Manila, PH

Picking up from where Dan left off on Good Friday, the following day Tito Lito picked us up and brought us back to the house to visit and join them for lunch. The whole clan was there, including Tita Inday (Tito Lito’s sister) and we had the opportunity to meet our brand new nephew, Rafael. He was so well behaved and quiet, but he did seem a little unsure of Dan. Luckily, Dan was also well behaved, so he and Rafael got along spledidly. Rafael (or Binky) has very expressive eyes and eyebrows, so you can easily tell what he’s thinking. Our lunch was crab cooked in coconut milk with squash and beans, pork chops and Dan’s favorite, pancit, which Tito Lito nipped out to grab from a nearby store. We also had sago for dessert, which was served from a street vendor.

Later in the afternoon, we had merienda (snack) and Tito Lito again arranged to serve our cravings. He grabbed sio mai for me & jack fruit for Dan, accompanied with fresh mango, papaya and watermelon. I can already feel the pounds starting to add up. I remember the last time we came to the Philippines with my family, Camille and I had to buy new shorts since we didn’t fit in the ones we had originally packed. But that’s how it is with Filipino families, you eat and socialize and eat some more.

Easter Sunday we had a traditional filipino breakfast at a nearby cafe, Dan ordered tapsilog, which is beef, garlic fried rice, and a sunny-side egg, while I ordered the tocino (sweet pork) with rice and sunny-side egg. We also managed to have a quick skype chat with Mom & Dad E, but we soon had to find reprieve from the heat, so we ended our call and then went over to the nearby mall called ‘Market Market’, where Dan bought himself a new pair of shorts since the one he packed are literally falling apart. Holes are starting to form around the pockets. It will be a sad day when he does retire them, since they were bought almost 5 years ago when we had gone to Brazil and they’ve been with him on all his travels. Be sure to see a post about that from Dan when the time comes. Later on in the evening, we returned to to High Street to watch a free outdoor concert put on by the same church group that organized the Stations of the Cross. It featured local talent, with of course faith-themed music. The talent was good, but our favorite was this one girl who played the acoustic guitar well and had a controlled and beautful voice.

Our last full day in Manila (before departing to Palawan) started off with skyping practically the entire Kronstal clan since Mom & Dad K were in Calgary visiting. We managed to see and briefly chat with Mom & Dad K, Uncle Len, Tita Ofelia & Samantha, Uncle Gerald, Tita Vivian & Jacob, Uncle Joe & Aunt Sharon, Aunt Carolyn and Brian, and Uncle Dave. It was really fun to see everyone. Our only regret was that we had just missed Joe & Erica by 30 minutes, so it would’ve been nice to chat with them as well. In the afternoon, we treated ourselves to the spa. I received a pedicure & paraffin hand treatment while Dan went for an hour massage: Grand total including tip – $40 CDN. This was one of the fancier and more modern spas that we’ve been to in the Philippines, otherwise we probably could have gotten away with $25-30 CDN elsewhere. Gotta love the Philppines!!! Our evening ended at an Italian restaurant enjoying creme brulee and with the anticipation of travelling again.