Update#3 February 12, 2006: Feeling at home

Well, the Philippines is starting to feel like home right now. Part of it has to do with the trip we took to Market! Market! (in Taguig, Manila) and the Power Plant Mall (Rockwell, Manila). Both are about a 10-15 minute cab ride away and can cost between 50 Pesos and 100 Pesos depending on the route and traffic. To do the exchange, that would be about $1.00 to $2.00. Taxis are definitely very cheap here! The other reason could be that I'm starting to get out of the house more and meet people. Also probably adding to it is that I've already hosted one dinner party for Dave's boss and girlfriend and have gone grocery shopping about 6 times. Dave is definitely loving having a stocked pantry and a hot lunch everyday.

The Power Plant Mall is in the ritzy area of Manila called Rockwell AKA as Bellair. It has designer stores like Anne Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo, Calvin Klein, Esprit, Guess, Lacoste, Nike, etc. This mall also has a large bookstore, toystore and baby store. What I like about it is that I can find clothing that will fit - there is even a Zara store - and it is way, way less crowded than the Greenbelt 1-4 in Ayala Centre (Makati, Manila). It also has a larger, more North American grocery store / department store called Rustans. Rustans is similar to SM (in the Ayala Centre) in that it has a huge department section and then a grocery section. Think of SM as a WalMart-type store and Rustans as similar to The Bay - but they both also have a grocery store. However, while I can find some brands and items I am familiar with, I'm still having a problem finding meat and fish that doesn't turn my stomach.

Market! Market! is a mall that has a sort of farmer's market on one side, and then the rest of the mall is broken into different markets - fashion market, home market, etc. That way you only need to get to one section if you're looking for clothes, for example. However, the best part of Market! Market! is the store Metro. This is a large department / supermarket (similar to SM and Rustans) but the beauty of it is that it has President's Choice and a ton of North American brands. I can finally eat Tuna again as there is North American tuna (the Philippines tuna is disgusting) and I even found Tuna Helper. The meat and chicken looked like it was well kept and sanitary procedures were being followed. I totally felt at home there and can't wait to go back and browse around the aisles. This time, though I had Dave with me so my time allowed in the store was limited.

Also near Market! Market! is a store called Price Smart. I've heard it is similar to a Price Club / Costco, but I haven't been there yet. I would have really been pushing my luck to get Dave to go to that store with me after spending the afternoon at Market! Market!. I have heard though that this store also stocks a ton of North American foods and the meat is pretty good.

There are also familiar restaurants too - including The Outback Steakhouse, Hard Rock Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, Tony Romas, TGI Fridays, etc so whenever I need a good taste of home I can head there.

What I am finding annoying though is the sales staff. I am used to shopping in the Bay, Sears, Walmart etc. where you can walk around for hours without getting approached. In the Philippines they are everywhere. I think they each have their own section of about 4 square meters. All of them saying 'Hello Maam". You pick up one item and they swarm you. They are all polite and everything but jeez it does take getting used to. I do know though that if I ever have a question it will be answered probably before I even finish asking it.

The moving company we used, Crown Relocations, has a representative named Camilla (who is also an Expat) who met up with me for coffee. It was great to talk to someone about what it is like to first live overseas. Anyways, she invited me to her bookclub meeting that night. I went and it was a lot of fun - although the books they choose are definitely more of the 'literature' type than my typical Maeve Binchy, James Patterson, etc fiction. Each person takes turns hosting and provides snacks and beverages. There were about 10 women there - all expats from either the US, England, India or Canada and they were in their late 20s to late 30s or early 40s.

I met a woman whose husband works in the Canadian embassy and she gave me an email address to get me hooked up with the Canadian Club. The club organizes special events and day trips and raises money for local charities. Then there is another pregnant woman in the bookclub and she told me that the doctor Dave chose for me is also her doctor and that she is amazing. She also told me about a pregnancy support group that I will contact. After Little Grape is born, we can join the Mothers and Darlings group - a post-natal moms and tots group. There is even a Gymboree here, so Dave can take Little Grape to the gym sessions. There is also a British Club I can join because I have dual citizenship.

I also got tips on what stores to go to (and which ones to avoid) and one what hospital to go to. From what I've heard, we might be changing the hospital I was supposed to give birth in from Makati Medical to the Asian Hospital. Luckily my doctor has privileges at both. My doctor is also one of the few doctors that will allow the husband in the delivery room without certification. Apparently in the Philippines, in order for the husband to be in the delivery room he must be certified by attending Lamaze or some other prenatal class. This is because there were too many cases of the husband fainting and taking care away from the mom and baby.

Just last night Dave and I had an early Valentine's Day Celebration. It started with a yummy breakfast at Delifrance (their croissants are the best I've ever tasted and the bacon tastes just like it does back home). Then we went to Market! Market! and shopped and had lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters (think Swiss Chalet). In the evening we got all dressed up and went to the Peninsula Hotel and had dinner in the Old Manila restaurant. The Peninsula hotel is stunning. The entire lobby - even the stairs is this beautiful marble and it just oozes class. When we arrived, there was also a wedding party waiting to go into the banquet room. Instead of tuxedos and suits, men wear barongs - traditional white dress shirts with embroidery.

The food at the Old Manila restaurant was amazing. After every bite Dave closed his eyes to savour everything. The chef gave us a course of raw salmon to start (I had to pass). Then Dave had leek soup that was so delicious and light tasting. Then we got a sorbet to cleanse our palate. It tasted like grapefruit and lemon but is made out of a fruit called Kalamansi. Then I had beef tenderloin and Dave had duck. For dessert I had a mocha souffle with white chocolate sauce and strawberries and Dave had vanilla creme brule. Then afterwards they offered us truffles. It was definitely the best meal I've ever had and the restaurant is now our favourite. It is very affordable too for five-star dining. A bottle of red Australian wine - Bin 444 Wyndham Estate cost about the same as the meal.

One thing I find very confusing is the mixture of the extreme rich and the extreme poor. While not once have I been asked for spare change (unlike Toronto!) I did see one man eating out of a garbage bag and some shacks by the side of the road. I have also seen very affluent people with tons of expensive jewels, fancy cars, huge houses and just waving money around. The wedding we saw, for example, must have been on the same par as having a huge wedding at the King Edward hotel in Toronto. Dave also said that the average family income in Makati is $250,000 USD a year. Clearly the Philippines - while being a third world country - does have many very wealthy families.

In the links section of the blog, I've added a map of the Makati section of Manila. Our apartment is located in Salcedo village and on the corner of Sedeno and LeViste (formerly known as Alfaro). For some reason the building is called One Lafayette Square even though I can't find anything called Lafayette square nearby. The map still has LeViste marked as Alfaro. Closeby you'll see a triangular shaped park called Ayala Triangle. This is a beautiful park with tons of huge plants. Dave's work is at the intersection of Puyat Avenue and Ayala Avenue in the RCBC Plaza. This building is also home to the Canadian embassy. I've also added a link to a Web site that describes our building, One Lafayette Square. To explore what is going on and what is where in Manila, I've added the ClicktheCity link. This is similar to Toronto.com

That's it for now. Hope all of you are well.