For pictures follow the below link
We made it to Manila on Monday (May 4) where we met Erika’s mom (Emma) and friend (Judy). This is Erika’s 6th trip to the Philippines in the past 8 years, but it was Tony’s first foray into SE Asia. To be honest, Manila was a disappointment. It is a huge city (between 11 and 20 million in the metropolitan area depending on where you draw the boundaries) and is not aesthetically very nice. The sky is always grey with a haze of pollution and the heat and humidity can be oppressive. To combat this, people in Manila spend a lot of time in shopping malls; as did we. When in Rome…
It would be unfair to say Manila does not have interesting things to see: bright and audaciously decorated Jeepneys (Small buses); numerous motorized tricycles (a motorcycle with a large side-car for transporting up to 4 people, or about 9 if you are local); people everywhere, many of whom are selling goods in stalls on the street or car to car at stop lights; chickens, stray dogs and cats; and guns – lots and lots of guns. There is security everywhere and they are all packing. The security checkpoint on the way into the apartment complex where we were staying included around 10 side arms, and a 12-gauge shotgun. This is not to say there are not creature comforts in Manila. They have ESPN. It is the channel between FOX sports and the Cock-fighting channel. That is not a joke; there is a cock-fighting channel in the Philippines in case you feel like watching animals fight to the death on live TV.
Luckily we only spent one day in Manila before moving on to the small island paradise of Boracay. We took a one hour flight to Kalibo then a great van ride for 60 km to catch our boat to Boracay. The van ride felt like SE Asia as we passed men tilling fields with Water Buffalo, green mountain sides and palm trees and cars swerving all over the road (road lines and markings are simply a suggestion in the Philippines).
It would be unfair to say Manila does not have interesting things to see: bright and audaciously decorated Jeepneys (Small buses); numerous motorized tricycles (a motorcycle with a large side-car for transporting up to 4 people, or about 9 if you are local); people everywhere, many of whom are selling goods in stalls on the street or car to car at stop lights; chickens, stray dogs and cats; and guns – lots and lots of guns. There is security everywhere and they are all packing. The security checkpoint on the way into the apartment complex where we were staying included around 10 side arms, and a 12-gauge shotgun. This is not to say there are not creature comforts in Manila. They have ESPN. It is the channel between FOX sports and the Cock-fighting channel. That is not a joke; there is a cock-fighting channel in the Philippines in case you feel like watching animals fight to the death on live TV.
Luckily we only spent one day in Manila before moving on to the small island paradise of Boracay. We took a one hour flight to Kalibo then a great van ride for 60 km to catch our boat to Boracay. The van ride felt like SE Asia as we passed men tilling fields with Water Buffalo, green mountain sides and palm trees and cars swerving all over the road (road lines and markings are simply a suggestion in the Philippines).
Boracay itself is a popular holiday destination for upper middle class Filipinos and straight out of a Corona beer commercial. The beaches have white sand; the water is a beautiful aqua blue and so clear that you can see right to the bottom; the palm trees are abundant as well as the fruity drinks; and everything is cheap –relative to any western prices. We went island hopping and snorkeling, walked a lot along the fine white sand beaches, haggled with the locals for jewelry and beachwear and did a lot of chillin’. It was a great escape from the cities and very relaxing. Just what was needed for Tony after a long trip to New York and back.
Some other interesting things we saw:
The transvestite fire dancing show at the beachside bar in Boracay. Amazing fire-dancing combined with the transgender performers, driving techno beats, and a late-night venue made us feel like we were in an art house movie.
A Typoon. We had been there two days when the rain and wind started. It was actually quite beautiful to watch and while it caused some serious damage up north we were relatively unaffected.
“Donations, sir, ma’am, donations!” Without a doubt the most adorable part of Boracay were the children who made the lanterns. Each night local children would make lanterns in the sand and ask passersby for “donations”. We would give them a few pesos and ask for a picture, which they would oblige. They were all cute with big smiles and clearly knew how to get a peso or two from the visiting Americans. The same kids seemed to be in the water all day and would swim up to our outrigger canoes as we were parked while island hopping, then jump off the outriggers and have us take their pictures.
Unfortunately we had to leave Boracay and go back to Manila. But… this was only for one day and now we are in Palawan. More about this beautiful island in the next blog...
Some other interesting things we saw:
The transvestite fire dancing show at the beachside bar in Boracay. Amazing fire-dancing combined with the transgender performers, driving techno beats, and a late-night venue made us feel like we were in an art house movie.
A Typoon. We had been there two days when the rain and wind started. It was actually quite beautiful to watch and while it caused some serious damage up north we were relatively unaffected.
“Donations, sir, ma’am, donations!” Without a doubt the most adorable part of Boracay were the children who made the lanterns. Each night local children would make lanterns in the sand and ask passersby for “donations”. We would give them a few pesos and ask for a picture, which they would oblige. They were all cute with big smiles and clearly knew how to get a peso or two from the visiting Americans. The same kids seemed to be in the water all day and would swim up to our outrigger canoes as we were parked while island hopping, then jump off the outriggers and have us take their pictures.
Unfortunately we had to leave Boracay and go back to Manila. But… this was only for one day and now we are in Palawan. More about this beautiful island in the next blog...
I love living this adventure through your blog - thank you so much for taking the time to do it!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mom