailmail, and answers could take weeks. Then along came e-mail which you
possibly have to wait for an answer for a while. Then mobile text messenging,
which requires a fairly quick answer. If not then the respondent must be dead
or doesn't care about you. Then come instant messengers, where you must reply
in lightening fast time or you are left behind. Good old talking seems to have
become outdated, replaced by fancy graphics and avatars, who speak in strange
tones and do little dances. Instead of a meaningful conversation, you have a
cyber chat with some little aliens on your behalf. So I bounced up and down and
spun around and made like a turtle or a scarecrow and then did all sorts of
funny things... Sure it was fun...but where did the time go, and what had I
achieved? No idea on both questions...but it was fun nonetheless.
It took me three hours to get from the laptop to
the bathroom to take a shower...it had changed from day to night and missed
most of the fireworks by the time I got out of the room. Time had vanished!
Walked along the beach to the quiet end, but
that still wasn't far enough to escape the lunatic screaming of the
transvestite show half way down the beach, accompanied by fireworks still going
off. Did I tell you about last night and watching guys holding rocket fireworks
in their hands whilst they went off? Yep, they got burnt of course, but more
stupidly, did it again and again. So irresponsible and dangerous. The fireworks
are in massive mounds in the shops ready for tomorrow night. Many are impatient
and cannot wait, so you leap out of your skin regularly as some fire-cracker
goes off just as you pass.
Bloody mosquitos....that's all i'm going to say!
A walk along the beach should be a calming
experience. But this is lunatic season....rockets zooming off in every
direction as they have no control over what they do, and public safety is an
unknown concept. Like walking into a war zone.
Aren't webcams a wonderful thing! Talking to a
few people on webcam this evening and also able to chat to my kids in the UK,
so a rewarding evening.
One thing I didn't mention earlier about
messenger services and skype. They are also a bane of the internet. Let me
explain...
As a single foreigner guy in the Philippines, I
get a lot of attention from ladies wanting a partner. Now, so many are
stunners, which is very flattering. However, when one logs onto for example
Yahoo messenger, I often get random communications from women who do searches
and wanting to chat. Don't know them at all, but sometimes think..ok, let's
chat for a bit. It is amazing how many times, within a few minutes they are
asking for money. Being a foreigner means you have the word money stamped
across your forehead. Today I had a student asking me to buy her a webcam,
another wanting the money for a flight, someone else wanting me to finance her
business. I am getting to the point of being afraid to talk to anyone here, as
the stopwatch is running on how long it takes before they need to be bailed out
of their situation. Not normally a sceptic, but rapidly becoming one in respect
to relationships and friendships here.
Wed 31st Dec - Booked onto the 9:30 Bangcas back to Batangas. There
are many Bangcas operators spread along the beach, and all the same price at 250
pesos one way, taking 45 minutes. Waiting for the boat to arrive is good for
people watching. The massage girls who dominate the beach are out in force, but
knew to leave me alone when they see the baggage. Boarded the 'Golden Falcon V'
boat and then had to transfer to another boat, the 'Golden Falcon G'. Boys
plague you to throw coins in the water for them to dive for. So many people
leaving the island this morning, it almost seems to be emptying out. I guess
that many people are returning home for the new year celebrations, so were
taking a beach break beforehand.
What the ticket counter doesn't say is that the
boat docks at Puerta Galera for about half an hour after leaving white beach.
Adds to the journey time, but no hurry. Aftr leaving Puerto Galera and entering
the open sea, conditions soon changed to fairly rough. Like a rollercoaster
ride, it wasn't long before the poor travellers amongst the passengers were
vomiting in every direction. It was so bad that the floor was awash with it.
The boat had to stop to wash It down. Off they went again, and more passengers
joined the line of bodies hanging over the side and grabbing every bucket to
throw up in. I am so lucky to rarely get travel sick, and feel sorry for those
that do. A horrible feeling.
Tok much longer than expected to reach Batangas
due to the delays. But, once off the buses are right outside the terminal.
Straight onto a bus for LRT Benia, the nearest terminal to where I am staying.
Cost 166 pesos and hould took around 2 hours.
A fairly uneventful journey. Plenty of snack
sellers boarding the bus at every opportunity, so no shortage of food.
On arrival in Manila, the standard rip-off scams
then start In trying to get the the hotel I had booked in to. After agreeing
with one taxi driver where to go, he ended up a long way from where I knew I
had to go, and then insisted on charging me more to take me to the right place.
Of course, I had an argument with him and only paid him what had been agreed,
he was screaming and shouting when I left him and walked off into the hotel.
They do this often apparently, and so ignored him.
The casa Nicarosa is tucked away behind another
building and fairly pleasant inside. Ended up with a room upgrade free of
charge. Met up with Sheira as I arrived at the hotel. Lots to catch up on
considering the events of recent days, before I went to Mindoro.
In the evening we stopped at the Malate church,
one of the oldest in Manila and then walked down the Roxas Boulevard, which
follows the waterfront, which is lit up at night with coloured lights. Tonight
being new year's eve meant that we had to choose a venue for the celebrations.
The SM Mall of Asia was being televised and seemed the place to be, and
theoretically, not that far from where we were staying. The walk there was very
interesting, as it highlights the contrast in this city. Vagrants strewn along
the pavements asleep on cardboard sheets and tucked under trees, along side or
close to expensive hotels. The police turn a blind eye to it although it is
illegal in this area. For them, no new year celebrations, just another night on
the street!
The Mall of Asia was heaving as expected and
arrived with an hour or so to go before midnight. The Tanduay Rum company were
sponsoring the event and selling a litre jug of rum mix for 50 pesos...crazy
price! So, with the party well under way, the band started to play and the hype
built up. The crowd was amazing. I had come along lightly packed so that I
didn't have much to worry about....little did I know that, although I was being
careful, the pickpockets are very professional here... Got my wallet stolen
which contained money and one credit card! I could have screamed it was so
frustrating. The police couldn't help much as there were also others in there,
making reports, so guessed it was rife this evening. I hate it when people take
advantage of other peoples merriment for their own gains and theft. They are
the lowest scum on this earth. With only 10 minutes to go until midnight, I had
to try and calm down and enjoy the moment for Sheira's sake, but was gutted. At
midnight, the fireworks were amazing, and lasted for ages, over the bay of
Manila. It was an awesome atmosphere, and despite the trouble I was now in, a
great venue to have chosen.
Had to rush away after the fireworks had
finished to try and get on-line to report my credit card to the uk.
Unfortunately, the internet was locked out at the hotel due to the busy network
and had no luck with the telephones either, so could not get through to the UK
to make a report and cancel the card.
Thu 1st Jan - After the trauma of last night, I had to try and get through to
the uk, but didn't manage it until mid morning. Eventually got through and got
the card cancellled and reordered a replacement which will be sent to my uk
postal address and have to be couriered across to an address here. A total
pain. Fortuantely, I have another source of cash so not totally stuffed.
Nothing much else I can do now, so got on with
some sightseeing of the city. The main place of interest was in the northern
part of the city in Intramuros and Rizal Park. Rizal is massive, and has
many side attractions like an Orchidaria,
which was closed but we were allowed in on as a favour, so got it to ourselves.
Next was the Rizal theatre which contains a large collection of bronze larger
than life figures retelling the life of Rizal, a national hero.
Picked up a tricycle to Intramuros and stopped
at the Cathedral of Manila. A lovely
old building with some nice stained glass work and high vaulted ceilings.
Final stop of the day was 'Fort Santiago', to
the west of Intramuros. A place that is larger than I imagined and set along
side the Pasig river. A central lawned area and original Spanish era buildings
surrounding. I was surprised that much of it hadn't been restored, and left to
become badly overgrown. Across the Pasig river is an old part of the city that
looks like the industrial centre. Not very attractive, but full of action.
In the evening, went to explore Malate, which is
adjoined by Ermita, both being the lively part of the city. Sheira has detailed
experience with Korean culture, having worked in a Korean company and also
teaching Korean people to speak English. So, what better than to eat Korean
this evening. Not done this before and quite a learning experience. Whatever
meats we ordered where cooked for us by the chef at the table and served with a
set accompaniment of vegetables and dried fish. Over ordered the quantities,
but enjoyed every bit of it. Spicy as expected, which I like.
Fri 2nd Jan - Sheira has to return home to Silang today and after much
deliberation and discussion I decided to stay in Manila for a few more days.
Relocated to the 'Friendly Guest House'
located on Adriatico street, close-by in Malate. Only 375 pesos for a dorm room
with free wi-fi, hot drinks and a kitchen. Perfect location for the
entertainment district.
That sorted, we went out to do some shopping in
the area of Corriedor after a cheap
lunch at a 'Mini stop'. These are like the 'Seven Eleven' chain of stores,
which also exist throughout Asia. Buy to take out or eat in.
Needed to walk to the LRT station and catch the
metro for a few stops costing 15 pesos. First time I had used this, and was
surprised that they have separate 'female only' carriages, with separate queue.
Apparently had to be done because of unwanted hassles they were getting from
the men!
Corriedor was crazy and had to clutch everything
close as pickpockets are common here. Aftert the events of new year, I was
being extra cautious! Needed to buy a new wallet and got one eventually plus
some other bargains. The area in front of the Corriedor church was crammed with
worshippers. They worship a blackened figure of christ, the 'Black Nazarene',
which originated from when a fire struck and it was the only thing to survive.
Folk queue up for ages to touch the figure, which is locate under a tent
outside at present, as it is doing a tour from its normal location at Quaipo
church, where it will return on January 9th in a long street procession. Also
in the square were many interesting events. Blind people giving massage,
fortune tellers reading palms, tarot card readers etc etc.
Now, this being a Catholic country...it is
surprising to find vendors of 'Abortion Medicine'. Out on the street right in
front of the church! So, how does that fit in with the principles of the
religion, and the belief in not using birth control?
It was so congested I had had enough and wanted
to escape back to some sanity. Thought it would be nice to jump into one of the
horse driven carriages. The guy agreed on 100 pesos to take us back to Malate,
and set off...after the horse had emptied itself! Got out of the busy area and
the guy stopped and demanded $100 to take us the whole way. Stunned of course
and Sheira being a filipino couldn't understand either. He got a little nasty
and so we just jumped out and walked off, leaving him in a mood. Stupid
bugger...Picked up a Jeepney for 7.5 pesos each!
Had to say bye to Sheira as she had to head off
home later. Been lovely being with her for the past few days and sad she is
going :-(
On-line for a while later and great to be
catching up with friends around the world again. That time of day when it is
easy to catch people in most timezones.
Malate is the entertainment district of Manila,
so off to explore later. Had a nice meal at Tia
Marias, where live bands also play every night. The one tonight was fronted
by a really funky girl with plenty of energy in her style. Crowded, with a
mixture of locals and foreigners, and a good atmosphere. Walking around this
area of a night is like being back in Bangkok. Continuous approaches from the
sex sellers but this time intermixed with what they call KTV bars. Video
Karaoke bars which charge a fixed price for entry (300 pesos average),
including usually as much as you can drink, and if you want it, the company of
a beautiful Filipino lady for the price of an expensive 'lady drink' paid by
the half hour interval. Obviousy, they hope for more than just a drink!
Sat 3rd Jan - Couldn't belive it, but was so tired last nigtht after not getting
to bed until 2am, that I didn't get out of bed until 11:45. Not done that since
I was in Thailand. Missed half the day already. A combo meal at Shakey's and
then off for a walk down Roxas Boulevard.
As I keep repeating...walking here is an ordeal.
Continuous begging that gets to be quite stressful after a while. The kids run
up and try to drag anything out of your hands that you are carrying. If you
have a drink they will sometimes try to wrestle it from you. I was followed
many times and despite trying to ignore them, it became impossible and almost
had to run away.
I was sat staring out to see when a women
approached me and started chatting. Was really nice and friendly and we ended
up spending a couple of hours walking and talking. She was supposed to meet a
friend who changed plans and didn't come, so wanted company, as a women on her
own here attracts a lot of attention. Made sure she got onto a jeepney later
back to her home in Paranaque. It was getting dark now, so back to the guest
house to get organised for the evening. As it turned out, plans changed....
The owner of Friendly's, Benji, was celebrating
his birthday and laid on a free wine and food party for everyone. Had a superb
time chatting with the other folks and peobably drank a bottle and a half of
red. Far too much but felt nice and mellow. Got to 11pm and neede to go out and
find some dancing. Had found out yesterday that there should be Salsa on at the
Havana bar on Adriatico, so aimed there first. The band was really good with a
great range of music. In the intermission I had a wonderful couple of dances
with the lead singer. Shortly after the band started up again a group of ladies
came in, one of whom was an wesome dancer. Made my evening as we had some
superb dances together. Not danced with someone so good since I set off
travelling, and that is a long time. The band finished at 1am and the place
deserted within minutes. Shame, because it was too short a time. There are
another couple of Havana bars in the city which are supposed to have bigger
dance floors. This one is timy, with only enough space for two couples at most
squashed in front of the bar.
A walk around the bar area afterwards, with
constant pestering from the touts selling KTV and women. After a while I got
tired of it and returned to the guest house to spend time chatting to friends
on line until 4am and then crashed out into bed.
Sun 4th Jan - Another late start to the day, not rising until nearly noon. Even
though it was 4am when I came to bed, there were people coming in much later,
which disturbed my sleep.
Breakfast at Café
Adriatico for a treat. A Manila institution which spurned the café society
back in 1979, when it was named by writer and painter Aguilar Cruz after the
street it is on. The range of food available is excellent, and nice orchestral
music was playing to create a relaxing ambiance.
That’s about it for now folks. Hope all was well
for you over the new year period and 2009 is full of great opportunities….
