Location: Manila, Philippines
The Silver Whisper has almost 300 crew from over 30 countries, yet 40% of the crew are Filipino. So, as we docked in Manila for 14 hours it was wonderful to see all the families lined up to visit their loved ones – spouses, kids and parents. I saw someone’s father in a wheelchair being helped on board so he could see the ship where his child works. It was great to watch.
I choose the bus-based “Panoramic Manila” tour. My first observation – most people used umbrellas to block the sun rather than wear a hat. It was rush hour in the port area downtown, but we got a good view of the jeepney bus/taxis, which are relics of all the left over WW2 jeeps left in the Philippines. From the below pictures you might not realize how short they are.
After driving thru some seedy areas, some shopping districts, some nice housing and then office buildings we reached the Manila American Cemetery.
The memorial included over two dozen murals made of embedded stone describing the WW2 battles around the Philippines. The entire facility was very well kept. The interned include the Sullivan Brothers.
After driving thru the Intramuros (original Spanish walled city) we arrived at the rather lavish Manila Hotel and had snacks in a side-room bar area. There is something about a wooden room (including the ceiling) that makes me feel cozy.
There were longer tours that took you farther out of the downtown area, and maybe I should that taken one of those for this port of call. There’s always next time.
Bonus Picture
Last night was Martin Kaye‘s last performance, which was focused on the music of Elton John. He performed on Vegas for four years as Jerry Lee Lewis in the show Million Dollar Quartet. See him perform if you have the chance.
