‘Mericans in Manila, July 17 – July 19

For our last weekend getaway in July, we were bound for Manila, The Philippines.

From the outset, this was a really special trip. Francesca is from Manila and her family still lives there, so we were invited to stay in her home and be treated to a real insider’s weekend in the city. I was especially excited to go to Manila, because since as long as I can remember (I was young enough to still have my world globe nightlight on my nightstand) my dad has been traveling there for his public health campaign work.

Melinda, Adriana, Irma, Francesca, Jess, Dominic, Kevin and I arrived in Manila on Friday evening, after flying “Fiesta Class” on Philippines Airlines. On our ride from the airport to Francesca’s house, our faces were pressed to the windows, trying to catch glimpses of the city at night, which we decided uncannily resembled Los Angeles, from what we could put together.

Francesca’s lovely mother, Cecile, made us feel right at home. Staying in Francesca’s house felt like staying in a luxury hotel. Since she has five siblings, the house had plenty of room for the eight of us to sleep comfortably. And much like other families in Manila, a handful of maids, cooks, and a driver live with her family. It was a real treat to spend a weekend there, enjoying home-cooked meals, not worrying about how to get around town, and playing with Fidel Castro (Francesca’s dog), even if he did get overly excited by strangers and pee on the floor several times a day.

Francesca’s friends came over late Friday night and we sang karaoke until the early early early morning hours. We maybe got three hours of sleep before needing to wake up Saturday morning for the day’s activities.

On Saturday, Francesca arranged a group tour of Old Manila (“Historic Intramuros”) with her friend, and famous tour guide Carlos Celdran - featured in Time Magazine and on the Discovery Channel – check him out at: http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/ Carlos was incredibly engaging, entertaining and really fascinating. Going through the tour of Intramuros, I realized how very little I knew about Manila and The Philippines, and it was eye-opening to learn the complex and somewhat sad history of the city.

After touring around in the morning, we went to Makati, the financial and commercial center of Manila, where we devoured a traditional family-style Philippine lunch. What struck me about Makati was just how very modern it is – being there didn’t feel like being in The Philippines, or whatever my perception of The Philippines was. Makati, and for the most part, all the places that Francesca took us to and all the parts of the city that we drove through seemed very modern and developed. Although we were warned numerous times that crime is everywhere and the city lives in abject poverty – my classmates and I didn’t really see this part of Manila. Perhaps instead we got a sense of the disparity of wealth in the city, but I would say from our experience that Manila is much more first world than Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok.

After lunch, Francesca took the boys to a cockfight, while her mother Cecile took us girls to the local markets. I wasn’t totally opposed to going to the cockfight, although once I learned that the birds are affixed with sharp blades to slash each other to death, queasiness and my adamant Americanized ethics on animal cruelty took over.

Dom, Kevin and Francesca had an awesome time at the cockfight – they won over $100 USD and they got to hang out with the trainers to watch the birds get fitted with their blades before the fight and observe the surgery performed on the winning birds after the fight. Dominic, who was pre-med before switching to journalism, provided me with an especially graphic and enthusiastic account of the guts falling out of the winning bird, and the ensuing ringside stitch-up job.

Saturday night we enjoyed a phenomenal dinner at Francesca’s house – all the Philippine local delicacies and beloved dishes prepared by the house cooks. Oxtail stew in peanut sauce, amazingly fresh and sweet mango relish, glass noodle salad, spring rolls, stuffed milk fish, barbequed pork skewers, garlic rice, eggplant salad and a variety of rice-based desserts.

After the feast we hit the town for a taste of nightlife in Manila. Francesca took us to her friend’s clothing boutique, located in a very bohemian part of town, where there are tons of cool little bars to hop around and a good crowd to mingle with in the street. The bottom floor of the boutique had a small bar, and we enjoyed drinks there and met more of Francesca’s friends. Then Francesca took us to a newer, swankier part of the city, where the clubs can only be described as reminiscent of Los Angeles and Acapulco. We rubbed elbows with the socialites and underage kids in Manila before moving along to the red light district. In the red light district Francesca took us to a circus-esque boxing show, during which Adriana was called up into the ring to announce the rounds. Many pictures were taken, none will be posted…a fantastically crazy way to end a whirlwind day in Manila.

Sunday was a lazy and indulgent day since we were still feeling exhausted from the happenings of the last 36 hours. Francesca called masseurs over to the house, and we all enjoyed hour-long massages for less than $10 USD and without ever having to leave our beds. I’ve decided that perhaps when I retire, I’ll move to Manila :)

After massages, we had just enough time to go to a nearby market and buy some souvenirs (and eat cheese and chocolate ice cream) before going to the airport. It was hard to say goodbye to Cecile and Fidel and 24-hour kitchen staff and on-call massages and a conversion rate of 50 pesos to $1 USD, but our last week in Hong Kong was calling us back home.

After an amazing weekend, moreover an amazing month of traveling the region – Manila was the perfect lead-in to our last few days in Hong Kong and our departure into Mainland China.

Pictures from Manila will be posted soon!!!