Philippines: Manila

The flight

This flight lasted 14 hours (my new record) — that's what I had to endure before my first Asian stop :-). But it went very well; among other things I watched "Mad Max: Fury Road" on the plane, which really is an insane film :-D, and I also saw "Inside Out", another very good Pixar. Beyond the cinema side of it, I was surrounded by Filipinos and honestly, if all my other encounters with locals live up to these ones, it should go very well. My neighbours (a man and a woman, both around fifty) were very friendly; I mostly talked with Daisy, who's lived in the USA for about thirty years. Even the people next to me before boarding were very forthcoming. The only shadow on the picture is that all of them told me to be careful, that not everyone is nice in the Philippines, and so on....

Arrival

I set foot on Philippine soil at 4am and, as usual, got the taxi drivers wanting to offer me their services — but they won't catch me out :-D, especially as the information provided by my hostel makes a point of saying that taxis at the airport can charge up to 75% more... So I chose the bus and the metro (I'd learn later that the "normal" taxis are at the departures level of the airport).

It's incredibly hot here. I was complaining about autumn poking its nose in over in the USA, and now here I am back in a good tropical climate, just how I like it. I'm a little surprised by the presence of police searching bags at the metro entrance, but I quickly realise this is the case at the entrance to every station. Then I arrive at my hostel, the Pink Manila Hostel, which is very pleasant, even if it doesn't have much to do with the promotional photos online :-) .

I spend the first part of my day wandering around my hostel's district, Malate, with a Frenchman and an Englishman I've just met. At first glance I get the impression they're not used to seeing many tourists in this corner. We're followed by children, but they're sweet — they don't ask for money, they mostly want high fives... Food-wise it's not bad at all; I had a tapsilog at lunchtime and there was unlimited rice :-D .

Intramuros

This is the older section of the city, with a lot of old fortifications built during Spanish colonisation, as well as a good number of churches.

So I learn a bit of history. I hadn't grasped the heavy price paid by the Filipino people during the Second World War... I should do some reading on the Pacific War.

I went to bed very early on the first day, so my first night in Manila was nothing extraordinary :-D .

The markets

For my second day in Manila I did the San Andres market and the Chinatown market. I did a lot of walking (ha ha ha). It was nice; I'm not really in a buying frame of mind, so I can't fully enjoy this activity, but anyone wanting to shop shouldn't hesitate to come through here.

Basketball

Wow, this is basketball country (to be read aloud in a commentator's voice :-D). I'm amazed by the fervour around this sport here; I regularly come across courts with players and, above all, plenty of spectators. Shame I don't play any more — I don't fancy embarrassing myself out there :-D. Everywhere there are television screens, very often it's basketball. Right now it's the championship between the Asian teams and the Filipinos are playing rather well; I caught a match where they put 40 points on Qatar.

The atmosphere at the hostel

On this trip I've mostly favoured private rooms so far, but that isn't always easy on the finances. There are advantages to having your own room, of course, but hostels and the dorm system can have their own. A little group of us ended up in the hostel living room: a couple from Kent in England, another couple from Glasgow, a mother and daughter from Tasmania (Australia) and a Korean. I had a good time talking with them, in spite of accents that weren't really helping me :-D . I chose to stay with this group rather than go out into Manila. It almost makes me regret not choosing to stay in hostels more often... But then, regrets are for suckers! :-D

In the afternoon I decided to book a flight to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. Leaving tomorrow morning :-) .