lost in the rhythm of manila: a drummer's accidental detour
okay so here i am, drumsticks in one hand, iced coffee in the other, standing in the middle of edsa with sweat dripping down my neck. the temp's sitting at a toasty 27.61°c but feels like 31.15°c because humidity's at 80%. basically, manila's hugging you with its wet, warm arms and you can't escape it. i just checked and it's like this pretty much all year, hope you like that kind of thing.
i didn't plan to be here. my gig got canceled in cebu, so i hopped on a last-minute bus north, thinking "sure, manila, why not?" and now i'm wandering around quezon city, trying to find a decent practice space that won't charge me my entire per diem. someone told me that the best hidden rehearsal spots are in the backstreets near *katipunan avenue, but i haven't found them yet.
"if you think traffic's bad now, try getting from makati to quezon at 5pm," a cab driver said, laughing like it was a rite of passage.
meanwhile, the air smells like fried banana and diesel, and jeepneys are whizzing by with religious decals and names like "jesus is my co-pilot" and "lord give me strength." i keep thinking about how the sea level pressure here is 1013 and ground level is 1018, which probably explains why my ears pop every time i go underground to the mrt.
if you get bored, tagaytay and pampanga are just a short drive away, but honestly, i'm still trying to figure out how to cross edsa without becoming roadkill.
i heard that binondo has the best dumplings in the world, but also that it's a maze where you'll lose your phone and your dignity. i'm not sure which rumor to believe, but i'm heading there tomorrow with my cymbals and a prayer.
"don't trust the tricycle drivers near recto station," a barista warned me. "they'll take you to their cousin's karaoke bar and charge you triple."
right now i'm sitting in a 24-hour jollibee, eating spaghetti with hotdog slices (yes, that's a thing) and trying to write this post without getting marinara on my snare pad. the wifi's decent, the aircon's broken, and someone's playing "my heart will go on" on a busted videoke machine in the corner.
i keep thinking about how the temp_min was 27.32°c and temp_max hit 28.94°c today, which basically means it's always "kinda hot, kinda sticky, always unpredictable." kinda like my love life, but that's another story.
anyway, if you're ever in manila and need a drummer who's down to jam in a sweaty basement or a rooftop with a view of the smog, hit me up. i'll bring the sticks, you bring the electrolytes.
want more chaotic travel tales? check out tripadvisor's manila forum or yelp's best karaoke spots in quezon city*. just don't say i didn't warn you about the traffic.