Flame On!

February 6-7 2010

When filling out the arrival cards on airplanes, there are always a few boxes that ask you why you are traveling to X country. There is one that says business, one that says visiting family, one that says holiday, etc. I don't ever want to check just the box that says business, so of course I extended my Manila trip to include the weekend so I could see a bit more of the Philippines. After consulting a few people from the Manila office for advice where I should visit, Subic Bay rose to the top of the list given the short time I had. Gerrica of course snapped into gear organizing the details, arranging the car, hotel, and all the details inbetween. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they weren't sending me on my way, but organizing a group outing. In total, 5 people from the Manila office decided to head out with me. It is common among upper middle class families to have family drivers, so we were lucky to have Tracy's car and driver available for the weekend.

After meeting up at the hotel 7:00am, we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Subic Bay. It was interesting for me to see areas outside of the central business district where the Hotel and Deutsche Bank were located. One could get a unbalanced view of Manila if this was the only road taken. The other areas of Manila were clearly less wealthy. I enjoyed the ride there, as the conversation in the back of the van switched seamlessly between Tagalog to English depending on which language could express their thoughts the best. Politics entered the conversation on more than one occasion when we passed billboards with candidates faces. The Philippines have had their share of corrupt leaders in the past, resulting in candidates creating the illusion that they too came from humble beginnings and are a champion of the common man.

First on the agenda was Tree Top Adventure, a zip line course that sent you flying through the forest canopy. I had done zip lines in Costa Rica, however this one had a twist where you were suspended horizontal to the ground, explaining the very appropriate name of the ride "the superman". Clipping on my very fashionable harness (look for these on project runway next year) Gerrica and I decide to be the first brave pair to jump off the platform. It's a thrilling feeling that mixes a bit of fear and excitement.

What followed was what I had been pumped about for the entire week prior to my arrival to Manila. Arriving back at our resort, Gerrica and I headed straight for the Scuba shop. Neither of us had ever gone Scuba diving before, so the beginners course was exactly what we were looking for. After an hour on land listening to our instructor give us the basic do's and don'ts, I was faced with the task of pulling what looked like a 5 year old's onesie over my 6 foot frame. After flailing around in the bathroom for some time, I managed to get myself in the thing and did what any guy would do once this was accomplished. ...started making super hero poses of course! Looking like a character from Fantastic Four, I jumped out of the bathroom yelling "flame on!" Ahh, at least I entertain myself.

Once in the water, we had to demonstrate proficiency in the maneuvers we just learned, regulator recovery, clearing our mask, checking pressure and air gauge, hand signals etc. After getting an A+ smily face, smily face on our exam, we headed out underwater, slowly working our way down. It's hard to get over the fact that you can be in this environment and breathe normally. Our instructor pointed out creatures along the way, stopping to rub a sea urchin which shot out white tentacles once touched. Just as I was getting used to everything, the hour was up and we were running out of air and had to return to the surface.

After another traditional Filipino dinner near the beach, we attempted to check out the night life. I say attempted because the "club" we were told about was an empty diner, and the music and lights we saw in the distance actually turned out to be a children's amusement park. When we stopped to ask a guard for directions to nightlife, my window was rolled down. Seeing a white male, he sent us to the redlight district. Acknowledging defeat, we returned to the hotel where we were content to sip on a few San Miguels and enjoy the sound of the ocean and the view of the stars.