"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #65 Manila, Philippines March 6, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 95 degrees Part #1 Of 4 83 pictures

Day two in Manila found that it was going to be another hot one, with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. At breakfast, we learned that 800 family and friends of the Filipino crew would be having lunch in the dining room this afternoon. Box lunches had been prepared for this group to be consumed at the tables. Drink stations were set up as they entered the room. Obviously, this venue was closed for the passengers. But then, often when we are in a busy port, the dining room is closed anyway. Our morning waiters had informed us that there were 600, or more, guests that came on board last night after 7pm. The Lido had been transformed into a restaurant for them, as well as the Lido Pool area. We heard it was quite a success.

Although the shuttle was still taking folks to the mall, we opted to stay closer to the area near the ship. During the early hours of the morning, another ship had pulled into the slip across from us. And it was a monster, as far as size goes. The name of the cruise line was Dream Cruises, and the name of this ship was World Dream. Counting the number of lifeboats usually gives an indication of how many passengers this vessel carries. With nine boats on one side , that made a total of 18 boats. It was well over 100K gross tons. Our cruise ship book was published in 2014, and this vessel did not appear in it. Later in the day, we did spot a poster that advertised that this cruise company would begin sending their ships here starting in the fall of 2017. Judging from the Chinese figures on the hull, we are sure this is owned by a Chinese company.

Around 11am, we left the ship and headed through the terminal, then out into the streets. Once we got past the gate, we were open to the dozens of scooter and tricycle drivers, offering us tours to the old walled city , and the surrounding historical sites. Then came the row of little horse-drawn carts, also offering an easy drive-by of the Old Town. Been there, done that. We simply wanted to walk to Rizal Park, which was located a couple of blocks from the pier.

So after saying “no thanks” dozens of times to tricycle guys and the pony-drawn rides, we arrived to the entrance to the park. A monument and he gravesite of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was guarded by two soldiers. He was the revolutionary who began the movement for freedom of the country back in the late 1800’s. Sadly, it ended tragically for him, since he was executed here, in a section of this park. On the plus side, independence was gained shortly after his death.

Walking all the way to the end, we came across two matching colonial buildings, both museums. Recalling that we made visits to these museums the first time we were here, it was great that we could be happy taking just photos of the outside today.

One thing we noticed was that there were no street vendors in this park today. Perhaps they have been forbidden to sell their treasures here. A few things of interest were the senior section, with shade to sit under tropical trees, a large area where snacks and drinks were sold, and a corner section dedicated to pigeon houses. Besides a few scattered swifts, all we saw here were pigeons.

We passed by an Orchidarium, which was closed, and a Japanese garden, where one elderly fellow asked if we played chess. He would gladly engage us in a game. No, we do not play, so we thanked him and continued on our walk. There was one local man selling umbrellas, probably cheap. They were not for rain, but for protection from the sun. Would have been a great idea to bring one from the ship. Even the teenaged kids here use them.

Towards the end of this rectangular park, we came across the small but ornamental Chinese Park, where we paid to tour three years ago. It was probably the equivalent of one dollar each. Anyway, today it was free, but we do suspect there may have been a charge to use the restrooms. There were meandering paths between the walkways and bridges over some ponds. We saw cats everywhere. Surely they are used as mousers, and appeared to be feral. Some young high school aged kids were practicing a coordinated dance with an instructor. We felt worn out simply watching them.

Back out into the park, we passed the exact spot of Rizal’s execution, and his memorial. A lot of work is being done in this area, so some of these sites were closed for re-greening.

It was already after noon, and we were literally melting from the heat. The little breeze did not help cool us down. Time to head towards the famous Manila Hotel. Although this hotel was not on the ship’s list for visiting, we knew we could go to the small barroom inside and off of the lobby. It sure was the best spot to cool off with a couple of San Miguel pale pilsner beers. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza to share, and when it arrived, we were impressed. Larger than we recalled, it was really nice. So were the second round of ice cold beers. Took us almost two hours to cool down, and that is about how long the wait was for food. There is no such thing as being rushed here. Several folks sitting around us had logged on to their wifi. Many of them were getting shut out, due to security measures. That happened to us while we were in Florida. We did not even attempt to bring the computer off today, since the internet was working fairly quick on the ship.

Back at the terminal, we noticed a very small souvenir section set up behind a corner of the building. In the past, the locals had printed pretty nice t-shirts for the world cruise. Today, they were selling the good quality t-shirts, but the printed with the map of the Philippines on the back. Last time, a lot of the world cruise ports had been dropped, so it is hard to get the correct itinerary on the back. Also, they were not dated. With the last of the pesos left, one of us purchased a woven bracelet for the equivalent of $1.27 USD.

All aboard was 4:30pm, although we did stay in our room until we cooled off until 5pm. While there, we had a delayed delivery of a beautiful bouquet of flowers for President’s Club. Delayed, due to the fact that the florists wish to deliver the freshest flowers so they last longer. Going up to deck nine, we caught the last of the brass band and local young dancers giving us a farewell show shoreside. At the same time, the World Dream across from us, was having their show with another brass band. Battle of the bands so to speak. We won, since we left first at 5:30pm.

Swinging the nose of the ship, the Captain headed west into the setting sun. Hoping to see some possible dolphin sightings, all we saw were bits and pieces of garbage floating with grassy debris. Not sure if it was coming from river wash, or from ships. Not cruise ships with strict regulations, but cargo or container vessels? Captain Jonathon announced that we would be passing the island of Corregidor on the port side, but it may be too dark to see it. Corregidor Island was once important for the country’s strategic defense as well as the site for many battles. Today it is known for their beaches and the Pacific War Memorial. And yes, it was too dark to see it well.

Dinner was early for us this evening, as Barb had made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill for a table for six at 7:30pm. So we met up with Woody, Susie, Barb, and Freddie (a very nice dance host buddy), for a fun evening filled with plenty of laughs. The food was wonderful as usual, but it took much longer for them to serve us. Guess we are spoiled, because when we go with a table for two, we are done in an hour or so. This evening, we left at 10:30pm, the last of the groups to leave. Guess we all missed the show of Giovanni, a trumpet player who was back with an all new show.

With one more day at sea, we will be in Hong Kong, where the current temperature was about 60 degrees. Big change………and welcomed by most.

Bill & Mary Ann

Another busy port - Manila