Final Days in Manila

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Monday we went to the U.S. Embassy for our interview. A lady interviewed us separately. She was polite to me, asking questions about whether I was “hired by an agency.” I explained that was not the case. But I understand that she was not so polite when interviewing Aurelia.

(A month later I received notice in the mail that that the U.S. embassy had denied my petition, resulting a year of stress and legal research.)

Because Shakey’s Pizza was founded in Sacramento, I wanted to eat there. We also went to parks and museums, and the new “Philippine Cultural Center.”

We went to Nayong Pilipino in Pasay (next to the International airport) - which recently shut down and was moved to Clark in Pampanga. 

Nayong Pilipino (or: Philippine Villlage) is a 45-acre theme park featuring a miniature version of the Philipppines and its culture. The display is divided into a number of geographic displays -- Ilocos, Cordillera Central, Tagalog, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each of these displays contains a typical house or building and a typical landscape of its region. For example, the Visayas display contains a replica of the historical landmark, Magellan's Cross, Cebu, and Bohol's famous Chocolate Hills.

To the right is a 1971 stamp featuring Nayong Pilipino

This was a nice traditional house:

I bought one of these at Nayong Pilipino - I still have it:

Craftsmen at Nayong Pilipino

Here we are somewhere - I believe inside Nayong Pilipino:

Also probably in Nayong Pilipino:

Here we are in Luneta Park after dark (time exposure):

We went to see a movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” about how a coke bottle dropped from an airplane disrupts the life of a native tribe. (I recommend it.) It seemed we had not paid for balcony seats, so her father bribed the usher.

There were Metro Manila Aides everywhere:

There was a Signetics facility east of Manila. I phoned explaining that I was a U.S. employee. Aurelia’s father and I took a “trike” to the building and then were given a VIP tour of the wafer packaging and test facility by the general manager.

 

On the flight home and for the subsequent week I was sick with diarrhea, but was good enough to continue working and eventually felt ok again.

Departing Manila:

 

Arriving in Los Angeles: