Mabuhay to Philippines!

So there I was, catching a plane to Manila in the Philippines. Usually, I research a lot about a place before I reach there, but for this trip I had not gotten any time at all. I'd just come back from my trip from Rajasthan, gone on one date with Chandan, and hopped on the plane the night of the date! To top things, while coming back from my date, I lost my phone. My favorite Nokia Navigator :(

This trip was really getting to me. First of all, I was recently infatuated and I couldn't meet the man. To top it, the work was pathetic and I wanted to quit my job. How many internal IT audits can you do? Fellow auditors / consultants will empathize.

I loved the food in the Philippines, though, and if you are a non-vegetarian with an experimenting palate, you'll have a ball of a time here. I tried balut, which was the most daring thing for me to do there. It's basically a chicken or duck egg, which is allowed to partially fertilize. When you eat it, it's already got a beak like structure and eyes. If you can get over the mindset against this, it is actually quite tasty with a few drops of vinegar!

I was with a colleague who wasn't a non-vegetarian nor particularly approving of balut, but she loves to travel as much as I do! So we made a few weekend trips - one to Taal volcano in Tagaytay and another to Laiya beach. Tagaytay is simply beautiful and you should just not miss it. Laiya is alright - you can give it a miss.

We travelled in Philippines only using public transport. Just to get to Tagaytay, we used Jeepneys, buses, FX (airconditioned vans) and the tricycle. And this was only one way! We never felt unsafe, although the local guys in our office were astonished by how brave we were being!

My favourite mode of transport in Philippines was the Jeepney. The drivers are honest and will not fleece you. Contrary to the tricycle, in which the driver will charge you double or triple the amount when he sees that you are a foreigner. You must always negotiate prices and ensure that you go down at least half the amount they first quoted. Shopping is a similar experience - it's like shopping at Linking Road, Bandra. Haggle, haggle, haggle. And then they tell you, "Last price mam, no less, last price!" Hehe, they're cute people.

Overall, I didn't really like Philippines. There's a lot of fun to be had at Makati and Manila for sure. But these were my issues:

1. I was staying in Alabang. This is like the Jogeshwari of Manila.
2. Tricycle guys and people selling wares are out to fleece you.
3. City is unsafe at night.
4. The beaches are not as beautiful as they can be made. The water is pristine, but there are ugly boats in the way.
5. Traveling from Manila to any tourist location is very difficult by public transport. You have to take multiple hops to reach your destination.

But things were about to change for the better. Chandan decided to pay me a visit and spend Valentines day with me. We went to a quiet beach called Talipanan in Puerto Galera. Puerto Galera is a wonderful place. If you're a group of friends, then you should go to the White beach here. However, if you're planning on a romantic getaway, then Talipanan is the beach for you. We stayed at the Bamboo House Beach Lodge, which has very very friendly staff and absolutely delicious pork barbeques!

In fact, when Chandan came to the Philippines, we noticed how people were honestly very happy to see couples. They just love people in love! Let me explain in bullets again hehe.

1. When we were heading to Puerto Galera, we decided to buy some alcohol, because we had read that alcohol over there would be expensive. When we were paying for the whiskey in the store, the guy at the counter saw our bags, gave us a big smile and said, "Love potion, eh?".
2. At the ferry station to Puerto Galera, while we were waiting for our boat, we picked up some bottles of beer and while we were looking out at the sea, Chandan gave me a peck. The security guard nearby went, "Good beer, eh?". Again, with the big smile. Ha ha.
3. At Bamboo House, the lady in charge couldn't stop giggling at us. When we were picking a room, Chandu asked me which one I'd prefer, and she went, "Always let the woman pick, right?" And she giggled some more!
4. But the best story was when I dropped Chandan at the airport. We were running late and so as we reached the airport, there wasn't much time to say goodbye. So we asked the security guard at the airport entrance if I could come in up to the check-in counter with Chandan. The guy said he couldn't because it was airport rules. So we thought "Ok. This is it. We don't get a very peaceful bye bye." But then the man said, "Are you his wife?" I said, "Uhh...no.". He asked, "Are you his fiance?" And I thought that I should play along if this guy was giving us an option. So I said yes. And he said, "Well, it's not really allowed, but I'll tell you what. Let him go check-in. And you stand outside here. When he's done checking in, I'll let him out to meet you and he can go back in later." Wow! So Chandan checked in and came back out. We had our last 10 minutes of yapping and he finally left!

My good day really didn't end there. I needed to find a jeepney back to Alabang, but I had no clue where I could get one. I saw one jeepney in the airport parking and decided to ask him how to find my way back. The guy in the driver's seat told me that I'd have to walk a great deal to reach a jeepney stand. Instead, the kind man offered me a ride to a jeepney that would be going my way. Happily, I thanked him and got in. He had actually come with his family to drop someone at the airport. So he asked me to wait till everyone came back. In 15 minutes, while we chatted, his huge family (wife, mother, mother in law, father, father in law, siblings, children) was in the jeepney and we left. He stopped when he found a jeepney going my way and even helped me transfer my luggage. I love the jeepney guys in the Philippines :)

Oh but by the way, Chandan did not quite have such a good day at the airport after I dropped him. You have to pay an airport fee of 750 pesos when you leave Manila. And only in cash. They do not accept cards. Chandan was totally out of Pesos and only had a card. He had to run around, went to a forex kiosk and got his dollars converted, and then had to go through the security check again. He almost thought he would miss his flight! In the end though, it was all good. And in 2 weeks, I came back to Mumbai.

Also want to remember Peter Ibarra from FirstSource, Manila, who was a spontaneous and witty man. Work was never dull with him around. He was the one who got the balut for me and was always interested in yapping away in office or going out for a beer after work. In July 2009, he passed away from pneumonia. He was only 27 years old.