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Five Since I am still messed up and the diary is getting a little boring from all my health crap, I thought I would spend this week giving you a little insight into Manila and what I have seen and experienced so far. Now it may seem that I am trying to dissuade readers from coming here. Perhaps, I love it but I am thinking that very few others will as I do. 1. Traffic & Driving - The only way to describe it is organized chaos. You have to understand that on any given day there must be a million cars trying to get into and out of this place and all of them are using the same road. Secondly, from what I can see, there are really no rules as to how people drive here. Sure there are lights and even policeman but they seem to be art pieces than anything functional. For example, you want to make a left turn from the far right hand lane...go for it and who cares about the four other cars that have no plans to turn left and are going to go straight. Screw them and let's just turn in their path. Lanes, what are they for and as for passing, that all takes place on the right shoulder or the sidewalk. Pedestrians have absolutely no right of way. Basically, you have to run across the street as traffic comes at you and just hope you make it. In a sense driving here is like one big game of chicken. Funny thing is everyone seems to know how to play the game and it amazes me that there are not many accidents that I can see. One thing I can assure you is that if you would to take a sampling of 100 drivers from the United States and ask them to drive here, perhaps 5 would think about it. Rest assured most people here have there own drivers and leave the obstacle course planning up to them. 2. Insects - If you were to ask me who really runs the Philippines I would have to say the insects especially the ants and roaches. And let's not forget our rodent friends the mice. They are everywhere and they rule. If you are even the slightest bit squeamish don't come here. It is amazing how quickly they appear and just take over. From the time you pour your cereal into a bowl and then add milk they descend on you. If you leave even a spec of something sweet on a table you will be hosting an ant festival numbering the millions. Finally, try this experiment....get into bed and make sure to leave a crumb of sugar or cake on your mouth. I am willing to bet that in no time at all there will be a number of crawly friends wanting to take it off your hands. After awhile you get used to it but you only wish they contributed to the household expenses 3. People, I mean GIRLS!!! - Ah this is what makes the Philippines great and the primary attraction to most male visitors at least. When you really get down to it there isn't very much to be attracted to in Manila. It really is one gigantic cesspool. Dirty, polluted and loud. However, if you are a single man there is a lot to be attracted to. The girls here are very sexy and very accommodating and carrying smiles that will just melt you. Perhaps not as skilled as in Thailand but very capable of making anyone very happy for as long as they desire. This aside from business is what really attracts men to the Philippines. Other visitors bypass Manila and head straight for the provinces with their beautiful beaches. If you are a single man in Makati the place to go is Greenbelt. It is a sprawling mall complex that has all the beautiful and sophisticated shops and eating establishments. It is great to sit outside a Starbucks there and suck on a frozen coffee for an hour watching the girls go by. Most girls in the Philippines are very approachable and will be happy to talk to you or join you for some food. Perhaps the easiest way is to say you would like to meet them another time and could you have their phone # so you can text (call) them. 4. People - Everyone else - For the most part Filipinos are a very friendly people. You will come to believe your first name name is sir or mam. Very nice. 5. The
Help - Another great benefit of life in the Philippines.
I am presently staying with Ramon and Silvana. They have a cook,
a wash woman, a house cleaner and a few other people to look after
the house and them. Other than getting some water I can't remember
going into the refrigerator. On a daily basis, my breakfast lunch
and dinner are always there for me if I want and always the right
amount. My room is cleaned everyday and my clothes are washed and
neatly placed back into my closet daily as well. I am presently
in the office of Silvana working on the computer and Cena "Their
Cook" has brought me my coffee and a cup of cookies and cream
ice cream. Before dinner one of the helpers was kind enough to massage
my head and temples for the better part of a half hour. Need I say
more. This is the norm for almost every household here and even
the maids have maids. I have probably had over a dozen massages
and would probably such have one everyday if it wasn't a bad thing
for my inflammation problem. Oh and get this, it cost me about $4.00
per hour for the massages and this is not exploitation as the daily
wage is about that. 2005
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