The Philippines - Part Deux

It has been a while since I wrote again, as I have been extremely busy with work and other things. I will pick back up from where I left off… the Philippines. So, on the second full day in Boracay, Jack and I went to lie on the beach. Yes, I was trying to get a sun tan, which eventually turned into a spotted sun burn. Basically the next morning I looked as if I had been involved in a horrendous traffic accident or a house fire gone bad. (yes, some house fires are good, lol)

Anyway, as we lie on the beach Jack and I commented on the girl that was not too far from where we were lying down. Then Jack went to the water and when he came back, he said he had spoken to her whilst in the ocean. He said her name was Olga and she was from Russia and that the big guy she was with, oh his name just so happened to be Dimitry. Nice story Jack, really creative with the names. So, then I go out into the ocean as well, and Jack joins me. The girl from that had been lying on the beach (not too far from us) in her bikini came into the water as well and was approaching us. This was a little odd. Then she got pretty close and Jack said, this is my friend, Tim. Tim, this is Olga. Before saying hello to this girl, I looked at Jack and said, “you were serious”? haha, and he was.

So, Jack began to converse with Olga and she said she wanted to go for a ride on a Banana Boat. (yes the actual one; she was not hitting on Jack) So, Jack said, “oh sounds fun, we’ll go with you”. Although I had though we were going to go jet skiing. Well, we did go on the banana boat, for which I was a virgin. I must say that my first time was better than expected, but still not tons of fun. (I had low expectations to begin with and would have preferred the jet skis) Well, then I asked Jack if we could actually go to the ATV’s, another thing we had planned before the Russian had entered our group. And we did, but he asked her if she wanted to join us. Of course I didn’t mind as long as we didn’t have to pay to do something like the banana boat again.

The ATV’s were fun as we followed this guide on the typical path up to the observation area and back to the ATV shop. There were two stops on this voyage, the first of which was the observation tower. The observation tower was located at the midpoint of our ride and was a rickety structure of wooden boards atop a tall wooded hillside. You pay to go up and see the view from the top, however, on the way back down, I noticed that they also had animals on display; basically native animals that the locals had caged so as to collect money from showing them to the ATV riders. The animals included some birds, a large iguana, a bearcat, and a group of small monkeys, among other things. They were quite interesting actually and bravo to the locals for finding every way possible to entice visitors and take their money.

The second stop of the ATV’s was at the end near the ATV shop. We followed the guide, and he stopped at this place, walking us inside. It was a butterfly conservatory. Basically a small netted garden and something else for us to have to pay for. However, this was pretty cool and not because of the sleeping butterflies. Instead, there were also bats. Large fruit fats that were hanging from the trees and bushes inside. The guide woke one up and held it before asking if any of us would like to. Of course I did, but the other two were too chicken. It was awesome, as I had never held a bat before or ever a large winged animal such as this. It hung by its claws from my fingertips and would spread its wings open so as to yawn. The wing span was probably 2.5 feet from tip to tip if that gives you a visual to its size. Definitely not the type of bat that I would find in my attic back home and kill with a shoe or broom. (depending of which was more convenient of course) We asked if they ate bats on the island and of course, he said yes. (I will have to get a picture of me holding this bat as my camera was out of batteries and it is on Jack’s)

We ended the ATVs, and departed from the Russian so as to eat dinner. Of course the plan, suggested by Jack, was to meet back up with her at the dance club later. Oh, I guess I should update on the guy. You see, as I had mentioned, this girl was on the beach earlier with some big dude. A really big guy, whom I had assumed to be her boyfriend (older rich dude with younger girl) However, as she did not invite him with us on either activity, we noted this wasn’t the case. Olga simply referred to him as her “friend”, Dimitry. Well, we got to the bar / dance club later and when Olga arrived, she brought her “friend” with her. Dimitry could not speak English, only Russian, and so if he were to speak, Olga would have to translate for him. However, he just sat there next her her. He was quite content with not saying a word and she was quite content without him speaking as well. Perhaps I should comment on the size of this guy’s arms. (perhaps as round as my head) He was probably 5 inches taller than me and about 150 pound heavier. Let’s just say he was big.
Well, at some point Jack came up with the idea that perhaps this guy was her security guard and that Olga was a wealthy royalty type from Russia. We verified through questioning that he was her security guard but did not figure out her social status. She came from the far, east side of Russia, somewhere north of Mongolia. Jack got her e-mail address so as to e-mail her some pictures (fully clothed I hope), however, he never shared it with me and has yet to copy me on an e-mail. Haha

Well, the next day we departed Boracay. When we got to our destination I was without Johan’s number. Johan is my friend from E&Y (originally from Sweden and then after 10 years in the US, moved to the Philippines for work ). It was in my e-mail account and so, we took a taxi to go to an internet cafe. On the way Johan called me on my cell phone and we returned to the airport to await him as he was coming to pick us up. I tell you this part of the story because once Johan got there, he informed us that taking a taxi is probably not the safest thing to do there. The taxi drivers will drive you to some remote place or to some bad part of town and threaten to drop you off there if you do not pay them a lot of money. This was my first lesson on the crime filled capital of the Philippines… Manila.

Johan works for EY and lives in a pimp apartment based on the low cost of living and the large amounts of money EY is giving him for being there. (obviously a different program from what I am in L ) He has his own driver, and an awesome car, which the firm pays for. He and his driver picked us up and took us to Johan’s place. (in Makati City, a district of Manila) While he went back to work for a few hours, Jack and I wondered over to a shopping mall (the Greenbelt) near by and had a snack. Apparently we were in the only “safe” part of Manila. (although a tank was driven through the front of the Shang-ri La hotel close by, just matter of months before. Yes, a tank) According to Johan, it is also not uncommon to read about bombs going off in shopping malls or other crowded areas. Needless-to-say it is not the safest place in the world. However, when Johan got off of work, we went to eat at a Cuba style restaurant and then off to the bars. It was a fun time, as his Irish friend (who works for Coke) named Garrett joined us. Garrett also had his own driver and on top of that, a bodyguard. (who followed us around the entire night but kept a distance and tried to stay hidden)

The bars we went to were not most respectable bars. We started out at a biker bar, where we played pool; it actually reminded me of places back in Athens. We then went to a couple of girlie bars, like Wan Chai back in Hong Kong. Funny thing is, I was walking across the street to go to an ATM and this guy stopped me. He was like, “hey man, you want some Viagra”. I was like, um, no dude. Don't need any, thanks. Then he said, “how about some cocaine”. I was like, “What?!? Cocaine?!? Did you seriously just ask me if I wanted cocaine?!!? Um, no, thats ok”. Haha. That was a bit crazy, but makes for a good story. (btw, I ended up giving away more money out of charity) I am too nice.

Well, that concludes our trip in the Philippines. If you ever have a chance to go, I would definitely recommend it. The people are all really nice and call you sir. The food is good and the restaurants / stores are really westernized in Manila. Just make sure you stay in the one safe district of Manila, called Makati City. Until next time...