Loved Bali. Need to forget Singapore. Malaysia was a blur. My reltionship with the Philippines is complicated. While I am not a fan of big cities and all the traffic and tall buildings, thanks to host Doreen, I got to see the beauty behind the caos.

My first introduction to Manila was the airport exit. Complicated at its best. Just on the otherside of the immigration counter was an open hallway with the street just on the other side of a row of glass doorways. There was an information counter and a couple of boothes set up for simcard purchases. Just an open hallway with barely anyone. That’s weird. I was supposed to meet up with my sister’s coworker’s niece who was so kind enough to pick me up from the airport. I had texted her from the plane so she knows I was coming. But where is she? I checked my phone. No messages.

Maybe the text didn’t go through. Hmm. Do I need to enter the international #? let’s try. Great it worked.

Message from Macel. “I’m here already…in front of the duty free”

I looked around…no duty free. And so it begins.

There was a duty free area. No airport (or the ones I have been to) exist without one. Manila’s was located outside, across the street and down a winding hallway on the floor below. This is where all the taxi peddlers waited along with travelers waiting/searching for their rides. Caos. A sea of people everywhere.

Thank you Macel, for saving me from that madness.

After a day to settle in, I met up with Macel’s mom Doreen who took me around the sights of Manila. We rode a GrabCab, Jeepney, Express Van and Taxi. We visited a market and garden center. Walked through the harbor and Quezon Memorial Circle. Best of all was watching Macel and her troupe practice at the CCP. I have never been a huge fan of ballet but I was awed by group going through different sets. I really did not want to leave.

I mentioned to Doreen that I always found ballet to be very stressful but to me, the troupe was having such a great time going through their routines and making funny faces when they make any mistakes. Not stressful at all. Doreen said that we had to leave as she could sense the stress building up in the room. Complicated.

I breakfast buffeted at the hotel, snacked on pancit buko, lunched at Mang Inasal and had dinner at Robinson’s Mall. Things that made me happy is a well done chicken and the halo halo.

…That’s all for now… or we will never get any posts out… Har Har