Please note that this is a report of my observations and only my opinions. It isn’t meant to be factual, insulting or argumentative just an observance of what I experienced.
The weather is still humid here. It doesn’t matter the temp, hot or cold.
The 3rd day here Honey and I rented a car to drive us a round to some of the sites here in Manila. Seeing as how everyone said the Zoo was not very appealing we decided to go to the Zoo at Tagaytay. This is a city south of Manila famous for the extinct volcano Taal, and the area where Imeda Marcos built here “Palace in the sky”.
There were quite a few of us in that car. We had tried to rent a van but didn’t request one soon enough and got a car. The total cost was P2000 for the car and driver – 24 hours. There are quite a few Filipinas here waiting interviews and getting physicals, etc. that asked to join us. All cost the same so, “yeah”. Of course, I was the only “gwapo” Kano there.
The zoo by American standards was extremely lacking but not devoid of uniqueness that is Filipino. I was amazed to see one of my relatives, a “brown” bear floating in a nice pool of water. A very big one too. On one side of him was a cage of monkeys and orangutans, begging for food of course, and on the other side was a series of tiger cages. Fellas the protection around these tiger cages was so minor that if you were stupid enough you could put your hand in the cage and attempt to pet one of these monstrosities. But only if you didn’t care about that hand, arm and what ever else they could pull through the bars, becoming dinner for one a half dozen roaring 1-ton felines. To get to the tiger cages you went up a railed series of steps and down a railed latter when finished. Almost like they were in some sort of “tree house”. At the bottom of the latter, if you fell, you would find yourself dinner for some of the biggest alligators I have ever seen in my life and I come from an area where we have some big ‘uns.
The Zoo over looked a wonderful view of the hills and islands around Tagaytay but the humidity was as near overwhelming. as the view. We took lots of pictures of course. We decided to eat here and ordered a fish, chicken, rice and soup. I’m still about 40 pounds from what I’d like to weigh and since the surgery on my stomach I just do not eat much. But that didn’t stop everyone from trying to feed me more. Its great though, I’d just look up and Honey would go “No! He can’t have that!” Gossshh! What have I gotten myself into? All the foods were great. I liked the sour soup. I took my rice and poured in the bowl and made kind of a rice soup out of it and every one thought I was crazy? But it was good.
The rest of the Zoo consisted of a female lion and a half dozen eagles. These animals had no fear of visitors and again I say you could be stupid and try to pet one. The zoo also had a hotel on it that looked out over the eagle cages and had a wonderful view of the islands if the fog would ever dissipate. When we left we went down the road a few kilometers a let a few of the ladies go horseback riding. No way for Honey! I wasn’t about to get on one of the little mustangs. I am against cruelty to animals – hehehe.
We continued on down the road to Imeda Marcos “Palace in the Sky”. As we toured the poorly kept “People’s Park in the Sky”, I related a story about Imeda being arrested at Tiffany’s in New York for stealing diamond buttons off a jacket and how they had captured the whole thing on camera. For a while some of the ladies would not talk to me for insulting their “1st lady of the Philippines”. The view there was increditable. If the fog would have dissipated you could probably see for hundreds of miles in all directions. Cold! This place is like Baguio. The wind was like getting hit with a wet shower, I was somewhat disappointed in the care for the facility. It was clear they made good money as a tourist site but so much of the place was literally falling down and there was even a dead rat floating in the water that had collected in the bottom of the empty swimming pool. You could see many “upper-class” neighborhoods around this mountain palace, most “American-like”, even golf courses. The whole area was about an hour south of Manila.
We finally got back into the comfort of the car and out of the wind shower and headed to another resort on the bay south of Manila. As I had landed in Manila the other night I saw this place. I remember thinking as I looked out the window that I didn’t know that Manila had people living in huts built over the water. Turned out that these were “room” where you rented so you could fish, party, whatever. It was a miserable drive. Traffic after you got off the freeways was typical congested, horn honking, ignore the traffic laws, and “take your own life out of your hands”, affair. Amazingly enough it didn’t bother any of these Filipinas. Me – well I was back to my “Road Runner” imitations. I even asked if they next time they needed a horn if I could do it. “BEDEEEEP, BEDEEEEP! - hehehe.
We stopped at this resort because two of the Filipinas had worked there before and could get us in for free. The plan was to eat again with much of the feast we had pack and/or bought at the restaurant at the zoo, go swimming and then go into a videoke club where you could get private rooms and sing. After eating a similar meal to what we had for lunch and having been serenaded by a local band (played one of the songs I had sang Honey “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith) we decided it was too cold for swimming and headed to the videoke bar. What!! P150 per person per hour. I think not!! So we headed back to Manila.
As we approached the area of our hotel I was shown the nightlife here. And they do have some serious nightlife going on. They encouraged me to go club hopping with them but I could tell Honey didn’t want to go and my “jet-lag” was starting to kick in, so she and I headed back to the hotel. I think the most unfortunate thing about our hotel is I didn’t have a gun. Yeah! Because since we are only a few block from all that nightlife and picked a room only 4 floors up, that when the clubs closed all the drunks decided to make as much noise as they could leaving them. That’s how I happen to be writing this chapter. Couldn’t go back to sleep.
Well tomorrow will bring a trip to Davao and the eventual encounter with the “family” after my having made Honey move out. We’ll stay the 1st night at the same place I stayed last time, the Marbella Mansion and go to Honey’s apartment to wash up the clothes.
BTW, lots of mis-info seems to be going around about passports and time it takes to get classes completed. All of the ladies told me that the CFO is not “anti-American” as I had earlier been lead to believe and that you do not have to get there at 4 AM to secure a place in one of the 3 classes. MOF, many said that most of the classes were not full. I have also been assured by near everyone that we will get Honey’s passport in Davao in 3 days even if there are typos and mistakes on some of the documents (like the birth certificate). I was told to just use another document.
More to come.
