A week in the Philippines

[Gary D]

8 hours ago, graham59 said:

The Cadburys chocolate and their other branded confectionery here isn't the 'proper original British' stuff anyway.   Possibly Australian ?

Different recipes for different markets. 

 

The UK chocolate will run down your arm as you try to eat it. Cadburys for hot climates has less buttermilk (fat) to stay solid at the higher temperatures. It used to be manufactured somewhere in the middle east, may still be.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Gary D

[graham59]

30 minutes ago, Gary D said:

The UK chocolate will run down your arm as you try to eat it. Cadburys for hot climates has less buttermilk (fat) to stay solid at the higher temperatures. It used to be manufactured somewhere in the middle east, may still be.

Yes, in my student days I used to work in Rowntrees (now Nestle) chocolate factory in York.... my home town, during the hols, so well-versed in such things.  

[stevewool]

Well it’s getting on for 3 weeks now and I am getting adjusted to life in the city, the noise is just a dull sound somewhere in the distance now and it does not effect my sleep, still waking up early though but I have always done that, the heat compared to back home is lovely but can be a little sticky the odd time.

Shopping is so different here either you are being followed by a couple of shop assistances everywhere you go, then the next shop they are just chatting away in groups in your way, and at the check outs , well if you have not got a bag they will give you a box tied up with straw tie , Ems keeps me behind her now because I like to pack my stuff but I am not allowed.

Getting use to crossing the roads , but I still look right, left then right again and keep looking , those young uns on motorbikes don’t like stopping do they, it seems everyone has a mission and they cannot deviate from it, wheather it’s driving or  walking or on there phones ,it seems that I have to move for them, but hey it’s all part of the fun.

Had a chap come yesterday to give us a price for some work, here was I thinking he may bring a brochure with him or at lease some pictures, trying to get my ideas across somehow I am sure did not sink in,well we shall see what comes if the design and price when he emails us next time.

I was hoping that on every other street there would be someone who knows someone who could do the job you are wanting , but it seems there is only a sari sari store now, but I will keep looking , I am after a welder to do some framework.

Anyway it’s still fun and this Sunday we are at the debut , that’s going to be a long day I am sure.

[Freebie]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

Getting use to crossing the roads , but I still look right, left then right again and keep looking , those young uns on motorbikes don’t like stopping do they, it seems everyone has a mission and they cannot deviate from it, wheather it’s driving or  walking or on there phones ,it seems that I have to move for them, but hey it’s all part of the fun.

 

Anyway it’s still fun and this Sunday we are at the debut , that’s going to be a long day I am sure.

First trip which was long long  ago I noticed that Filipinos, similarly to many other Asian nationals would hesitate at pedestrian crossings, unsure whether they dared to step foot on the ped crossing. They are still that way many many years later. Ive found that the best way to cross roads is simply to both walk very confidently and perhaps if required stick the hand out to indicate to the driver that Im on the crossing and that you Dear Driver need to stop. Works great and then I notice a whole gaggle of the nervous and timid Filipinos usually follow me across the road.

If drivers repsected a pedestrian crossing it would be fine but drivers here seem to view pedestrians as a pest and menace not worth stopping for.

 

I remember being in Saigon and there were two sweet old ladies trying to understand how to cross a road that was permanently filled with hundreds of motorbikes. I asked the if they needed help and they said Yes please. Had them each  take one of my  arms and we marched across the road like soldiers. Bikes buzzed around us but no one got close. Once in safety on the other side the ladies were breathless, excited and smiling and said now they knew how to do it. They said next time they would just close their eyes and march .

[Tommy T.]

22 hours ago, Freebie said:

I remember being in Saigon and there were two sweet old ladies trying to understand how to cross a road that was permanently filled with hundreds of motorbikes. I asked the if they needed help and they said Yes please. Had them each  take one of my  arms and we marched across the road like soldiers. Bikes buzzed around us but no one got close. Once in safety on the other side the ladies were breathless, excited and smiling and said now they knew how to do it. They said next time they would just close their eyes and march .

I had the same exact experience in Saigon. You just start walking across the street like you own it. Don't change your pace, don't stop and the river of motorcycles just flows around you as if you were a rock. It is truly amazing and very scary the first time you do it.

Here in Philippines, they seem to stop for you if you just look away and also walk like you own the road. People love to stick out their hands like traffic cops to encourage cars to stop for them. Sometimes it works...

Edited December 20, 2019 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

23 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I had the same exact experience in Saigon. You just start walking across the street like you own it. Don't change your pace, don't stop and the river of motorcycles just flows around you as if you were a rock. It is truly amazing and very scary the first time you do it.

Here in Philippines, they seem to stop for you if you just look away and also walk like you own the road. People love to stick out their hands like traffic cops to encourage cars to stop for them. Sometimes it works...

I know it sounds silly, but i reckon one of the main reasons for such poor driving is the anonymity the tinted windows give drivers - this gives them a sense if being both invincible and invisible.

[Tommy T.]

25 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I know it sounds silly, but i reckon one of the main reasons for such poor driving is the anonymity the tinted windows give drivers - this gives them a sense if being both invincible and invisible.

I believe you are quite correct. But I still think that Toyota trains Hi-Lux and Fortuner purchasers to believe that they drive the big cars in town and are in charge... They don't seem to know how to drive, but they always seem to press their way and be aggressive... I don't think they know about brakes or how to use reverse (when in a tight road situation where someone must back up to allow passage), but they can use the horn and flash their lights...

Again... maybe my impression is wrong?

Edited December 20, 2019 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I believe you are quite correct. But I still think that Toyota trains Hi-Lux and Fortuner purchasers to believe that they drive the big cars in town and are in charge... They don't seem to know how to drive, but they always seem to press their way and be aggressive... I don't think they know about brakes or how to use reverse (when in a tight road situation where someone must back up to allow passage), but they can use the horn and flash their lights...

Again... maybe my impression is wrong?

Well, Tom, here size does matter! 

[Tommy T.]

21 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Well, Tom, here size does matter! 

So I should be king of the road here...depending on what you are reckoning the size of?

(So long as it's not my car!!!)

Edited December 20, 2019 by Tommy T.

[graham59]

No, they are just crap, (and selfish) drivers who have never been taught properly, and who are used to 'buying' their way out of trouble. 

Attention to the teachings of their lord, evidently not extending beyond the perimeter of the church.

But, it is what it is, and I'm not going to waste brainpower fretting over it. 

I seem to remember reading somewhere that pedestrians do (in theory...hahah) have priority over motorists, in the Phils. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by graham59