I was a day early, so on monday 4th I helped my cousin put a new engine in his six wheeled ATV. He then dropped me off at the SEATAC airport on tuesday morning. I was on my way at last!
The flight was long and uneventful. I sat next to a very nice and very nice looking young lady from Thailand, who was taking her son home for his first visit. We talked considerably. She informed me she was married to a Russian. It struck me as odd that a Russian and his Thai wife would be living in the US, but I didn't ask how this came to be.
NWA has a very good connection system set up in Tokyo, and after a change of planes I landed in Manila around 10 pm.
Upon leaving the airport, the normal crown of vultures (taxi drivers) was eagerly awaiting to welcome me and my pisos to the PI. I walked right through the midst of them and down the street.
Of course, there are always one or two that you cannot shake free of no matter what. One of them followed me down the street in his car, and finally pulled crosswise in front of me. What the hell. I asked him if he knew where the Slouch Hat bar was. He said yes. I asked him how much to take me there. He said P300. Fine, I got in.
After we start moving, he starts questioning me about where is the Slouch Hat. Of course, now he can't even remember the name of the place after he just told me he knew of it's whereabouts. I told him it was on Del Pilar in Ermita, but I didn't know exactly where, and that I thought HE knew where it was or I wouldn't have gotten in the car. He assures me we will find it, and off we go in search of the Slouch Hat.
When we get to Del Pilar, we go sailing down it at about 60 KPH. The back windows are heavily tinted so that I cannot see out, and he is driving too fast to see anything himself, so to no great surprise to me, we didn't find the Slouch Hat!!!
He then tells me of this "great hotel" at "good rate" that he knows of. I'm tired. Fine, take me there.
"For double fare?" says he.
"How about half fare?" says I
"Oh no" says he.
"Then take me to the Slouch Hat as you agreed to do"
He finally took me to his great hotel for the P300 he quoted me to take me to the Slouch Hat.
This "Great hotel" is a dump, at P1450 a night. I'm refering to the Carlston, which is very near the airport where the vulture picked me up to begin with. I checked in and retired. The driver hung around acting like he was expecting a tip. He didn't get one.
