First of all, the heat is remarkable. So much so, that I shall remark upon it. Once I hit the airport in Manila, I remember thinking to myself just how hot and humid it was... but what I didn't realize was that the airport was thoroughly air conditioned. I realized this once I stepped foot outside the airport doors. A wave of thick, humid heat hit me like a ton of bricks to the groin. Instant sweat droplets emerged from all my pores. I can honestly say that I had no expectation of how truly and powerfully the temperature would be that overwhelming. Alas, this was not the only shocking thing about Manila, and it's something that even a Canadian like me could easily adjust to.
Once leaving the airport, we hailed a cab to take us to the hotel Shangri La. We did this because our company driver was not there to pick us up, due to our incessant flight delays along the way, as well as the fact that my co-worker that I was traveling with had one of his luggage bags lost along the way somewhere. There was luggage claim forms to be filled out etc, which added to the already inconvenient delays. The cab ride to the hotel only verified the rumors we had already heard about the traffic being crazy here. The traffic isn't just crazy... it's insane. Not only are there minimal traffic lights at intersections, including the major ones, but the roads often have three or fours lanes, indicated by the painted white lines, but by no means do those lines exude any kind of authority. So far as I can tell, these are merely "suggested lines of transport". Really, it's nothing but hundreds of thousands of cars, motorcycles, jeepnies, SUV's, etc. jockeying for position. Horns just a honking. And the horns do not signify angry motorists pissed off at other crazy drivers... oh no... the horn says to other drivers, "Hey, I'm acomin' through, and if you continue what you're doing, we're going to smash into each other." or "The nose of my vehicle started to occupy this space first, so you better avoid hitting me." Nothing more than that. And keep in mind, this was at night that we were traveling to the hotel... at night when there is apparently, and I quote, "No traffic". During the day, it's ten times worse than that. Also, a lot of people on motorcycles (which is the most efficient way to travel, being able to maneuver in and out of congested areas with ease) are seldom wearing any kind of protective gear... like helmets. I shit you not, on the way to the hotel, I saw a guy riding a small motorcycle with no helmet on... his wife/girlfriend on the back (with no helmet) and a small child smushed between them... no helmet. Also, there are girls riding on the backs of motorcycles sidesaddle-style. I can only assume it's because they're wearing a skirt (which most were). It's truly amazing to see.
The poverty here is quite a shock as well. On the way to work, we travel through a very run down area of town. Our company ride is pretty sweet: a silver SUV with leather seats and tinted windows... but I don't even think I can properly express properly just how poverty stricken it is using mere words. It's not like one of those heart wrenching commercials with waif thin, malnourished children lying in a muddy street with flies setting up shop on their open eyeballs or anything... but poor nonetheless. It would be a severe understatement to call it substandard living conditions. Alas, I do work in one of the "ghetto" areas of Manila, so keep that in mind.
One other thing that's totally new to see is wild dogs just roaming the streets. Not like packs of vicious wolverines or anything, just random stray mangy dogs all over the place, standing in the middle of the road scratching at fleas and such. It's just weird to see, is all.
Also, something that would never happen in Canada, is Taho vendors. It may be Ta-Ho, or something like that, I dunno. Anyways, there's these vendors walking all over the city with a wooden board on their shoulders balancing two metal pails tied to either end of the board. In one pail there is softened, cold, almost liquefied (but not quite) tofu. In the other pail, there is small, clear tapioca balls and liquefied brown sugar. If you stop the vendor to purchase some of this "Taho", he'll put down the (probably not so sterile) buckets and scoop the tofu out to almost fill a plastic cup (provided by him). Then he'll scoop the tapioca and brown sugar on top of the tofu, then had it to you. You pay something equivalent to forty cents Canadian for this delight. It's quite filling, but the texture is something else. Picture, if you can, drinking a cup full of half-melted marshmallows soaking in a cup of sweetened liquid Cheese Whiz. It's not as bad as it sounds, but alas, I won't be purchasing any more Taho.
We took a trip to some of the other company sites this week on the way home from work (which is at least an hour drive - travel here is only measured by time, not distance, because of the extreme traffic conditions) and they were amazing. In a good area of town, right by the ocean, basketball and badminton courts provided, gates, security, palm trees... just an all around safe feeling being there. Our site has cockroaches outside in the smoking area. I've honestly never seen a cockroach before this week... and I peed my pants when I saw it. I swear I thought it was a rat or dog or something. Whenever I come across one, I've got the jumpies for the rest of the day... thinking that every little itch is a cockroach laying eggs in my skin.
Other than that, our hotel can be likened to an oasis of ice cold filtered, fresh water in the middle of the Sahara. It's so beautiful that I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I'll be staying here for the next 4 1/2 months, at no cost to me. All I pay for is bottle after bottle of San Miguel Light's, a local beer brewed right here in Manila. It's like a Corona, only it costs the equivalent of fifty cents US. Can't get enough!
Our hotel is right next to two different malls: one is the biggest mall I've ever seen (called the Mega Mall), and the second is the second biggest mall I've ever seen! Only a few seconds walk from the front door of our hotel. Very cool. There isn't much else to do in Manila though, so far as we've heard from our Filipino counterparts. They can only suggest visiting someplace called Green Hills. If I visit there, I will be sure to write here about the experience, as it will no doubt be noteworthy!
One other cool thing is, you know how when it's really hot in Canada and you happen to be sitting pool side, and you get so hot you just want to jump into the pool, but you're mortified at the thought of how cold and shocking the temperature of the water will most likely be, so you hesitate. Here, you can be absolved of that fear. I just bake in the sun and jump into the luke warm pool without hesitation. I just love it.
I'll be sure to visit some of the local beaches and sites in the not-to-distant future, and I'll be sure to tell you all about it, in great detail.
Until then, cheers from Manila my friends!
shizon
