Crown Regency Hotel Makati

... interesting, if somewhat frustratingly unique quirk.  Jason and I ended up putting it down to vagueness, laid-backness, heat exhaustion or toxic gas inhalation (although it didn't seem to be confined to the cities, and the air in El Nido was pristine).  For example:  (at the drug store) "do you have a tablet for nausea?" -I rub my stomach, shop assistant repeats "nausea" in perfect English.  "yes, I feel sick".  Shop assistant wanders around to the back of the ...

... rice) with daing na bangus (fried fish). Afterwards, I went to visit my grandma's house, where I was asked again to eat my second breakfast for the day. With my tummy filled to its limit, my parents then drove me to a couple of malls in Manila to buy some essentials for our trip to Palawan tomorrow. We went to Mall of Asia ...

... is that later on I saw quite a few cockroaches. I spent the day walking around Ermita and Robinson's Mall. Ermita is the tourist area in Manila. This is where most of the budget accommodations can be found. There are also lots of bars and restaurants. Robinson's Place is a large, glitzy shopping mall. There are many upscale stores inside. There are tons of tourists as well. Later on I went to different malls (there are tons of ...

... All of the lights finally were working one day earlier this month and we had a mini celebration which was very short-lived. A couple of days later Russ looked up and saw another light was out. We hear they are starting to take bets in Vegas on which of our lights will go out next. As a side note, Russ made an interesting observation while one of the ceiling lights was dismantled. He looked up into it and saw ...

Our condo has a balcony that overlooks one of the streets where we live. Sitting and observing some of the things that go on down below give us a view (no pun intended) of things that go on that we might not notice otherwise. Like the guy who turns on the street lights at night. This is one of those jobs we expected no one needed to do in this day and age. In the U.S. lights work on sensors that detect darkness or on timers or they ...

... for a dizzying but thrilling open cable car ride up the mountains, the rest of the day was spent shopping. Yes, after yesterday's overdose of sightseeing, today seemed like an exercise in experiencing the commercial side of China. One thing I've discovered about our tour group is that they were such incurable shopaholics. But who cares? They are filthy rich and don't really mind spending thousands of dollars for jewelry, souvenir items, clothes, shoes, and other accoutrements to the so ...

... shall pass and in the meantime life is to be lived'. For them all adversity is greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and a smile. Talking to an old lady sitting next to me on the bus ride from hell I asked her if she wasn't scared of the sheer cliff face. She shrugged her shoulders and said 'if it happens, it happens...nothing you can do about it. I nearly begged to differ and to explain the genius plan I had been scheming of jumping out the window and somersaulting off the ...

... dilapidation for customers. Scores of men on tricycles offered me tours. There were only a few armed guards, dressed in the uniforms of the Spanish when they ruled the Philippines 110 years ago. I took no pictures of those buildings or those people; there are people on the streets and it would have been embarrassing for all of us. And yet on the outside of the walls is a crisp (and, that day, empty) golf course, with closely cut greens and lush green grass ...

... represents the city of Manila. If anyone does come to Manila, it is very difficult to find a hotel that is decent and good value. Most of the middle-of-the-road jobbies have serious service, cleanliness, hot water and cockroach issues. I do recommend Sunette Tower in Makati, although it backs onto the famous P. Burgos Girly Bar strip, Makati Ave. is out the front and you can make a ...

... would buy most of our souvenirs and finally say good bye to Costa Rica. Now back and having surfed within 7 hours of landing in the Philippines, I look back on the trip and I smile. However much I miss the feeling of freedom you have when traveling with no agenda, and however much I miss the "that guy" I must admit that being stuck in traffic in Manila, walking around Makati for an hour and going home with feet so dirty you would think I haven't discovered water, THAT is what makes ...