Manila Day 5: That's all folks!

Our last day to work…this 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. thing is killer. You basically have a day that looks like this:

Arrive “home” at 7 a.m. Eat Breakfast. (That is “dinner”)
Hang out until 1 or 2 p.m.
Sleep until 8:30 p.m.
9:30 p.m. Eat Dinner. (That is, breakfast)
11:00 p.m. Starbucks
11:15 p.m. Work
7 a.m. Head “home” - we walked each day because it wasn't too hot at 7 a.m.!

Brutal! But not so bad if you just switch your mindset. I actually just left my phone and computer on Seattle time and for the most part, kinda forgot at times I was in a different land.

The Philippines has been interesting. Crossing roads is like playing a game of Frogger; no one stops, they just honk and honk and honk. It’s like they wouldn’t be able to drive without a horn, the lines on the pavement are merely decoration and the sidewalks function mostly as bumpers. People, well, are targets. Mall shopping is an urban past time, and overall, our neighborhood has been moderately ‘colorful’ as they say, but not dangerous or freaky.

Finally – something about the food!! At the office today, my counterpart brought in Santol, a very popular, interesting fruit. It’s super sour (see above photo) on the outside and you dip it in salt to eat it; inside is a gooey, cottoning white filling of sorts that you kinda have to suck off of the almond-size seeds. It is a texture extravaganza at a minimum! Whoa!

After work, we had the team over to the hotel for cocktails (yes, at 8 a.m.) and then ended up going to lunch for real Filipino food! It was my favorite meal yet! We had some very, uh, traditional things and I just ate it and tried not to think about it too hard. I can't remember the name of the one thing, but it was apparently chopped up pig snouts and ears on a sizzling plate - and it was actually quite tastey! We also had deep friend pig-intestine lining, an array of other fried meats and vegetables, and I finally got to try Halo Halo - a very traditional dessert of ice cream atop a pile of stuff, covered in evaporated milk. The stuff is odd: custard, black beans, jello, kidney beans, jack fruit, and more. Very, very bizarre! You mix it up, as Halo actually translates to "mix." Anyhow, I was proud of myself for trying it all - though, no one was willing to try Balut - a national favorite (click the link if you want to know)...

Should be sleeping, but I'm saving it for the plane! We head out in about 4 hours for the airport and then fly forever to get home! It'll happen soon enough, and I'm glad. I'll do a traveling home post tomorrowish and close the loop!

Halo Halo from the bottom & top; pig snout/ears on a sizzling plate and finally, the building that houses our call center!