Got back to Manila last night. It was a nice long weekend. Talk about
Slow Travel!* (see also "
slow food"! --my kind of lifestyle).
It was waaay relaxing. My kind of travel pace. :) Not frenzied, not the kind that counts photo ops and sites but getting to know the rhythm of a place and the culture of the locals.
...I got to see Grace!
... tasted the local cuisine-- love Roti Boy, local coffee and Gado Gado.
... I bumped into Lodel at the NAIA 2 airport before I left Manila--he just arrived from Dumaguete! of all places to meet! Agreed to meet for dinner soon
...I bumped into Di, former DYR officemate and now with Colgate-Palmolive, at Soekarno airport and we relived the old Neil French incident hahaha
... I bought local Lulur scrub!
...I got a manicure and pedicure at Pacific Plaza.
... I met some new people--Myra from DDB there, Nanni from a local agency there (she worked with Erwin in HK Manila), and this other girl who came in to get interviewed hahaha
... visited Museums (National Museum and the Historical Museum)
...rode a Bluebird Taksi (that's how it's spelled!)
...bought a lo-fi Indonesian coffee grinder and Sumatran coffee of course
...I went grocery shopping at the Ranch Market (Indonesian version of Whole Foods) and I bought some stuff to make a Salmon Rocket sandwich and some other stuff...
..speaking Indonesian like a local...."Makasi a!" and "Pagi!"
Lot's more! I wanna go back, maybe go to the palengke like a local. I wanted to eat at a Padaka (their carinderia) like Anthony Bourdain did but Grace said she had a bad experience eating in one (malamig daw ang food) so I didn't try going. Maybe when I get back.
Too bad I didn't call Nap earlier to meet up. He was two buildings away from where I stayed the whole time! Duh. :)
*Slow Travel defined:
"One of the defining elements of slow travel is the opportunity to become part of local life and to connect to a place and its people. Slow travel is also about connection to culture.
Gone are the hectic holiday tours where you flit from one ‘must see’ to another, and arrive home feeling like you need a holiday.
Joining in local happenings
Slow travellers stay in one place for at least a week. They usually choose holiday rentals ie houses, cottages, apartments, and villas that are a ‘home away from home’ – you shop and cook just as you would at home.
Holiday rentals are often called by different names in different countries eg in the UK and Australia they are called ‘self-catering’; in France, ‘gites’; in Italy ‘agriturismos’’; in Switzerland and Germany ‘ferienwohnungen’; and in North America ‘vacation rentals’.
Holiday rentals are fully equipped for the slow traveller to just move in and start living. They come with sheets, towels, crockery and cutlery etc. Some are stocked with food but it is better if they aren’t. People have different tastes and may not like the food that is supplied. But more importantly, if the larder is not stocked the slow traveller has to go out into the community to shop. This is an important part of ‘living’ in your travel destination.
By living as opposed to ‘staying’ at your destination, you can experience the place more intensely. Not only do you have the opportunity to shop for your groceries, you see people in your community or village every day. You can go for a run each morning and stop at the same café for a coffee – meet the locals."
-from "Slow Travel Movement" website
