Highs and lows

The highs and lows when travelling with work can be quite extreme. Everywhere takes ages to get to in the Philippines because so many people are trying to move around on small pieces of land. Earlier enthusiasm for work was dulled on arrival in Manila.

2 hours in a taxi from the airport, delayed by flooding, the world's worst traffic and an incompetent taxi driver who needed to ask the way about 20 times. No joke.

However I did get the chance to challenge preconceptions of Filipinos to lone male visitors:

Taxi driver: are you American?

Me: no, British

Driver: do you have a wife here?

Me: no

Driver: fiancé?

Me: no

(Stunned silence)

Stunned silence until arrival at the hotel when I was reminded by the driver that I should tip and then requested to tip double that I offered.

Now having to use Internet in corridor as signal too weak in room.

The floor tiles are about as inspiring as it gets here.