5 April Manila (Holy Wednesday)
I supplemented the hotel breakfast with
yogurt and a mango, packed up, then got a taxi to the Victory Liner bus station.
On arrival a helpful security guard took my bag and led me to the waiting area.
I had splurged on a First Class bus, which has 2x1 seating and lots of legroom
for a cost of 799 php with the 20% senior discount. Unlike the regular buses,
this one did the entire trip without stopping, taking about 4½ hours. The bus
climbed into clouds on the ridge above Baguio, then made the long descent to the
plains, where it sped along expressways beneath sunny skies into Manila. The
Pasay bus station had standing room only as crowds were waiting to board buses
to their home places. I had noticed northbound traffic jams on the expressway as
lots of people headed for the countryside. Manila’s streets were just as crowded
as I got a taxi for the slow ride to my simple Airbnb room nearby in Malate.
This part of Manila is close to many museums and the airport, but alas, all the
museums have closed for Holy Week. I will be staying just three nights in Manila
before flying back to Bangkok. My simple Airbnb room for the three nights cost a
bargain $48.86 including air-conditioning, a little table to work at, wi-fi, and
a handy hot-water kettle, but the bathroom has a basic cold-water bucket shower.
6 April Manila (Maundy Thursday)
On a pleasant sunny day I spent the
morning sorting through photos of my days in the mountains of northern Luzon,
then posted a bunch on Facebook. Finances and other computer projects kept me
busy most of the afternoon. In late afternoon I set out on foot to Swagat Indian
Restaurant several kilometers to the southeast in Makati District. My route took
me along backstreets with kids playing and a full church having a Holy Week
service. Just about every business was closed except for convenience stores and
fast-food places. Many pedal trishaws awaited customers. After a less pleasant
stroll beside a busy highway, I turned into Makati, the country’s financial hub
with many glass-and-steel towers, an attractive part of Manila compared to the
usual ugly architecture. It’s also very cosmopolitan with lots of international
restaurants, and these mostly stayed open during Holy Week. At Swagat Indian
Cuisine in my first Indian meal for a long while, I went for a tomato soup,
palak paneer (spinach with cheese), lemon rice, sweet lassi, and masala tea. I
wouldn’t have felt comfortable making a long walk in the city back to my room
after dark, and easily got a Grab taxi.
7 April Manila (Good Friday)
On another nice sunny day I hung out in my room most of the morning, then caught
a taxi north to Quiapo Church, a place I had passed on previous visits to Manila
but never got around to visiting. On the way I saw a marching band along a side
street. The large structure, built in 1933 after a fire, is famed for the
life-size Black Nazarene carved from ebony. However it seemed that half of
Manila had come for a Good Friday service with the crowd of thousands spilling
out onto the sidewalk and blocking all but one lanes of the street. I watched a
bit of the service on an outdoor screen, then took a pedestrian bridge across
the street and caught a taxi to Swagat Indian Cuisine, slightly delayed by a
procession of white-robed people holding a crucifix. At the restaurant I went
for another of my favorites—a malai kofta—plus a butter nan and a masala tea.
Another taxi returned me to my room. City traffic is much lighter during Holy
Week with the exceptions of Quiapo Church and the possibility of getting delayed
by a procession.
8 April Bangkok (Holy Saturday)
For breakfast I
fixed a calamansi pancit instant noodle soup along with a yogurt and a hot
chocolate. After playing on the internet a bit, I finished packing and hailed a
taxi to Swagat Indian Cuisine. This time I tried the modest South Indian menu
and got a tasty masala dosa and a not-so-good idly sambar that had a strange
fishy flavor. Another taxi brought me to Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino
International Airport, where I easily checked in for the Air Asia Flight Z2 287
this evening to Bangkok. I then had plenty of time and got a terrific chocolate
cake at M Boutique, where I sat down to catch up on this journal. The Airbus
A320-200 took to the night sky at about 6:30 p.m. for the 3-hour, 20-minute
flight. A trace of red remained in the sky ahead as the plane curved over the
vast expanse of night-time Mania before turning out over the sea. I had paid
extra for a package that included a window seat near the front, a vegetable rice
bowl (good), and a checked bag for a total of $158.56. After the meal I spent
the rest of the flight on the computer to polish the Philippines text of this
journal. Upon landing at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, I sped through
immigration and baggage claim in record time. (Seniors over 70 get to use the
express lane normally for flight crews and VIPs!) Although it would have been
sensible to take a taxi to my room in the Sathon area, I decided to try the new
elevated Red Line. The station turned out to be a bit of a hike from the
terminals, then a longish wait for the next train. Soon I arrived in the new
train station at Bang Sue and easily transferred to the MRT subway and a longish
ride to Lumphini Station, where I got a motorbike taxi to the neighborhood I’ve
been staying in the past several years. I had booked a pleasant Airbnb room in a
guesthouse, but would only be there for three nights before heading south to Koh
Tao for a week of scuba diving. After that I returned to Bangkok for a
longer stay. Then in mid-May I flew to Paris with Bessie Too the Bicycle for an
89-day cycling adventure in France followed by a dozen days of London sights,
described in
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/EuropeSwing2023!
The almost
two-month backpack journey to South India, Kuala Lumpur, and the Philippines has
been a great one. Just about every aspect went very well. Only the three days in
Manila at the very end were a bit of a bust with nearly all sights closed due to
Holy Week, but I had plenty to do on the computer and I enjoyed the Indian
cuisine.