Finally, A Sunny Day

While much of the U.S. has been suffering through record high temperatures, we've been enjoying relatively cool weather, with highs only in the 80s most days. How does it manage to be cooler in the Philippines than in, say, Iowa? We're in the midst of the rainy season and, frankly, when there's no sunshine for days on end, it tends to cool off.

So it should come as no surprise that I found Shelly leaning over the bed this morning, urging me to get out of bed so we could enjoy the sunshine that had somehow managed to break out of the cloud cover.

After a quick stop at the neighborhood market to pick up some fresh kimchee and other assorted goodies, we headed for Manila's Chinatown, driving under one of three red gates guarding the neighborhood before returning later to walk underneath it.

"There aren't a great many sights in Chinatown," says the Lonely Planet Philippines, "but there is a lively atmosphere of industry and tradition." I'd have to agree with that. Aside from a couple of churches, this dragon sculpture and a bunch of restaurants and jewelry stores, there really isn't much to see, unless you count a horribly polluted creek. We chatted with a few vendors, got caught in a five peso (about 9 U.S. cents) scam and bought a couple of cheap souvenirs for our niece and nephews.

Just how did I get scammed? Well, it went something like this: As I pulled a handkerchief out of my right hand pocket, I heard a coin clattering on the pavement. I rarely keep money in that pocket, but since it did land right next to me, I leaned over, picked it up and asked Shelly if she had dropped it. Meanwhile, a man walked up to us, holding out his coin purse, showing me a few coins, gesturing that he had dropped the five pesos and that it belonged to him. Well, I handed it over without thinking twice. (I'd like to think that, if it had been a significant amount of money, I would have been more reluctant to give it up.) After he walked away, I reached back into my right hand pocket and discovered that I did, after all, have some coins there... But who can really complain about being scammed for less than a dime?

After Chinatown, Shelly wanted to visit a market called Divisoria that she had heard about, so we headed north and started looking for landmarks. We turned right at a mall, which we thought would lead us to the market. Instead, it lead us to an ever-narrowing street:




Suffice it to say, neither of our mothers would haved enjoyed this street. Come to think of it, neither did I. It seems impossible that I didn't hit somebody or run over something but, somehow, I didn't.

To end the day, we stopped by the Chinese Cemetery, which is full of mausoleums featuring crystal chandeliers, air conditioners, kitchen and flushing toilets. And, yes, you read that correctly. Not only are there two chandeliers in this photo, there's also an old Coca-Cola machine in the lower left corner.

We hired a freelance tour guide to take us around to the more interesting sites, including those with the air conditioners. Much as they do in life, Chinese families in Manila often try to stay ahead of their neighbors in death, which has led to larger and larger mausoleums, though some, like this one, are more modest. A number of wealthy dead men have been buried alongside more than one wife or, in at least one case, alongside two wives and a mistress.

We also saw a cremation taking place, or at least the smoke from a creation. The dark smoke seemed to be a fitting ending to our day in Manila: As we drove through the sprawling cemetery towards the exit, it started raining again.