Soft Landing

We’re now ensconced in our latest hotel “home” in Manila and having a great time. We may already found a place to live (fingers crossed) as well as an apartment hotel where we will live once we return from Thailand until our shipment arrives and we can take possession.

First impressions? There is a very smooth and friendly vibe to this place that suits me completely. Everyone makes eye contact, says good morning, smiles – the service is very good indeed. The security industry is thriving. Every entrance to the hotels or the malls have numerous security people at every door, checking bags. At the MegaMall (aptly named) when you enter, there are signs indicating that men go left, women go right at which point handbags are opened. I'd take a picture of that sign but I'm not sure how that would be taken! The Starbucks across the street has a uniformed security guy who acts as doorman – opens doors, greets you with a smile. This is typical. Also when you arrive at the hotel, all cars pass by a checkpoint where trunks are opened and checked and when luggage is removed a dog comes over and sniffs it. Different for sure, but not disturbing.

Shopping appears to be a popular sport. There are huge indoor (aircon, the nom du jour) malls, some of which are so large that it is perhaps a way of getting the walking in - certainly outside walking is not fun, what with dodging traffic and breathing the fumes. But we're doing that too. Some of those malls blow me away, with every designer store imaginable - all the names are there. After years of Bayshore and Rideau Centre I feel like a hick. When I saw the St John boutique in the Shangri La Plaza, I went ballistic; that did it for me. I’m home, for sure! (Why they changed the model in the Vogue print ads from the real life fabulous former President Kelly Gray, the founder's daughter, to Angelina Jolie, however lovely, I'll never know - and I'm sure (?) everyone knows of what I speak, no? No? Oh well here it is). And I'm not the only one who thinks this way.


I developed a huge problem with my eye, which turned out to be a scratched cornea. We called the front desk and within an hour the hotel doctor and nurse were in my hotel room. She declared herself not able to treat me and referred me to an eye clinic across the street. When we went to pay her for the consult she refused payment, saying she hadn't done anything. The eye clinic is a busy place - there was an hour and a half wait - but the receptionist suggested we go and have lunch and she'd call us on our cell phone when it was getting to be our turn. Once in, I saw computerized equipment in place I'd never seen before - all was very tech, very efficient, very impressive and the whole experience was relatively painless. That is, painless except for my eye which hurts like hell and looks worse. It is also the first time literally in decades I've not been able to wear makeup (hey I'm a Montreal girl, after all). Jackie O shades protect me from myself.

The Economist published a listing of the living affordability of major cities around the world ranked from most expensive to least expensive. Manila was 141st on the list. When we arrived I put the equivalent in pesos of $100 in my wallet for spending money. Here’s what I’ve purchased, several days later:

3 glossy Philippine fashion and style magazines (great stuff!)
2 packages of Mentos
1 visit to the opthamologist
1 prescription for antibiotic eye drops
1 shoe repair

Here's the thing. I have more than $60 left.

There is Diet Root Beer on the grocery shelves (organic diet root beer at that) and all is right in my world tonight.