I would not live in that apartment on general principles, just because of the butterfly and heart motif on the security grills.

It's rock Glatt. If I have time I'll post a closer image.

Let me see if I can find a shot of one of the local metal shops. They can bend/weld/paint bars as seen on the apartment into many different shapes. Possibly even a handgun. :)

A freshly ripped heart with a hand holding it might be tough though. :3eye:

Dude get her a Hello Kitty set and You will be Golden !!!

I didnt have time to look for the images now. I've got a major disaster to deal with. The CDs are right on the desk when I get the time to search through them.

What in the monkey f**K is a hello kitty? :eyebrow:

This link was just sent to me. They show pictures of the rice terraces known as banaue.

Take a look. Some great images here.

The work disasters continue to mount so I've not been looking for the reference photos described previously.

I've put the word out for more links and personal photos of the Philippines and would expect to add more here now and then.

They probably arent going to be of the thread title, Makati, but if you like these you'll most likely enjoy the others.

What in the monkey f**K is a hello kitty?

Your kidding right ?? you know Wolf and you don't know what hello kitty is ??!!??

http://www.sanrio.com/

Prepare to be grossed out !!!

Physical security with the side effect of trapping the protected isn't my style.

Even if HelloKitty is involved.

My moms from Manila.

Does she take good pictures, racer? :D

Manila proper or NCR?

Have you been there to visit? Do you have digital photos of anything Filipino?

Slang: So, have you ever seen snow fall from the sky?
Pinang: No but I'd like to. It's very pretty
Slang: Trust me, it's over-rated.

We're staring down a potential foot or so over the next several hours... ya'll could fly in.

We just missed it. It's a cold raw rain here. Yucky, but at least it's not snow.

The Occoquan river runs behind my house. It's raging today.

There's about an 8" step to my front door and the storm door couldn't swing out this morning because the sleet was too deep. :eek3: Fortunately not all over.
The door is at the intersection of two roofs, evidently the sleet rolled off both of them, rather than getting deeper, after some point.

Big Philippine adventure coming up in a few months.

I've been shipping stuff over there in advance to the point that everyone at the post office knows me and where my big packages are going. :blush:

The plan is to have so many interesting things avaible to do or to go see that boredom wont set in after a few months of just drinking cheap booze and singing Margaritaville on kerioke.

We have rented an apartment in Makati since we cannot agree on what lot we want and how much we should pay. I don't really care about the costs of the lots as most seem like a good deal. However, with the low cost of renting vs owning, it does indeed make more sense to rent at least for a while.

The apartments are small and all concrete but there are so many American "enhancements" that it will surely be comfortable if not roomy.

The electric was just connected over the weekend. There are boxes of stuff all over inside just waiting to be installed/unboxed and set up.

Has anyone used the Rosetta stone program to their satisfaction? The online version impressed me but I didnt have time to complete all the lessons. I'm hoping with the RS plus the emersion in Tagalog speaking peoples that I'll be functional with it several months into the big adventure.

It's just 2 months away now and I'm allowing myself to get excited. It's still too far away though so I should just relax. :D

I'm flying out Aug 23.

Everything is set up there. Now the biggest pain the the ass is getting these two last packages on the plane and keeping track of them with all the stops that are scheduled before hitting Manila.

The only thing killing my excitment is going through all this last minute crap and knowing that I'll be jetting across the US before actually going to the Philippines.

It's been very hot there and humid. Just about like the weather here in Cocoa.

Rock on Slang !!!!
Drink a San Mgoo for me !!!

Thanks Zip, I'll surely do that.

This trip is going to be a bit more involved though. It's not going to be a booze fest or even a photo fest.

This trip ,with the tools and books that are now there for me, will be a long term field trip.

There are so many things that I don't understand about the history and the workings there. This will be a great opportunity to study the whole society right there on the spot.

My wife will be there and we'll have some sustained quality time together, I'll have the chance to learn Tagalog and the other languages of the Phils, I will not be directly or indirectly responsible for engineering / design projects and I will be totally removed from the American environment for months on end. I'll have the time and money to do those things that I like to do, which is rare here in the US.

The trip over there is going to be a pain in the ass but once I'm there everything's going to be great. :)

Sounds like a cool adventure man. Enjoy yourself!

I'm off across the country now. There are some aging family members that I'd like to visit before leaving for the Philippines.

Here for a day, over there for another few.

See you when I get settled in. :biggrin:

yes, you will
[/mr burns]

Slang will be arriving here just as Typhoon Sepat leaves the country for China. I hope his plane does not encounter another typhoon on the way. I know he will hate to be detoured till the storm passes.

Hi Luisa, my condolences on the invasion.

I was living there about 20 years ago. They used to nail a person to the cross in Manila every year for Easter and parade him through town. I wonder if they still do that. It's best to keep your money on the inside of your clothes with safety pins when going through the city. (any major city) It is hot and humid there year-round.....please get used to that, and very large roaches. Oh- and don't worry if you get lice....everyone does at least once. Just take care of it...no biggy.

Yep. They still do. It is an event that was even covered by Ripley's Believe It or Not at one point and is shown all over the world each year over CNN.

Or you can choose to do it the modern way and buy yourself a traveler's safety pouch at the local mall. You wear that inside your shirt and it holds your passport, credit cards, and cash very securely.

Not so hot and humid right now since it the start of the monsoon season. As for the lice, as long as you don't wallow in the squatter areas and borrow combs and brushes from people (Why anbody would do that is beyond me), you can avoid the lice.

I still live in Manila and can bring you up to speed if you want any updates about what you remember from 20 years ago :)

No condolences necessary. My worry is if Slang will survive a year here without tearing his hair out because of the marked cultural differences. Specially when it comes to doing business and government service. The latter being non existent in this country :thepain:

My middle name is cultural differences. :)

The AC is installed and tested. It's a 2 hp Carrier (18000 btu). That should take care of the heat in the house anyway.

This is not my first trip there, this is the longest.

With all those things that I've sent there in advance I hope not to be bored too often.

I normally stay out of the tourist places and don't have troubles with the locals stealing from me as most consider me (at least in part ) as one of them.

On my way to the second leg of the trip today.

Ingat.

Ahhh. I see.....I wish I could go to "The Orchid Farm" again. Touristy- yes. Awesome? Yes.................Good luck on your travels!

Salamat po Luisa ....Can I ask how many American bases are there now? Just Subic maybe? I heard that the old Clark AFB installation is now a golf resort...is this true?

My flight to Seatle has been cancelled and rescheduled to arrive Wed afternoon, 4pm or so.

I belive that Subic has been returned to Philippine ownership.

Most of our trips here have been in the southern portion of Manila. Maybe a trip out to Subic should be on the list of places to go visit and snap pics.

Here are some pics while I'm just sitting around waiting for the next flight.

This is Ramon Magsaysay.

He is thought of as the most popular Phils president. Admittedly was assisted into power by the CIA but was a very interesting man.

..

Hi Cicero,

All the US bases in the Philippines have been turned over to the Philippine government and were subsequently converted into resorts, golf courses, and shopping mecca's for the moneyed expats and OFW's, as well as the rich business men of the country. Subic also now has it's own yacht club and dolphin show as well.

I was able to shop at both ecnomic zones back in the 90's before it was turned into an exclusive area for the elite so I am not sure about how those places look at this point in time. Subic is said to be a nature lover's paradise and Clark is the golf mecca.

Slang was 15 minutes away from my house :D Had you told me that you were going to the north cemetery, I would have suggested that you drop by the plot of Manuel Roxas, another former president, FPJ- the actor presidentiable, and my own families mausoleum which is considered one of the simple yet elegant stops there.

If you find yourself near the CCP complex, you may want to hop on the boat for a ride to Corregidor Island, a focal point of the war with the Japs.

I've hit the ground and am getting settled in now.

My bike has survived the flight over with just a slight tear in the seat. Not bad considering all the rough treatment that it probably had.

It's HOT and raining slightly but everything is looking good.

More soon.

It's 3:30 am here now and I just woke up.

The first thing on the daily schedule is a bike ride. From 4 to 5 am there are not many people out on the street and the temperature is about the coolest that it will get for the day.

Most of the people that I see on the rides are delivery people. The most memorable of those delivery trucks are the pork trucks.

Their cargo area completely open with zero refridgerations, which doesnt surprise me at all, but being open to the outside without any containing walls.

These trucks are both funny and disgusting. The hogs are often not even secured in the cargo area and flop around back and forth as the truck turns corners.

This is the meat that the middle class Pinoys eat here. No, I do not and cannot eat these foods without going directly into the ICU ward of the ospital.

I'm taking a camera out on the ride today. Should have some pics soon.

Could I be successful with a dinosaur bbq franchise out there?

Surely, but only if those dinos can be euthanized with one of your fancy fencing swords. :)

Have to go. I'm late for Tagalog class.

These are from the bike ride this morning.

It's not a good promotion of the Philippines to show these photos but still, this is what things are like in the citizen's towns.

I think that I've shown this type of photo here before too. Just remember that this is the life for the natives and that life gets much better if you have money.

This is the business side of the front gate here at this apt. It's not particularly all that dangerous of a place but there are regular petty thefts.

Last week the neighbor had a (junk) bicycle stolen. All of our belongings are locked up inside the apartment and the windows are all boarded up.

The windows also have bars on the outside but are also closed to block the viewing from the outside.

The first sharp edge is basically a broad head arrow, though not nearly as sharp. The second protrusion is a much thicker steel but not nearly as sharp as the first.

We went out to Quezon city today and while there this sign popped out at me.

New Orleans (St) after the hurricane.

These puppies were playing out in the street in Q city today.

They thought that my camera was some type of dog food and came walking over as I bent down to take the pictures.

Luisa had sent me her phone number to have a micro-CGTG after getting settled in.

There are some tasks that need to be completed at the US embassy tomorrow and then afterwards we plan on having some Chinese food. Luisa says that the Chinese places are the safest.

After lunch I'm hoping to take some photos of some places of interest in Luisa's area. There are some that I've been to before and some that she suggested, one of them being the POW museum.

With a little luck we can all have a good photo taken together to post here.

This was lunch Monday. It's the "A" meal at Greenwich, a fast food/bakery place.

The pizza there is very good although for this ocassion just the light meal was plenty.

The cost? Just over $1! Nearly perfect.

The pizza looking items is pizza bread with pineapple and some unidentifiable meat slices. The spaghetti was served with a meat sauce and mushrooms.

As my waistline has increased over the last months it seems like the pinoy sized meals will be the norm while I'm here.

This is me and Luisa at her aunt's home.

Another micro-CGTG compete. Second one in less than a week.

Dude, you're like a virus! A really big one...

Hey Slang! Where is the chicken head? You can NOT miss posting that hilarious shot. :eyebrow: It was a fun day that we had. I hope we can do it again before you leave. I'll stock up on the ice cream! Next time, we will plan it better so that we can head to other places that you might find interesting ;) .

Everybody pelase pardon how I look. I was not expecting to have my picture taken on such short notice. Man I have such large teeth :p

Griff, I felt like a Lilliputian standing next to him. I was thinking he could pound me in like a nail anytime :thepain: (Joke!)

You look darling, Luisa!

Now, what's with the chicken head? :worried:

Slang ordered steamed chicken and ham for lunch. Took them a full hour to cook the thing. My aunt joked that the chicken was still avoiding the hatchet man in the kitchen which was why it took so long to get the food ready. Slang wondered if he would see any live chickens in the kitchen.:p It was quite fresh and juicy when it was finally served.

When it was finally served, we all dug in and then lo and behold! I spotted a chicken head on the plate.It was part of the presentation of the dish. Slang took some really good shots of the posed chicken head. it was hilarious! :D

Wow, I love chicken but seeing its head laying there might be a bit much. But, my family would launch into a never ending barage of chicken-head related jokes!

You have got to see the pictures to believe the amazing poses a chicken head is capable of doing in the hands of Slang :)

lol...must see!

Chicken head.

We all ate (and I drank beers ) at the Wan Tsi tea house in Binondo. The Chinese section.

The chicken was fantastic as it was so fresh.

No Zippy, I didnt eat the head. :rolleyes:

This is the Intramuros area, one of the oldest in the city.

Mrs slang was standing in line for some errands which left me some time to wander around aimlessly taking pictures.

This is Felipe. Some one thought so much of him that they made a statue of him with his globe. :)

More Felipe

You may be able to read the lettering on the arch but it reads "Filipino Chinese friendship arch"

One might expect a statue of two people having a beer or the like but this is it, the friendship arch.

It's interesting but doesnt bring friendship to mind.

Check out the nitro bottle on the tricked out bike there. :D