Chapter 1: Where is Waldo- Waldo arrives in PI

Aloha all...Or i Guess it's Como Esta (Tagalog)

I thought a blog would be a good idea to track our adventures here in the Philippines. This is a crazy and fast moving country but the change for us is exciting. With a population of 11 million, nothing sleeps in Manila. I think there are twice as many cars and with hardly any traffic rules so you have to pay attention. It's a bit overwhelming but also never boring. There is always something to look at...and at the same time I (white boy) seem to be something new to look at for the city of Manila. I often get stared at like I'm an alien. Anna and I joke about it a lot. My new nickname is Waldo named after the "Where is Waldo Children's Books." But there are some drastic differences to Hawaii. The ones that stick out the most to me is all the security. Every street corner, store, and residence has some type of security guard. The mall, the supermarket, and just about every public parking area has armed guards with vehicle checks. And last but not least I can't forget about the jeepny. This is a unregulated tacky cab in the Philippines. They convert jeeps into theses shiny buses and do their worst to decorate them with a theme. People hop in from the back and pass their money forward. I will include some pictures of some of the better ones I see later on.

We arrived on April 4th so I have some back tracking to do in order to catch up. The flight was pretty terrible. We endured 1.5 hours of some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. Fortunately Mason was sleeping so Anna was able to say her Hail Mary's without having to attend to Mason. I sat like the strong and fearless husband that I am clinching white knuckled to the arm rests with wet pants while shaking uncontrollably. I have know idea what Anna was nervous about?



Anna and Mason at take off from HNL



Once we arrived Mason's clock was completely off. We spent a few days adjusting, seeing family, and checking out Makati. Anna and I bought new running shoes and joined a gym in anticipation of all the fried food and pork adobo we'd be eating. Mason seemed to like my shoes. Pa took us to the Arellano Compound. Along the way he pointed out how the local politicians keep the ghetto's vote. They run the electrical meters up a big telephone pole so that the electrical companies can't check them. Then the politicians (tax payers) pay the cost and that gets them their vote from whatever neighborhood they lend a hand too. I was amazed at the amount of wiring hanging from the skies and the potential fire hazard.



I got some nice new yoga shorts too! They're very  popular over here.
Should be trendy in the US soon.

here's an idea if you thinking of a way to lower you electricity bill....just move the meter 100+ feet up a pole with no way to get up!

                                                          

    

We also check out a project Pa was doing close by the the Arellano Compound in San Juan. It was nice and the "Don's" family compound reminded me of something out of the Godfather but Marlon Brando wasn't there.