Manila and Pangsanhan Falls
The Philippines isn't an obvious vacation choice for most Americans. At least, not where I come from. But fate had me heading to that country to rendezvous with my soon-to-be-ex husband. His agenda was to pick a location that I would never agree to. My agenda was to call his bluff. Oh, the drama. No wonder my sweetie compares me to Lucille Ball.
At any rate, I arrived in Manila for 18 day visit, beating the ex there by two days, and checked into the fabulous Mandarin Hotel. I've enjoyed the Mandarin chain of hotels in Hong Kong and Seoul and this one lived up to my expectations. The Manila Mandarin is located in the Makati business district.
The hotel staff took very good care of me from day one, although it was a bit much to be called "Mrs. Richard" (referring to the ex's name). A tropical fruit basket was sent up to the room and the waiter offered to send me a masseuse to help me relax. I got Rolfed (a deep tissue massage) for 90 minutes for only about $30.
Manila is fairly interesting although I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again. The Filipinos are extremely accommodating and everyone speaks English. A good thing because the chance of my learning Tagalog is a slim one. The best way to get around the city is by jeepney. Jeepneys are highly painted and decorated old Army jeeps (I think), each one being more outrageous than the next. Traffic is congested with people on bicycles, scooters, cars, buses, you name it, all vying for road space.
Unfortunately there is a lot of poverty in and around the city. The shanty towns along the river were heartbreaking and there were large cockroaches living among the rocks at the beach.
The best part of the trip (which turned about to be 10 days instead of 18) was our trip to Pangsanhan Falls. It is about a two hour drive from the city past sugar cane fields, small farms and a Coca Cola factory. You finally arrive at the Pangsanhan River where there is an open restaurant serving fresh seafood.
Pangsanhan is where a pivotal scene from Apocalypse Now was filmed. You get to the falls by canoe. There is a guy in the front and one in the back walking on the river bottom guiding the canoe. Since you're not moving very fast you can observe the beautiful scenery. That is, until you get to the rapids. One moment you'll drift by a water buffalo standing near the shore. Another moment there will be an old lady cleaning a chicken or doing laundry.
Finally you get to the rapids, and that's where the choreography takes place. The canoe guides swing into action, jumping in and out of the water to steer the boats around the rocks. It's pretty cool and probably dangerous since we weren't wearing life jackets.
Now you're at the Falls, a deep bowl of churning water with an awe inspiring waterfall on the other side. That's where the scene with Marlon Brando was filmed. You can then take a raft around under the falls but I wasn't feeling lucky that day. Apparently Richard had a death wish because he went in.
The trip back up river is a real labor of love for the guides. After all, they are literally pushing the canoe upstream. Do tip them well.
In case you were wondering, I spent the last 8 days of my trip on my own in Seoul, Korea.
At any rate, I arrived in Manila for 18 day visit, beating the ex there by two days, and checked into the fabulous Mandarin Hotel. I've enjoyed the Mandarin chain of hotels in Hong Kong and Seoul and this one lived up to my expectations. The Manila Mandarin is located in the Makati business district.
The hotel staff took very good care of me from day one, although it was a bit much to be called "Mrs. Richard" (referring to the ex's name). A tropical fruit basket was sent up to the room and the waiter offered to send me a masseuse to help me relax. I got Rolfed (a deep tissue massage) for 90 minutes for only about $30.
Manila is fairly interesting although I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again. The Filipinos are extremely accommodating and everyone speaks English. A good thing because the chance of my learning Tagalog is a slim one. The best way to get around the city is by jeepney. Jeepneys are highly painted and decorated old Army jeeps (I think), each one being more outrageous than the next. Traffic is congested with people on bicycles, scooters, cars, buses, you name it, all vying for road space.
Unfortunately there is a lot of poverty in and around the city. The shanty towns along the river were heartbreaking and there were large cockroaches living among the rocks at the beach.
The best part of the trip (which turned about to be 10 days instead of 18) was our trip to Pangsanhan Falls. It is about a two hour drive from the city past sugar cane fields, small farms and a Coca Cola factory. You finally arrive at the Pangsanhan River where there is an open restaurant serving fresh seafood.
Pangsanhan is where a pivotal scene from Apocalypse Now was filmed. You get to the falls by canoe. There is a guy in the front and one in the back walking on the river bottom guiding the canoe. Since you're not moving very fast you can observe the beautiful scenery. That is, until you get to the rapids. One moment you'll drift by a water buffalo standing near the shore. Another moment there will be an old lady cleaning a chicken or doing laundry.
Finally you get to the rapids, and that's where the choreography takes place. The canoe guides swing into action, jumping in and out of the water to steer the boats around the rocks. It's pretty cool and probably dangerous since we weren't wearing life jackets.
Now you're at the Falls, a deep bowl of churning water with an awe inspiring waterfall on the other side. That's where the scene with Marlon Brando was filmed. You can then take a raft around under the falls but I wasn't feeling lucky that day. Apparently Richard had a death wish because he went in.
The trip back up river is a real labor of love for the guides. After all, they are literally pushing the canoe upstream. Do tip them well.
In case you were wondering, I spent the last 8 days of my trip on my own in Seoul, Korea.
Comments