Part 27: Reflection.....
I had a few days to rest and recoup back in Manila before jetting off to Thailand.
Still on a huge buzz from Palawan, I began organising myself, catching up on a mountain of washing and deciding what to bring, as I would be touring Thailand for nearly 3 weeks. Also loosely planning my route, and making lists of places to visit.
What Palawan had taught me, other than to travel light, was to fully appreciate things, Immerse myself completely in the moment and savour every last experience, which I hope comes across in my writing.
It was also nice to have a few days to reflect on my journey so far, and think about how, or if indeed it has really changed me?
Well If you count seeing how other people live, experiencing new cultures, learning to trust my instincts or embracing freedom, then fundamentally the answer to that would be yes,
For these things up to now, I either took for granted, or never experienced previously in Swindon.
Having not seen poverty to that degree before, I was overcome by an extreme case of culture shock, it rocked me to my core and humbled me immensely. Especially witnessing first hand homeless families sleeping in the street eating from dustbins, and the large over crowded slums.
I loved interacting with people here, and firmly believe this will have a huge bearing on the feeling I take away with me when I return home.
A smile, wave, or act of kindness can go a long way.
Almost daily I would buy chocolate bars for the homeless kids outside my condo. The group seems to be getting bigger, but so what, the candy bars only cost 2p each!!
And besides noticing their faces when they see me now is hard to put into words.
Travelling alone has much more taught me to tune into my instincts.
Instincts which I never really use back home in the comfort zone.
And finally the sense of freedom you get from being spontaneous,
to stay longer in a place just because I like it, or to leave the next day.
So yes travelling, up to now had been a huge catalyst for change and I wanted more.
Sitting alone high in my apartment block overlooking metro Manila at night became a ritual.
I had not watched TV in four months since I left the UK, choosing to read books, write or just appreciate my own company.
There was a communal area down stairs, which I occasionally went to, but retreating to my apartment at night were I sought solace from the heat was my preference.
Also not always having the peace and quiet or headspace back home, I finally got the time to practice mindfulness and meditation properly without any distractions.
The following day I needed a haircut and my friend suggested I try a barbers not far from me in the mall.
She told me there was no need for an appointment and to just pop in.
When I got there, it looked more like a surgeons than a hairdressers.
All of the barbers were in pristine uniforms, wore masks over their mouths, and the place smelled of surgical spirit.
'Good afternoon surrrr' the lady at reception said, before showing me to one of the chairs.
When I sat down, the smartly dressed barber made sure I was comfortable before slapping my shoulders, pressing down on my pressure points, and proceeded to give me the most immaculate and intricate hair cut I ever had in my life.
Taking his time using razor blades, clippers, 2 different types of scissors and a cut throat. Watching this guy do his thing was a work of art. I'm not kidding he must have spent well over an hour on me, and my hair wasn't even that long in the first place, not that I was complaining though, far from it.
And to finish off he gave me a neck and shoulder massage...amazing!!
When he took the cover off my shoulders there was not one hair down my back either.
And the cost of this laser like precision haircut? 100pesos! (£1.50).
Along with public transport, it really is quite hard to get my head around how cheap things are here.
But I soon put into perspective the minimum wage and things quickly make sense to me.
What also amazes me is despite earning so little money, Filipino's are just happy to have jobs, not letting it detract from giving a great service, which is the case where ever you go in here.
Later that evening I was invited to a nearby bar with some of my Filipino friends on a 'lads night out'
I previously read an online list of do's and dont's in the Philippines, and this particular site claimed that westerners, and drunk Filipino's do not mix well, and to avoid at all costs!
Since the bar we were going to was a local bar, and after arriving, discovering I was the only foreigner there, this theory was seriously going to be put to the test.
My friend Don introduced me to his drinking buddies.
Then the tone for the night was well and truly set as they ordered 4 large buckets of ice cold beer, which we polished off in no time. These guys were relentless.
Another 4 buckets were ordered followed quickly by another 4, and so went the pace.
There was an excellent live house band covering classic tracks and before we knew it, all us where drunk and dancing on the tables, as they sang Sting's 'English man in New York' to me.
The beers continued to flow for the rest of the night with the focus and attention very much on our table, from other punters joining in the fun, and cheering, especially as I attempted to speak Tagalog.
I drank, ate, danced, and sang, keeping up with my new Filipino brothers all night.
They took a real liking to me welcoming me into their group, I was officially declared as one of the gang.
These guys were awesome, making me feel right at home, and I had a brilliant night with them.
So what was that about foreigners not mixing well with drunk filipinos again?? Exactly...
The next day came the inevitable hangover, luckily I had a couple of days before Thailand so I just rested up fully recovering in my room.
Time passes so quickly here, and the day of my flight to Bangkok was upon me.
I was fairly well organised this time, the 3 things I either forget, or leave to the last minute, that always cause me needless stress on the day were sorted.
My packing was done, my tickets printed out, and money changed.
Always favouring early departures even though I rarely sleep the night before flying, my short 3hr flight was due to leave at 6.30am.
My friend kindly volunteered to drive me to the airport, which again saved me effort and money.
So things were looking good for a change.
Bags all checked in, plenty of time to go, no delays, no drama, no mad scramble to photocopy my ticket, now this was more like it.
After a decent breakfast I made my way to the busy departure gate, and with still more than an hour to go, I got comfortable and waited.
There were hundreds of passengers around me waiting for their flights too.
I started thinking of Thailand and how it would compare to the Philippines, then my eyes suddenly got really heavy and before I knew it, I dozed off.
Next thing I remember, and with my eyes still closed, was a gentle shove on my shoulder. 'Sir, wake up!'
It was a random cleaner.
He woke me, and I was completely disorientated, not knowing were I was for a brief moment, before quickly gathering my senses and realising there was no body around me, the departure gate was empty.
My heart sank, panicking I feared that I had missed my flight.
Seriously, what is it with me and airports!!
Jumping up I ran to the gate which was closed!!
Did anyone not think to wake me earlier I thought!!
Yet again I had a another few anxious minutes before they opened the gate and reluctantly let me on board.
Honestly, sometimes you could not script this.
I was probably moments from missing my flight and had it not been for that cleaner, then I most certainly would have.
Not wishing to dwell on it anymore I just made my way to my seat and discovered I had 3 all to my self. Result.
I slept comfortably and like a log all the way there....