Wrapping up the trip.

I must have used up the last 24 hours since I came back to Manila sleeping. The flight was at 7:55AM yesterday so we had to be at the airport very early and I wasn’t able to sleep due to extended one-on-one sessions with some of the delegates.

I thought I’d like to wrap things up before moving on with regular blogging:

• It’s not very relaxing to stay in a hotel for an extended period, even if it’s a 5 star one. Just doesn’t feel as comfortable as your own bed at home.
• I was real cultural immersion having to be with people from different Asian countries — Burma, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Japan. You get to learn a lot of things first hand from these people, mostly politically related though.
• Don’t expect good weather always. I thought it would be cold out there but it wasn’t (31C). Most of the time, it was raining really hard so tours were very limited and short. We had an afternoon visit Radio Taiwan International (RTI) and found out that they’re also broadcasting in Tagalog, one of about a dozen languages they cover.
• It’s not cheap to go around. Buses, though very comfortable and new costs about Php100USD 2INR 144EUR 2CNY 12 and taxis must have double/triple our local rates (flag down is Php110USD 2INR 159EUR 2CNY 14). One very interesting thing is that all their taxis are brand new — Camry, Vios, etc.
• Everything (almost) is similar to Manila so shopping wasn’t really enjoyable. They weren’t cheap or any better because they’re mostly commercial stuff. Okay, maybe just some boxes of tea for gift-shopping.
• An 11 or 13 course meal could be very heavy, though I was only able to eat about 2 or 3 of them since they’re either seafood/vegetable-based or too exotic. No Nestea, just original/local iced tea. Everything is spot clean, not a single fly even in the street food stalls. With an almost all-Chinese meal everyday, I never imagined I’d love eating at McDo there.
• There’s always one universal topic wherever you go — politics.

Anyway, I’m back to work and catching up on things. If all goes well, I will be off to Pakistan in October/November this year for a similar workshop (there’s also a possibility with Indonesia and Malaysia as I’ve gotten standing invitations from them.) Good times.

I have tons of picture at the Photo Gallery.