We must be feeling comfortable here because we’re starting to venture out beyond a 3 block radius of our condo. Last night we were offered the opportunity to join a group of people heading up to a restaurant/bar called Cloud 9 in the Manila suburb of Antipolo. If I heard our host explain it correctly, this is the highest point from which to overlook the city. As a budding photographer, you can imagine that I used this opportunity to bust out the tripod and shoot some night pictures at low shutter speeds. And just in case you’re wondering, night photos don’t seem to be my thing, as they all turned out pretty blurry.
We had rented a van and driver for the evening since none of us have our vehicles yet. And when I say we ventured far, remember that in Manila, that’s all relative. This trip, for example, was 10 miles and took ONLY 40 minutes! Our host said it usually takes 60 to 90 minutes so we were all thrilled. Ah Manila traffic, how I love thee!
The view was well worth the drive. I posted one of my better panoramic shots above. It really gives you a sense of the magnitude of this 12 million person city, huh? The evening went quickly as we enjoyed classic Filipino dishes and tipped back some drinks amidst good conversation. Not much else to report, other than that I’m grateful for all the invites we’ve been getting along with the chance to make new friends. The foreign service community is incredibly welcoming (just like Minnesotans). Here are some pictures from the evening:
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