Manila Costs 2012

I flew in to Clarke with Air Asia. At 12.15am the immigration queue was only an hour long. In the arrival concourse I could see the Philtranco and Victory Liner coach booths were not only shut but folded away. I pondered the situation. I hadn't booked a room for the night, anticipating a night of coach travel and general faffing around. Now it appeared the faffing around was for certain and the coach travel off the radar.

I overheard a western guy request a taxi of a lady sat in something like a converted wardrobe. I hung some faith on him and explained my predicament. He knew the lie of the land. I needed to get to Dau (pronounced Da-oo). At Dau there was a bus station with regular buses into metro Manila. At the wardrobe I echoed my western experts words, 400 peso, she said, and I received a piece of paper that had a, not accidental, tear in it. There was nothing written or printed on the paper but a least I felt I'd entered a process.

In less than a minute another lady, with a walkie talkie, arrived by my side. She must have spotted my torn paper. Where you going? She asked. Dau bus terminal I said. She beckoned me to follow her. We began in the direction of several taxis but at three paces she was in demand from a man speaking aggravated Tagalog. I ambled on toward the leading taxi. A driver opened the trunk and I heaved my bag in. I took up residence in the front passenger seat. A different driver appeared. Where you going? I told him as if I did this every week. 500 pesos he said. 400 I said. The door slammed and he walked away.

The walkie talkie lady turned up and ushered a couple into the back seat. Another different driver slotted in and we were moving. I'm tired, irritable and irritated. So this is a shared taxi I said into the black night air inside the cab. It brought a grunt of acknowledgement from the driver who was clearly another expert at welcoming new arrivals to his beautiful land, removing any anxieties they may have and cleverly anticipating questions with the content of his friendly chatter. I looked over to see if he had a mouth. How much is my fare? I asked. Two. He said. He had a mouth, on rations.

Ao Nang Beach

The south end of Ao Nang beach holds little interest for me. The massage huts are fronted by female massage touts who always ask 'massage?' in a tone that suggests you must be stupid because you don't seem to have have noticed that this stretch of the beach is given over entirely to massage. The tone holds a ring of surprise too. Surprise, I guess, that a Farang has the audacity to march through this stretch of beach without the slightest interest in massage. That's why I'm here love, but they'd never understand that.
I used to enjoy a diet coke and an hours read of the latest novel I had on board at 'The Last Cafe' but, during my visit in late June / early July this year , 'The Last Cafe' didn't seem to be operational. Either seasonal or a global economy casualty.

The north end of the beach I really like.

Ao Nang

Adams Bungalows, one of my favorite garden setting accommodation locations in Ao Nang was shut. I wasn't sure why. However a short walk down the road (in the beach direction ) brought me to the View la Villa.
After some negotiation and a room change because of a faulty safe and a shower that never heated water, I felt very comfortable in this room. I wouldn't have got this price at any other time of the year. En suite bathroom, hot water shower, air con, tv, fridge and safe. 400 baht a night. No breakfast.

Phuket Town

During the so called low season (early July) in Southern Thailand there is a tremendous choice of low cost accommodation available.
The Rattana Mansion in the heart of Phuket Old Town was 600 baht a night for an ensuite room with air conditioning, tv, refrigerator and wifi in the room. It was clean and functional.
Thalang and Thalang Street was a 10 minute walk away. Twee coffee shops and intriguing art oriented paraphernalia tucked away in the nooks and crannies of old Phuket.

The Casablanca

A short walk from the Rattana Mansion hotel in the heart of Phuket Town, I came across a beautifully presented boutique hotel called The Casablanca.