Woke up with only one thought: get the fuck out of Manila. This place is driving me crazy. Before we did, it drove me just a bit crazier. A short review of our hotel to explain why.
All in all, Tune hotels, which are run by a budget airline Air Asia, are a good deal only if you don't use them for anything but the most basic function: sleep during the night and get out.
After grabbing a taxi we had the same problem as the night before getting to our bus station: flooded streets and not being able to pass. Our cab driver started whining awfully about being stuck in traffic and not making money. Hello... as far as I'm concerned the meter is running and this is your job and your risk. His whining got so bad after a while that we just told him to pull up at the nearest gas station, got out, paid him his due and told him to fuck off. We were still 3km away from our bus station though. We tried walking, but streets were impassable with flood water up to your waist. What to do, what to do? Finally a good idea came to head and we decided to grab one of the long distance coaches with a high suspension. Success! We were finally at Buendia Bus Station. Bus to Batangas Pier was a piece of cake, leaving every few minutes. Even had a chance to buy some nice chow for the ride. Deep fried dumplings (dumplings truly are a food present in every culture around the world) proved a hit with both of us and we were on our way.
Batangas Pier presented another to cheat stupid tourists with "the boat guy" recommended by the bus driver himself turning out to be nothing more than a hustler who had nothing to do with the boat and was out to scam you for a few bucks here and there. As we were walking to the station they started multiplying: one to pull one bag, one to talk to us, one to talk to the one talking to us, and one just hanging around for no particular purpose. Before we knew it they were asking for service payments for all four of them. I mean seriously, is every white tourist an idiot with a target on his head? It is exactly this kind of behavior which makes tourists distrustful of such people and countries (like me being a good example of sharing all these negative stories with the readers). But I guess they will never learn as long as there is a buck to earn by ripping off tourists. While already on the pier we realized that we were missing embarkation cards which were taken by our "guides" but not given back to us. Hmm... another scam, what a surprise. This time the missus, praise her golden head, came to the rescue. I think the true reason is that after yesterday she felt that I was actually ready to kill the next person I talk to. Lo and behold she produced two new embarkation cards for free (even though they carried a price of 50 piso each). Honey, I'm proud of you.
An hour boat ride later we were finally on Sabang beach looking for our place. When we found it, the dive shop Dive VIP was closed. Fortunately a local boy helped us find the owner, an Aussie John. With Aussie like informality we were given our keys and told that we'd be diving tomorrow at 10:30. A "little friend" in our room (a 2 inch cockroach) reminded us that we were now adventure travelers. But the mood has improved greatly despite the absolutely awful downpour. We were on an island.
A roam around the island found us a local eatery where after two days in moody hell we decided to indulge in a nice dinner. Chicken for the missus and a plate of fried sea cockroaches according to Kris (read: shrimp) with a couple beers fit the bill quite nicely. And we finally found Tonic! After purchasing a liter in duty free in Moscow, we've been carrying it since Japan trying to find tonic to mix it with to no avail. Until this day, when we not only found tonic, but also ice made with filtered water, which made for a really good night.
Tune Hotel Makati -
a cheap, no frills place to stay in the middle of Makati City. Cheap, clean and comfortable rooms in not so good location (as witnessed by an expensive cab ride to get here). Location prone to flooding during storms, monsoons and typhoons (pretty much between June and November every year). Very affordable rates, provided you do not use any of the normally expected services of a hotel. Towel and toiletries: extra charge. Extended check-out or early check-in: extra charge equal to half of nightly rate. Leaving your luggage with the porter so you can nip out for a late breakfast: extra charge which in case of 4 bags adds a nightly charge to your bill.
All in all, Tune hotels, which are run by a budget airline Air Asia, are a good deal only if you don't use them for anything but the most basic function: sleep during the night and get out.
After grabbing a taxi we had the same problem as the night before getting to our bus station: flooded streets and not being able to pass. Our cab driver started whining awfully about being stuck in traffic and not making money. Hello... as far as I'm concerned the meter is running and this is your job and your risk. His whining got so bad after a while that we just told him to pull up at the nearest gas station, got out, paid him his due and told him to fuck off. We were still 3km away from our bus station though. We tried walking, but streets were impassable with flood water up to your waist. What to do, what to do? Finally a good idea came to head and we decided to grab one of the long distance coaches with a high suspension. Success! We were finally at Buendia Bus Station. Bus to Batangas Pier was a piece of cake, leaving every few minutes. Even had a chance to buy some nice chow for the ride. Deep fried dumplings (dumplings truly are a food present in every culture around the world) proved a hit with both of us and we were on our way.
Batangas Pier presented another to cheat stupid tourists with "the boat guy" recommended by the bus driver himself turning out to be nothing more than a hustler who had nothing to do with the boat and was out to scam you for a few bucks here and there. As we were walking to the station they started multiplying: one to pull one bag, one to talk to us, one to talk to the one talking to us, and one just hanging around for no particular purpose. Before we knew it they were asking for service payments for all four of them. I mean seriously, is every white tourist an idiot with a target on his head? It is exactly this kind of behavior which makes tourists distrustful of such people and countries (like me being a good example of sharing all these negative stories with the readers). But I guess they will never learn as long as there is a buck to earn by ripping off tourists. While already on the pier we realized that we were missing embarkation cards which were taken by our "guides" but not given back to us. Hmm... another scam, what a surprise. This time the missus, praise her golden head, came to the rescue. I think the true reason is that after yesterday she felt that I was actually ready to kill the next person I talk to. Lo and behold she produced two new embarkation cards for free (even though they carried a price of 50 piso each). Honey, I'm proud of you.
An hour boat ride later we were finally on Sabang beach looking for our place. When we found it, the dive shop Dive VIP was closed. Fortunately a local boy helped us find the owner, an Aussie John. With Aussie like informality we were given our keys and told that we'd be diving tomorrow at 10:30. A "little friend" in our room (a 2 inch cockroach) reminded us that we were now adventure travelers. But the mood has improved greatly despite the absolutely awful downpour. We were on an island.
A roam around the island found us a local eatery where after two days in moody hell we decided to indulge in a nice dinner. Chicken for the missus and a plate of fried sea cockroaches according to Kris (read: shrimp) with a couple beers fit the bill quite nicely. And we finally found Tonic! After purchasing a liter in duty free in Moscow, we've been carrying it since Japan trying to find tonic to mix it with to no avail. Until this day, when we not only found tonic, but also ice made with filtered water, which made for a really good night.
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