Philippines Trip Report Part II

[Jim]

Cebu is an interesting city, the second largest in the Philippines and much more livable than Manila to my mind (although still too big with too many foreigners).

A Philipinas most valued asset is her cell phone and Divina is always texting on it. Texts are virtually free compared to talking minutes and when the phone is out of load, devoted BF must remedy the situation ASAP. It's like an alcoholic drinking his last beer.

Well we went to sleep early (instead of clubbing) on Dec 30th and Dec 31st we were resting in our room when the load expired and I rushed up to Riverside Mall (a 1 km walk) to buy her a phone card. Every mall in the Phils has a certain commonality and technology stuff (cell phones, internet cafes, and phone cards) are all on the third floor.

On the way up, I had two different ladies introduce themselves to me and find out if we could get together. Both were very good looking and it made me remember why I had gone to the Philippines.

New Years Eve we went to a Carribian themed party at the Cebu Marriott. We had shopped for a dress and Divna looked ravishing. For about $25 apiece we had an elegant buffet and great entertainment. We were seated at a table with three other couples and as we started our second bottle of wine, Divina decided it was time for us to dance and she invited an oriental couple (she thought they were Korean) at our table to join us.

We kinda chatted on the dance floor without benefit of a common language (Divina was trying to talk to them in Tagalog which wasn't an effective strategy). When Diivna found out they were Japanese, she began to speak Japanese to them. I am absolutely amazed at her ability to make friends with anyone and to brighten any room.

We flew back to manila on the 2nd and that evening invited her sister, Edz to dinner. I had never met Edz because she was in Korea, singing in a Philippino band. That evening we went to ledgends night club and the group asked for requests and we got Edz to sing. This is a seriously talented performer (much stronger voice than either of the two ladies in the band she sang with there).

On my return trip Thursday I had a ten hour layover in Hololulu. It's better to be stuck here than most cities I suppose so I rented a car and spent most of my day at a mall. Hawaii is an ironic juxtaposition to the Philippines. The racial composition of the population is very similar to what I saw int he Philippines but the difference was that in the Hawaii, the women couldn't have cared less about me.

In March, it's Manila and Thailand if Divina gets her passport. She wants to go and I think it would be a nice place to spend a week. Cebu Pacific had a round trip ticket for $200 a person.

If any of you would like to see pictures of Divina and of Edz, please E-mail me at:

jsimon32@cox.net

Happy New Year to all of you.

[Clay]

That is one fine looking woman Jim, I wish you the best of luck with her.

[Ricardo]

Jim:

I sent you an email. Thanks for the trip report and best of luck with your girlfriend and future trips to Asia.