There are both photos and movie clips in this set and the clips are still uploading to YouTube and I have to make this as quick as reasonably possible to get some other things done.

Here are the photos first.

I had intended to get a better shot of the outside of the new building but I'd taken so many by that time that I just wanted to move on.

The first is the outside of the foyer of the new Fire and Police (PNP) stations.

The second shows the aging truck that they have to work with. The firefighters tell me that it's a 1979 model.

My first stop was to the new firehouse. I'd come to visit in the old building and knew that at least some of the firefighters would remember me from the summer.

Genalyn C Tan is the ranking officer at the firehouse and she was nice enough to give me a quick tour of the new station. Thanks also for allowing all the pics.

Here are a few shots of the inside. First is the general quarters. No AC here but it appeared comfortable.

Then the meeting room. Very nice table and chairs for the Philippines.

This is the commander's office. An office with a view ( :) ) a powerful AC unit and comfortable seating.

I appreciate comfortable seating no matter where I'm at in the world. :D

Simple, neat and new.

This is the view from the commander's office. A nice view of the truck.

This station is a sub-station which means that it's much less busy than the main station. The reality is that most of the younger FFers are at the main station and this is generally for FFers that are...approaching retirement.

Certainly not a country club here but much less action than many of the surrounding stations.

The central station in downtown Makati dispatch staff from this station to assist with fires in close proximity to the sub station.

Does that mean that the sub station FFers take a tricycle to the fire and use the equipment and the trucks from the central station?

I never got an answer to that with all that was going on.

Here are some pictures of the recent opening of the sub station and the services that they provide, training and the like.

The next pic is of the org chart here.

Thanks to all the staff at the Comembo sub station.

Now on to the PNP station. I've not known any of the cops here so when I walked in with my camera the police there were a little curious about me.

This police station is pretty quiet so I started asking some questions before taking a lot of photos. :blush: Let them get used to me before I go full out with the pictures.

There were a few officers there and I asked them questions about the area and their experience in the PNP. Simple questions turned into more interesting complex conversations and before I knew it I had been there over an hour shooting the breeze.

I took these pics of the holding tank just to give an idea of what the facility is like. Everything is new but this is the temp holding tank and there's not even a chair to sit on.

Luckily for the prisoner, there is an unclaimed motorbike there but it's not looking too comfy to sit on.

Here's the inside looking out.

Just imagine being really drunk and being locked up here. You can't sit down or use the toilet and you cannot see the TV. :mad:

After more than an hour of Q and A, they prepared for thier patrol and asked if I'd like to come with them.

Yes, of course.

The driver gets the cruiser cooled off and loads the M4 and stows it in the back seat.

Cop: Go ahead and sit in the back seat. There is an M4 back there. Do you know how to use it?

Slang: Um....Yes. Do you think I'll need to?

Cop: No, but if we are attacked, secure it. Don't shoot it just point it.

Slang: Well, if we get attacked and you guys are all dead....I'm going to shoot it, you can bet on that.

Cop: Fair enough. If we're all dead....

We all pile into the cruiser and head toward the hospital.

There is a suspect at the Ospital Ng Makati that they are going to check on.

We then arrive and walk into the secured area of the Ospital.

They tell me that I can take pics inside but I opt not too. The suspect has been stabbed and beaten up. He's wrapped in a sheet and sitting in a wheelchair.

He's a young man with tatoos on each arm. I can see stitches in his chest. He's eyes are blood red and there's dried blood outside of his ears. He might have been an asskicker last night but today he's a pretty slow mover.

I stand for a minute or two while they attempt to talk to the guy and take a few photos of him with their camera.

The ranking officer talks briefly to the doctor and then we're out of there.

Interesting in a way, yes but this is real life for sure.

This was just a lucky shot. It's a Porshe 911. One doesn't see a large number of these here in the Philippine.

There was a pinoy driving it but this was the best shot that I could get as we were moving in the cruiser.

This is the biggest fire station in the Philippines, the Makati Central Station.

Most of the equipment is old by American standards but compared to the rest of Luzon, it's much better.

We we're running out of time and I didn't have time to get a thousand pictures of the trucks like I normally do.

Most of them are from the late 80s and early 90s.

There are newer trucks in Binondo and I've seen them. They are Chinese and seem to have the same features. As far as stations go though, this is the biggest.

I've also seen the results of a recent fire in a high rise building. The buildings must have their own fire suppression systems or fire hoses because there just aren't enough fire trucks to effectively respond to fires in time to prevent them from destroying an entire building.

This is the Makati Central Police Station. It's the building in the background with the blue windows.

It seemed like a good idea to leave the camera off in the station but I did get to roam around for a few mintues.

There is a thriving lockup there, both male and female. The female prisoners seemed happy to see me and waved enthusiastically. :D

The chief of police has an office here but I did not have the chance to meet him.

I was allowed into some of the offices while the cops were gathering paperwork. There was a number of women police officers at the station. Officers in the same uniform as the guys that I was hanging with.

I've not seen any women PNPs up to this point.

No one at the station had an M4 hanging off an tac sling. :D

Sidenote: I was told that the security for the Main Station was done by outside agencies, not PNP. That seemed strange but that's what I was told.

Here's a clip from the inside of the cruiser. We are near the station at this point.

The PNP may be the cops here but they are not feared. Respected, yes. Feared, no.While there were not people flipping birds or gesturing the cruiser, people were passing us on bikes and cars.

I suppose traffic control would be a different situation.

Many of the previous descriptions were rushed. There are a lot of typos and details that I'd like to add.

The edit feature is often only available for a few hours and I don't have the time now to change them anyway.

There are some important indoor online activities that demand my attention now.

My next post here might not be until the first of the month.

Thanks to all of you that visit the thread. See you then.

Tonight's episode of Cops has been brought to you by slang.

My life is often a mildly interesting adventure.

Maybe when I get some time again I should go to the military post again.

Maybe get a ride on one of those choppers I'm always seeing overhead. :blush:

Maybe get to blast something with a machine gun or something really cool like that. :lol:

When I do, you can be sure that I'll have pics and clips. :D

Here's another.

The officer in charge is named Mario Ignacio and he was in the US to testify against Ramsey Yousef in 1996 for the WTC I bombing.

Peter Lance had a chapter on Ignacio's involvement of Yousef's investigation and trial in his book "1000 Years for Revenge".

Link to the book

"The FBI had sufficient intelligence to capture Yousef before he built the first World Trade Center bomb in 1993. In 1995, they learned that he had already set the 9/11 suicide-hijacking plot in motion from Manila -- that he was planning "to return to the U.S. to attack the World Trade Center a second time." Yet each time the FBI missed the opportunity to stop him."

Officer Ignacio is a bomb expert here in the Philippines and was lead investigator for one of Yousef's bombings here in Manila.

Certainly an interesting guy with a lot of experience with terrorism. He said that he'd be willing to talk with me more about the trial and the book sometime in the future. I'd like to have a copy of the book to read before we talk about it in more detail.

There is a polical rally in Makati this evening. It should be seen on the news in the US.

There are congressional hearings going on right now about a specific scandal in the Arroyo administration.

The rally will be clearly seen at places that I've taken photos from before but I'm not allowed to go even from a distance because of the "danger" that I might be in.

My camera batteries are fully charged and ready. My camera lens is cleaned and my SD cards are cleared and ready.

My BIG Ipod with the recorder is fully charged and ready as well but it seems at this moment that I'll not have the chance to hold a big rally sign: "Arroyo! Resign now!" With some funny cartoon character on it.

That's right, I'll not be allowed to witness, to record on audio nor take photos and clips of the big anti-Arroyo rally. Some of my in-laws here will be going but I can't go. :mad:

Life's an effing bitch.

Everyone that I know is back from the big rally.

I've not seen the news yet but there's no mainstream coverage at this time.

Link

This is a very long YouTube video from the news program 24 Oras here in Manila.

The video takes a long time to load but shows the events from the last coup attempt with great detail.

It's in Tagalog with no subtitles.



This is the news that we watch only becuase Fox News is not available with the cable package that we have now.

My wife and I went out for a late night bike ride tonight. We rode "pinoy style" which is her sitting on the cross bar sidesaddle while I'm pedaling. She's short and I'm tall so that worked out pretty well.

We stopped in Comembo for some native style burgers. Here is a pic and a clip.




The burgers are "buy one take one" or two for one. Not a bad deal for about $.50. No, don't ask what's in them. The buns are fresh and that makes up for a lot here.

Have a look at this crappy video as we bump and jiggle down the street on my bike. Hear the traffic pass and the sweet sound of drunk people that cannot sing worth a damn.

Next trip maybe someone can make a video showing us both on the bike. That would surely be funny.

Adventures in the PI !!

I have eaten in worse looking burger joints over here ,
Never could get used to those water buffalo burgers though .

Slang You desing ALL kinds of stuff , can't you figure out Some sort of stedy cam mounting ???

It's a shameful situation Zip. Something so simple would surely be easy.

Yes, I need to make a mount for the camera do make better clips.


Next time you're in Manila, be sure to grab some burgers from Angel's.

Next trip out I'll get some clips of the videoke bars. That should be fun for all. :)

Dude.

cheapass homemade steadycam rig.

BigV, that's awesome.

I want to point out that this is not the "string tied to a washer that you step on" in BigV's link.

Perfect. Thanks BigV.

Let me tinker around here and make something like that. More and better vids to come. :)

Dude.

cheapass homemade steadycam rig.

See I TOLD YA !!!

What's next? We were in Intramuros the other day and stopped in at the Fort. That's Ft. Santiago.

It's surely worth the P50($1.25) price of admission. There are those damn horsedrawn carriages there though. I don't like them but in Intramuros there are always plenty of them hassling you to ride them.

It's not my fault that there is no demand for the carriage rides.

The fort encompasses much more area than I had thought. We've been within the walls of the old fort before but haven't come to the gate here.

If you are a history buff, you'd find this place enjoyable. Much of it has been restored and there are some very nice things to look at here.

This is the view from beside the chapel. It's interesting to me to imagine what life was like being around these buildings long ago.

Now days the cannons are mostly aimed at the golfers that play all around the fort.

Here are some cannon projectiles at one of the displays.

That huge concrete ball seems too big to fly out of a cannon. There was no documentation explaining what each of the items were.

Those other metal projectiles are pretty effing large too. Maybe someone that knows more about old weapons can give us some more info on them.

Jose Rizal is one of the Philippine's national heros and he was inprisoned here at the fort.

His footsteps are marked with brass markers to his execution spot at Luneta Park.

It's still not clear why he was held in this building directly before the execution but this is where the steps start.

Even while in jail he's shown with his jacket on. Not a tall man to be sure but what an intellect. Very impressive fellow.

This is a guard post near the Pasig river. It still looks good for being, what, 400 years old?

This is one of the exhibits that wasn't terribly well done. You can see a representation of Rizal as you look through the corridor but the lighting there is very low.




This second clip is a bit choppy at the end. The guard is telling me that I can't take photos in the Rizal Shrine. He's telling me that I can't take photos at the same time that there are no less than 3 other people taking pictures.

There is a difference between no flash photography and no pictures. It's a bit annoying. One guard tells you no pictures and then another steps in and tells the first guard that pictures are indeed allowed but without flash.

This must be some type of comedy routine because it's happened a few times before.

I don't know anything about this guy except that his cart is being pulled by a very small horse and he's not too happy about having his photo taken.

These clips are from the chapel. There are a lot more clips but this connection is so slow that uploading them in a PITA. I have a few decent clips of the dungeon and looking out into the Pasig river.

Ahh..Intramuros. We spent most of one of our free days down there.

And yes, I still live. Life has been busy though, between selling our current house, building the new one, and work. By the time we move in in a few weeks, I'll want to get away from the new house. :)

Anyways, let me see if I've got some Intramuros photos to go along with yours...

Alright, I've got a few:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0081.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0083.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0085.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0090.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0095.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0100.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0105.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0114.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0121.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0126.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0129.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0159.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0161.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...a/IMG_0185.jpg

One of the things I found interesting about Intramuros is how similar it is to Fort San Cristóbal in Puerto Rico. Not surprising, really, since they were both built by the Spanish, but it's fascinating seeing identical architecture on opposite sides of the world. It really gives you a sense of how far the colonial worlds spread...

I've been drinking El Kapitan gin for a few hours now and do not have the ability to post something good right now.

I've got many more clips of the dungeons of the fort as well as clips off the balcany across the Pasig river.

There is a new display added to the cannon projectile area since you have been here.

It's a display of the likenesses of all the presidents. Many are not good but are still on display.

After I sober up a bit I'll make sincere efforts to add more quality images.

Thanks for your pics. The quality appears to be better than mine. If you have time please add more if you can.




The Philippines: it's not just about the women, it's about the women AND the cheap booze. : )

Over and out.

@SparkStalker, what are the balls on the trees? Lights? Insect traps?

I'm officially back from my big adventure. Thanks for everyone's contributions and comments to this thread. It's been fun being able to show and tell all those cool things that I've seen in the Philippines.

There are some more involved projects in the works with the Philippines and going back there again.

As much as I like this place there just isn't the time for me to hang out here nowdays.

If by some small chance you need info or opinion about Luzon or related topics contact me through my yahoo e-mail. I'll do what I can to help. :)

If anyone else is taking an extended trip or adventure I'd sure like to see your pics too. Especially from Pakistan or Aghanistan. :blush:

Later.

Your wife will be glad to hear that.

Cool. Keep in touch.

I think they were just lanterns. Really neat looking ones.

Slang, take care buddy...I've enjoyed the pics and discussions. Stop back in sometime.

Yes they are, very cool. Thank you.

So ... My first three days or so lurking here in the Cellar have essentially been looking through this thread.

The first picture in post #941 is -gorgeous-.

The cats and kitten are adorable ... And I love how kids are kids and will walk, talk, eat, act, and think like kids no matter where they're from or whate language they speak.

This has been a great thread to peruse, Slang. Thanks for it!

Thanks Shaeling. There are more than a few others that have made it interesting. Thanks go out to UT as well for the server space.

Do you know any pinoys out there in Cali?

Not personally, or if I do, I'm not aware of it. I'm in a thoroughly grandparent-infested suburb of the capital. :)

My, how I dream of the dirty air and the crowded streets lately.

There is a new adventure in the making although it's still several months away. This time my project will require more than 6 months and even more props and participants.

More research, more books, reference info, more contacts, more computers, a more complete schedule, more interaction, more immsersion, more diplomacy, more luck. :)

Maybe a bit of elephant riding as well. :blush: Not in the Phils but a sidetrip.

I'm getting restless at the corporate site.

I want to drink a 60 cent beer again, eat pandesol and eggs in the morning and wander around the masses being a priviledged minority.

I'm longing for that feeling of freedom of escaping endless laws, regulations and company protocols.

And there is also the weather. The cooler that it becomes here the more I'd like to skee-daddle. :blush:

Well hello there -long time no see! Nice of you to check in. Sit down grab a cyber beer - they're FREE.

Thanks CM.

It's nice to be back but there's no time for beers yet. It's still time for meetings and corporate-speak and rules and time targets and acting like the normal guy that I'm not.

Soon enough that will change though. Then while I'll not be completely free I will be a great deal free-er than now.

Then the adventure will begin again. And there will be more photos. :D

I'm back in Makati for a few weeks for a warmup to the next big adventure.

There should be some photos to post soon.

Thank you Bruce. That's a very useful gift.



Oh! Where did we store the Imodium! :blush: :lol:

Just landed in Hong Kong this morning.

It's much cooler and cleaner here than in Manila.

Nice photos slang. I'll have to post some from Vietnam. Yours remind me a lot of Vietnam.

That would be great Radar. I'd be genuinely interested in not just your photos but also your impressions of how things work there and how you were treated.