disaster diary: soggy streets & sizzling skids in manila
if you get bored, tagaytay mountains are just a short drive away.
this place is 28.21 degrees mental. feels like touching a sweaty forehead that’s been marinating in humidity. i’m sitting here like a giant lizard on a hot mat, sweating through my manaos. saw a stray cat trying to melt glow-in-the-dark paint off a pothole earlier. locals call this the ‘dry season’ - i’m pretty sure they’re lying.
checked tripadvisor for something dry to do and all the cafes are closed before opening. tried to order iced coffee at a spot called sweet moss through bumblebees and the guy stared at me like i asked for a grammar lesson. said the beans were ‘below specification’ or whatever that means. ended up at a street stall where the vendor shouted ‘free upgrade’ louder than a karaoke school principal.
i handed a broke tourist a bag of chips from 7-eleven once and they said ‘you’re a saint’ - yeah, i’m also a saint who can’t afford aircon right now. overheard a group at starbucks calling this place ‘the philippines’ version of lavénaise?’ not sure what that means, but if it’s french yogurt vibes i’m out. (side eye at the 29.89 humidity reading - that’s like holding a dragon’s breath.)
*pro-tip*: don’t trust any motorcycle taxi without googling the driver’s name first. this one dude flagged me down wearing a meme t-shirt that said ‘i survived the drug war and all i got was this lousy hat.’ sounded like a war hero, turned out he just lost a bet.
- how to find decent wifi: ask old folks about ‘duokan’ at the 7-eleven. half the crew there looks like they’ve seen the last wifi signal.
next up: surviving manila’s ‘sky trains’ before i hemorrhage in a metro seat that smells like old sweat and bad decisions.
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- https://votoris.com/post/veselovo-wanderings-a-disillusioned-consultants-messy-diary
- https://votoris.com/post/latakias-secret-spots-that-locals-pretend-dont-exist
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- https://votoris.com/post/baoding-not-your-average-city-but-is-it-worth-the-hype
- https://votoris.com/post/ayr-where-history-hides-in-the-fog