Manila, the return.

We wanted to go to Banau, to see the famous rice terraces.  As soon as we arrived to Manila, we dropped off the bags and headed to the bus station. We could have taken a taxi, it is very cheap, but we decided to take a Jeepney, the most common way of transportation in the Philippines. It is an old WWII army Jeep converted into a bus. We were lucky we got in the front seats, because it was not very hot. Traffic rules in the Philippines are just suggestions, you do it if you can, and the driver always has the right of way…so be careful crossing the streets.

We got the bus ticket, and on the way back we rode the Jeepney on the back…it was so hot!!!!. Also I almost got robbed… a motorcycle stop by the jeepney and tried to snatched my necklace, Luckily, I was just leaning forward to move seats, and he couldn’t reach it. He touched my neck, and that’s how I realized what had just happened. I guess we were getting to confortable in Manila since we kind of knew how to move around. It was a wakeup call, to be careful and a reminder that God is protecting us.

We had lunch in the local fast food chain called Jollybee, it was ok but very small portions, I think Filipinos don’t eat a lot. But hey…it is all about the experience.

In the afternoon, we walked along the Manila bay all the way to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. After we walked to the Coconut Palace and unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. On our way back we saw the convention center. Next to it there was a city festival with a beauty Pageant and a parade the next day.

In the evening, we went to Zamboanga Restaurant, to try typical Filippino food, dance and music show. We really enjoyed the show and even participated in one dance. They tried to recruit us again for another dance but we declined, I don’t know how Ryan ended up backstage. All the sudden, Ryan comes back to the stage all dressed up! HILARIOUS!!! I couldn’t stop laughing…