Manila Makeover

I was back to it, the city life that I know and love so much. Manila was a place I hadn't yet explored and I was excited to get my hostel hop back. I only had 3 days to do it but that was plenty of time since there really weren't many appealing tourist sites. In a country like the Philippines, the ways to experience the culture is through their typical every day lifestyles. Which I did plenty of with my family, so the time in the city was all for fun. Meet Tristan and Malo, oui, zey are French. Don't ask me what it is with French people and I, but lately I have been finding them every where and we just always happen to make the best of friends. Lucky for me, these boys had plenty of experience in the Philippines, so I just played follow the leader and enjoyed my time with Tristan, while Malo was spending time with his Filipino lover, haha. Being in the city doesn't mean the poverty vanishes but in certain areas like Makati Greenbelt Mall which is extremely impressive for the Philippines, you wouldn't even feel like you were in that country until you walked across the street. Straying away off the beaten path (something I am very fond of) one can expect to be bombarded by children. Poor, poor children. They want money of course, but if you see them run off for some strange reason, it most likely means that they spotted a guard with a stick in hand heading their way. In the Philippines, the guards/cops, have the right to shoot a beggar if it is for the purpose of protecting a foreigner....crazy! Lucky for me I don't have to deal with too many beggars, I FINALLY somewhat blend in here, but for Tristan he is the superstar of the Philippines. Every place we walk into, every bar, every store, every karaoke song dedicated to him, every anything, jaws drop...they love the white skin, blonde hair, blue eyed boys...but I think to them it really only means one thing $$money$$. Sure, he was good to look at but an easy target for a scam, so we had to watch our backs. Our hostel was all too comfortable, fresh fruit, toast, coffee in the morning, amazing surround sound common areas, AC in every room...I didn't want to leave! It was just what I needed to recoup. But to help the process a little more, pamper day with the boys! Haha, hair cuts, manicures, pedicures, massages. I was a new woman!

Does he look scared?

Tristan & Malo