Trip Summary: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:

Ziplines

Banana Roti/pancakes

Thai food – oh the Thai food!

SCUBA

Barely working for a month

Only 1 flight canceled out of 16

Friendly Thais & Filipinos

Clean laundry days

Homemade dark chocolate ice cream

Fresh pineapple

Cheap massages!!

Time to read

Street corner pho

Scootering/riding motor bikes

3 Sis hotel in Chiang Mai

Siem Reap immigration

Mango sticky rice

Getting my ticket through AA miles

Mr. Sith

Shopping in Thailand

Dance party on Vietnam Airlines (ok – maybe only 2 people were dancing – we won’t name names)

Boston getting his own room on the boat

Massages!! (worth repeating!)

Getting to parts of the world I never thought I would

The Bad

Bangkok traffic

Aggressive vendors

Jellyfish in Halong Bay

Sweaty clothes

Skinny cows

Local Filipino cheese

Lack of blankets on a bed- a towel does not count!

How much regular Coke I’ve consumed

Vietnamese immigration

Eggs – cooked any style in Asia

Price of candy in Bangkok airport

Cold showers

The Ugly

Freaky Farangs

Stomach Issues

Mangy dogs

Ham & cheese sandwich from dive shop in Bohol

Bai Noi & Red Horse beer

Lack of tp

Long, long mole hair!!

I posted another one today right before this. I'm sitting in the Tokyo airport 19 hours from DFW and my soft, soft bed. See ya soon!

Day 22: Manila "Boston, what will you when we're not bugging you 24 hours a day?!" "Walk around in my underwear!"

Last day! I can’t believe it. We let Boston sleep in for once and went to lunch at an Indian restaurant around the corner from his apt. My chicken kabob was good, but Kavita didn’t approve of her dosa. “That’s what you get when a Northern Indian lady cooks a Southern Indian dish.” Don’t worry, Mrs. Nair. You’re still #1 cook in your daughter’s heart.

Gotta love this taxi

After lunch I wanted to go to the WWII memorial to take some pics. The taxi driver who took us there had crazy long nails on both hands with just the left painted black. He had a mullet so for a while I was trying to decide if it was a woman, but I decided that it must just be a very strange man. The WWII memorial grounds are really pretty, and they are very strict with your actions inside. You need a photo id, and you can’t run or walk on the grass.

Afterwards we headed to the mall where the pearl negotiations would go down. We walked around for a bit before Monica, Boston’s lady friend, joined us to try to get an idea of what we want, but honestly, it was way too overwhelming. Don’t give me a thousand choices for a necklace. I just don’t care enough! Luckily Monica is a trained pearl buyer/price haggler, and once I decided what I wanted (with her help, of course) she would send us away to get down to business. They go lower with just locals; white people drive up prices. At one stand we didn’t like any of the strands and as we walked away, Monica said she had to pick the next stand carefully hoping it wasn’t a relative of the previous one. They wouldn’t sell to us even if we wanted to buy because they feel that it’s bad for business. Luckily we found a good stand that hadn’t had a sale that day so they were willing to go very low. First sales of the day are considered lucky. It only took an hour or so, but it was a bit tiring and I didn’t even really do anything! I gave B props for doing this 3 times (although each time with help!). Just deciding what you want and then doing a hard negotiation makes you wonder if it’s worth it to even get them. Since mine were gifts, I persevered, but had they been for me and I been alone – I bet I would have given up. I won’t miss having to haggle about prices. Thanks a million, Monica!

After dinner, Monica had to go do some work, so we headed for …. one… last… time!

Daily Massage Report

We went back to TonTon (don’t mess with a good thing) for a full body this time. Kavita wasn’t feeling well, so B & I had to face them on our own. This one focused more on the upper body – back, arms, and head. I got many elbows in the back! “Get at it, TonTon lady!” While I would prefer more foot and leg action, I was pretty happy. I give the TonTon full body: 4 stars – not a bad way to go out!

Day 21: Bohol to Manila "Don't let his calves kill you."

Above: Manila jeepney - basically an open air bus whose frame is from a leftover from WWII that they decorate like crazy

We took a 10 am flight to Manila - back to civilization! - and were picked up by Boston's new super nice new landlord, Eric. I say super nice because he has hooked B up. Holy crazy nice apt! Boston's new place - which he hadn't seen since he picked it out and was bare - is awesome. 2 bed/2 1/2 bath - leather couch - 2 40 in flat screens - great dining room table & chairs - all new appliances - new beds - 10th floor of a doorman building - really nice downtown area- wowsers. Boston told him what he wanted, but I can't believe this guy did it all!! AND he gets a nice car - Honda CRV - as part of the deal. Eric leases out cars, so of course, he gives one to B. B didn't even have to move himself in; he paid Enca, his maid/personal assistant to do it while we were gone. I got to meet Enca, his Filipino mother, whom I've heard all about. She seems great. I meant to get a picture but forgot. As soon as we got there, she took our mounds of dirty laundry and got started so we could face Manila with clean underoos the next day.

After unloading, we headed for lunch (even after going to town on B's Chips Ahoy Enca had already picked up - American junk food is a comfort after 3 weeks) and did some shopping. K needed a tennis skirt because one of the guys we met during the Nut's Huts lunch set up a tennis match for her with his friend here at the Manila Polo Club. She wanted to prep for her team's state semi-finals that she'll be playing the day after she gets back. We dropped her off with John-John and his enormous calves for a couple hours of tennis. Apparently he is the 3rd best player at the best club in Manila, so she had her work cut out for her. She got a great workout in and a few tips on her game (along with a great calf increasing exercise - ok, not really - but he should have given a hint as to how he does it!). Meanwhile, B & I went by his school (really more of community college just by its huge size) which is very nice. Manila has really nice areas with large shanty towns mixed in around them. I would not consider this a 3rd world country here, but I can see it in Bohol.

Daily Massage Report! (We're baaaaaaaaaaaaack!)
After Eric overhead us talking about wanting a massage, he suggested we go to his friend's place, TonTon Thai massage. When K mentioned to John-John that we were going there, he gave it a great endorsement also as the best place in Manila. I'm thinking - ok, this place is going to be good. Love it - John-John likes TonTon. They were all right! We all got a foot massage, and I dare say, it was one of the best I've had! They started with our hands (very good sign!), and then proceeded to go to town on our feet - pretty hard, but never painful. Afterwards we got bonus areas of back, neck, and shoulders. Overall TonTon gets 5 STARS!! (And you know I don't give that out often!!) This place is within walking distance to B's apt. Lucky! (said in Napolean Dynamite's voice)Afterwards we went to a late dinner in at a Thai food place in another nice area of Manila called Greenbelt - lots of great restaurants, shopping, bars, coffee & dessert shops. Dinner was good, and then we went next door to Cafe Havana for a drink before K fell asleep. (We didn't quite make it - she actually fell asleep at the table.)

No other pics from today - more tomorrow!
I did post twice today to get caught up - so be sure you read the one before this!