Makati City, Philippines

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by slang

XOB -
Do you know when they disappeared in the US? Late 80s? Late 70s?
I do remember the glass bottles in machines but not that tiny.

They started to fade in the late 50s in favor of larger bottles. Then can machines became popular with the advent of pop tops. Plastic bottles killed the glass ones, of course.

The last machine I saw with the small bottles, at Hanum's Harley Davidson, was in the 70s. Of course the "nickel Cokes" were a quarter, or more, by then.

[zippyt]

Sleeping whenever you damn well feel like ( same for getting up ) is something that everyone should experience for a while.

It's 6am here now and I've been up all night reading books about the Philippines and posting on the cellar.

Life could be much worse.

Get a JOB ya BUM !!!!

Living the life of Riley ???

I gots a Job for ya , document those cats in action !!!!!!

Ya lucky DOG !!!!!

[slang]

My job nowdays is quite different than in the US. It is now to entertain, to teach Tag-lish, to laugh with and to eat with all of the relatives here in the Phils.

Not a bad job at all.

There are also many books that I'm in process of reading regarding the Philippines, past and present.

Fascinating reading with good commentary from the locals here.

Tomorrow we go into Maynila once again to take pictures. This time I'm hoping for better weather but know that it rains here every day and is overcast much of the time.

[slang]

We went on a mini tour of the city today and have some mildly interesting photos but first, let's take a look at this.

Mobile billboards

These MBs are moving around all over the city but this it the first chance to actually catch a few pics.

I like the concept and it seems like a likeweight job for the driver. No pressure to load or offloads goods, no rushing around to keep a schedule.

Has anyone seen anything like this outside the Philippines? It cant possibly have started here but I've not seen them away from here.

[slang]

Our little adventure today took us to Roxas Boulevard around the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

In the process of trying to find parking for the Coconut Palace, we stopped on the boardwark area and found this floating restaurant.

Here are all the "official details".

The Jumbo Kingdom is a cool looking attraction. It's not a building, it's not a traditional ship. It's something cool looking at a section of the boardwalk that the water is not all that good smelling or clean.

[slang]

The website gives all the history and some better looking photos of the JK, but trust me, this is what it really looks like.

In all fairness we did not eat there. The food could well be heavenly.

[slang]

Just a few hundred feet away is the Song of the Islands, bar and restaurant. A pinoy booze cruise.

It probably doesnt matter to the boozers that the water looks so crappy around the shore. It seems such a shame to me because I'm guessing that with a small amount of money and effort the trash could be fished out to improve the area.

There must be some sort of cleanup once it builds up but at what level does someone say, "OK, it's getting too polluted now, it's time"?

[slang]

The smell is not nearly as strong as other places that I've been but it's bothersome.

To be fair, a significant part of the problem is that there are few containers to throw trash into. Tidiness is of very low importance to people here because of the many other challenges in their lives.

I often find myself keeping junk, wrappers, bags, bottles, to be tossed in a back pocket until there's a suitable place to put it.

Sadly, much of it ends up here.

There are some very nice looking things to post soon but I had to get this out of my system.

[theotherguy]

Originally Posted by slang

Has anyone seen anything like this outside the Philippines? It cant possibly have started here but I've not seen them away from here.

I see them driving around Nashville quite a bit.

[slang]

OK, thanks TOG.

[slang]

We arrived at about 1pm, found a parking space and talked to the guards about a tour.

The next tour would be at 2pm and costs P100 ($2.22) each.

After a little looking around it was time for our tour.

This property is absolutely beautiful.

Here is the link from the Phils Tourism site.

Guests are not allowed to photograph the upstairs, which was a disappointment for sure. All the rooms are of the same basic floor layout but with their own unique furnishings according to the name of the room.

They are named after regions or islands.

There are a lot of images to follow. They don't do the palace justice. It's a wonderful place.

[slang]

According to the tour guide, about 20% of the building materials and most of the furnishings are made from the coconut tree in one form or another.

[slang]

The guide continues to explain that the original purpose of the palace was to use the coconut in as many ways as possible to show the people of the Philippines the beauty of all of its forms (that they would never be able to use in their own homes or lives because Mr Marcos was hoarding all the money and killing/jailing objectors)

[slang]

The guide also gave that explaination while we were in the Marcos master bedroom, likely standing feet away from where his power and influence kept millions of people hungry.

Did I mention that I'm not a Marcos fan? He was a great friend of Reagan and they had a long history which I don't completely understand yet, but will soon.

He was also the only Philippine president to be re-elected.

There is a lot more reading required before I can come to a final opinion of the man, but it's not looking favorable.

To many in this neighborhood, he was the best president. Very confusing.

[slang]

It's only when I edit these pictures that I understand how mediocre this camera is.

It's takes decent photos with good light but in low light as seen in the following 4 pictures, it's disappointing.

All coconuts. Wood, pulp, coconut shells. Very cool looking furnishings.