Arriving in Manila

Once I walked out of the airport, past the taxi touts and into the humid, tropical air of the parking lot, where family members were waiting to reunite, I got a familiar feeling: I’m back in the Philippines!

This was my fourth visit – really I should say three because back on my long SE Asia trip I spent 1.5 months there with a two week Christmas gap (in Germany). On previous visits around the country, I’d been to Manila several more times, and it was like a reunion of sorts. This trip I got to spend it with my co-teachers from Hangzhou.

On the plane I’d met two Filipinas who teach in China. They were bringing bundles of gifts back to their families for the holidays, and since I wasn’t checking a bag I agreed to let them use my luggage allowance. I know that sounds sketchy, but at least I did see them open the suitcase and rearrange things – again, mostly just gifts.

To show her appreciation one of the women offered to give me a ride to my hotel. Her brother and his family, along with cousins, were all there waiting to meet her. I rode in the back of the SUV with five curious kids, and her brother, after a few wrong turns, managed to find the place. Trevor, Joanna, and Justin were waiting in the bar drinking Red Horse, a local beer (7.6% ABV, so much better than those watery Chinese beers!).

Along with Sam Miguel, Red Horse is the most popular beer in the
Philippines. Our hotel had the canned variety. I prefer to do as the locals
do and share a liter bottle, complete with ice and small glasses
(Ice? Yes, it's always hot here!).

They were tired after a long day of traveling, so we called it an early night and rested for sightseeing the next day. I had prepared an itinerary of sorts; I’d take them to Intramuros, the old Spanish part of Manila, in the morning, where we’d visit churches and Fort Santiago. My tour guide skills mostly used up, we headed back to our hotel in the modern business district of Makati that afternoon.

Justin walking outside Fort
Santiago in Intramuros.

Interior of a church in Intramuros

Playing in Intramuros

In the evening we went out in Makati for dinner in the Greenbelt, a series of malls with restaurants and bars. After live music and drinks we cabbed it to Burgos Street, a nearby late night spot. Burgos is a lite version of Bangla Road in Phuket, or Walking Street in Pattaya, with girlie bars and lots of pedestrians. That’s not exactly my scene, but on a Sunday night there were fewer options. Also it was Trevor’s first time in SE Asia, so you gotta get introduced at some point!

Joanna and Justin had a flight the next morning, so they left the bar early – and it wasn’t a girlie bar, just a normal place with a pool table and outdoor seating to view the passers-by. After they left Trevor and I went for a walk and eventually settled on a sports bar.

We passed on this place. It could've been awesome, but the
exterior looked sketchy (although we both enjoyed the sign).

Promo poster for midget boxing, which
we skipped for the sports bar.

Well, it was advertised as a sports bar, but the only thing sporty about it was the one pool table. The joint was full of working women, some of whom were normally dressed, and some of whom were donning a few square inches of fabric. The beers were cheap, and there wasn’t a long wait for the pool table, so we decided to stay for a drink.

We got on the pool table (I had to beat out the local lady who was trying to shark it up) and one drink turned into five. In the meantime we met a Canadian guy who lived in Macao and invited us to continue the night out. He was eager to take us to a strip club, which was an interesting time – I don’t know if Trevor had done anything like that before – and when we got home it was nearly sunrise!

Luckily Trevor and I had an afternoon flight – not too early. He was off to Iloilo for a friend’s wedding, and I was headed to Davao, the largest city on the southern island of Mindanao.