Bobby Rica in the Philippines (Part One)

By BobbyRica | October 31, 2010

philippine airport

After having so much fun in Mexico, I have set my sights on another tropical location where friends tell me is a happening place. It has white sandy beaches, gorgeous sun-kissed babes and a surf that’s as inspiring as the country. But unlike my previous destinations, the place I went to is not in Central America. It does have Hispanic influences though but is so far removed from where I usually go, it’s almost exotic. The place I’m talking about is the Philippines.

The sixteen hour flight from LAX to NAIA totally clobbered me. Man, I thought we’d never land!

airport exterior

After the plane finally touched down, and after an hour of finagling out into Arrival, that familiar gust of tropical humidity slapped me into clarity. I was back in the Tropics again and I was excited. Unlike the newly developed gems in Central America, Manila — the capital of the Philippines — reminded me so much of Los Angeles. It’s crowded, filthy and has too many cars. But instead of rich plastic-nosed broads in Porsches, I see a lot of poor people living in shanties. It was a grand Banana Republic if I ever saw one. And I wonder if I will see what I needed to see. Because my first few minutes there, I wasn’t much of a fan.

Stay tuned for pictures, updates, and epic adventures!