Carlston's Lobby @1am and then....

On our way to Tabuk (where we'll be working with the midwife Georgia...more on that later...), we spent the night in Manila. The following is taken from Ancient Paths

PM 9:30 : The lobby has free wifi!


PM 10:00 : No worries about anything; 4 security guards present.

PM 10:15 : Concerned about little fish’s poor health.


PM 10:30 : Facebook-ing ..

PM 11:00 : New guests arrive… with matching sweatsuits.

PM 11:45 : THUD. Opening yellow elevator doors reveal collapsed white foreign man.

PM 11:46 : Heroic security guards help him. Jordan & I gather courage for our CPR skills.

PM 11:47 : CPR not indicated (thankfully)

PM 11:48 : Foreign man (pale and disoriented) on couch after second collapse.

PM 11:49 : Foreign man comes to; drinking a coke. More foreign guests arriving.

PM 11:52 : Collapsing man back into elevator without mishap; followed by guard.

PM 11:59 : New foreign men guests arrive. One goes to room.

AM 12:00 : Strange car arrives. Another newly arrived guest slips guard large wad of cash. Then leaves.

AM 12:00 : Guards suddenly are carrying automatic weapons. Still no worries though..

AM 12:02 : Happy guard fumbling with automatic weapon. He gets scolded. Hmmm..

AM 12:05 : Receives lesson on using automatic weapon from the more experienced guard.

AM 12:30 : Facebook is addicting. So is reading the news.

AM 12:45 : Guards more relaxed since the guests from earlier are gone..

AM 1:00 : Jordan & I go to bed. Next door phone rings every 135 seconds for a while.

AM 1:10 : Our room 418 is the arctic. No control on AC.

AM 4:30 : Saying goodbye to Jordan's dad.

AM 6:00 : Consider switching off breaker going to aircon. Unsure what else that breaker controls. Decide risk is too high.

AM 9:00 : Good breakfast of rice, fish, sweet sausage and coffee.

AM 10:00 : Checking out.

AM 10:15 : Taxi driver promises a working meter. Get in taxi.

AM 10:16 : Meter not on. Driver fumbling with it. Mutters something about lucky day.

AM 10:17 : Lucky for us because if meter is broken… by law we get a free ride…

AM 10:17 : And… CRASH! Someone’s blue car door is now quite crunched.

AM 10:19 : Blue car driver touches his side window with one finger. All the glass falls out.

AM 10:22 : Standing on the street. Our taxi driver quite distraught. Many spectators.

AM 10:30 : We find another taxi after 2 tries.

AM 11:25 : Get ripped off AGAIN by ANOTHER taxi driver.

AM 11:30 : At bus station to purchase tickets to Tabuk.

PM 12:17 : Arrive at Mall of Asia to find internet and ice skating rink.