View from the conference room. We could see all the way from the mountains to the sea!
Manila gets a bad rap but I had a really great time in my short time there. I stayed at a lovely hotel in a very cool neighborhood, the people I met were super friendly- and admittedly, I didn't visit the rougher areas- but it left a very good first impression.
The Shangri-la Makati- a very nice place to stay for a few days.
Beyond the fact that a few people inexplicably decided to speak to me in Spanish instead of English, which I consider to be fairly awesome (thankfully I actually speak Spanish) there were a few things that really stood out about Manila.....
First, I started hearing showtunes from the moment I stepped in a cab to the hotel. Then there was a cool lounge band singing.... you guessed it, more broadway showtunes. The next day at the salon while I was getting a mani-pedi- show tunes. Now there are two plausible explanations for why cabs, elevators, salons, bars were rocking out to Wicked and the like, either A) the locals share my deep appreciation of all things broadway, or B) they think this is the only music foreigners like. Either way-I took it as a sign that I was reallly going to dig this place- two thumbs up Manila.
AND- while I was blissfully listening to a very good rendition of some of my favorite showtunes in the hotel lobby bar...I also had a watermelon-mint martini, which has to be the BEST martini I have ever had. Watermelon, vodka and broadway music.... ingredients for an ideal night.
Second, the shopping is amazing and it has so many more American brands than Singapore does. After work finished up yesterday I ended up with some free time and instead of going sightseeing, I headed straight to a very cool mall- the Greenbelt- which was conveniently located near the Shang. The mall was basically 5 different buildings built on a lovely lush garden and ranged from uber highend retail to your run-of-the-mill drug stores. It had everything the best malls in Singapore have- and more (hello Banana Republic- how I miss you!) and even better, no suitcase-toting, shopping-crazed, loud-and-pushy Singaporeans which make every trip to the mall like a trip straight to hell. There were so many more American stores than we have in the Sing- made me want to stay forever! Later I meandered through the local Mercury drugstore- and it was like walking straight in to the USA. All my favorite brands- and at affordable prices- if I had taken a larger suitcase, I would have stocked up on the essentials that are hard to find here at home.
Third, and importantly. It was CHEAP. I love a good bargain- and Manila was full of them. Starbucks was cheaper, the drugstore was cheaper, my delightful self serve fro-yo was cheap....it was super. I got a pretty decent mani-pedi for 550 Pesos- which is around 12 USD- and then followed it up with a 60 minute full-body massage for the same price! Let me tell you- it was a rough night *sigh*.....I realized this is probably the reason I couldn't live in Manila, because with amazing 12 dollar massages on offer, I would probably never go to work anymore and would just go to the spa instead.
Finally, I really really liked the jeepneys.
According to my primary source of all relevant information in the world, wikipedia..... a jeepney "is the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a symbol of Philippine culture." And they are everywhere- and each is decorated a little differently- but all with a lot of pizazz. Manila is a very modern city- especially in Makati City where I was located- so I liked these jeepneys because I thought they added a little pop of flare, color and culture to the city. And I am told the ones in Makati are E-Jeepneys- running on electricity- which is pretty cool as well. I wanted to hop on in one but was told by my local clients that it wouldn't be a great idea for me to take one alone- so I will have to wait until another visit to give it a shot.
Seriously- pretty cool looking right?
I wish I would have had more time for some exploration of old town Manila and to check out some WWII sights to see where my Grandpa was hanging out during the war... but I was really lucky to have any free time and really enjoyed what I was able to do. And, assuming we can find some cheap flights...I think we will be back for more. Until then- thanks for a great time Manila- you rocked.
This is the Jollibea- which is like Philippine McDonalds (I think)- I just thought he was super cute.
No comments:
Post a Comment