Tuesday August 11: We're going to Manila......eventually

Tuesday morning saw our little group (just Mary and I again) head off to Manila straight away. Or that was the intention. Jamie, having lived like a cat for the last day (at least 18 hours of sleep), was healthy once again, so off we headed to the nearby mall to pick up plane tickets back to Manila. Now, maybe I've been sheltered in my life and haven't ever gone to a mall in a less than ideal, but this mall was a first for me. Why? Well, I've never seen a security screening and bag search entering the mall by guards packing automatic rifles. Course, that wasn't that unusual in the Philippines, as there are automatic rifle-packing guards at all the banks, and most fast food restaurants, bakeries, pawn shops, or any other place that might have money employ security guards. It took a little getting used to, the whole enjoying yourself during your meal when there was a man with a very big gun possibly standing right next to you.

Once inside The Most Fortified Mall in the World, we made our way to the travel agents. We were given two choices for flights that day. Take a flight in 3 hours (2pm) and pay $75 or wait till 6pm and pay $25. Hard choice. Course, now we had to occupy ourselves for several hours in a city that has nearly nothing to do. We settled on trying to get in a quick 9 holes at one of Cebu's golf courses and go from there. We found a book store and (gasp) used their city maps without buying one. I'm so bad. Although, I did walk out with a new book, as I had finished all of mine.

How was the golf course, you ask? Well, we didn't play. We were all hyped to go and caught a taxi to the course and found the reception desk and then stopped cold. You are going to charge us the same for 9 holes as 18 holes? We have to get a cart and caddies? How does that even work? What the hell would the caddies even do?? We are in the Philippines and the golf costs how much? In order to play we both have to bend over and have the burliest greens keeper "clean his club" in our posteriors? Thanks, but no thanks. We had a rough amount that we wanted to pay for golf and this place was asking double that, so we left. Which, meant we had to sit at the airport for a long, long, long time. In on of those "Did that really just happen moments?", I was reading Murakami's book, "Norwegian Wood", named after the Beatles song of the same name, when the cafe we were sitting at began playing "Norwegian Wood". Surreal, man.

We eventually found our way to Manila and settled back into the same motel we stayed at last time. We were starved, so we headed out for grub. I, knowing that Jamie won't eat something if it isn't a huge slab of some type of meat and it doesn't come with chips, suggested that he choose the restaurant. He waffled and said that I should pick. I agreed and then chose the Japanese restaurant, where I knew he wouldn't be able to eat, well, anything. Sure enough, he whined about his food and then gave me near all of it. He fell right into my trap. Eeeeexcellent.