Philippines

February 14-24, 2019

On Valentine’s Day I left home for a 10-day work trip to the Philippines. I sort of flew the wrong way around the planet. I needed some hand-holding, so since I would be in Manila with some co-workers who were flying out of New York, I left a day early and flew into JFK and spent the night at a hotel in Jamaica, New York. I met up with my co-workers on the 15th at the airport and boarded a plane for Hong Kong. It was a very long flight and I didn’t sleep at all. Instead, I watched a couple of movies and listened to some podcasts and music. We jumped on another plane for a relatively short flight from Hong Kong to Manila and then checked into our hotel in Mandaluyong.

Farmington Bay wetlands
Farmington Bay wetlands

Farmington Bay wetlands
Farmington Bay wetlands

Upper Bay on the approach to JFK
Upper Bay on the approach to JFK

East Coast
East Coast

Flying over New York
Flying over New York

Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport

Leaving Hong Kong
Leaving Hong Kong

First stamp in my passport!
First stamp in my passport!

Nighttime view from my hotel in Manila
Nighttime view from my hotel in Manila

While in metro Manila, I divided my time between working and wandering the city. Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult getting into a normal sleep schedule there. I’d take sleeping pills each evening and woke up feeling fine each morning. After arriving home, however, it took me a couple of weeks to get back into a normal sleep schedule. There was a large market near my hotel and there I bought some local food and trinkets to bring home to my family. Each morning I commuted to work with co-workers. It was interesting (and sometimes disheartening) watching people and vehicles during the drive each day. Occasionally we’d leave the main roads to avoid gridlock and travel through poor neighborhoods where I saw people using small fires to heat their food right along the roadside. It took me a couple days of watching our driver to figure out the rules of the road. Traffic was always congested, but apparently as long as your vehicle is just barely ahead of another, you can just signal and force your way into another lane and the driver in the other lane will allow you to merge. In the U.S. that would result in road rage, but in the Philippines they’re apparently much more laid back.

Morning hotel view
Morning hotel view

St. Francis Street
St. Francis Street

Lanterns at the SM Megamall
Lanterns at the SM Megamall

Ramen and beer
Ramen and beer

A selection from the hotel breakfast buffet
A selection from the hotel breakfast buffet

Outside the hotel
Outside the hotel

1,000 Philippine pesos (about $20 USD)
1,000 Philippine pesos (about $20 USD)

Fire at an auto shop in Mandaluyong
Fire at an auto shop in Mandaluyong

Fat Fook
Fat Fook

Jeepney on the commute to work
Jeepney on the commute to work

Cat at the work campus
Cat at the work campus

Work campus in Quezon City
Work campus in Quezon City

Ironing at the hotel
Ironing at the hotel

Bone marrow at Wildflour
Bone marrow at Wildflour

Polished off the bone marrow (photo by Jamie)
Polished off the bone marrow (photo by Jamie)

Finally, a real, local craft beer! Joe’s Brew Fish Rider Pale Ale
Finally, a real, local craft beer!  Joe's Brew Fish Rider Pale Ale

Edsa Shangri-La
Edsa Shangri-La

Can you handle a 10 inch?
Can you handle a 10 inch?

Concerning sign in the restroom at work
Concerning sign in the restroom at work

Honda Acty
Honda Acty

Honda CR-Z
Honda CR-Z

Song Do Korean restaurant
Song Do Korean restaurant

Korean BBQ
Korean BBQ

Hotel grounds view
Hotel grounds view

Nightly ritual
Nightly ritual

Hard at work (photo by Jamie)
Hard at work (photo by Jamie)

Number 1 hotdog
Number 1 hotdog

Once the week of training was over, my co-workers and I rode to the airport together and parted ways. They flew to New York and I boarded a different flight to Los Angeles. My plane out of Manila had some mechanical troubles but eventually we boarded, only to disboard later. Apparently the plane couldn’t be fixed easily and I was assigned another flight from Manila to Shanghai, but I missed my flight to L.A. That’s when things turned shitty. The airline ticket counters were closed when I arrived in Shanghai, and I couldn’t get my phone to connect to the internet or complete any international phone calls, so I couldn’t easily book a new flight. The airport information desk was less than helpful, saying that I’d have to wait until the next morning when the airline ticket counters opened to rebook. I resigned myself to sleeping in the airport ’cause I didn’t dare venture out to find a hotel. At one of the few remaining open stores I bought what I assumed was some beer and jerky for dinner–the writing was all in Chinese so I couldn’t be sure. As I was wandering around the airport looking for a place to eat and crash, a pair of very nice and helpful ladies (I’m not even sure who they worked for) approached me–they must have sensed that I was in need of help. They booked me on a flight to Seattle and then SLC early the next morning.

Waiting to leave Manila
Waiting to leave Manila

Seated on the first plane at MNL
Seated on the first plane at MNL

Takeoff on a second plane from MNL
Takeoff on a second plane from MNL

Clouds over the East China Sea
Clouds over the East China Sea

Chinese beer and jerky for dinner at the Shanghai airport
Chinese beer and jerky for dinner at the Shanghai airport

Landing at Shanghai, China
Landing at Shanghai, China

This dude slept better than I did at the airport
This dude slept better than I did at the airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport

My sleep spot under the big D
My sleep spot under the big D

Trying to relax at the Shanghai airport
Trying to relax at the Shanghai airport

Finally I was feeling somewhat relieved, but I still couldn’t get any sleep in the airport. I found a spot to sit most of the night, occasionally getting restless and walking a few quick laps around the terminal. Eventually I boarded my flight and stayed awake the entire time, again watching movies and listening to podcasts and music. I landed in Seattle and had a relatively long layover but still couldn’t sleep. It was a short hop from there to SLC with a strong tailwind. It took some effort to stay awake during the two-hour drive home, and I drove as fast as I dared just to get the trip over with. I’d been awake about 54 hours by the time I eventually went to sleep in my own bed that night after a nice dinner and visit with my wife and kids.

Leaving Shanghai
Leaving Shanghai

Haulin’ ass home
Haulin' ass home


Photo Gallery: Philippines

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