February 18, 2011... I have been so busy this trip with work... and fun OF COURSE.. but have neglected my blog.. Sorry.. Will put up some pics of the Chinese New Year celebration ... Year of the Rabbit.. the videos wouldn't post so the pics will give you an idea. From there the pics will be of the my last weekend.. and then stories along the way.

I am wrapping up this 3 week period here in Manila. Work has been steady and long hours.. but I got to meet and work with 2 co workers that I have known but never met live before. That was a great time. Being with Gail and Sandy made work a lot more fun.

Last weekend I had a great time for the most part doing 2 things... The first.. Saturday Feb 12th.. Here in the Philippines they have the 2nd annual Philippine International Pyromusical Competition. This event is every Saturday night from Feb 12th to March 12th at San Miguel by the Bay. Basically they are held in Manila Bay down by the Mall of Asia. Little background. My friend Donald a Filipino friend from work and I were going to this event after hearing about it from folks at work. It sounded like a great time. I had also wanted to go to the Mall of Asia (MOA) ever since I got here. I think that this is the largest Mall in all of Asia. it is HUGE!!!!!! I mean HUGE!!!!! it is at the end of Edsa Rd which is a main rd that goes north south thru Manila. The fireworks and music that night were between Korea and Spain.

Well Donald came to the hotel on Saturday afternoon and we headed down to the mall by taxi. Now remember we work all Friday night and get off work at 7 AM on Saturday. Both of us didn't get any sleep that day so we were starting off on a little less steam than usual. It was a beautiful day full of sunshine and the smog was somewhat under control. Well we get down there.. and we pull into this area of the mall. It is HUGE.. many buildings with this really cool Globe in the front. It is right on the Bay of Manila.. I had never seen any place so big.. and so many people!!! I mean it is like a people everywhere. The mall is crowded but not overbearing to me. I realized much later in the week that the reason that it wasn't overbearing with the crowds is that I was taller than a majority of them. Makes a big difference when you are taller vs shorter the average. We went shopping and walked around. Around 5:30 we said we had to start to get to the side of the Mall where the bay was to see the sunset. I think it is the best place in Manila to see the sunset. We started scoping out the options for hte fireworks/music competition. We ended up doing the VIP section which was right at the bay in this park like area right up against the wall sitting in chairs. We sat and talked and watched the sunset.. then the stars come out. 1/2 moon and al Fireworks was supposed to start at 7 PM with Korea and they got started around 7:30. They had music of the country along with entertainment. The fireworks were the best ever. I saw fireworks there that I have never seen anywhere else in my life. I have had the great fortune to see some great fireworks in my day but this was by far the BEST.!!!!!!! They went on for about 20 mins and then took a break and Spain took their turn as well. Since we were kind of tired we both snoozed a little bit during Spain. They were not as good as Korea.. I give my vote that night for Korea.

The festivities were over around 9:30.. and then we were back into the millions of people at the mall and then end of the fireworks competition. We decided to eat there at the mall which Donald chose an Asian restaurant that had Filipino/Japanese/Thai food. We had a great meal at a cheap price and another opportunity to eat native food which I thoroughly enjoyed. Well it was around 11 PM and we headed out to the front of the mall to get a taxi. Well, I have never seen more people trying to get many different modes of transportation in my entire life. This taken from Wikipedia:

With a population of 1,660,714 in 2006, Manila is the second most populous city in the Philippines behind Quezon City. The populace inhabit an area of only 38.55 square kilometers, making Manila the most densely populated city in the world. However, Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan are in the Philippines and the 11th in the world with an estimated populateion of 16,300,000. The great urban area is the 5th largest in the world with an estimated population of 20,654,307 people.. and then you add in me.

Well let me tell you when I say there were a TON OF PEOPLE and the lines for all transportation ever in my life.. I am NOT exagerating at all. Well we were going to take a taxi back to the hotel and then home for Donald. Well that was going to take hours... so for not a great decision to have been made we decided to take a public bus out of the area and then get a taxi in just the regular Saturday night in the busy bustling metropolis of Manila. Well not a good idea at all. However no one had told me or warned me.. but I should have known... that for me taking a bus is just not a good idea. The reason is in general due to all the people, pick pockets were everywhere. and being an american I just stick out as an easy target with out even doing a thing out of the ordinary. All the time I have been here I have always been cautious of my surroundings, and the my friends and co workers have always been on the look out for me and my protection when we are out and about. I had pulled out a 20 peso (50 cents) to give to Donald for the bus for both of us... and not even thinking even to put my wallet at least in my front pocket, put it back in my back pocket with the button done and squeezed onto this public street bus which at least had air conditioning. Donald was a little bit apprehensive but wasn't quite sure why. I felt no tension of being on the bus at all.. I should have but didn't. Well I wasn't on the bus 30 seconds and knew that I had lost my wallet. At least they unbuttoned my pocket.. and it was gone. THEN all the thoughts of what was I thinking flooded in to my head.. tired as I was since I had been up for 3o some hours at this point. Donald felt horrible like he had failed to keep me safe, but I blame only myself for this situation I found myself in with Donald. Well we took the bus all the way up to the Ayala Transporation center where we caught a taxi to the hotel.

Once I got back to the hotel and got a new room key, made a few 1/2 dozen calls.. I finally got to bed at 2:30.. with NO credit personal or corporate, no cash what soever, dead tired but have had one of the greatest nights of my life spending time with Donald at MOA, the sunset and the fireworks competition.

Now you say.. could you have done it any other way that was safer? Well, yes we could have. With the hotel I have access to a car service to go anywhere I want, to get picked up anywhere I want.. and all i had to do was give them a call and they could have picked us up. But then at the time it wasn't an option. It was my first time there and I didn't know the situation of the location, was up for some 30 hours, and just tired and too relaxed for my own good. Basically I looked at it this way.. No one got hurt, little cash taken and most of it can be replaced minus 2 things of my dads which I have a little regret.. but only a little...

Now on Sunday... I had made plans with friends from work to go running at the University of the Philippines known as the UP (with the accent on the first letter Youpee) which is about 4 km up north on Edsa in Quezon City. So I get in a taxi to go to Market Market which is where we work. It is about a 2 mile ride. I get this very nice taxi driver named Dan. He was quite animated and talkative which was nice. He asked me about my experiences of being here, asked my age, and then proceeded to make a point ... and I mean he turned around and said to me.. Don't take any buses, they are very dangerous!!!!!!! I just had to laugh. He had NO IDEA of my night before.. and I didn't tell him after that precaution, but i did think to myself ... Dan.. where were you yesterday???????

I got to Market Market which is a mall area and met Kevin, Than, and Gigi. they all had heard of my experience from the night before.. News spreads fast amongst the group. Well we weren't sure who was going to go running.. but after a little while the 4 of us take off for the UP in Quezon City (QC). Now remember this is about 4 miles away.. but with the traffic, it would have taken us forever by taxi. So this is our trail of transportation to the UP. We took a bus (not the city type for a nicer touring type bus) to the Ayala Transportation Center. It looks so much nicer in the day time... :) Then we took the MRT which is an about ground subway type train to QC. Now on the way up there we realize a few things. Where are we going to change into our running clothes and where are we going to put our bags since we are hoofing it on public transportation..... Well we ended up getting to a mall in QC, changing our clothes in the bathroom of the movie cinemas (the only bathroom Than knew of that had stalls, then dropped our bags off at the Landmark store bag check... and then proceeded to get on a jeepney to the campus of the UP. Well if you don't know what a jeepney is, google that and see. I had always wanted to ride a jeepney and now today was my today to experience this mode of transportation. So if you can picture this.. I am walking thru the transportation area to the jeepneys (in my running clothes) with 3 filipino friends getting on the jeepney that was packed. I don't have to do ANYTHING out of the ordinary to stand out in a crowd and have everyone around me just stare at me. It must have looked hysterical for a white boy like me, an obvious american looking guy come walking out of the cinema bathroom in my running clothes. If that wasn't enough, I don't think that anyone on the jeepney had ever seen an american get on one let alone in running clothes. I am very adept to just not noticing the stares anymore.. but if only I could be a fly on the wall of life looking at my comings and goings. I am on the jeepney having a great time with my friends.. thinking.. if ONLY my friends in USA could see me now.. We get to the UP and this is a very beautiful campus which we started running. By this time it was dark.. but a lot of runners and walkers everywhere. We got done, and back tracker our paths... Jeepney back to the mall (this time a little sweaty), the Landmark to get our bags, the cinema bathroom to change clothes and off to Taco Bell for dinner. We all ate plenty of food at Taco bell (5 of us for a grand total of about 13 dollars). By this time it was past 10 PM and the MRT stopped running at 10. So we started talking about how were were going to get back to Manila (Makati area) and I could see that this was leading to the discussion of a bus.. the type of local city bus that Dan the taxi driver had said NOT to get on because it was dangerous, the type of bus I had been on 24 hours earlier and had gotten pick pocketed. I started laughing and just said I don't think I can do a bus for a while longer. I asked how much could a taxi cost??? and how long could it take to go 4 KM ? Well Sunday night the traffic is probably the lightest in all the week... and we got into a taxi .... dropped me off at the hotel, kevin at the Ayala transportation center (he had a 2 hour bus rides home) and then Gigi and Than off to the Market Market area where they live. All grand total of 300 pesos.. which is about 8 dollars which I gladly treated.... :)

So bottom line is I / we took a taxi, bus, subway, jeepney about 6 miles total to just go running at the UP for 3 mins.... taxi home.. which took us about 7 hours.

I got home and upstairs to the bed... and all the thoughts of my weekend going thru my head. Aside from being pick pocketed, I had one of the GREATEST weekends of my life. Spending time with new friends, the fireworks, sunset over Manila Bay, MOA, running at UP, riding the Jeepney... not to mention just seeing everything I had seen in both days.... I was so grateful for the weekend.

Well getting back to work on Monday night everyone had heard of the incident on Saturday night and poor Donald hasn't heard the end of it. He takes the ribbing very well. Everyone just laughed at the thought of me in my weekend.. and what it must have looked like. It is such a different look when you are looking out into the world vs the world looking in at me. I was thinking what a great reality show this would be.. Craig in Manila... :)

This last week I spent with Sandy from Minneapolis (originally from Iowa) along with Spencer and Kim. Well Sandy and I spent 2 mornings/afternoon at the pool.. and I have never laughed more in my life. Folks say that Sandy is the female me, and I am the male Sandy. We had a great time and it sure made work a lot more fun. Today the last day here Sandy, Spencer and I went to the pool which I stayed up there after they left to go to bed. I have been up again for almost 20 hours, and strangely wide awake. I am packing and getting ready to go to work/and then leave for home tomorrow morning at 6. I have my last spa appointment this afternoon which I can't wait. Maybe some dinner, 1/2 day at work and then a 30 hour travel day from door to door.

Looking back on the last 3 weeks I am just grateful for a wonderful time here in Manila, with my friends, and work, and more great stories. So here are some pics of the Chinese New Year, my weekend, and some of my "running" friends.

I look forward to coming home for 2 weeks, getting caught up on many things and then back to Manila for what may be my last time here. I already have some stories for the next trip and haven't even done them.. should say plans... which will be good for the blog. I hope I make it thru to tell the stories....

Til the next time.. Live life.. and enjoy.... P.S. Valentines Day flowers in the Lobby and the present flowers today....