Roosters, traffic and Intramuros

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  Manila, Philippines
Saturday, November 24, 2007

Hey all!

I arrived on Wednesday evening at Ninoy Aquino International Airport... and thankfully my backpack made it from LAX to MNL with me (even with the stopovers in Tokyo and Singapore... Phew!).

My Kuya Tonton and his family have been amazing hosts and am staying with them in Quezon City till I leave for my adventures further north of the Manila area, into Ilocos Sur, Baguio and Banaue then returning to my maternal grandmother's village in Pangasinan.  So far, Kuya has given me a crash course on navigating around this vast and seemingly complex city.  I don't know if I'd ever feel confident enough to drive through the streets of Manila or the surrounding cities.  I'd have to master the intricate ballet of weaving between speeding tricycles, jeepneys, buses and other kamikazi style driving motorists, competing for the same roadspace.  Kuya is definitely a pro at this style of driving and I'm slowly learning the language of his car honks;  sometimes it means, "Hi there, friend, kindly make space as I need to turn right at this moment!", or "Hey there, you're driving too slow.  Would you be so kind as to either speed up or let me through?".  I'll head out into the city on my own using the public transportation early next week.  I'll let you guys know how that goes...

I've decided to forego the Indian segment of my trip so I can give myself enough time to thoroughly explore the country of my ancestors and to get a better understanding of this country and what makes it tick.  There's an amazing tourguide by the name of Carlos Celdran who runs an amazing journey through history.  It's his passionate love letter to Manila (I'm drawn to people who love their city, it seems!  The movie "Paris, Je T'Aime", Douglas Coupland's 'City of Glass, an ode to Vancouver, and recently this Manila tour) - http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/.  I highly recommend that you check out any of his tours if you're ever in the area!

// addendum // 3 Dec 2007, Monday //

I've finally added pictures from the first week and half of my stay in the Philippines.  I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Enjoy!

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