the Philippines
i'm no expert, but on my first trip there, arrived late on Dec 30, 1993. next morning i get the paper to read during breakfast: headline reads "last year: 18 killed, 1800 injured on New Year's Eve."
i'm thinking: oh man, that's awful! then i start reading the story. it starts with: "congratulations Manila, we're doing better than ever!" all day, people are setting off explosives, throwing them AT me, guys with 12-gauge pumps guarding hamburger-joints...next day's news has a montage of kids with blown-off fingers, shredded hands...now, i'm SURE it's gotten better, and Filipinos i work with now wd be as horrified as me, but i spent the last hour of 1993 on the ground floor of a house owned by a friend-of-a-friend. he said at 23:30 he always brings everyone to the ground floor as one year a bullet came down thru his roof. he's got the door open, the street is narrow and across is a row of tropical foliage...being lit by flashes from explosives, bangs echoing...it was like an outtake from APOCALYPSE NOW.
i thought i was in Los Angeles! traveled the country, did scuba in Coron, met some great people, superb scenery, etc.
then two years ago, booked a liveaboard scuba trip with some folks here in HK, we dove Apo Reef off Batangas. the entire ship's crew were Filipino: delightful and competent. by contrast to Thailand, where u gotta tell divemasters again and again to do sth simple, i'd tell the Filipino divemaster ONCE and it'd get done. the site is up for UNESCO status and they take it seriously. superb experience.
but on my last trip, Benigno Aquino Airport (the only airport named after someone shot to death on its tarmac) looked the same as it had in the 90s--Terminal 1 anyway. same mildew...
the rule across the world: never argue or show irreverence to Immig officials. but, denied entry for ARROGANCE?! 
OK, the guy cd have been smoother. but, his money will now go to another country. all his friends will now think twice about visiting the country. there's a lot of good new scuba venues opening up in Indonesia.
maybe Angeles is such a pussy paradise that guys will crawl over broken shards of their own arrogance to get there, but ya know what: Pattaya isn't too difficult to get to either. nobody that i know of has ever been denied entry to Macau for "ARROGANCE" and Hong Kong has plenty of attractions. i've had great times in the 'Pines (and yes, i've been to AC) and other times that weren't so great. the people are great, but the gun-culture is off-putting. the scenery and scuba-diving are world-class, but other things i've experienced...
on that first trip, i developed a routine: in Manila, guys wd come up to u and offer to "change money." if u said no, they'd then offer u something else. soon, if anyone came up to me on the street with whatEVER offer, i'd say to them firmly/loudly/politely: "there is nothing i want from you. NOTHING. do you understand?" they did, and wouldn't bother me again.
but one night in Manila, i was looking for a place to eat (this after almost a week in Coron eating fish-and-rice or rice-with-fish and an overnight ride on an overloaded ferry) and noticed a guy following me. i'd go check out a posted-menu, he'd be behind me, i'd go elsewhere and check another, he was right there.
finally i walked into an eatery that had a hallway-entrance, knowing he'd follow me. before i got to the end i did a 180--the guy almost bumped into me. he was a bit surprised. the following conversation ensued:
"Are you following me?"
"Yes." (points for honesty)
"Well, DON'T. Because, it's, a, really, REALLY, BAD IDEA."
A pause while that sunk in.
"Now leave."
he turned around and flaked the fuck off.
i still don't quite know what to make of the place, but at least i've never been denied entry for ARROGANCE.
JtB | |
