World Cruise--Pirates and Manila

Aaaaargh! Who knew there were modern day pirates in the Pacific? As we neared the area between Malaysia and the Philippines on our way to Manila, the captain made an announcement concerning the procedures that would be taken as we passed through this area should we encounter any pirate action. Now it was highly unlikely. The pirate activity involves the fishing industry more than the cruise industry but I’m sure the cruise industry does not want to be caught off guard.

It would take an army of pirates to take on a ship the size of Queen Anne but just in case there were a few brave eye-patched individuals who would give it a try, the security team was at the ready with high powered water hoses and sound “guns”. The sound guns looked like large old fashioned cameras, big black boxes, but they can direct an ear piercing sound wave at someone to discourage their advance, enough to blow an eardrum.

The rest of us were restricted to indoors after dark, no outer decks or balconies, asked to keep our curtains closed and lights to a minimum (of course there was a full moon). If we were to receive an alert that there was an attempt to board, we were to gather in the inner corridor if we had a balcony or stay in our room if it was an inside stateroom. On the Queen Mary years ago, when passing by Somalia we actually had a pirate drill where we did just that to practice.

After about eighteen hours, we had safely passed through the area and although we saw quite a few fishing boats, we saw no one flying a skull and crossbones.

This was our first visit to Manila or anywhere else in the Philippines so we were a bit curious. We had booked a ship’s excursion since we were unfamiliar with the area. Our arrival was delayed about an hour as we had to wait for three cargo ships to clear the harbor entrance. On our sea days we had been required to fill our e-travel documents for the Philippines as well as pass by the authorities who were onboard and have our temperature scanned with a thermos-camera. It eliminated a lot of confusion at the port.

When I went out onto our balcony and looked around, I was amazed at how large the harbor was. The skyline of the city was very impressive but was shrouded slightly in a light haze. Humidity? Or pollution? It looked and felt more like humidity to me.

At our appointed time, we met in the Royal Theater to await our call to board the bus for our tour. When I booked the tour at home, months before the cruise, it had appealed to us because it was only four hours and, knowing it would be very hot in Manila, and the fact that the description said it was done in an air conditioned bus.

It wasn’t long after we got our assignment to a bus, that we were on our way. The bus was comfortable and I was ready to see the “Charm of Old Manila”.  We passed a couple of monuments and buildings that our guide pointed out and then the bus came to a stop in front of the San Augustin Church. We thought it was just a phot shop but the guide said we could also go inside as long as they weren’t holding Sunday mass. I left my water bottle on the bus thinking we would be back shortly.

The church was amazing. It was huge and quite ornate. We were there between mass times. We finished out pictures and went back out into the courtyard. Our guide handed out orange stickers for us to enter the museum. Museum? I did not remember that in the description. Oh well, how long could it take?

I got the feeling we were in trouble when we were broken into groups of ten and assigned to pairs of young girls who were to be out guides. And the place went on forever. It was a monastery and a convent. We slowly made our way through the maze of corridors and rooms that were lined with displays that dated back to the very beginnings of the church in 1602. It is the oldest church in the Philippines.

By the time we had walked through it all, we were very hot and thirsty and wishing we’d brought the water that we’d left in the bus. Some people found benches before the tour of the museum was finished and sat and waited for the rest of us. I had the definite feeling that I wasn’t the only one who had picked the tour for its non-walking description.

We managed to climb steps to the second floor which gave us a view of the sanctuary from above. Ten o’clock mass was had begun and we listened for a bit. Back downstairs, we were led outside to the large garden courtyard where under the shelter of the covered walkway that ran around the main courtyard, we could see a Sunday School class of children led by a nun. That was a lot more interesting than dusty old relics.

Once we were all gathered together again, our guide said, we would venture on to the fort. It would be a bit of a walk and we would pass through a market place. I spoke up and asked just how much more walking we were going to do. There were several in our group who were having a difficult time walking to begin with and now the heat had risen as well. When the answer came, about a third of our group decided requested they sit on the bus and wait. The guide had to summon the bus whose driver probably thought he was going to have a nice rest.

When the bus finally pulled to the curb, he found 30+ people trying to stand in the little bit of shade that was offered along the wall of a building. Several of us boarded and grabbed the water we’d left behind and one lady grabbed walking sticks that she had brought just in case.

We soldiered on and across a square that had a Sunday market set up. There was no opportunity though to stop and look at the goods. We marched on and finally arrived at the gate to Fort Santiago, There was a large open area that I was guessing was a parade grounds. At this point, I couldn’t concentrate much on what our guide was saying and often he talked with his back to us.

Crossing the open ground to the ruins of the fort was blistering. The humidity had climbed along with the temps and Bob looked at me and asked, “Are we back in India?” We moved on and crossed a bridge across a moat or part of a river. I was so warm that I couldn’t concentrate on what he was telling us. On the other side, he stopped again to relate more history.

Our guide finally found a shady spot  and talked about the fort, I moved away from the group. Walking was one thing in the heat. Standing and trying to pay attention to a story of history was beyond me at that point. I found a spot where a slight breeze was blowing  and I walked in circles slowly there (I’ve never been able to stand in one place for long) and finally leaned against a guard rail.

When the guide was finished, Bob approached me and gestured to some benches in the shade that were on the other side of the building they were going to enter. “It’s a dungeon and there are steps. Maybe you should sit over there. That’s where we’ll come out.” I didn’t have to think twice about it. Neither did about ten other people.

I sat next to a lady from Sydney who complained that this wasn’t the excursion she thought it to be. I commiserated with her. Apparently sometime between booking the excursion (she’d done it at home as well) and the actual cruise, there was either a change in the itinerary of the excursion or the original description had been a mistake and no one told us. The description on the My Voyage page from the ship (Cunard doesn’t have an app but it does have a page you connect to with ship’s WiFi) showed at the bottom of the description that there was considerable walking. I’m sure I won’t be the only one complaining.

It was another long walk back to where the bus would pick us up. I was thinking the tour was done. Oh no. Our guide announced that the last stop was the Hotel Manila, a historic hotel that is the luxury hotel of Manila. We couldn’t miss that, he said, and we might even have time for a cup of tea. Right. We were due back at the ship in forty-five minutes, he had to get 30+ people off the bus and we were stuck behind two other buses who were unloading their tour groups.

The hotel was impressive but a mass of people and noise. It opened in 1912 and has a lot of history behind it including serving as a military headquarters during WWII. The luxury suite is named the MacArthur. Lots of dignitaries and celebrities have stayed there including Hemingway. (Hemingway really got around.)

There was a man playing a grand piano on one end but unless you got right up next to it, you couldn’t tell what he was playing. We wandered around and then congregated with the rest of our group who were obviously as eager to be done as we were. It took quite a while for the bus to be able to pick us up. The main entrance was busy with guests checking in and out, wedding parties entering, and four or five busloads of tour groups. Someone should have planned better.

Okay, I’m done venting. The best I can say is that when you book excursions, most are very good but once in a while, as Bob says, you get a clinker. On to Hong Kong.