Saturday, March 9, 2013

Our 115 day World Cruise, day 63, Manila, Philippines

Rain again today and it is not fun any more!  It got very cold but at leastI put on a sweat shirt and closed toe shoes.
Needless to say, the cold and the rain did not stop us from going to Starbucks.  It did get a little cold in there when people would hold the door open.  Irwin only had to yell at them one time and then they did not hold it open again! lol!  After coffee we went to QT and then we went home. We were suppose to be at Rosine's at 2:00 as Vicki's brother Bob and her niece Tessa
 were coming to visit. Oh!  The dog is coming too!                                                                    
 Tessa and Vicki are engrossed in looking at jewelry.  Tessa likes to keep it simple! Vicki has more for Tessa to inspect at a later date.                                               
                                                                   
   Bob is helping Rosine try out a regular wheelchair.  We have been taking Rosine out in a companion chair that is much lighter and easier for me to lift into the car                                                                      

    The 3 of them are having quite a conversation but I do believe that the dog is getting bored.   All the chips are all gone so he is finished with this group!                                                                                   


   I have the leash in my mouth....don't mess with me...I am out of here!  I think I need to poop! lol!                                                                                                                                                      

Tessa got more jewelry from her grandmother Rosine and she took a flannel blanket too!  It will keep her warm.

Time for me to take a shower and call for room service!  lol!


Where we did not go today....but the Amsterdam did!                                                                                    

 Manila, Philippines 


Here are the photos from the rest of my amazing day in Manila….  Special thanks to Raymund & his family.  We had a beautiful end of the day with an amazing send off from the Filipinos and the opportunity to see a fireworks competition between the Italians and the Dutch….

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Postcards from Paradise!


   Manila, Philippines March 9, 2013 Saturday

The port of call for today was Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is also the home of many of our hard-working crew members onboard the Amsterdam. And to make the day a special one, their families had been invited to spend the day on the ship with their family members. Along with a large group of local travel agents, the number of visitors would exceed 1200. Good thing most all the cruisers were either on tours, or off to explore the city.

Since we have toured the city's sites two years ago, we decided to do the city on our own. By the time we completed our emailing, we noticed dozens of little kids walking or running along with their parents on their way to find lunch and or the swimming pool. The next stop of importance for the little ones would be the ice cream bar. So nice to see some younger folk on this ship.

Unfortunately, about the same time as the families were boarding, there was a "bright star" alert for the medical staff. That is never a good thing, because it means that someone is seriously stricken or injured or worse. We thought it was a good time to leave the ship, only to be stopped at the gangway in order to let the shoreside emergency team enter with a stretcher and paramedics. Once they cleared the elevator area, we were all escorted off to make room for the patient. We never did see who it was, or what the emergency was, but we would find out later in the day.

As we left the ship, the greeters from the information desk gifted us each with a wooden beaded necklace and a woven sun hat. How nice was that?

We made it a point to stop at the pier souvenier stalls, where we instantly located the t-shirt guys selling the Amsterdam's 2013 world cruise printed on the back. It's really a good deal. The fabric is good quality, and except for a few missed ports, the itinerary was correct. All they asked was 500 pesos, which was about $12. US dollars.

The local port authority provided free shuttles to Robinson Place Shopping Complex, about a 20 minute ride to from the ship. Located only a few miles away, the trip should have been quick, but the traffic was terrible. That's what you would expect in such a large city. perhaps a faster ride would have been in the buggy drawn by small horses, or the numerous jeepneys that lined the streets.

We spent a couple of hours walking the multi-level mall, getting lost in the myriad of connecting floors. Since it was a Saturday, it was crowded with families and kids. There were dozens of restaurants, and we figured we had better find one before they got too busy. Two years ago, we ate at TGI Fridays, and we also did today. They serve a very tasty chicken quesadilla entree, and Mexican food is always a favorite of ours. With one of us having a shellfish allergy, we tend to steer clear of the Filipino dishes. Never know when they may add a dash or two of oyster juice to flavor a recipe.

We can understand why so many folks stay in these malls for the better part of the day. It's got to be the high heat and humidity. Although it was cooler than Indonesia, the humidity was still high. Doubt we could ever get used to that. What was nice was being able to sit and relax in the air-conditioned restaurant with two very large and re-fillable glasses of ice cold soda. We never did find anything to buy, except more bottles of sodas at the supermarket. We figured this would be a good time to take advantage of the shuttle bus that dropped us off right in front of the mall and back to the gangway.

After stashing our sodas, we took off again, but walking this time. Rizal Park, nearby the pier, is a large area dedicated to the history of the Philippines. It has been called the first urban park in Asia with sculptures, historical markers, gardens, and fountains. For the local people, it is a sanctuary and famous tourist spot. We walked around the Rizal Monument, flanked by two honor guards, who switch duty every two hours daily. Dr. Jose Rizal was made famous when he sparked a revolution with his execution for promoting freedom for his people. His remains are buried under the monument. The rest of this park surrounds a central pond where musical dancing fountains are exhibited during evening hours.

Since we had the time, we entered the Chinese Garden for the mere price of 20 pesos each ($1.00). Although small, this park was full of ponds with turtles, bridges, statues, and kids running over the mounds. Decent restrooms were also available here. A group of students, perhaps college-age, were filming a play of some sort, and thanked us for waiting while they finished the scene. We were just glad it was "acting" because the scene dealt with two ladies fighting.

Time was getting away from us, so we headed back to the ship, but not without stopping at the famous Manila Hotel on the way. It was so darned hot that we needed to find something cold to drink soon. There was a bar off of the lobby where we were served iced cold beers with a bowl of peanuts. Just what we needed. The hotel recently turned 100 years old, and has that old world charm about it. Especially the lobby, with the carved wood ceiling and turn of the century furnishings. We lingered long enough to enjoy two beers, then walked back to the ship.

The Amsterdam pulled away from the pier by 6pm with the marching band and dancing girls giving us a loud and booming sendoff. The many families had left by now, but those that stayed for the sailaway were waving goodbye to their loved ones. Must be hard seeing your husband, dad, or wife and mom sailing away for months at a time. Bittersweet it is.

Sadly, we found out that the bright star from the morning emergency may have involved a death of a passenger. Will try to find out more details tomorrow. These things are usually kept rather quiet.

Later that evening, the Captain stayed in the harbor to let us witness the 4th Philippine International Pyro Competition, a celebration we happened to run into while here. By accident, we happened to be in the right spot at the right time, on deck nine, port side, when the fireworks began. We got to see the entire display of the Italian team which lasted 15 minutes. It was spectacular, especially viewing it from the waters in the harbor. During that time, the tenderboat came back with the guests who had gone to Corrigedor earlier in the day. Sometime around 9pm, during our dinner, the ship pulled out of the harbor and headed north towards our next stop at Hong Kong. Can't wait for our three day stay there.

Mary Ann & Bill

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