Manila Updates 1

I've been meaning to post these entries while I was in Manila. Somehow, when Tebby was off to his ApecTel Meeting and I have nothing to do, he brought along the laptop and when he's back, we were busy browsing Metro Manila. I was home last Friday 27th April after 3 1/2hrs flight from Ninoy Aquino to KLIA. Gone balik kampung to fetch the kids and came back to Cheras today. In fact, we've just arrived. So, here goes the first part of my Manila experience.

23RD APRIL 2007 – 2nd Day In Manila
Although the restructuring thingy in the office does not take a turn for the worse, I still jumped into Tebby’s invitation to tag along with him to Manila. Yess,.. I AM in fact, in Manila now. Blogging offline. I’ll be online once I’m done with this entry. The internet charges from the room is PHP2,500 flat for a day. That is RM192.30.

I am now in my room in Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Metro Manila (as in KL City Center). Tebby has gone for his APEC meeting in Crowne Plaza and won’t be back until maybe at 6p.m. Like any other spoilt-wife, I may be going on a shopping spree. There’s Podium, one of Manila’s many shopping complexes just across the road. And across Podium, there’s SM Mall.

Anyway, we touched down in the off-beat Ninoy Aquino International Airport at about 3.35 yesterday after a flight of 3.5hours and greeted by the ever muka-masam immigration officers and the shouting of other officers who needed to gather the baggage claim tag. There was 3 parts of it actually. 1st being the immigration officers who made me felt so lucky with just having to see her long face, unlike one Arab who was shouted and nagged at. There, we need to surrender one copy of Disembarkation Form and have our passport stamped. 2nd being an officer who stamped another copy of the Disembarkation Form. 3rd being the man who took the form and 4th, the lady whose stingingly voice alerted us that we needed to surrender our baggage claim tag.

Journey from the NAIA to Ortigas Center took about 20 minutes, PHP610 fare and PHP390 forced-tips. Tebby took out PHP1,000 and the driver actually asked to keep the balance.

TIPS NO1 - have exact change if don't intend to tip anyone.

The first person who had a smile on the face was perhaps the receptionist. Tebby could not secure a room in Crowne Plaza (where his meeting was held) itself so we ended up here, about 10 minutes leisure walk to Crowne Plaza. Somehow, I don’t feel as secure as I did when I was in Seoul tho they mostly look like Malay or Chinese, as in KL. Tebby has specifically told me not to wander around any further than the Podium. Not even to the neighboring SM Mall. Last night, after Maghrib prayer (which starts at 6.11p.m.), we walked to the Robinsons, which is attached to Crowne Plaza on one side and Holiday Inn at the other. After checking Tebby’s place for meeting the next day (there was a birthday bash there last night. I saw lots of flesh and boobs, btw) we wandered around in Robinson. The usual shoplots with usual stuffs, you know.. shoes, clothes, lingerie and the likes. I am looking for something conventional and off-beat like Namdaemun in Seoul but since I don’t dare disobeying Tebby’s instruction (which was told in flat tone and straight face btw), I have to be satisfied with whatever there is within 100m radius from our hotel. Oh, be careful when crossing the road, even on the zebra crossing. Be alert of the honks as they won’t stop. Not even for a zebra I guess.

TIPS NO2 – have you hearing and seeing senses all alert when crossing the road. Don’t ever rely you live on the zebra crossing. Like in KL, it doesn’t help you here as well. What’s new anyway.

THE PODIUM. first shopping complex I went to. upscale. expensive.

bought toys for the kids. bought some books as well. books for kids... el cheapo!

They speak Tagalog mostly. They do English, heavily accented with the everrrr rrrrrollinggg R. Kakak will like this coz somehow she has rolling R when speaking English. I don’t really understand them actually so I leave the conversing part to Tebby most of the time. As for food, they are pork-eating community so… we just survive on fish, bread, fish and bread. And fish. Saw lots of inviting stuffed squid which sprawled most of the gerai in Robinson’s food court. Lucky thing we brought along some instant noodle. Pelik kan, when in KL, we don’t find KFC THAT inviting but here, we long for fried chicken. So, always be thankful with what you have. And I think I should not watch that Food Network Channel too much. It makes me hungry.

TIPS NO3 – when coming to a non-muslim country, always bring along instant noodle, or whatever canned food that is halal.

MANGAN. One of the eateries found in The Robinsons, near Crowne Plaza. Middle-class.

Ended up eating fries.

We don’t bring along Kakak and Iman btw. Kakak is having fun in kampong that she doesn’t even want to speak to me when I call. Even when she was the one who told me that I need to call her 3 times a day if I love her (talk about unconditional love.. ). Iman did look for me and ended up raising his hand and made small circles and says ‘ommmeeyyy tade tade tade’ (ummi takde, takde, takde). InsyaAllah, we’ll be bringing them to Palace Beach & Spa in the Mines next week as consolation.

Okay, enough for today.

ummi, signing off from Metro Manila.