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Manila, Philippines
Hello,
So I arrived last night in Manila at 11pm local time. For you back in NY that is 11am. Easy enough, right? The flights were long. A 14 hour flight from NY to Tokyo, which turned out to be the maiden voyage for Delta airlines NY to Tokyo route. This special event was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the gate and a spech by the VP of JFK Int'l Airport (who also joined us on the flight.) It was a nice way to start off my trip to say the least. THe second flight from Tokyo to Manila was only 4.5 hours and felt really short in comparisson.
This is not my first time to the Philippines. In fact it is my third. I had made this trip as a young boy in 1993 and then again in 1998. However, experienceing this as an adult was far different.
Upon arrival in both Tokyo and then again in Manila extra precautions were taken by the airport and flight crew to check for Swine flu. In Tokyo, a team of medical staff boarded the plane wearing masks and clinical smocks to exam the crew. Honestly though they were not very thorough.
So it was 11pm when we landed and about 12:30 when we got through customs. We found our ride right away, my cousin Gec had the truck and we were off. Hwe wanted to grab a bite to eat and even though we were exhausted we went along for the ride. Oddly enough, a lot of places are open really late in Manila. So at 1:00am we walked into a Chinese resturaunt and ordered soup, dimsum and chicken feet. It was all pretty good and really cheap.
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Today I woke up bright and early at 8am. I needed a hair cut so we went to a local salon where for 70 pesos, or about a buck fifty I got a trim. Yea, a $1.50. I know its crazy.
After thatI met up with the another cousins, Clar and her family. She and Gec took me to a mall, which by the way the Philippines is like the capital of malls in asia, and there I was able to get a few pairs of pants tailored. 7 Pairs only $33USD. Again, I know, its crazy.
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