My flight leg was from New York's JFK to Hong Kong to Manila, and needless to say, it was a LONG flight. I kept busy with books, movies, snacks, and walking up and down the aisles of the place. I flew Cathay Pacific, which was very nice, but next time, I’ll fly business class at least. I am 6 feet, so the coach seats were just a bit too small, plus the plane was filled to capacity.
Meeting my brother and sister-in-law in Manila was the first of many interesting experiences. I had heard reports of kidnappings of US citizens, so I was on my guard. As I approached the customs area, I saw a small, serious-looking fellow with a sign that had my name written across it. Hmm? I did not identify myself at first; I waited, got closer, and then gave him a nod. I am sure that he had me picked out already, as I kind of stuck out in the crowd. As we greeted each other, his serious look went immediately to one of complete welcome and happiness that I had arrived. Next it was to the customs line. Line - what line? He flashed his police ID and through we went. It seems this guy was a cop and was friendly with my sister-in-law’s family. It pays to know people in the Philippines. Through customs, we picked up my bags and went out to the car to my brother and the bodyguards – again, we had some new family with connections.
I arrived late at night, so I could not really see too much, and the first night was spent sleeping and trying to get used to the 13-hour time change. It was on to the hotel.
Since we were guests of family of my sister-in-law, we had a driver and our own guards who accompanied us during the entire trip.
The first day was spent golfing. We traveled by car out into the countryside to Taygaytay and the Tal Valcano to play golf. It was a bit overcast, but the views were still very spectacular. It was my first experience golfing with my own caddy, something I was not used to. All the caddies were females, and they were very good at suggesting a club, or in my case, finding my ball in the woods! As we played, they would speak to each other in Tagalog, and I know they were suggesting that I give up the game and try something else. We had a great day, and by the end of it, I had the caddies quite entertained. Again, the people I met on the trip were the best part of it and will be the reason for my return.
The balance of the week was filled with family parties, dinners, and some late nights of exploration of the "cultural" life of the PI, some with the ladies and some with only the man of the group. It was very interesting.
My time spent with the drivers and the guards was one that I really enjoyed. We drove around a lot, so we had plenty of time to talk. They all spoke English well enough to get buy, which was great, because I don't speak Tagalog. Most of them are retired police or Special Forces or the Special Action Group of the Philippine Army. Some were very serious dudes, but very friendly and gracious nonetheless. We talked about their time in the service, where they were stationed, and what kind of action they saw. Some fought against the radical groups hiding on some of the islands that make up the archipelago. Family men all of them, they were very proud and happy to talk about there own families.
One special day, the guards and drivers took my brother and I and some of the other visitors to the police shooting range for some pistol shooting. After hours of shooting and many, many rounds of ammo spent, we took the drive back to the hotel to rest and clean up for another evening of celebrations. Being Italian and no stranger to parties, my brother and I fit right in with our hosts.
I saw and learned many things, but the main aspect of the trip was my interaction with the people I encountered. All the family, the friends, drivers, guards, babysitters (Yayas), and local residents were just happy to have us visiting with them. We could not have asked for anything more from them, and they kept giving and giving. I will return to Asia; I have a lot more people to meet!