Email This BlogThis! Manila I find myself back in Taiwan after an amazing 15 day trip to the Philippines. I had free food at the maiden flight party at Kaoshiong airport before boarding. I spent my first night in the Malate area of Manila with an American lad who runs a bar in Taizhong in Taiwan. We negotiated a shared room and spent the entire night drinking 25piso bottles of San Miguel until the early hours. I woke the next morning with a head like Birkenhead and decided to get out of Manila quickly.
It was OK but I never considered the gruesome hangover I'd have to endure on my island-hopping journey the following morning.
I always tip well when they use the meter and don't try to screw you. I wonder if Manila taxi drivers will ever learn this? I've done this a few times now so I'm totally au-fait with everything. I laugh at the prices the hawkers are wanting for things like snacks and drinks. I even get to shake his hand. I wonder if this is a good thing or not as I fight the hangover. Terrorists I take an upper deck seat next to a woman and her kid from Manila and a local guy who works in Saudi Arabia. This guy was very interesting.
He has a PhD from the US and currently works on complex global financial fraud issues. He couldn't give too much away but he left me with the feeling he has investigated hugely well-known terrorist outfits for money laundering etc. Canny interesting lad like! Calapan We arrive at Calapan and I'm chuffed to see Don waiting on the jetty.
We find another bar with live music and karaoke. We both like to sing karaoke as is the way here and end up smashed after a top night of being the only foreigners in the sticks. I think Don misses speaking real English as much as I do. Weirdly, we've both ended up being the only foreigners in the sticks of two different countries where we both live.
