There was little rest for the weary after our return to Manila from Legaspi City -- we had another flight to catch early the next morning to our next destination, which was still a secret to me.
Fortunately, there was some rest. Chris and I decided to visit The Spa, an establishment across the street from his hotel in Podium mall. As soon as we walked in, our sinuses were opened by the aroma of eucalyptus oil warming by the door. We approached reception and selected our services from the menu -- a manicure for Chris and a pedicure for me. I'd had my first pedicure ever at a resort near DC while attending a friend's wedding at Memorial Day of this year and quite enjoyed the experience as well as the results. The staff led us into a quiet room with terry-cloth upholstered, over-stuffed recliners and offered us cups of ginger tea -- an elixir! An hour later, we were filed, clipped, and polished and only P650 (US$13) poorer for the experience! By the way, Chris' Filipino friends think that this is an exorbitant amount to pay for a manicure and pedicure; they claim that P200 (US$4) is more on-target!
After our spa treatment, we headed down a couple of levels to Banana Leaf Asian Cafe, a cool pan-Asian restaurant with an impressive menu and very tasty food! The menu featured lots of curry, seafood, and fried rices from Hainan, Malaysia, Korea, and other cultures in eastern and south-eastern Asia. And, by the way, the name of the restaurant comes from the fact that they serve one's food on huge banana leaves instead of plates!
After dinner we grabbed a cab and headed over to one of Chris' favorite haunts in Manila, Club Mwah. I'd heard great things from Chris about this night club and disco and seen lotsa fun pictures from his several visits here with colleagues and visitors from work. Chris clearly felt at home from the moment that we walked in; his posture and gait were more confident and about half of the staff greeted him by name. This place is fabulous! I felt as if I'd walked into The Birdcage! The manager/owner, Pocholo, greeted Chris and showed us all around, introduced us to his partner (also named Chris) with whom he co-owns the club, and chatted with us for several minutes as he told us about some of the celebrities who'd visited -- ambassadors, politicians, and corporate executives, even Imelda Marcos! Chris' friend, Jun, a travel agent, joined us shortly and took some great pics of us that he shared. The show was simply amazing. They performed routines to Gloria Gaynor's I Am What I Am, Jailhouse Tango from Chicago, and something from Miss Saigon, among many other numbers. At the end, the two main hostesses and Chaka did an interactive comedy routine with the audience, introducing various groups to the rest of the club. They even put us in the spotlight at one point!
It was a very fun evening that ended far too soon. We left shortly after midnight so that we could rise at 5 AM and catch our 7 AM flight to... somewhere. Stay tuned! :J
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