Have Fiddle Will Travel: It's all about the chocolate cake! Happy New Year from Manila!

Maligayan Bagong Taon! Happy New Year from Manila! The Maniquis family and I are settling down to rest with our bellies full of chocolate cake and many traditional Filipino foods. Firecrackers continued to go off like gunshots well into the new year on this side of the globe while my family and friends in Winnipeg still have 14 hours to go.

New Year's Eve with the Maniquis family.

I must admit that somewhere above Northern Mongolia, I started to wonder why I had undertaken this long trip that was taking 28 hours to get to a hot, congested place where I would be away from my family and friends - and would miss out on my annual New Year’s Day ski in fresh, new snow. I was tired. Then at the Hong Kong airport, on seeing the excited posts and messages from friends anticipating my arrival, I started to get excited again.

Friends reunited after 2.5 years.

Bugsy the siamese kitten.

Farmer's Market at Araneta Centre.

Christmas corner at the Maniquis house.

Even though most people would be busy with family events and New Years’ Celebrations for the first week of my visit, plans were falling into place. As it has turned out, today - New Year’s Eve, is the first day of rest I’ve had since landing at midnight at the Ninoy Aquino airport. Except that we went grocery shopping at Araneta Centre and happened upon a Hello Kitty store that had everything from a humidifier (hm...I actually need one) to band aids.

It has been incredible witnessing and taking part first hand in New Year’s celebrations here where everyone scrambles like crazy on December 31 during the day to buy last minute groceries for giant family feasting.

Here’s a short recap of the days since I landed at midnight, Dec 28th:

Dinner at a 24-hour Wendy’s;
After a good 8 hour sleep, went to a nearby mall (Robinsons’ Magnolia) to get a cheap local cell phone, SIM card and ‘Load’ - pay-as-you-go minutes, then take out pesos from an ATM - next priority was to visit Lyric, a music supply store for guitar strings, a strap, and pics for my friend Antonette’s brother’s electric guitar that I discovered leaning next to the couch on which I would be sleeping;
Dec 29 - Go back to the mall for a few errands, attempt to find Power Up, the indoor climbing gym near University of the Philippines only to find they were closed, take the Jeepney and MRT home, then head out to meet some friends for dinner and then a local live music hot spot, 70s Bistro, to hear well-known Manila bands The Youth and Datu’s Tribe perform.

With Robert Javier of The Youth.
Dec 30 - Meet a good friend and songwriting collaborator, Joan, for late lunch and then home - after witnessing the lights of Ayala - to rehearse a song for future recording.

With Joan Bonito of Komik's Tale.