6 philippines

Monday Walt and I were left alone until after 1 pm with orders do not go out so we did, we went out right after breakfast in the hotel

I had the Filipino breakfast of Juice, longganiza, egg, toast instead of rice and Walt had the American with bacon. Most food here is so good but the portions are definitely not American size.

We left the hotel went to the bank BPI first to exchange currency. The teller refused most of our money because of tiny little tears. Travel tip, you need new to perfect bills or forget the exchange. There are exchange machines at some locations if you could find them, no questions asked, at the bank forms and questions and perfect greenbacks needed.

We walked Mayor Jaldon St. up one side down the other and walked a few side streets. Most of the stores have over head steel garage doors, most have cement floors, plain no frills and packed with goods. We stopped at the shoe store/ repair shop. About 8 male workers crammed into a small space busy at their sewing machines. I found a pair of white n black wing tips but a bit tight. The workers were all smiles and stopped working while I took their photo.

At a department variety store we entered a cute sales girl Eileen spotted me immediately and took me around the whole store. She had fun introducing me to all her co-workers and answering my silly questions. As we were leaving she asked hey do you have a number. At another store I heard from a hiding sales clerk shout I like your eyes. Walking down the street I heard American Idol and the stares. We never felt uneasy, more like celebrities.

The thing that was so impressive was there were so many neat stores, bakeries, restaurant and more stores. Walt made an observation how do you know what store to go to to find something, for instance one variety store on the third floor had a row of shelves for flowers, next row frames, next hardware and then thrown in motorcycle helmets. How would you know to go there for helmets?

The stores from the outside look small once you enter they go on and on with multiple levels. And just about every store was filled to the ceilings and mostly unorganized. At another variety store I was trying on shoes, I have small feet but still too big. At this store was a hole in the ceiling and when a clerk got an order he would call upstairs and the goods would be dropped down from the hole in the ceiling. And I don't care what store you enter the store clerks are well dressed and look like store clerks not like the slobs in America.

A few of the pet shops we passed had such sickly and diseased dogs in cages. Dogs for sale? That's one thing this country doesn't need more of, dogs.