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The Spirit of Mabuhay!

by Robert Painter

MABUHAY! This is the first word you may hear in the Philippines. The very first thing you discover in the Philippines is the people. And what a delightful discovery it is. A nation filled with friendly, smiling people who all seem to want to help you enjoy your visit to their beautiful island country. Mabuhay is the traditional greeting in this wonderful place. It’s kind of like the Navajo word, Ya’at’eeh’. It is used to say hello, goodbye, or just a general all around friendly greeting. It’s more than just a word - it’s a national spirit!

Everywhere I traveled in the Philippines I was greeted with Mabuhay!, starting in the Mabuhay Lounge - the airport lounge area at Los Angeles International Airport which serves Philippine Airlines guests. It was a long flight to Manila aboard a very comfortable 747. Seated upstairs in a roomy reclining business class seat with plenty of leg room I was served fine wine and excellent meals both coming and going. No surly flight attendants here! And a glass of Piper HeidSieck Brut Champagne followed by a choice of Grilled Tenderloin of Beef or Salmon Teriyaki made the evening delightful. Plus a wonderful local favorite - Mango Cheesecake!

And even more Mabuhay! when I checked into the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City, part of Greater Manila. This is a stunning 5 diamond hotel rated one of the top 25 in Asia. And for good reason. The accommodations are outstanding, the service is perfect and the food is delicious. Not only that, it is within walking distance of everything you need to see and do in Manila. But if you don’t want to walk there are plenty of quick and easy transportation options.

My second day in Manila I had a dental problem. A crown came loose and I had a gaping hole in my smile! Not a great way to spend a week meeting new people and trying to get acquainted with a new country. I called down to the concierge at the Shangri-La and told her of my problem. She asked me to wait for a few minutes while she looked into the matter. Amazingly enough, within 15 minutes she not only located a dentist who could see me within the hour, but it was within about two blocks of the hotel, the appointment was on time, and the cost was minimal! Now that’s the kind of service you could always hope for but be surprised to receive!

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. These islands are distributed throughout over 114,00 square kilometers, with the South China Sea on its western shores and the vast Pacific Ocean to the east and south. Japan, China and Hong Kong lie to the north and Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are to the west.

Metro Manila is found on the island of Luzon, the largest island of the group. it is the national capitol of the Philippines and includes not only Makati City, but at least eleven other cities as well. The original walled city is known as Intramuros and was built in 1571. It is one of the finest and best preserved medieval cities in the world although much damage was inflicted during World War II. Ongoing reconstruction in Intramuros is painstakingly faithful to the original walled city at the mouth of the Pasig River.

Within the walled city of Intramuros are found the San Agustin Church Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago. San Agustin, began in 1571 and completed in 1606, now includes a museum with priceless artifacts from the religious life of old Manila. The magnificent Cathedral is a marvel of stained glass windows and intricate stone carvings and the Fort has seen a long series of occupants from the Spanish to the Japanese to the Americans, who controlled the Philippines for fifty years.

But the greatest attraction in the Philippines is the people themselves. To truly experience this fabulous country you only have to get out of your hotel and get into the streets and into the countryside. The best way to meet locals in Manila is to hop on a Jeepney! These amazing, colorful and oh so much fun vehicles are the heart and soul of the Philippines. There are over 30,000 of these open-air mini-busses running around all over the country. For just pennies you can ride one to the end of the line, then catch another for the next segment of your venture across town. They are everywhere and seemingly have no predetermined destination, but that is just an illusion. Actually, they travel in very specific zones and I’m still not sure exactly how to tell where they’re going, even though they often (maybe always) have exterior markings to designate their routes. But that doesn’t matter. Just hop on the next one that stops that’s going in your direction and ask where they’re going. You’ll get an answer with a smile and everyone on board will try to help you find your way. So what if you go the wrong way a couple of times - you’ll just meet that many more Filipinos and that’s worth every mile you might go out of your way. But you won’t go far astray - the driver and other passengers will make sure you get where you’re going- almost everyone speaks English as well at Tagalog - another bonus in this Asian country Meanwhile, it’s all good natured fun. And, if you’re sitting up close by the driver, you’ll end up helping to relay the coins from the new riders to the driver or his assistant - which may be his brother, sister, girlfriend or wife!

Oh yeah - what’s a jeepney? A Jeepney is a wonderful vehicle originally built from old surplus jeeps with an extended rear section, much like a long, covered pick-up truck bed with bench seats on both sides. I went to one of the factories where they build them and had a grand time. They’re built from the ground up and in this particular garage were having old Isuzu diesel engines installed. The jeepneys, as quaint and fun and colorful as they are, also appear to be a major source of air pollution in the islands!

This is a country filled with festivities and celebrations. If you spent your whole time traveling about the islands, you could very likely find a festival of some sort every day of the year! Filipinos love to laugh and smile and party. It is a place where you can walk down the street and speak to people and they all return your greeting. And if you say Mabuhay, they will be especially pleased that you have made the effort to use their own special greeting. By the way, Mabuhay is pronounced ma-boo-high. Or something very close to that.

There is much to see and do in Manila, not the least of which is the nightlife. Any single man who doesn’t visit the L.A. Cafe will have found he has made a major mistake when he talks with his friends who did go there. It is a remarkable club with a great band, a fair sized dance floor and more beautiful Filipinas than one can imagine. Everyone is friendly and everyone has a grand time - even, as in our group, one who didn’t want to have fun!

There are other clubs that have a darker side, but this was not one of "those" places. The other places are instantly recognizable when you step foot in the door. Dozens of young women (girls) all dressed in black and sitting around waiting for their turn to "dance" or to be picked by a guest. The "sex worker" trade is legal and large in the Philippines, but does not need to have any affect on the normal visitor to this beautiful country.

Two "must see" places in Manila are the War Memorial and the Chinese Cemetery. You’ll be impressed by the solemnity and dignity of one and the amazing opulence of the other. I was able to walk around and find grave markers of my fellow New Mexicans in the American Cemetery. The mausoleums in the Chinese Cemetery are utterly amazing - it’s like walking through a residential subdivision with individual "condos" on both sides of the street. And with street name signs on the corner!

Of all the other islands, I had the opportunity to visit Cebu, staying at yet another wonderful Shangri-La resort at Mactan. Nearby is a monument for the Filipino hero Lapulapu who defeated and killed the explorer/invader Ferdinand Magellan. Cebu is a paradise for those wanting to swim in the crystal clear blue water and walk on the white sandy beaches. Here you can also visit ceramic shops, rattan furniture and bamboo craft shops and even a guitar factory where you can buy a beautiful instrument of cedar, mahogany and inlaid with mother of pearl at a rock bottom price.

The islands boast of world class snorkeling and scuba diving, shopping for exotic gifts found nowhere else and plenty of golf courses (back in Manila you’ll find the Wack-Wack golf club) if you want to smack around a little white ball instead of taking a two and a half hour boatride through St. Paul’s Underground River, the world’s longest known underground river, moving through fascinating rock formations and large domed areas. Or visit a Crocodile farm.

You can visit plantations growing Pomelo and giant bananas. Or even an orchid farm. But do remember to be careful when walking under coconut palm trees - they probably account for more injuries than the crocodiles - especially on windy days!

And, of course, you’ll marvel at the sunsets over the sea. And, if you fly from one island to another just after sunset you will see a light show like nothing you have seen anywhere else in the world.

But no matter how you decide to spend your time in the Philippines the one thing you will always have in your memory is the wonderful smiling face of your favorite Filipino or Filipina. I’m really lucky - I have dozens!

IF YOU GO:

Philippine Airlines: 1 (800) I-FLY - PAL or www.philippineairlines.com

Shangri-La Hotels: 1 (310) 665-2000 or www.Shangri-la.com

Philippine Department of Tourism: www.tourism.gov.ph

Weather: The Philippines is a tropical country. Hot and dry from March to June, rains from July to October, cool from November to February.

*Robert Painter is a travel writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He spends most of his time exploring the world, having recently returned from trips to Sedona, Arizona, Panama and the San Blas Islands, Russia and the Baltic Capitals, Africa and South America. Upcoming trips include Tahiti, Hawaii, China and Portugal. Robert is the staff travel writer for RedSky Publications and submits independent articles to numerous publications. He is the author of The Native American Indian Artist Directory and lectures on Native American Indian Art and Culture.

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