The last few days have been kinda slow. Chris has been working a compressed week to put in his 40 hours in three days so that we can take off for a trip later this week. We were talking about the schedule for the rest of my stay and it came out that he has not one but two plane trips planned for us before I leave! He hasn't said where we're going, but I suspect that we're whisking off to Legaspi in southern Luzon and to Palawan. Time will tell!
So, I've been amusing myself by being a mall rat. There are several malls within walking distance of the hotel, three of which I can see from my window. From what I've read and seen on maps, I'm convinced that there must be well over a hundred malls in Metro Manila.
I walked Podium mall one evening in just a couple of hours. It has five levels, but the complex is quite compact. The shops are higher-end places like Lacoste, Columbia Sportswear, and Victorinox Luggage. The merchandise is as expensive as it is in the States, if not more so. I bought a map of the Philippines in National Book Store and some toiletries in Watson's Drugs.
Another day, I explored half of SM Megamall. Now, this is an enormous place! Chris has lived here for two and a half months and says that he still discovers stores. This used to be the Philippines' largest mall until this past May, when Mall of Asia, now Asia's largest mall, opened in a relatively undeveloped area on Manila Bay at the southern end of the EDSA expressway. SM Megamall also has five levels and is divided into two buildings, which are actually connected on four levels by a connector that stretches over Doña Julia Vargas Ave. In addition to hundreds of shops and restaurants (including a Jollibee on nearly every level -- more on that shortly), a bowling alley, an exposition hall, an anchor SM Department Store, a dozen-screen cinema, and an SM Super Market. Level 4 of building A is mostly art galleries, while level 5 has a lot of doctors' and dentists' offices. There's an area of small electronic stores (where I was glad to find a new charger for my mobile phone), a couple of hardware stores, many hair salons, and a car dealership. BTW, SM stands for "Shoe Mart", which is how the large company that SM has become got its start.
Walking the malls has given me some insight into a few particular segments of Philippine culture. I have noticed that men aren't extremely shy about adjusting themselves, picking their noses, or whipping it out for a pee in any old corner outdoors. As such, there are steel stalls scattered about the streets with the words "Male Urinal" emblazoned upon them. Interestingly enough, wimmin are more discreet about such things and, unfortunately, are not accommodated in the same way -- there are no "Female Urinal" cottages that I've seen.
Mall corridors are peppered with food kiosks, which sell all manner of foods. Among their offerings are hot dogs, which are usually wrapped in a waffle (kinda like a corn dog) and described as "American style." Mexican food and doughnuts are available everywhere, in kiosks, carts, and storefront restaurants. Taho is a traditional Filipino treat that I tried from a cart in the mall; it's made of tofu, turbinado syrup, and tapioca balls and served warm; I wanted to be able to say that I'd tried it and now, I can. Of course, all of this walking and shopping worked up an appetite in me, so I ducked into Jollibee, a fast-food chain that features a Filipino interpretation of American fast food. Hamburgers are available on buns made of bread or sticky rice (which McDonald's also offers). Fried chicken is served with mashed potatoes and gravy or rice and mushrooms. Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, choice of sausage or corned beef, and, of course, the traditional garlic rice.
I'm very much enjoying myself here and am beginning to feel quite comfortable. I think that if I were here for an extended stay, like Chris, I could adapt and fit in quite quickly, a statement as much about my host country as about me. :J
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