Two days ago, I survived yet another nerve-wracking trip to and from Metro Manila. Of all the places I've been here, I dislike Manila, Philippines the most.
I left here on Wednesday morning at approximately 6:30 am and arrived at the American Embassy at about 9 am. The stretch from Olongapo City to San Fernando in Pampanga is annoying and the slowest part of the journey, but it's not really dangerous. Traveling through Manila after leaving the Northern Luzon Expressway, is the part that terrifies me.
Manila, Philippines Traffic
I don't drive in Manila. Whenever I need to go to Manila, or any place I'm not familiar with, I hire a driver. Luckily, the driver I use for Manila lives down the street from me, literally. His name is Edgar and he's an awesome driver.
This short video, which isn't showing "rush hour" traffic, gives you an idea of how bad the traffic is in Manila, Philippines. You'll notice that the lines in the road are merely treated as guidelines and how people don't use their blinkers to signal lane changes:
I have proximity sensors on all 4 corners of my 2006 Toyota Corolla Altis and you wouldn't believe how many times I heard the fast beeping that indicates that a vehicle (or person) is too close for safety. Every trip to Manila, Philippines includes at least 10 near-collisions and every time it happens, my stress level jumps to astronomical proportions.
The Notary and Federal Express
It took over an hour to get my documents notarized at the embassy and the line wasn't that long. The lady behind the counter was just incredibly slow. I can't believe it costs $30 to get a single notary signature from the American Embassy. I guess they can get away with it since they're one of two places in the entire country authorized to notarize signatures for American citizens.
The return trip was just as bad as the first. I'm sure I have more gray hair now than when I left. I stopped at FedEx in downtown Olongapo before heading home. It cost me $35 to send a single letter envelope. The cost was less than $25 just four months ago.
Stress and Sleep Recovery
My sleep cycle is currently based on the 15-hour difference between me and my wife. She calls me anytime between 10 am and 2 pm, Phoenix time, and that happens to be between 1 am and 5 am here. Needless to say, having to stay awake for an additional 10 hours disrupted that sleep cycle and it has taken 2 days to recover.
Why did it take so long to recover? I also had to recover from the stress induced by the trip. The near-collisions are solely responsible for that.
It looks kinda crazy out there. And they say the drivers in Malaysia are rude. Haha! At least we don't go to that extend of wanting to bang others of the road.
