Day 4 - Thursday May 12, 2011 - Manila Philippines

Above: The Peninsula Hotel - Manila, Philippines

I couldn't believe I slept until after 9 am. I guess I was sleep deprived!

Went and had some Starbucks coffee - they have one every other block in Manila - and then to the concierge to get a map and some pointers. Today is "orientation day" so I'll walk around Makati (the "city" within Manila where I'm staying) and then do some touring later. The Peninsula is well situated at the corner of Makati and Ayala Avenues in the heard of Makati. Beautiful property.

First stop was the Ayala Triangle Park - they seem to have some beautifully kept parks in Manila. Went by the Manila Stock Exchange. Then to a pedestrian walkway that wends its way through a huge shopping complex - the Greenbelt Mall. Lots of stores, restaurants, shops, parks, etc. Went by the Santo Nino de Paz Church - a somewhat modern, open-air structure in the middle of a beautiful park surrounded by water. They were holding mass in the open-air church.

Then went over to the Glorietta Mall, an even larger complex in Makati. Unbelievable all of the shops and restaurants. It was quite hot and humid outside so about 1 I headed back to the hotel for lunch by the pool.

Then went to the Ayala Museum where I learned a lot about the history of the Philippines - the founding, the wars, the Marcos regime, the election of Corey Aquino, and modern day Philippines. They had the bright yellow dress on display that Corey Aquino wore on her inauguration day.

Late afternoon headed back to the hotel and relaxed by the pool with my book and iPod. Beautiful afternoon although still somewhat sticky.

Went out for a casual dinner - nothing special - and then to bed about 10. Hopefully my sleep patterns will get back into a routine after a couple of days in Asia.