Between my first ship contract in 2009 and being on these two ships during my current contract, I have had the great privilege of working with and becoming friends with hundreds of Filipino crew members. I have only the best things to say about the Filipino people, and so I was so excited to get to go to our next port of call, Manila, Philippines! You could almost feel a special energy on the ship as we headed to the port. So many crew members were excited to have family and friends visit the ship, many were heading home for their break, etc. I was excited to have the chance to volunteer and check-in many of these visitors, which was so fun. Sarah and I were 2 of the very first people off the ship and go into the cruise terminal where there were hundreds of visitors waiting… 900+, in fact! When they first saw us you could see so many wives and kids and husbands and moms start to jump up and prepare to see their loved ones. It was awesome! So many of these crew members work 9-10 month contracts back to back with only a few weeks off in between, so it was a very emotional time for everyone. We collected id's and handed out visitor passes and watched many reunions. It was really great to see and a fun start to our time in the Philippines.
We spent the first part of the day at a large mall. We were warned that it wasn't as big as the Mall of Asia (also in Manila), but that it had most everything you would need. Well…I was so overwhelmed by the mall, it was laughable. I got lost numerous times, couldn't begin to pick stores to try and visit because of the sheer number of them, and the crowds were insane! Thankfully, I will say the workers were extremely kind and polite. I've never been called sir so many times as I was in the Philippines. These people are so hospitable! But the mall was like Black Friday in America. Just packed.
We were excited to have an overnight here in Manila, so we got all spiffed up and got a taxi to an area with lots of nightlife spots. Unfortunately it wasn't super close and the traffic in Manila is beyond crazy! There are just no rules; taxis will stop, there are buses that are sort of just open trucks with benches in the back, there are motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians… all sharing the road and following zero traffic laws. We quickly learned that not only was it a Friday night, but it was also payday, which is only once a month here. People were ready to go out! Anyway- the taxi ride took an hour, but not to be alarmed: the taxi cost a total of $5.00 US dollars!!! It's just so cheap here I couldn't believe it!
We arrived at ResortWorld, a sort of resort/casino that had a popular spot called Republiq that we decided to check out. Thanks to having pretty girls with us and some smart talking, we ended up getting in very quickly, without a cover charge, and at a private table: SCORE. The club was actually really fun. We were there before it got too crazy, but the drinks were cheap, the service was amazing, it was a huge space decorated and lit to perfection and the music was great. We had such a fun time and a ton of crew ended up coming, as well which made it even better! By the end of the night I had been dancing for so long, there were smoke machines blasting smoke, confetti had poured over the dance floor, and there was, randomly, even a costumed Donald Duck on stage, getting the crowd hyped. Ha ha! It was simultaneously bizarre and brilliant.
The next day I was eager to get out in the morning and head to the older part of Manila, known as Intramuros. There was a lot of beautiful architecture from the days of Spanish colonization that was preserved here including beautiful churches and things, which was nice to see. We had a beautiful brunch with homemade bread at a great cafe to start our day and after wandering for a while we headed to the Mall of Asia.
I wasn't super-pumped to see any more malls, but this one was actually a bit less intimidating than the last, so I enjoyed free internet and wandered a bit. The highlight of my time there, though, was stumbling upon a concert in the middle of the mall. Everyone was gathering around before it started, there were tons of cameras and iPads and phones out. Clearly people were VERY excited about the mystery performer. Now, I don't know how well-known this is, but the Filipino people are, as a whole incredibly gifted singers. I am not sure if it comes just from a culture that loves music and has it in families, etc., or if there is something physically that makes them have better voices or what. The fact is- Filipinos can SING and love to sing. Even on the ship they are always having karaoke parties. Ha ha! Turns out on this day, though, the concert was a Filipino singer who has reached global fame, the young singer, Charice. Charice became famous via youtube years ago and performed with Celine Dion, performed for Oprah, etc. and eventually had a recurring role on Glee and has recorded multiple albums.
The crowd went nuts and she was a consummate professional. She sang great versions of everything from Beyonce to Whitney Houston and she nailed every bit of it. It was such a funny, but great experience! I was sad to head back to the ship, as our time in Manila was coming to a close. When we got back on board, though, the Filipino people had one more gesture of their never-ending generosity and joy for life. There were 2 marching bands in full uniform with color guards and baton twirlers that performed on the pier for hours as the guests returned and the ship prepared to sail. Families were also gathered outside the terminal waving goodbye. We all stood on deck and watched and even as we were sailing away, the bands marched their way all the way down the terminal playing music and sending us off with such amazing energy. What a gift from the people of the Philippines. I don't know that I'll ever encounter a group of people more hard-working, kind, and generous as them.
Missing everyone back home. 2 months left!
Tripp
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