ANGELES CITY

I RETURNED TO THE PHILIPPINES AFTER AN ABSENCE OF NINE MONTHS - IN MARCH OF 2010. I SAW MY FRIEND ARNIE AGAIN- THIS TIME, I SAW HER IN HER HOME CITY OF ANGELES- ABOUT 100 MILES NORTH OF MANILA. I MET HER AGAIN IN MANILA AND WE TOOK A BUS TO THE HOTEL IN ANGELES. WE STAYED AT A NICE, LARGE HOTEL CALLED THE LEWIS GRAND. EVEN THOUGH I ONLY STAYED A FEW DAYS- IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE TIMES OF MY LIFE. HER FRIENDS MADE ME FEEL VERY WELCOME AND SPECIAL AND THEY QUICKLY BECAME MY FRIENDS TOO.

ANGELES IS VERY BEAUTIFUL- IT IS NEAR THE FORMER AMERICAN NAVAL BASE IN SUBIC BAY. THE NAVAL BASE CLOSED DOWN SOME YEARS AGO. THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN EXPATS LIVING IN ANGELES. MANY OF THESE MEN MARRIED FILIPINO WOMEN AND ARE HAPPY LIVING THERE.

I TELL YOU- IF I COULD FIND WORK THERE- I WOULD NOT MIND LIVING THERE MYSELF. I WOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER RETIRING TO ANGELES.

LEAVING MANILA

I HAD TO TAKE A MORNING FLIGHT ON MY DAY TO GO BACK TO NEW YORK. MY FRIEND ARNIE RODE WITH ME TO AQUINO AIRPORT-PICTURED ON THE RIGHT. AS THEY SAY - PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW!

JUST BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOTEL TO LEAVE FOR THE AIRPORT- I WAS WATCHING THE NEWS ON TV IN THE HOTEL ROOM. I SAW A STRANGE SIGHT INDEED. IT SEEMS HUNDREDS OF PRISONERS AT A MANILA JAIL WERE PAYING A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON. THEY WERE DANCING IN UNISON IN THE COURTYARD OF THE PRISON. THEY WERE DANCING TO A STRING OF JACKSON'S HITS THROUGH THE YEARS.. WOW- THAT WAS NICE OF THE PRISON AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW THAT- I THOUGHT TO MYSELF. THAT WOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED BACK IN THE STATES!

THAT WAS A TRIBUTE TO THE SINGER, THAT EVEN PRISONERS WERE PAYING HOMAGE TO JACKSON AFTER HIS DEATH.

I HAD TO BOARD MY FLIGHT AT MANILA AIRPORT- SO MY FRIEND AND I PARTED COMPANY BUT ONLY FOR A FEW MONTHS- WE SAW EACH OTHER AGAIN IN HONG KONG IN SEPTEMBER.

MANILA RETURN

ON MY NEXT TO LAST DAY BEFORE I LEFT FOR HOME- ME AND MY FRIEND WENT TO SEE HER COUSIN IN THE OLDER SECTION OF MANILA. HERE IS WHERE THE POVERTY OF THIS COUNTRY WAS VERY MUCH IN EVIDENCE. THERE WERE PEOPLE LIVING IN RUN DOWN HOUSES AND CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE STREETS LOOKING LIKE THEY VERY HUNGRY AND NEEDY.

RELIGION RUNS VERY DEEP AMONG MOST PEOPLE HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES. THAT IS WHAT HELPS THE POOR IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. IT GIVES THEM HOPE AND STRENGTH FOR THE FUTURE.

MY FRIEND, HER COUSIN AND ME HAD A GREAT TIME IN THEIR HOUSE- SINGING KARAOKE FOR A FEW HOURS. BEFORE WE KNEW IT IT WAS DARK AND WE HEADED BACK TO THE HERITAGE HOTEL.

THE NEXT DAY WE WENT TO A BEAUTIFUL GIANT SHOPPING MALL NEAR THE HOTEL- IT IS CALLED THE MALL OF ASIA- ONE OF THE LARGEST SHOPPING MALLS IN ASIA.

WE SPENT HOURS WANDERING AROUND AND BUYING A FEW THINGS ALONG THE WAY. IT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST MALLS I HAVE EVER SEEN. WE WALKED IT SEEMED FOR MILES TO COVER THE WHOLE AREA OF THE MALL.

TOMORROW- RELUCTANTLY, I HAD TO LEAVE MY FRIEND AND MANILA.

BACK TO MANILA

I RETURNED TO THE PHILIPPINES IN JUNE, 2009. I LOOKED FORWARD TO IT VERY MUCH AS I HAD BEEN AWAY FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS.
THIS TIME I MET A FILIPINA FRIEND-PHOTO ABOVE. SHE LIVED IN ANGELES, AROUND AN HOUR'S RIDE AWAY FROM MANILA. SHE MET ME AT A MANILA HOTEL CALLED THE HERITAGE- PICTURED ABOVE.
WE SPENT 4 DAYS IN MANILA JUST RELAXING AND GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER.WE FOUND WE REALLY LIKED EACH OTHER AND WE GOT ALONG WONDERFULLY.THE WEATHER WAS BEAUTIFUL ALSO- NOT LIKE THE FIRST TIME I WAS THERE- IT RAINED. THIS TIME IS WAS SUNNY AND WARM EVERY DAY I WAS THERE.
I ARRIVED THERE AROUND THE END OF JUNE.JUST BEFORE I LEFT NEW YORK, MICHAEL JACKSON HAD DIED. EVEN IN THE PHILIPPINES, THAT WAS THE NUMBER ONE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION IT SEEMED. I WAS IN SHOCK FOR A WHILE AS WERE MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE.

OUR HOTEL, THE HERITAGE WAS WONDERFUL- IT WAS REASONABLY PRICED AND THE ROOMS WERE JUST THE RIGHT SIZE- NOT TOO LARGE OR SMALL.
THE HOTEL HAD THE MOST DELICIOUS BREAKFAST BUFFET I EVER HAD. ALL YOU CAN EAT OF BOTH PHILIPPINE AND WESTERN CUISINE. MY FRIEND AND I BOTH FILLED UP AND STUFFED OURSELVES- WE WANTED TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE, AND WE DID. HEEE!

WHEN I COME BACK TO MANILA- I WILL STAY AT THE HERITAGE- YOU BET!

THE END OF MY STAY

AFTER A FEW GREAT VERY ENJOYABLE DAYS WITH MY FRIEND IN MANILA- IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO GO BACK HOME TO NEW YORK. MY FRIEND HAD TO GO BACK HOME TO GENERAL SANTOS CITY IN THE SOUTH PHILIPPINES.



ON OUR LAST NIGHT- SHE, HER AUNT AND ME HAD A QUIET DINNER IN THE HOTEL. AFTER THAT-HER AUNT AND HER LEFT THE HOTEL TO GO BACK HOME. I STAYED OVERNIGHT IN THE HOTEL AS MY FLIGHT HOME WAS THE NEXT MORNING. I HAD TO LEAVE AS I HAD RESPONSIBILITIES BACK HOME.





MY ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT WAS THAT IT RAINED EVERY EVENING- SO WE COULD NOT SEE ONE OF THOSE FAMOUS SUNSETS ON MANILA BAY- LIKE THE PHOTO ON TOP.

WHEN I WAS ALONE IN THE HOTEL- I REFLECTED ON MY TIME HERE IN MANILA. I THOUGHT, WHEN I REACH RETIREMENT- I WOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER RELOCATING TO THE PHILIPPINES. THE CLIMATE, THE NICE PEOPLE AND THE RELAXED PACE OF LIFE HERE HAVE A GREAT ATTRACTION FOR ME. I SHALL SEE.
THIS WAS NOT MY LAST TIME IN THE PHILIPPINES. I RETURNED TWICE MORE.

THE MANILA ZOO

THE NEXT DAY WE WENT TO THE MANILA ZOO. I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED ANIMALS AND WILDLIFE SO I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THE ACTUAL ZOO ITSELF IS SMALL COMPARED WITH THE BRONX ZOO IN NEW YORK OR THE SAN DIEGO ZOO IN CALIFORNIA. AT LEAST WHEN I WAS THERE IN MANILA THEY HAD NO LIONS AND TIGERS- A BIG LETDOWN FOR ME. THEY HAD A LOT OF SMALL ANIMALS AND ALLIGATORS AND HIPPOS. WE HAD A GOOD TIME I SUPPOSE BUT I WOULD NOT GIVE THAT ZOO ANY RAVE REVIEWS.





I HAD AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE ON OUR WAY OUT- THERE WAS A MAN HOLDING A YELLOW SNAKE- I DON'T RECALL THE NAME- IT WAS NOT POISONOUS- I FELT IT- FOR THE FIRST TIME I FELT A SNAKE! IT WAS DRY TO THE TOUCH AND I COULD FEEL THE STRENGTH IN IT'S MUSCLES.
THAT WAS THE FIRST AND LAST TIME I TOUCHED A SNAKE.
THEY ARE NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITE ANIMALS TO SAY THE LEAST.





MY FRIEND AND I WALKED AROUND THE AREA NEAR THE ZOO- IT WAS VERY HUMID AND HOT SO WE WENT BACK TO THE HOTEL EARLY. LATER WE WENT OUT WITH HER AUNT TO A GREAT BARB-B-QUE RESTAURANT CALLED KANSAS CITY- AHHH- YES -TASTE JUST LIKE GOOD OL AMERICAN STYLE RIBS.



THERE ARE A LOT OF AMERICAN RESTAURANT FRANCHISES HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES. PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER LOVE THAT AMERICAN INVENTION- FAST FOOD!

LIVE THE DREAM- WORK OR RETIRE TO THE PHILIPPINES!

BASIC EXPATE
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MANILA- DAY TWO

OUR SECOND DAY IN MANILA- MY FRIEND AND I WOKE UP REFRESHED. WE HAD A DELICIOUS BREAKFAST IN THE HOTEL DINING AREA. WE WENT OUT IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND STROLLED AROUND THE AREA NEAR OUR HOTEL. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I WENT INTO A SEVEN ELEVEN STORE NEARBY. THE GUARD AT THE FRONT DOOR WAS TOTING A SUB-MACHINE GUN! WOW! I ASKED MY FRIEND ABOUT THAT, SHE TOLD ME THERE HAVE BEEN MANY ROBBERIES IN STORES IN MANILA, THAT WAS THE REASON. I THOUGHT THE GUARD WAS PROTECTING AN ARMORED CAR FOR A MOMENT.A MACHINE GUN WILL BE A GREAT DETERRENT TO ANY ROBBERS I THOUGHT.


MY FILIPINA FRIEND HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE, SO I TOOK A STROLL DOWN TO A SHOPPING MALL- IT IS CALLED THE SHANGRI-LA MALL. I STAYED THERE FOR A FEW HOURS WINDOW SHOPPING.I CAME ACROSS SOMETHING I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER SEE IN THE PHILIPPINES- AN ICE SKATING RINK- PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY ICE SKATING THERE! HAAA- REMINDED ME OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER IN NEW YORK DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON.


MY FRIEND AND I ENDED THE DAY WITH A NICE DINNER AT JOLLIBEE'S- A POPULAR FAST FOOD PLACE IN MANILA- LIKE MCDONALD'S.

I WAS GETTING TO LIKE MANILA VERY MUCH- IT REMINDS ME A LOT OF MIAMI,FLORIDA. SAME CLIMATE, SAME LOOK AND FEEL TO THE STREETS, THE SAME LAID BACK ATMOSPHERE. I'M GLAD I CAME.

LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES. BASIC EXPAT GUIDE
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GOING PLACES IN MANILA

I WENT TO MY HOTEL FROM THE AIRPORT. MY FILIPINA FRIEND WAS WAITING FOR ME IN THE LOBBY OF THE HOTEL. THE HOTEL WE STAYED AT WAS THE RICHMOND HOTEL- VERY NICE, GREAT FOOD AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT IF YOU GO TO MANILA. IT IS PICTURED ABOVE.
I TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET USED TO THE CLIMATE IN MANILA- IT IS TROPICAL THERE AND I CAME RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAINY SEASON- EVERY DAY IT RAINED IN THE LATE AFTERNOON TILL THE EARLY EVENING.



I WAS REALLY TIRED FROM MY 18 HOUR FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK AND TOKYO- WE BOTH RETIRED LATE I HAD TO UNPACK AND UNWIND FIRST- WE SLEPT REALLY WELL IN THE NICE AIR CONDITIONING.



TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY.



LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES

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