Two idiots out on the town....
My visitor has been and gone...I did as promised and showed her only the non scary parts of Manila...Rockwell and Greenbelt....unfortunately she did have to use EDSA on many an occasion and that was a little alarming...our taxi ride home last night had her laughing hysterically...and I know she wasn't finding it funny...the strange thing was - I thought the taxi driver was driving really well!!! Have I been here too long!!!?
As I have mentioned before..this is a strange life that I (and so many others) lead...my friend and I worked together in HKG for a brief period of time...she then left HKG to work for another company and was based in Cebu - but doing so much travelling I never really saw the point of her being based in Cebu....I then joined the same company as her - but in Manila (obviously)...so now we see each other in Cebu, Hong Kong or here in Manila...but it's very likely that the next time we see each other will be in the Middle East....
Having said that, when we meet...it's so easy just to pick up where we left off...after I met her on Tuesday evening we went to Fully Booked (she also wanted to stock up on books)..where we both realised (much to our amusement) that standing reading the titles of the books out loud was not the best idea...particularly when we were reading the titles of the books in the 'sex' section....plus the shop was very quiet...and we both have voices that carry well....apologies to anyone who was disturbed on Tuesday...
We had dinner at Rockwell the first night and at Greenbelt on Wednesday...I had to introduce her to Cafe Havana for a quick drink first...it seems that I have picked up a habit of drinking cocktails since I have been in Manila...I didn't notice that...it was pointed out to me..as I ordered a Singapore Sling elsewhere before dinner...I wonder what that could be a sign of...?
I think overall my friend wasn't too horrified by Manila...although the sheer volume of traffic and level of noise was quite overwhelming...Manila was therefore labelled as 'scruffy'...more of an 'in joke' (her mother described Hong Kong as scruffy!!!) than anything else.
I have to say that the best part of her visit was that it was so good to have someone to laugh with and just be an idiot with for two evenings...I don't often get that opportunity here! It does the mind good to let one's guard down for a while...
As I have mentioned before..this is a strange life that I (and so many others) lead...my friend and I worked together in HKG for a brief period of time...she then left HKG to work for another company and was based in Cebu - but doing so much travelling I never really saw the point of her being based in Cebu....I then joined the same company as her - but in Manila (obviously)...so now we see each other in Cebu, Hong Kong or here in Manila...but it's very likely that the next time we see each other will be in the Middle East....
Having said that, when we meet...it's so easy just to pick up where we left off...after I met her on Tuesday evening we went to Fully Booked (she also wanted to stock up on books)..where we both realised (much to our amusement) that standing reading the titles of the books out loud was not the best idea...particularly when we were reading the titles of the books in the 'sex' section....plus the shop was very quiet...and we both have voices that carry well....apologies to anyone who was disturbed on Tuesday...
We had dinner at Rockwell the first night and at Greenbelt on Wednesday...I had to introduce her to Cafe Havana for a quick drink first...it seems that I have picked up a habit of drinking cocktails since I have been in Manila...I didn't notice that...it was pointed out to me..as I ordered a Singapore Sling elsewhere before dinner...I wonder what that could be a sign of...?
I think overall my friend wasn't too horrified by Manila...although the sheer volume of traffic and level of noise was quite overwhelming...Manila was therefore labelled as 'scruffy'...more of an 'in joke' (her mother described Hong Kong as scruffy!!!) than anything else.
I have to say that the best part of her visit was that it was so good to have someone to laugh with and just be an idiot with for two evenings...I don't often get that opportunity here! It does the mind good to let one's guard down for a while...
posted by Madame Chiang at 6:31 am
4 Comments:
Tsk,tsk... Rockwell and Greenbelt... this is not the true heart of Manila.
You can find this kind of malls all over the world.
I think I might suggest some more exciting and authentic Pinoy places next time she visits you in Manila.
But I agree that EDSA could be a good starting point ! :-)
I know it's not the real Manila....it was done on purpose to break her in gently....she is a slightly intrepid traveller and so I wanted to make sure she would return to Manila...where I can show her the 'real' city. However, even having lived in HKG for as long as she did...she was still impressed with PowerPlant....
What's EDSA?
Thanks
Shaky
EDSA (in this instance) refers to what can only be described as Hell with tarmac...it is the main drag that runs around central Manila...and is the clogged, polluted, bill-boarded, main artery of Manila...see more here
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