Day four flub:
I wrote that on Day four we were hosted by the national Folk Company but that was day three. See what happens when one writes while drunk. LOL Day four dinner was at a Filipino restaurant where I had my first taste of Crablets, which are mini whole crabs that you eat in their entirety (shells, legs, head and all). Tasted like chicken! We also had the best Crispy Pata ever which is piggy on the bone, succulent, with crispy fried skin. From there we went to Air Force One.
Day Five: Last day of aikido, seeing Mom again, party in the Hamptoms
Waking up this morning was much more difficult than the others. After all the physical activity then booze on top of that, I was exhausted but I still managed to my Filipino breakfast in. After washing up we headed back to the training area. One of the Filipino aikidoists walk past me and asked how I was doing. With my hand on my knees, slouched over, I said I was tired. Sensei was also walking past me at that time and with a smirk he said I know why you are tired and continued past me. I was unsure if he was referring to all the uke work I did the day before or whether he knew we went to Air Force One or whether it was just the fact I got inebriated. He knows us in Chicago like to party so it could be that.
The seminar ended after another 3 hours of aikido giving me an hour and a half to wash up and go out with jay’s mother and sister once again. They wanted to feed me again, and I was more than happy to except. We ended up at the Mall of Asia for a light lunch which ended up being Crispy Pata (again), calamari, and bbq pork belly (absolutely remarkable!). After that light lunch we took a boat tour of Manila Bay. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon after all my previous activities. Jay insisted to his family they get Breadtalk for me to take back to him. Breadtalk is the name of a bakery. He loves their bread. Trying to find parking in this mall was insane so Jay’s sister Lyle left his Mother and I alone in the car parked along the bay while she hikes back to the mall to purchase Jay’s demand. Mom and I smoked and laughed the entire time. She is going through a rough patch now because her “husband” has been on the unfaithful side so she is fed up and wants to start a new life. That new life is to move in with Jay which was planned for mid January. Jay currently lives with his ex wife. Are you seeing the 2008 living picture….? Jay, his Mother, ex-wife, and ME!!! Won’t this be worth a newsletter rebirth or more fitting…a Guylicious blog? FYI: Things have changed…jay’s mother is coming in next weekend. Lyle returned and it was time to get my ass back to the hotel because we had one more final evening event to attend.
I thought it was going to be held at some restarant but it ended up being in Las Pinas, a gated community considered part of metro Manila. This is where jay lived and where his family currently resides. If I knew that I would hve packed my change of clothes and stayed with the family more but that is hindsight now. In Las Pinas, things looked relatively the same, motorized cab-like bikes, traffic hell, but there in the downtown was Starbucks. Strangely we also saw our first jogger and dogs being walked on leashes as opposed to stray dogs fucking on the streets. The homes were beautiful in this gated community. Kind of odd to see this among the poverty minutes away. The homes looked very similar to the Jay’s parents home so I was wondering if I was in the same community or not. It turns out most likely I was. The party was arranged outside in the front lawn which was decked with banquet tables and chairs and a massive food spread including an entire roast pig. I hardly to eat anymore and it appeared only beer was the liquor option. I had two beers and it was doing nothing for me, just bloating me. I ended up sitting with the Malaysian group who I learned were big partiers. In a matter minutes after making a whiskey comment a full bottle of whiskey appeared at our table. Life was good then. No more beer. Needless to say I partook in that bottle. The night was filled with a limbo contest, musical chairs, picture taking, and booze.
The next morning we wanted to get to the airport fairly early for our 1 pm flight out. Manila traffic on a Monday morning was going to e hell and we were advised to get to the airport by 9:00 am so we left at 7:00. We got to the airport earlier than expected and had 2 hours to get through the initial check points prior to getting our boarding passes. We still had 2 hours before boarding but luckily for us we found the Manila Club where if you pay $12 you can drink all you want for free, eat at the small buffet, and relax in real furniture. We certainly got our moneys worth there. The club attendant notified us that our plane was boarding so we left feeling pretty good. 21 hours later we were back in the USA only to find out the the beautiful City of Chicago left me with a parking ticket.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Day Four
Day four…Lots of aikido, great food and Air Force One hookers
I will spare you the meticulous details I submitted all in Day 1, 2 and 3. J
Day four again started with the free breakfast buffet. Filipino breakfasts ROCK! One must be careful though with the rice intake if you are not accustomed to rice on a daily and am ritual for it will clog you terribly. Luckily, I my internal organs were working rather well this Asian trip unlike Japan when I wished I had a portable enema set traveling with me.
The day was again 3 to 4 hours of aikido breaking for lunch. I got a better impression of the Filipino aikido practice then expected. I heard they were quite unorganized both organizationally and in training. Not so in training, the only real difference I noticed was that there ranking did not measure up to our ranking. Chicago especially, has a very tough grading curve and in order to be of a certain rank Chicago tends to have the chops. Basically if I was working with someone of my rank it was quite noticeable that I had a lot more practice investment than my partner, even working with ranks considered higher. Blah, blah, blah.
We broke for a long lunch which enabled us to get a short nap in but then it was back to class for tests. I hemmed and hawed whether I should “dress” meaning whether I should observe tests in my gi or not. It was suggested I do because I may be used as uke (attacker for the tests incase no one has a designated uke) so I did to be on the safe side. Luckily I did because the first two shodan (first degree black belt) tests needed additional ukes for the “randori” portion (5 attackers at one time). Theses testers were not expecting ME. Randori is something Chicago emphasizes when testing so we give it our all. I came out like a greyhound on steroids going art the testers. The idea is that all ukes line up at one end and the nage (tester) is at the other end. Once nage bows to us we should run at it and attack. The first nage bowed and no one but me ran at him. At first I thought I did not hear sesei corrdctly when he said go but it was because the other ukes had no idea how to do this. The poor nage froze when I went at him. Sensei yelled at the others to “go, go, go”. The second nage had a better idea what to expect but still was not prepared.
When it came down to the next pair of shodan tests, sensei stopped the test after a minute and called me up to replace one guy’s uke. Poor chap, he could not handle it/me. I was taking it easy with him too because it is not necessarily my job to punish him of make him look bad, only to give him clean attacks so he can show his technique. I thought he was going to have a heart attack with me. Again, I did his and 3 other shodan randori tests. Next was two sandan (3rd degree) and one yondan (fourth degree) tests. I also did uked for those tests. I thought by the end I was going to die but it certainly made my dojo and I look in a good light in sensei’s eyes. After the tests were over I had many people come up to me and compliment me on my ukeni (taking falls) and some referred to me as sensei which was weird. I do teach at our dojo occasionally but I am not a sensei in our tradition of the word.
We had another decent break before a banquet dinner was planned for us by the organization. A needed shower was in order and it was time for me to wear a nice shirt and tie. (I love to dress up.)
Filipino hospitality is unbelievable. We were treated so well. The dinner was decent, hotel banquet food, certainly not the real deal but okay. I of course started to have a few drinks. After the dinner we were treated to an hour of entertainment by The National Philippine Folk Company who has performed all over the world include Rockefeller Center. What a treat. At the end of their performance one performer grabbed me and asked me to try and do this stick dance called Tinikling which is a pair of long sticks laid on the floor slapping against each other as a dancer or dancers hop-scotch like between them. I did pretty well until my glasses fell off during it.
After the party the gang wanted to go to Air force One; another KTV place but only upscale. I was in, what the hell. John arrived back from Mindanao and he was psyched to go! It took us over almost 2 hours to get there which if in Chicago would have been 20 minutes that’s how bad the traffic was. Thank goodness for hired drivers and a van, I was able to snooze a bit. Air Force One looked like a Vegas casino with the gambling. Once we met our host she escorted us past the bar, mega stage and private like booths to the room of chicks. Again like the first place, we were able to look at a gaggle of girls through a thin long window. These girls were far prettier then the first KTV place we saw. She explained that there were 3 levels of girls. The low level was thre GRO. The second level was called something I do not recall. The highest was called a Centerfold. John immediately picked out his girl; a centerfold. She was pricey. Rocky was kind of undecided but I had my eye on two girls with their heads on each other’s shoulders. If I was only straight, they looked like a straight guy’s fantasy. Funny, Rocky ended up choosing one of the “twins”. The escort asked me which one I was going to choose but I declined. We were then escorted into our private room titled “Grover Cleveland”. The GRO Rocky had, showed interest in me and why I did not get a girl. It was explained that I was gay. Clearly she was confused. After 45 minutes of karaoke and weak ass drinks and decided to leave them alone since John was practically groping the Centerfold so I ponied up to the bar and watched pathetic runway like modeling and some hip hop dancing troupe that at least had guys in it.
(Okay so I am not sparing you with details, I am on my fourth glass of wine, deal with it. J)
I milked my beer at the bar making sure the guys had a better time not worrying about my presence. The GRO walked past me and wanted me to join them. OK, she’s a whore and was told I was gay but she certainly was giving me the eye. After about 20 minutes I returned to sing a song and then I passed out in the room. There were only two couches in there so Rocky and the GRO shared a passed out Guy on the smaller couch while John and his centerfold had the larger couch. The GRO prodded me a few times during my rest but I was so fine hanging half off the sofa after the drinks and aikido. When I woke up, the GRO was in intense fascination with my hairy forearms. She was stroking them and certainly was giving me more attention then she ever gave Rocky. She started to look down my shirt to see my chest and yes, her hand reached down my shirt to rub my hairy (but man-scaped) chest. Clearly I was the only white guy in the room and possibly her ticket out of GRO status. On the ride home John said that he tried to get the Centerfold to do “more” in the other room (bathroom or hotel) but she said she did not do that. We all knew she did but her price would have been high but she said the GRO is always looking to do “extra”. LOL
Day Five: Last day of aikido, seeing Mom again, party in the Hamptoms
I will spare you the meticulous details I submitted all in Day 1, 2 and 3. J
Day four again started with the free breakfast buffet. Filipino breakfasts ROCK! One must be careful though with the rice intake if you are not accustomed to rice on a daily and am ritual for it will clog you terribly. Luckily, I my internal organs were working rather well this Asian trip unlike Japan when I wished I had a portable enema set traveling with me.
The day was again 3 to 4 hours of aikido breaking for lunch. I got a better impression of the Filipino aikido practice then expected. I heard they were quite unorganized both organizationally and in training. Not so in training, the only real difference I noticed was that there ranking did not measure up to our ranking. Chicago especially, has a very tough grading curve and in order to be of a certain rank Chicago tends to have the chops. Basically if I was working with someone of my rank it was quite noticeable that I had a lot more practice investment than my partner, even working with ranks considered higher. Blah, blah, blah.
We broke for a long lunch which enabled us to get a short nap in but then it was back to class for tests. I hemmed and hawed whether I should “dress” meaning whether I should observe tests in my gi or not. It was suggested I do because I may be used as uke (attacker for the tests incase no one has a designated uke) so I did to be on the safe side. Luckily I did because the first two shodan (first degree black belt) tests needed additional ukes for the “randori” portion (5 attackers at one time). Theses testers were not expecting ME. Randori is something Chicago emphasizes when testing so we give it our all. I came out like a greyhound on steroids going art the testers. The idea is that all ukes line up at one end and the nage (tester) is at the other end. Once nage bows to us we should run at it and attack. The first nage bowed and no one but me ran at him. At first I thought I did not hear sesei corrdctly when he said go but it was because the other ukes had no idea how to do this. The poor nage froze when I went at him. Sensei yelled at the others to “go, go, go”. The second nage had a better idea what to expect but still was not prepared.
When it came down to the next pair of shodan tests, sensei stopped the test after a minute and called me up to replace one guy’s uke. Poor chap, he could not handle it/me. I was taking it easy with him too because it is not necessarily my job to punish him of make him look bad, only to give him clean attacks so he can show his technique. I thought he was going to have a heart attack with me. Again, I did his and 3 other shodan randori tests. Next was two sandan (3rd degree) and one yondan (fourth degree) tests. I also did uked for those tests. I thought by the end I was going to die but it certainly made my dojo and I look in a good light in sensei’s eyes. After the tests were over I had many people come up to me and compliment me on my ukeni (taking falls) and some referred to me as sensei which was weird. I do teach at our dojo occasionally but I am not a sensei in our tradition of the word.
We had another decent break before a banquet dinner was planned for us by the organization. A needed shower was in order and it was time for me to wear a nice shirt and tie. (I love to dress up.)
Filipino hospitality is unbelievable. We were treated so well. The dinner was decent, hotel banquet food, certainly not the real deal but okay. I of course started to have a few drinks. After the dinner we were treated to an hour of entertainment by The National Philippine Folk Company who has performed all over the world include Rockefeller Center. What a treat. At the end of their performance one performer grabbed me and asked me to try and do this stick dance called Tinikling which is a pair of long sticks laid on the floor slapping against each other as a dancer or dancers hop-scotch like between them. I did pretty well until my glasses fell off during it.
After the party the gang wanted to go to Air force One; another KTV place but only upscale. I was in, what the hell. John arrived back from Mindanao and he was psyched to go! It took us over almost 2 hours to get there which if in Chicago would have been 20 minutes that’s how bad the traffic was. Thank goodness for hired drivers and a van, I was able to snooze a bit. Air Force One looked like a Vegas casino with the gambling. Once we met our host she escorted us past the bar, mega stage and private like booths to the room of chicks. Again like the first place, we were able to look at a gaggle of girls through a thin long window. These girls were far prettier then the first KTV place we saw. She explained that there were 3 levels of girls. The low level was thre GRO. The second level was called something I do not recall. The highest was called a Centerfold. John immediately picked out his girl; a centerfold. She was pricey. Rocky was kind of undecided but I had my eye on two girls with their heads on each other’s shoulders. If I was only straight, they looked like a straight guy’s fantasy. Funny, Rocky ended up choosing one of the “twins”. The escort asked me which one I was going to choose but I declined. We were then escorted into our private room titled “Grover Cleveland”. The GRO Rocky had, showed interest in me and why I did not get a girl. It was explained that I was gay. Clearly she was confused. After 45 minutes of karaoke and weak ass drinks and decided to leave them alone since John was practically groping the Centerfold so I ponied up to the bar and watched pathetic runway like modeling and some hip hop dancing troupe that at least had guys in it.
(Okay so I am not sparing you with details, I am on my fourth glass of wine, deal with it. J)
I milked my beer at the bar making sure the guys had a better time not worrying about my presence. The GRO walked past me and wanted me to join them. OK, she’s a whore and was told I was gay but she certainly was giving me the eye. After about 20 minutes I returned to sing a song and then I passed out in the room. There were only two couches in there so Rocky and the GRO shared a passed out Guy on the smaller couch while John and his centerfold had the larger couch. The GRO prodded me a few times during my rest but I was so fine hanging half off the sofa after the drinks and aikido. When I woke up, the GRO was in intense fascination with my hairy forearms. She was stroking them and certainly was giving me more attention then she ever gave Rocky. She started to look down my shirt to see my chest and yes, her hand reached down my shirt to rub my hairy (but man-scaped) chest. Clearly I was the only white guy in the room and possibly her ticket out of GRO status. On the ride home John said that he tried to get the Centerfold to do “more” in the other room (bathroom or hotel) but she said she did not do that. We all knew she did but her price would have been high but she said the GRO is always looking to do “extra”. LOL
Day Five: Last day of aikido, seeing Mom again, party in the Hamptoms
Day Three
Again, we woke up fairly early in order to get our free breakfast buffet: my staple: garlic rice with fried egg and pork products. First aikido class began at 9:00 so after breakfast Rocky and I showered (not together of course) got into our gis and hakama (aikido pants) and proceeded down to the training room. Yamada sensei, shihan (master instructor) from NY was quite pleased to see us there. Training went well. Class was about three and a half hours giving me time to wash up and so I can look decent upon meeting Jay’s Mother. I spoke to jay afterward who told me his sister was also joining us. I did not know she was also coming and began to panic because I did not get her a gift. Jay said the best thing was to buy her a bottle of booze because she is a drunk. I met her in the states before and she can out drink all of us combined. Digressing a bit, she spent the night at my place and we all had about 3 bottles of wine (except Jay). She (and I) still were in the mood to have more booze so I grabbed a bottle of hard liquor. I asked if she wanted a mix and she said no, she can just have the bottle….and she did. I think she finished half of it. Yikes! So with this I ran down to the lobby to see if I could buy a bottle somewhere in the hotel. I was to meet them at 1:45. it was 1:15 so I had time. There was no place in the hotel to buy anything but I was directed to go to the mall across the street. I disobeyed our instructions not to leave the hotel and ran across the street to buy some booze. (FYI: there was HS tennis convention in the Hotel and I witnessed 16 year old blond girls roaming in the hood, unsure why we were restricted….anyway as I was running in the parking lot I heard my named called and there, sitting in a van smoking, was Lyle, jay’s sister, and his Mother, also smoking. They were early. I greeted them and gave his mother a big hug. She was fabulous!!!! There was an immediate feeling of family and conformability. Her physicality could have been Jewish or Italian for the exception of her accent. I explained why I was running in the mall and Lyle said it was not necessary. I had to run back into the room in order to get his mother her gift. I came back, gave his mother the gift, but she did not open it yet but it was clear it was wise to have something for her. Jay’s mother had definite bling on her. Not too much but enough to see it was the real deal. We proceeded to drive around town. They wanted to show me places I already toured the day before so we ended up walking along a park on the bay then moved to a coffee shop. They love to smoke. It seems any chance they got cigs were lit. After the coffee, smokes, and a few pics, they wanted to take me to lunch and asked what type of vfood I would like. I suggested Filipino since that’s where I’m at. We were in a strip mall on the bay so we walked to a nearby Filipino restaurant. They were under the impression I was a picky eater, thanks to Jay. That’s because I will not eat balut or fish eyeballs. They ordered for me and again the food was fantastic. We ordered grilled squid qhich was as big as a cuttle fish, sisig (what looked like ground pork), and a pork shank soup, oh, and of course, rice. The sisig was the best. Turns out sisig is pig head ground up tossed with some crispy pork skin. It was so good I ate it later at another restaurant. We just laughed all day and talked about Jay. I really felt like I was with my second family. Jay’s mother did not seem like a mother in the way you picture my mother. She is young, in her mid 50’s. she was like a buddy too and that is how she wanted me to feel. I can’t wait to take her to The Baton Show lounge. Both were encouraging me to stay an extra day so they can show me more of The Philippines. I knew that would be impossible since I was going to be exhausted after the seminar but I told them I would keep it in mind. With that said we decided to again do something together Sunday during the day were I had more free time. The hours flew by and I had to return to the Hotel to get ready for the reception dinner hosted by the aikido organization. Driving back Jay’s mom opened her gift and I could tell I did well. We kissed and hugged and said our goodbyes. All that stress for nothing.
After cleaning up again, I changed for the dinner where we were entertained to the National Filipino Folk Troup. Amazing. They sang and danced for an hour after hour dinner. During the end they grabbed me and a couple of other people to learn their folk stick dance; Tini-Kling. Basically it is like jump roping but instead of rope, they have long sticks laid along the floor snapping back and forth as one tries to tap their feet between them. I master it. LOL Until my glasses slipped off my face.
After the entertainment Rocky was pretty tired. I was feeling good. Rocky decided to go to the room and call it a night. I was in a party mood so I went to the atrium for another drink. No one was around in the lobby to drink with. Chicago aikidoists are the true partiers of the aikido world organization for the exception of the Japanese and what I will soon know, the Malaysians. I asked a waiter if they knew where Big Papas was. This was the bar jay went to when he was here last year. It is a strip bar where you can order your male GRO (guest relations officer). The waiter got together with other staff members to help me find a place. Apparently Big paps is no longer but they suggested mr. Valentines which was fairly close by. I asked if I should take a cab but they suggested that the hotel car take me and it will pick me up whenever I want. So I went into the car, paid 250 peso for the roundtrip ride, and ended up in front of Mr. Valentines in about ten minutes. As the car pulled up I gave strict instructions to the driver to be back in an hour. He gave me his cell just in case. As I exited the car, a guy came up to me grabbed my arm and escorted me in explaining the rules of the establishment. It went by so quickly, especially since I was already loaded but what I picked up basically was that my drinks cost a certain amount but if I decide to have a GRO, his drinks will cost another amount. I was escorted into a big booth with a nice view of dancers. Once my drink ordered arrived, the escort, or should I say pimp, asked what type of guy do I like. I was put back by this and feeling a bit shy. I know that does not sound like me but I think I was just overwhelmed. I said I like a guy in nice shape so he went to the end of the room where I saw all these guys sitting in three rows of bleacher like seats. He grabbed two WELL built guys and brought them to me and said which one I like. I was speechless at first. I wanted both but I had some guilt flowing in me. I said he needs to hold off for a bit. I ordered another drink. (I can’t believe I remember all this.) He came back and asked me again. This time I said someone twink-like and he brought back Jun. I said OK. Jun joined me and we started chatting. He was now my geisha for the evening. We chatted a lot, more like me blabbling about aikido and other crap. I ended up ordering him two drinks. We moved to a more private booth where supposedly more things could happen in a more private space. I was feeling a bit randy at this time but knew I could not act upon anything and I also got the impression if I did it was not allowed because security was walking back and forth with tiny pin point flashlights. My escort came up to me later and said my ride had arrived. Thank God!!! I got my bill which came to over 3000 pesos. I had no idea what that was because peso where monopoly money to me at that time. It turned out it was just over $70. Man Jun’s drinks were expensive. After telling Jay this he said I could have had my way with the GRO. That is probably why I made sure my driver returned within the hour. I left Mr. Valentines, returned to the hotel, tipped the driver well for his promptness and went to sleep only to wake up early again for more aikido training.
Day four…Lots of aikido, great food and Air Force One hookers.
After cleaning up again, I changed for the dinner where we were entertained to the National Filipino Folk Troup. Amazing. They sang and danced for an hour after hour dinner. During the end they grabbed me and a couple of other people to learn their folk stick dance; Tini-Kling. Basically it is like jump roping but instead of rope, they have long sticks laid along the floor snapping back and forth as one tries to tap their feet between them. I master it. LOL Until my glasses slipped off my face.
After the entertainment Rocky was pretty tired. I was feeling good. Rocky decided to go to the room and call it a night. I was in a party mood so I went to the atrium for another drink. No one was around in the lobby to drink with. Chicago aikidoists are the true partiers of the aikido world organization for the exception of the Japanese and what I will soon know, the Malaysians. I asked a waiter if they knew where Big Papas was. This was the bar jay went to when he was here last year. It is a strip bar where you can order your male GRO (guest relations officer). The waiter got together with other staff members to help me find a place. Apparently Big paps is no longer but they suggested mr. Valentines which was fairly close by. I asked if I should take a cab but they suggested that the hotel car take me and it will pick me up whenever I want. So I went into the car, paid 250 peso for the roundtrip ride, and ended up in front of Mr. Valentines in about ten minutes. As the car pulled up I gave strict instructions to the driver to be back in an hour. He gave me his cell just in case. As I exited the car, a guy came up to me grabbed my arm and escorted me in explaining the rules of the establishment. It went by so quickly, especially since I was already loaded but what I picked up basically was that my drinks cost a certain amount but if I decide to have a GRO, his drinks will cost another amount. I was escorted into a big booth with a nice view of dancers. Once my drink ordered arrived, the escort, or should I say pimp, asked what type of guy do I like. I was put back by this and feeling a bit shy. I know that does not sound like me but I think I was just overwhelmed. I said I like a guy in nice shape so he went to the end of the room where I saw all these guys sitting in three rows of bleacher like seats. He grabbed two WELL built guys and brought them to me and said which one I like. I was speechless at first. I wanted both but I had some guilt flowing in me. I said he needs to hold off for a bit. I ordered another drink. (I can’t believe I remember all this.) He came back and asked me again. This time I said someone twink-like and he brought back Jun. I said OK. Jun joined me and we started chatting. He was now my geisha for the evening. We chatted a lot, more like me blabbling about aikido and other crap. I ended up ordering him two drinks. We moved to a more private booth where supposedly more things could happen in a more private space. I was feeling a bit randy at this time but knew I could not act upon anything and I also got the impression if I did it was not allowed because security was walking back and forth with tiny pin point flashlights. My escort came up to me later and said my ride had arrived. Thank God!!! I got my bill which came to over 3000 pesos. I had no idea what that was because peso where monopoly money to me at that time. It turned out it was just over $70. Man Jun’s drinks were expensive. After telling Jay this he said I could have had my way with the GRO. That is probably why I made sure my driver returned within the hour. I left Mr. Valentines, returned to the hotel, tipped the driver well for his promptness and went to sleep only to wake up early again for more aikido training.
Day four…Lots of aikido, great food and Air Force One hookers.
Day Two: The Coup D'Etat
Wednesday we awoke fairly early not to miss our free breakfast buffet in the hotel. We had our priorities set. I made sure to call Jay’s mother first thing so she did not feel I blew her off the evening before but she was not home so I left a message with the maid. John, one of the guys who joined me, never went to bed because he was flying out to visit his family in Mindanao for a few days to return sometime Saturday. Thankfully he left his cell phone with us (me and Rocky) so we can communicate with our drivers and tour guide Lala.
While getting ready in the hotel room, Filipino TV announced a coup d’etat attempt was occurring. Minutes later, Rocky and I heard the largest noise that sounded like a helicopter above our heads. That’s because it was a helicopter landing outside our window on the heliport. We figured it must be whisking certain governmental members out of the coup area. Two non military helicopters landed minutes apart. This did not stop us from site seeing.
The weather was great on our first day, low 80’s sunny, no humidity, but Wednesday it was a bit rainy. We called Lala to show us around the city. The plan was to see wholeness and historic sites this day so we did a drive tour of parks and along Roxas Blvd. which is what Lake Shore Drive was based from. We went into Intramuras , the old walled city. There we walked around and toured the path of Jose Rizal’s final steps before being executed in ft. Santiago. From there we toured the Baroque St. Augustine’s church and museum, the oldest and possibly oldest building in the Philippines.
During the drive Lala received a call from a friend making sure we were not in Makati City (where Jay’s condo is planned) because the district was being locked down because of the coup and that the government has declared a midnight curfew for the entire city.
We continued on our trek to a restaurant called The Aristocrat. One of the waiters was so hot. So far I did not see many gringos around and those we did looked like they were missing a few marbles. At this restaurant there were actually a few dining. The neighborhood was back in Malate and I believe the white clientele were mostly ex-pats. I called Jay’s mother once again to make sure she got my message. Again the maid answered who told me she received the message and that they will pick me up the next day. Upon this confirmation I began to get nervous knowing she made Jay’s ex wife cry on their first meeting. Not that I was going to cry but simply I wanted her to like me. I would be the first “male friend” of Jay’s to meet. Taking the positive side of things I looked at meeting her without Jay better than if Jay was here because she had to work on my time, not hers, since I was here for a seminar and not a vacation but I still had to get a gift for her of quality. We ate, which once again was great. Unfortunately, I ended up having a salad which was the wrong choice because how good the other’s lunches looked like but I do not believe Filipinos believe in vegetables. I had to get some roughage in me at some point otherwise all the garlic rice eaten would clog me and there is nothing worse for me to walking around or practicing without significant bowel movements.
After lunch we went to the Mall of Asia which was a mega mall filled with high end stores. Jay clued me in that his mother loves perfumes so we went to a perfume store in the mall. Jay suggested Channel #5 but the store did not have this. Here, I was treated like some movie star. It was insane! Lala and I went into the store and we were flocked by at least 7 employees all trying to vie there way with their scented suggestions. We could not move freely in the store because they surrounded us every where we moved. Even Lala was taken aback by this. Every time an employee left to grab another scent a new employee filled his or her place. We must have been in there for 15 minutes before I made a decision but it seemed forever because of the mob surrounded us. I ended up choosing Dior’s J’Adore at $127.00. If jay’s mother only knew how cheap I was she would really understand how well of an impression I wanted to make upon her. I asked the attendant to wrap it nicely. This task was unachievable. The guy could not handle it and Lala ended up showing him how to wrap it correctly. Finally I was set with a gift but while we were there I needed to get Jay something so we found G2000, an awesome shirt store with a great clearance rack. J Jay bought me a shirt from this store before so I knew this would be ideal. Nothing like shopping for perfume and a shirt during a coup d’etat.
After all this mayhem we were able to leave the mall and go to The Hobbit House for well deserved drinks. The Hobbit House was a 30 plus year old bar owned by an American who loved The Lord of the Rings which is the bar’s theme. But the décor is not what makes this place special, it’s the staff. As our van pulled up to the door, there were several midgets in front wearing “Small is Beautiful” t-shirts. The entire van began to crack up uncontrollably. We had to gain our composure quickly because one of the midgets (or should I say little people) ran to our door to escort us out for the van. The front door was a big circle that turned on its axis. When we entered the place there were
several midget servers walking around and midget bartender propped up behind the bar. All I could think of was Nicole wishing she could be there with me. The bar was fairly dead inside due to the coup but this did not stop us from ordering drinks. I asked for a Jack and seven. I scarfed mine down in a minute and asked for another one. Our server asked me if I want a larger one. I held my tongue from saying “make it tall”. The place had live entertainment which was really good. No midgets performing. We were asked where we were from so we said Chicago, and a few tables away one guy said so was he. He came over to us and said he was just finishing up his peace Corp. service from I think Malaysia. The evening was getting late and we needed to get back to the hotel leaving time for our driver and Lala to get back to their homes prior to midnight. Driving back was a breeze since there were not many cars usually typical to Manila roads however I was amazed still that there were so many people still going about their daily lives. If there was a coup attempt in Chicago, we Americans would be in sheer panic mode. People looked as if this was just another day. It was kind or rest assuring. Actually I was thankful for the coup because after the first night I really needed to rest. We decided to cap our evening off with a couple drinks at The Top of The Century, the hotel bar overlooking the city.
Day three….meeting mom.
While getting ready in the hotel room, Filipino TV announced a coup d’etat attempt was occurring. Minutes later, Rocky and I heard the largest noise that sounded like a helicopter above our heads. That’s because it was a helicopter landing outside our window on the heliport. We figured it must be whisking certain governmental members out of the coup area. Two non military helicopters landed minutes apart. This did not stop us from site seeing.
The weather was great on our first day, low 80’s sunny, no humidity, but Wednesday it was a bit rainy. We called Lala to show us around the city. The plan was to see wholeness and historic sites this day so we did a drive tour of parks and along Roxas Blvd. which is what Lake Shore Drive was based from. We went into Intramuras , the old walled city. There we walked around and toured the path of Jose Rizal’s final steps before being executed in ft. Santiago. From there we toured the Baroque St. Augustine’s church and museum, the oldest and possibly oldest building in the Philippines.
During the drive Lala received a call from a friend making sure we were not in Makati City (where Jay’s condo is planned) because the district was being locked down because of the coup and that the government has declared a midnight curfew for the entire city.
We continued on our trek to a restaurant called The Aristocrat. One of the waiters was so hot. So far I did not see many gringos around and those we did looked like they were missing a few marbles. At this restaurant there were actually a few dining. The neighborhood was back in Malate and I believe the white clientele were mostly ex-pats. I called Jay’s mother once again to make sure she got my message. Again the maid answered who told me she received the message and that they will pick me up the next day. Upon this confirmation I began to get nervous knowing she made Jay’s ex wife cry on their first meeting. Not that I was going to cry but simply I wanted her to like me. I would be the first “male friend” of Jay’s to meet. Taking the positive side of things I looked at meeting her without Jay better than if Jay was here because she had to work on my time, not hers, since I was here for a seminar and not a vacation but I still had to get a gift for her of quality. We ate, which once again was great. Unfortunately, I ended up having a salad which was the wrong choice because how good the other’s lunches looked like but I do not believe Filipinos believe in vegetables. I had to get some roughage in me at some point otherwise all the garlic rice eaten would clog me and there is nothing worse for me to walking around or practicing without significant bowel movements.
After lunch we went to the Mall of Asia which was a mega mall filled with high end stores. Jay clued me in that his mother loves perfumes so we went to a perfume store in the mall. Jay suggested Channel #5 but the store did not have this. Here, I was treated like some movie star. It was insane! Lala and I went into the store and we were flocked by at least 7 employees all trying to vie there way with their scented suggestions. We could not move freely in the store because they surrounded us every where we moved. Even Lala was taken aback by this. Every time an employee left to grab another scent a new employee filled his or her place. We must have been in there for 15 minutes before I made a decision but it seemed forever because of the mob surrounded us. I ended up choosing Dior’s J’Adore at $127.00. If jay’s mother only knew how cheap I was she would really understand how well of an impression I wanted to make upon her. I asked the attendant to wrap it nicely. This task was unachievable. The guy could not handle it and Lala ended up showing him how to wrap it correctly. Finally I was set with a gift but while we were there I needed to get Jay something so we found G2000, an awesome shirt store with a great clearance rack. J Jay bought me a shirt from this store before so I knew this would be ideal. Nothing like shopping for perfume and a shirt during a coup d’etat.
After all this mayhem we were able to leave the mall and go to The Hobbit House for well deserved drinks. The Hobbit House was a 30 plus year old bar owned by an American who loved The Lord of the Rings which is the bar’s theme. But the décor is not what makes this place special, it’s the staff. As our van pulled up to the door, there were several midgets in front wearing “Small is Beautiful” t-shirts. The entire van began to crack up uncontrollably. We had to gain our composure quickly because one of the midgets (or should I say little people) ran to our door to escort us out for the van. The front door was a big circle that turned on its axis. When we entered the place there were
several midget servers walking around and midget bartender propped up behind the bar. All I could think of was Nicole wishing she could be there with me. The bar was fairly dead inside due to the coup but this did not stop us from ordering drinks. I asked for a Jack and seven. I scarfed mine down in a minute and asked for another one. Our server asked me if I want a larger one. I held my tongue from saying “make it tall”. The place had live entertainment which was really good. No midgets performing. We were asked where we were from so we said Chicago, and a few tables away one guy said so was he. He came over to us and said he was just finishing up his peace Corp. service from I think Malaysia. The evening was getting late and we needed to get back to the hotel leaving time for our driver and Lala to get back to their homes prior to midnight. Driving back was a breeze since there were not many cars usually typical to Manila roads however I was amazed still that there were so many people still going about their daily lives. If there was a coup attempt in Chicago, we Americans would be in sheer panic mode. People looked as if this was just another day. It was kind or rest assuring. Actually I was thankful for the coup because after the first night I really needed to rest. We decided to cap our evening off with a couple drinks at The Top of The Century, the hotel bar overlooking the city.Day three….meeting mom.
Manila Day One
Well all I am back from my across the globe aikido trek. What an amazing 5 days. Most of it was spent for aikido purposes but I was able to get in other experiences prior and within the aikido stuff. I got home last night around 5 pm and went to bed at midnight hoping to be well rested today. I awoke at 12:30 pm and I still feel drunkish but not hung-over; definitely jet-lagged
Our flight left around 1:00 am and like a good 85er and Midwest Aikido practitioner, I planned to have a couple drinks at the airport before boarding. O’Hare International sucks! No bar was open but we were told we could buy duty free and they would bring it to us right after the gate. So we bought a package of mini’s. Well, “after the gate” meant after boarding but I did manage to suck down 2 mini whiskeys in the air before first drink service. We flew Asiana Air which is a Korean airline therefore it was apt to try a couple Korean beers in addition to my whiskey. After drink and dinner service and a movie it was time to pop my sleeping pill. I awoke 20 minutes before the next meal service a few hours prior to landing in Icheon-Seoul, South Korea. One negative comment about south-east Asians, they have no concept of lines and waiting their turn. Rocky, a fellow aikidoist, warned me of this. Attempting to get off the plane was insane. Little old Korean ladies were shoving their way past people in the plane aisles trying to get out first. I couldn’t imagine any queue believing Brit in the middle of such chaos.
The airport was like a mega duty free mall and uber-modern; a far cry from O’Hare or any other US or other International airport I have been in. Being Asia, there were smoking rooms in all the terminals. I only bought two things in duty free; a carton of smokes and a bottle of Jack to share for our hotel room. I planned to smoke a lot on this trip since I knew I would be drinking heavily and surrounded by smoking everywhere I go. I debated about buying some perfume for Jay’s mother in the small chance that we would meet but as I told Jay, it would be practically impossible because of all the scheduled aikido activities and scheduled touring activities that were set up for us for the two days prior to the seminar. I had to make a pee pit stop in the airport and to my amazement the bathroom stall had a golden commode seat. I tried to take a picture but it did not work because I did not acclimate myself to the borrowed camera in time. When it was time to line up to board our next plane no announcements were made based off of rows. Again queue chaos; masses of Filipinos and Koreans merging into one gate. We just waiting until things settled before getting on.
Needless to say we drank more on the plane bound to Manila. Manila’s airport was not like Icheon. It looked as if it had better days especially customs but I had a weird sense that it felt homey. Exiting the airport to find our hired driver was also insane; mobs of unorganized people all trying to leave and find their rides. We found ours thanks to John, the other Filipino aikidoist, and only one who spoke Tagalog accompanying me. There is no way to put down in words what it was like driving out of the airport and driving in general in Manila. For a good 10 minutes I braced myself thinking we were going to be in an accident immediately. No one obeys any traffic rules what-so-ever. Cars were driving on the shoulders, no one stayed in any traffic lanes, no one used turn signals, everyone weaved in and out of lanes especially all the scooters, and many drove on the other side of traffic and pedestrians all crossed within the mayhem. I have never witnessed such traffic; it was controlled mayhem. It was absolutely apparent that this was not a first world country after seeing many shanty communities along our path and stray dogs and cats and homeless strewn across our drive but again, there was some sense of awe and conformability. After arriving at our hotel; The Century Park, located in Ermita-Malate, the red light district, we were told it would be unwise for us to walk around the area alone. Jay especially insisted I not do
this even though our first desire after checking in was to walk around to get a feel of the neighborhood so instead, we decided to have a couple of drinks and snacks at the Atrium bar in the hotel waiting for Bimbo; our pre-hired tour guide (a friend of another aikidoist who was asked to take us around). We ordered calamari and chicharong (deep fried pork intestines). I never had chicarong before but when in Rome…. Actually, it was not bad; tasted like overly fired potatoes crisps with a hint of meat flavor. When Bimbo (male) arrived we changed drinking locations to the pool bar.
Bimbo was set to take us where we wanted to visit. I had a just a few things I wanted to experience. One was to see Jay’s condo site; to be finished in 2010, eat a grilled tuna jaw, and go to The Hobbit House, so Bimbo whisked us to an outdoor markets where we could choose anything from the sea or land that would b
e taken to a restaurant and cooked to our specifications. There, at Dampa, we picked out the tuna jaw (I saw this on some Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman and it looked so good after it was cooked), yellow spiny lobster, and tuna tenderloin. The girl to bagged our stuff was actually a “lady boy” who gave me the look over. She then took us a few feet away to the restaurant where the food was prepared. The tuna tenderloin was cooked ceviche style, the lobster was steamed and served with a spicy chili sauce, and the tuna was simply grilled. We also had tons of garlic rice. All was AMAZING!!!
After the re
staurant we needed to digest so we drove to Makati City, the business district and hoity-toity hood of manila metro where Jay’s condo is being built. Wow!!! Jay’s condo building will in a Chicago-like sky scrapper. The group was impressed. After that we went to another Filipino restaurant/bar overlooking Makiti’s skyline for more cocktails. From there, we decided to go to a spa for massages in Quezon City (Jay’s last name). The massage cost me $8 for one hour plus a 400 peso tip ($2). Most give 200P. LOL
After that we wanted karaoke so we went to a KTV establishment. Unbelievable!!!! Upon entering, we passed a room with a slim long window where we can choose from an array of what are called Guest Relations Officers (aka GRO’s or “professionals” or more commonly known to us; hookers). There were about 20 girls in the room waiting to be chosen. We passed on them (that time). One of the madames arrived and it was clear, Bimbo was a regular at this establishment. We went upstairs to a private karaoke room, passing the stage of dancing girls (well, they were not dancing, more like modeling). We met up with another tour guide friend Lala, a girl, who did not expect to meet us at such a place. She found us, all guys, the driver Paul, Bimbo, another tour guide Lupe, rocky, John and me, all guys, singing with no girls. We stayed for an hour or so and then decided it was time to sleep. Bimbo and Lala were dropped off on a street to catch a cab right where a gaggle of professionals were working.
Arriving in the hotel room after 3 am there was a massage light on our phone. It was Jay’s mother. She was expecting to meet me the next day but I had scheduled plans already and no gift for her. Her message indicated that she expected to hear from me that night. FYI: Jay told me the first time his ex wife met her, his mother made her cry.
Day two forthcoming…..
Our flight left around 1:00 am and like a good 85er and Midwest Aikido practitioner, I planned to have a couple drinks at the airport before boarding. O’Hare International sucks! No bar was open but we were told we could buy duty free and they would bring it to us right after the gate. So we bought a package of mini’s. Well, “after the gate” meant after boarding but I did manage to suck down 2 mini whiskeys in the air before first drink service. We flew Asiana Air which is a Korean airline therefore it was apt to try a couple Korean beers in addition to my whiskey. After drink and dinner service and a movie it was time to pop my sleeping pill. I awoke 20 minutes before the next meal service a few hours prior to landing in Icheon-Seoul, South Korea. One negative comment about south-east Asians, they have no concept of lines and waiting their turn. Rocky, a fellow aikidoist, warned me of this. Attempting to get off the plane was insane. Little old Korean ladies were shoving their way past people in the plane aisles trying to get out first. I couldn’t imagine any queue believing Brit in the middle of such chaos.
The airport was like a mega duty free mall and uber-modern; a far cry from O’Hare or any other US or other International airport I have been in. Being Asia, there were smoking rooms in all the terminals. I only bought two things in duty free; a carton of smokes and a bottle of Jack to share for our hotel room. I planned to smoke a lot on this trip since I knew I would be drinking heavily and surrounded by smoking everywhere I go. I debated about buying some perfume for Jay’s mother in the small chance that we would meet but as I told Jay, it would be practically impossible because of all the scheduled aikido activities and scheduled touring activities that were set up for us for the two days prior to the seminar. I had to make a pee pit stop in the airport and to my amazement the bathroom stall had a golden commode seat. I tried to take a picture but it did not work because I did not acclimate myself to the borrowed camera in time. When it was time to line up to board our next plane no announcements were made based off of rows. Again queue chaos; masses of Filipinos and Koreans merging into one gate. We just waiting until things settled before getting on.
Needless to say we drank more on the plane bound to Manila. Manila’s airport was not like Icheon. It looked as if it had better days especially customs but I had a weird sense that it felt homey. Exiting the airport to find our hired driver was also insane; mobs of unorganized people all trying to leave and find their rides. We found ours thanks to John, the other Filipino aikidoist, and only one who spoke Tagalog accompanying me. There is no way to put down in words what it was like driving out of the airport and driving in general in Manila. For a good 10 minutes I braced myself thinking we were going to be in an accident immediately. No one obeys any traffic rules what-so-ever. Cars were driving on the shoulders, no one stayed in any traffic lanes, no one used turn signals, everyone weaved in and out of lanes especially all the scooters, and many drove on the other side of traffic and pedestrians all crossed within the mayhem. I have never witnessed such traffic; it was controlled mayhem. It was absolutely apparent that this was not a first world country after seeing many shanty communities along our path and stray dogs and cats and homeless strewn across our drive but again, there was some sense of awe and conformability. After arriving at our hotel; The Century Park, located in Ermita-Malate, the red light district, we were told it would be unwise for us to walk around the area alone. Jay especially insisted I not do
this even though our first desire after checking in was to walk around to get a feel of the neighborhood so instead, we decided to have a couple of drinks and snacks at the Atrium bar in the hotel waiting for Bimbo; our pre-hired tour guide (a friend of another aikidoist who was asked to take us around). We ordered calamari and chicharong (deep fried pork intestines). I never had chicarong before but when in Rome…. Actually, it was not bad; tasted like overly fired potatoes crisps with a hint of meat flavor. When Bimbo (male) arrived we changed drinking locations to the pool bar.Bimbo was set to take us where we wanted to visit. I had a just a few things I wanted to experience. One was to see Jay’s condo site; to be finished in 2010, eat a grilled tuna jaw, and go to The Hobbit House, so Bimbo whisked us to an outdoor markets where we could choose anything from the sea or land that would b
e taken to a restaurant and cooked to our specifications. There, at Dampa, we picked out the tuna jaw (I saw this on some Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman and it looked so good after it was cooked), yellow spiny lobster, and tuna tenderloin. The girl to bagged our stuff was actually a “lady boy” who gave me the look over. She then took us a few feet away to the restaurant where the food was prepared. The tuna tenderloin was cooked ceviche style, the lobster was steamed and served with a spicy chili sauce, and the tuna was simply grilled. We also had tons of garlic rice. All was AMAZING!!!After the re
staurant we needed to digest so we drove to Makati City, the business district and hoity-toity hood of manila metro where Jay’s condo is being built. Wow!!! Jay’s condo building will in a Chicago-like sky scrapper. The group was impressed. After that we went to another Filipino restaurant/bar overlooking Makiti’s skyline for more cocktails. From there, we decided to go to a spa for massages in Quezon City (Jay’s last name). The massage cost me $8 for one hour plus a 400 peso tip ($2). Most give 200P. LOLAfter that we wanted karaoke so we went to a KTV establishment. Unbelievable!!!! Upon entering, we passed a room with a slim long window where we can choose from an array of what are called Guest Relations Officers (aka GRO’s or “professionals” or more commonly known to us; hookers). There were about 20 girls in the room waiting to be chosen. We passed on them (that time). One of the madames arrived and it was clear, Bimbo was a regular at this establishment. We went upstairs to a private karaoke room, passing the stage of dancing girls (well, they were not dancing, more like modeling). We met up with another tour guide friend Lala, a girl, who did not expect to meet us at such a place. She found us, all guys, the driver Paul, Bimbo, another tour guide Lupe, rocky, John and me, all guys, singing with no girls. We stayed for an hour or so and then decided it was time to sleep. Bimbo and Lala were dropped off on a street to catch a cab right where a gaggle of professionals were working.
Arriving in the hotel room after 3 am there was a massage light on our phone. It was Jay’s mother. She was expecting to meet me the next day but I had scheduled plans already and no gift for her. Her message indicated that she expected to hear from me that night. FYI: Jay told me the first time his ex wife met her, his mother made her cry.
Day two forthcoming…..
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