Luzon Island

Manila

The journey to Manila was a comfortable one where we arrived around eight or nine
o’clock the following morning. Unfortunately, the short distance to the pension was
in horrendous traffic. Still, by ten o’clock, I was all settled in at Pension Navadidad.

The next day was spent at Makati, a completely different part of the city with a
different vibe. Makati was the heart of the financial district and was crammed with
high-rise buildings and designer stores. However, the area was surprisingly orderly
and clean. The reason for my visit was to apply for a Taiwanese visa and I,
surprisingly, found numerous people in the waiting room. With the result, it was
half-past one before all was done.

The visa took three days, and with time on my hands, I got a 150 pesos haircut.
While the lady was cutting my hair, I had a pedicure for an additional 100 pesos.

From the South African Dragon Boat team, Pam put me in contact with Sandy.
Sandy kindly invited me to join them in practice. As a result, I was up at 4h00 to
paddle with the Manila Dragons. What a fabulous experience (albeit surmising I
would be incredibly sore). After departing South Africa six years earlier, it felt good
to be in a dragon boat, and equally pleasant to hear the familiar, “Crew................,
are you ready? Attentiooooooooooooon. GO!”

I bummed around town until time to collect the visa. Unfortunately, visas could only
be collected after midday, and it was thus past five o’clock before finally clearing
out of the building. Being peak hour on a Friday in Manila City, the traffic was
bumper to bumper. Reaching the guesthouse took forever but I was finally ready to
leave Manila.