Episode 2 - First Impressions
I have been in my “Staycation” for over a week now, and so I have become more acclimatised – although my sleep patterns have not settled down as yet!
My typical day centres around many hours in the air-conditioned room (pretty essential) – where I have set up my temporary office – and the occasional trip outside
in the very muggy atmosphere to explore the immediate area, and to see what life is like in “down-town” Manila. I decided to stay in Manila for a few weeks before
moving to my rented house in Cavite – 2 to 3 hours south of Manila – so that I would be near to commercial centres and any Government Offices I might need to visit.
Here are my main observations:
Population and Jobs. There are about 120 million people in the Philippines, with over a million living in the Metropolis – the capital, Manila. The streets are busy – mostly with Asian people as one would expect. It is noisy – shops are everywhere, mostly “eating places” with a huge variety of food choices.
Taxis are cheap – and can be air-conditioned cars, or bikes or scooters. Buses are available for ultra cheap travel (I have not tried that method of transport!)
There are large numbers of “security” guards everywhere – in shops, on street corners and in hotel lobbies: they are armed with real pistols or shotguns, and are there to act as a deterrent to street crime. I have found them – and everyone else – to be very helpful and friendly.
In the shops, there are far more staff than I am used to seeing – probably a reflection upon the shortage of job opportunities – but they all speak English to a
greater or lesser degree. Most Filipinos I have observed seem happy and busy – and many are slightly overweight (diet?) compared to us Europeans 🙂
Day-to-day Living: Everyone seems to have a smartphone, which is an essential part of daily commerce. Cash is used sometimes, but most Filipinos use apps loaded on
their smartphones to make purchases – apps like GCash, Maya and digital cards/wallets. In this respect, they are far more hi-tech than we are. Another popular “app”
here is called Grab, and this can be used to order and deliver just about anything – taxi services, food deliveries, on-line purchases etc.
Garish colours and advertising posters abound everywhere.
Superstores – About 15 minutes walk from my “hotel” (I know, because I have done the walk!) or 5 minutes in a taxi costing about 200 pesos (3 euros) is a giant superstore called the Mall of Asia (MOA to the locals). This is a massive “complex” covering a large area – it dwarfs stores like Jumbo and Lidl in Chania, which could be fitted into a small part of this space. There you will find just about anything, ranging from BrandName shops we are familiar with, to supermarkets, games (tenpin bowling, ice skating, archery, billiards etc. etc), “wellness” centres and a huge range of different places to eat with all types of international cuisine. including McDonalds/Burger King, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese. Many types of fruit and vegetables are available at low cost – mangoes for example.
I used the opportunity in the vast “Wellness Center” to get new glasses (30 minutes – about 50 euros) and a complete dental check-up and clean (about 70 euros).
And I found what I have been craving for years – an excellent Indian meal (Chicken Tika) and Chinese food (Cantonese style) at very reasonable prices!
Smoking – there is a nationwide policy against smoking – it is not allowed in public places or parks, only in dedicated smoking areas. Luckily, I have a small private balcony… This probably explains why i have not been able to find my favourite rolled tobacco – see photograph below.
Could that cigarette shown in the picture be my last “RYO”?!
What is Not Readily Available – Apart from rolled tobacco, I have not been able to find things like cheddar cheese, or cheese biscuits or decent chocolate biscuits.
The shops here have their own brands, and food items and food lines – but not finding this type of item seems a small price to pay.
And I have not been able to enjoy here one of the things that Crete does offer – a place to eat with a view – for example, the seaside restaurants in Kalyves
Environment- Mosquitoes, flies etc…So far, and maybe this is to do with the season and air-conditioning, I have seen very few flies, and no mosquitoes.
Local Food Stalls on the Doorstep. Right outside the hotel lobby, here are examples of a number of local food stalls – offering exotic fruit juice drinks, local cooked delicacies etc.
