By Karl A. Parker
The Truth Travel Column
As I prepared to travel to the Philippines from Hawaii, I was stopped while trying to check in. I was informed that I needed to fill out some kind of electric travel form of which I was unaware. I panicked slightly because I could not connect to the Wi-Fi! Although I was early, I thought I was going to have to leave the airport to complete this form! However, I was saved by a wonderful Filipino who allowed me to connect to his phone. I was successful in completing the form and was able to check in.
I flew Philippines Airlines. It is a nice airline with good seating and good food. As I mentioned in Part 1, the flight was surprisingly 11 hours. When we landed in Manila, all of the Filipinos clapped. That was so cool to experience.
Once I landed, I had to convert my USA cash to Filipino pesos. I wish I would have known to convert only small amount because the rate is much higher than cash conversion places outside of the mall.
The hotel I reserved, City Garden Grand, was located in Makati which didn’t have a shuttle. Thus, I had to take an airport taxi since Uber does not work there and I had forgotten to download the local Uber like app called Grab. The taxi ride to the hotel in the very congested traffic cost 4800 pesos which equates to about $83 USD.
My guide later told me that I should never have taken the airport taxi! I found out that the Grab ride would have cost 420 pesos or approximately eight dollars!!!! So, yes, I used Grab to return to the airport.
The 4-star hotel I stayed in was nice and close to many places to eat, dance, wash clothes, shop and even get massages. My guide was a genuinely nice Filipina named Jane who accompanied me throughout the day. She was extremely helpful and prevented me from receiving USA citizen pricing. LOL!
My first day there was pretty cool. I had an opportunity to enjoy a wonderful Filipino breakfast at a small shop near the hotel. Moreover, my guide walked me around to the local site in the area. The best find was the nice little spa/parlor!!! There I was able to pamper myself a little with a manicure, pedicure and massage for a total of $27!!! I was amazed! The fantastic prices led me to get a massage every day while there.
Another amazing place I visited was the Mall of Asia!! It is one of the biggest malls in the world. It has everything you want. I encourage anyone reading this article to check it on the internet. My first day included a trip to the iconic Filipino restaurant – Jollie Bee!! It has fantastic, spicy chicken, spaghetti, mango pies and pineapple juice. I first had the pleasure of enjoying the food at Jollie Bee at one of their locations in Saudi Arabia. The Filipino housekeepers and basketball players introduced me to the tasty food. So of course I had to try the food where is in originated! And yes, it remains delicious.
My next couple of days were similar. Each day, I had a wonderful breakfast at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. It has a phenomenal view!!! Moreover, I visited three other local malls to sight see and shop for souvenirs.
My guide and I stumbled on a Korean restaurant that has fabulous food which I enjoyed three more times before I left. So, we walked to several places and used Grab to get to other places. One of the memorable highlights of my trip was visiting Bonifacio Global City (BGC), also known as Global City or The Fort. It is billed as a central business district and major financial hub. It is considered a modern, exceptional area in Metro Manila, known for its upscale shopping malls, restaurants, museums, and art facilities. Ironically, it used to be a military base before becoming a thriving urban center. I am contemplating leasing a condominium in that area.
Another great highlight of my trip was being escorted by Sarah, my friend’s sister from Saudi Arabia (Nassreen), to take me on a tour of a nearby ‘province – like’ area called Tagaytay. It is a beautiful place with stunning scenery. In Tagaytay you can see a volcano in a place called Taal Lake in Batangas. Tourists like me are able to see the volcano from various locations in the city. I would highly recommend that visitors check this place out.
Tagaytay also has multiple fresh fruit and vegetable shops where I was able to obtain one of my favorite items – coconuts!! Filipinos call it Buko. They were very refreshing. Yes, I decided to seek Buko wherever I was in the city.
The highlight of my trip and the original purpose of my trip to the Philippines was visiting Cubao! Cubao, Quezon City is the place where the Thrilla in Manila was fought between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
The journey from Makati to Cubao was so cool. I had to take a Grab and a city train to get there! I also loved how friendly the people were on the journey. Everyone was so helpful! Now arriving in Cubao was slightly anticlimactic, because the Araneta Coliseum was closed, and I could not enter the arena. However, I did take photos. I was incredibly surprised that very few Filipinos that I met, old and young, were unaware of the history. I did not care because I was so happy like a kid in a candy store to be there myself.
My trip wound down with more tasty food at several different local restaurants, daily massages and of course shopping. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit other provinces and well-known beaches on this. However, when I return to Philippines later this year, I plan to visit: Quezon Province, Boracay, Palawan, Davao City and Mindanao. I would use the same guide that I had this time. She was a truly knowledgeable and friendly Filipina.
I would be remiss if I didn’t provide an overview of the night life near my hotel in Makati. The location is full of action; especially at night. I was constantly being approached by women, lady boys and street vendors to buy things. The women would ask me if I wanted a massage in their room for 500 pesos. Others would come and ask if I wanted more than a massage for 5000 pesos. My guide laughed so much when I told the women that I charge $1000 to touch me! LOL!
Makati also had some very nice places for me to watch the NFL and NCAA playoffs. The other thing that caught my attention was the multiple older men 65+, 95 percent Caucasian, with very young Filipina between 18-30.
Thank you for reading about my trip to the Philippines! I will be happy to share stories about my other travels in the future.