Manila Muse

Baby and the Blue Devil inhabit all the space between my heart and my mind. She's got a rather large amount of coolness so something so small in stature.

Headed down to batangas again, this time to Anilao. Our overnighter was quite pleasant and and I had a chance to stay in the Balai property where diving and snorkeling are the order of the day. For $40/night including all meals and 3 hours outside of Manila, you can't beat it.

On the Return from Anilao we had some time to swing by Taal, a town tourism and the chaos of manila have passed by. The Basilica there is amazing if neglected. It's worth a trip for the architecture alone — a heaping side benefit is the chance to circle up to Tagaytay via the back side of the ascent to see the volcano lake.

Took a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur - a multicultural shopping madhouse of food and fun. Things that stand out are the absoulte bargain that Air Asia offers when traveling to their hub. That and the sheer number of monumental projects the place has managed to construct in 50 years.

A walking tour of San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Part of the Perfect Manila Day.

The team went out to discover the pedagogy of walking tours and the lore of Maila's soul. Another edifying day with Carlos and his amazing hats.

Took a few days to escape the rigors of the Christmas season, which pretty much means I have to hemmorage cash for everything from dinners to gifts to funding other people's Christmas parties. I would up at the Balai Beach Resort — a mite rustic, but damned restful. Nothing but crashing waves, great service, and the water. At PHP1,500/person/night and only three hours away, it was a welcome respite from the whackiness of Manila.

The 27th Marian Procession in Intramuros started when President Marcos, through a presidential decree, created the Intramuros Administration (IA) to restore the Walled City, which was destroyed during the bombing of Manila in 1945. It also meant restoring traditions honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary on her feast day Dec. 8. Basically all the Madonna reliquary of any significance from the entire archipelago is sent to Manila and accompanied by a group marchers for the procession that includes over 70 Mary statues, each with their own unique story.

Some of the characters who will periodically feature in these rambles.

Random scenes in and around such as I can. Of course all the cool or visually arresting stuff occurs when I don't have my camera.

A quick blast down to Zamboanga del Norte to check out Dipolog and Rizal's exile home, Dapitan.

This was a friend's wedding I attended in the north area of Mindanao. We had great fun running around the island on mopeds dealing with the logistics of getting married in the province. Rhea's family was awesome in the face of some serious adversity along with the joy of seeing her married to a great guy.

Shots from the beginning of my Visayan junket. The trip started in Cebu and wound up on Dunagat.

Everyday household stuff — think Adams Family meets the Young Ones.