Beaches and Pearls in the Philippines

Manila is a metropolis - bright lights, traffic, and a baffling number of shopping malls. Of all the places I've traveled, the influence of American culture may be the most apparent here.  I've never seen such a concentration of American restaurant chains - IHOP, Kenny Rodgers, California Pizza Kitchen, Outback Steakhouse, and on and on. The bumper to bumper traffic is also characteristic of Manila, including the distinctive “Jeepney," inspired by US military jeeps. What stands out the most about this two week trip, however, is the warmth and friendliness of the Filipino people, quick with a smile and bubbling with good-natured enthusiasm. Since school is taught primarily in English rather than the local Tagalong (pronounced Tagaalo), fluency levels are high.

"Jeepney"

Apparently in the last 10 years development in Manila has exploded, turning it into a city of malls, shopping areas, high-rise apartments and office buildings. This is especially concentrated in the downtown business district called “Makati.” The Sofitel we stayed at perches on the edge of the reclaimed bay not in Makati but with an excellent cityscape view of it. We visited most frequently the closer Mall of Asia, colloquially known as “MOA,” for the dizzying array of dining options and cheap massages. We ended up getting five massages in 12 days, which combined cost less than what you pay for a single massage in the US. Many of the Americans living in Manila have masseuses come to their house on a weekly basis.

Downtown Manila from the Sofitel

Over the weekend, we left this bustling city of 20 million people for a tropical paradise called Boracay. The journey to get there and back was an adventure unto itself, requiring five separate modes of transportation – a 20 minute taxi ride to the airport, a 50 minute flight to the major city outside Boracay, a two hour bus ride to the Jetty Port, 10 minutes in an outrigger boat called a"bangka" to the island, and finally a 15 minute motorized tricycle ride to the hotel. Whew! Sound exhausting? It was. It’s a good thing that the natural beauty of Boracay's white sand beaches, clear aqua water, and happy palm trees instantly evaporates stress.

White Sand Beach in Boracay

For better or worse, this paradise has been discovered by the world and has become a party destination. The small island has been aggressively developed with a maze of shops and restaurants forming a city of their own, bursting with tourists from all over Asia and even further afield, and a nightlife that bumps and grinds into the wee hours.  Beach vendors continuously hawk island hopping excursions, sail boating, kite-surfing, helmet-diving, and an endless list of adventures requiring an equally endless refrain of "No thanks, no, no thanks, no, no, no, no thanks." Even here the Filipino sense of humor surfaced – after a long list of “do you want to’s” was met with our obvious exasperation, the guy asked, “Do you want to walk on the beach?” Well, yes, thank you.

Please just let me walk on the beach in peace.

I have a difficult time sometimes haggling for small value items in places where things cost so little. For locals, a tuk-tuk ride costs about 5 pesos, but a foreigner gets charged 100 pesos. That markup is pretty much getting swindled, but still only amounts to $2. Same for the puka shell bracelets collected from the aptly named “Puka Shell Beach.” It seems wrong somehow to drive a hard bargain to pay 50 cents rather than 75 when the difference is inconsequential for me but perhaps significant for them. And they certainly know how to play on… what I would call "first-world guilt" by saying things like, “Oh, America! You have such nice life.” Okay, fine, 100 pesos. Maybe I’m just a sucker.

Tuk Tuk Driver

I've stayed in near-seclusion on utterly undeveloped tropical islands and now the commercialized Boracay. Both are good in their own ways. Lounging on the fine white-sand of the appropriately named “White Beach,” staring out at a scene that was almost painful in its beauty and perfection, I found internal tranquility despite and unaffected by the surrounding hustle and bustle. And frankly, being steps away from fresh mango coconut shakes sent from heaven, massages on demand, and dinner and live music on the beach made tolerating the throngs of other tourists easy.

I could watch this sunset every night for the rest of my life...

Our last week, the delightful people we worked with took us out and around in Manila. Pearls in the Philippine’s are plentiful and cheap, and so a couple of ladies from the office took us pearl shopping in the Green Hills market, a large mall filled with independent stalls of mostly Muslim traders. Lady Jasmine showed us string upon string of pearls of varying shapes, sizes and colors. After agonizing over the selection and haggling over prices, her girls skillfully strung our pearls into necklaces as we watched and chatted with them.

How pearl necklaces are born

On the last night we went to a Chicago style blues bar called the Roadhouse set on the edge of the bay, and listened to a talented Filipino band sing the blues while throwing back a bucket of San Miguels (the beer of the Philippines).