As soon as I stepped off the aircraft I could feel and smell Manila! The humidity hit me like a wall, and that unique tropical smell permeated past the struggling airport aircon. Ah, home again!!
I had left Taipei at 2 pm on Wednesday, landing at the new Manila terminal 3 at 4 pm after a nice Cebu Pacific budget flight. I was seated next to a slightly spaced out man who as it turned out was an American having flown from somewhere in the states to Taipei, a short layover then onto Manila, taking 30 hours. We chatted a couple of times and the questions he asked me made me wonder what he was doing as he was confused and vague. I directed him to the meter taxi rank and ran into him again wandering around outside looking dazed. I suggested he come into Ermita with me in my taxi and so began a typical Larry saga.
He had no idea of what Manila is like and I said I would help him find a suitable hotel but he needed constant guarding from the various pimps, touts and con artists who flourish on the streets of Manila so after looking at a few places I showed him the Southern Cross Hotel where I was staying and checked him in safely. It made me feel good that I had helped him but I was left wondering how he would survive, he explained he was tired and jet lagged after flying 30 odd hours but I think he had taken some travel medication which had not agreed with him! By this time it was late and as I entered the bar I saw my brother Ken and mutual friend Rabbit frantically waving from the bar where they had been waiting for me.
We had a few beers then I took them outside to orientate Rabbit with the Ermita streets by jumping on a garishly decorated jeepney to travel down to a beer garden I knew at the rear of Paridise bar and hotel. Well the look on Rabbits face was sensational, he did not know which way to look, the almost 2 metres of him bent to fit the low jeepney roof, a flood of jeepneys, taxis, motorcycles and people and a constant roar of unmuffled diesel exhausts and clouds of choking diesel smoke was overwhelming. We found the bar and there began our first night in Manila.
The next day Ken took Rabbit to Corregador Island while I spent the day looking at hotels for my next trip in May when our other brother Bob and son Chris were coming with me on a short visit while transiting to Taipei. We met at the bar late afternoon and I took them to more bars and a nice seafood restaurant down on Manila Bay. While walking back we called into The Cowboy Grill and were entertained by a couple of filippino rock and roll bands belting out covers of well known songs. Man those guys can sing, I can see why they are in such demand on cruise ships!
