After getting off the bus, it was just past 3 AM. Despite the early hour, the bus terminal was busy with passengers waiting for buses and drivers trying to persuade people to go somewhere. As the drivers approached me and I ignored them, I quickly grabbed my backpack and left the terminal.
The warm, humid air reminded me that I was back in Manila as I walked through the streets. I decided to settle into a coffee shop that was open at that hour. It was only about a 10-minute walk from the terminal, but I was still asked for money or encouraged to buy something along the way. I saw some people sleeping on the street using cardboard or foldable chairs as beds. Of course, I also saw plenty of jeepneys. Despite it being so early in the morning, there were already many cars and people around. I thought to myself, “I came back to Manila.”
You won’t see people sleeping on the streets or roads in Sagada. Just five minutes after arriving in Manila, I already missed Sagada.
I entered the coffee shop, which was located inside an office building. Two employees were working there. As soon as I walked in, one of them went back toward the bathroom as if she did not want to take my order. I had experienced similar situations before, where people seemed reluctant to take my order simply because I looked like a foreigner.
By the way, I am self-conscious about looking like a tourist whenever I have a large backpack on my back. The funny thing, though, is that I was often told I looked like a local in Vietnam and Indonesia. I know it is not because they discriminate against me. Rather, they are probably nervous about speaking English. I would probably feel the same way if I didn’t speak English and saw someone who looked foreign entering the shop. Still, it is a little unpleasant to experience.
Another male employee took my order for a hot coffee. Although there was nobody else in the coffee shop, I noticed a dirty dish left on one of the tables. I did not really care, but I found it interesting considering the employees had nothing else to do.
Although sleeping on the overnight bus made it difficult to focus on updating my blog, I managed to finish it. I stayed there until about 7 AM, when I finally got tired of sitting in the coffee shop. By the time I left, there were about four employees working.
After leaving the coffee shop, I took a motorbike to the hostel where I would be staying for the next two nights. It was Ola Hostel Manila, the same hostel where I had stayed before. I knew I could relax on the couch even though I couldn’t check in until 2 PM. My plan was simply to sit there and take a short nap.
It did not take long to find a motorbike driver at 7 AM. The driver was so friendly that he kept giving me suggestions about places I should visit during the rest of my stay in Manila. While I really appreciated his hospitality, I was so tired that after about five minutes, I found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying. I think he recommended about ten different destinations. I only remembered a few of them.
The ride took about 20 minutes. When I arrived at the hostel, he smiled and said, “Thank you. Have a good day.” He was probably the nicest driver I had met since Herman, the motorbike driver I met in Indonesia.
The same security guard and receptionist were working at the entrance. Both of them said, “Welcome back.”
I had forgotten that I needed to pay a 500 PHP deposit at check-in. I only had 400 PHP, but the receptionist told me that 400 was fine.
Since I couldn’t check in until 2 PM—which I already knew—I relaxed on the couch and took a short nap. I woke up to the sound of a man moving the table next to the couch. He had a beard, glasses, and a bandana wrapped around his head, and he looked to be in his forties. He sat down on the couch and started eating something at the table.
I was editing videos while wearing my headphones, but I could hear Japanese audio coming from his phone, and I realized he was Japanese. Honestly, he did not look Japanese. For some reason, I was so tired that day that I did not feel like doing anything, including talking to people. I decided not to speak to him.
He left after finishing what looked like a heavy breakfast and relaxing for a while. I continued editing my videos on the couch, although I could barely concentrate. Sitting on the couch for several hours also made me tired, so I decided to go to Sasa Cafe, which was only about 30 seconds away from the hostel.
For lunch and any other expenses, I had to use my credit card because I literally had no cash left after paying the deposit. I couldn’t go back to my usual lifestyle of eating street food.
At the cafe, I ordered a hot coffee and a brownie, the cheapest pastry they had. The total came to 260 PHP ($4.20). As I relaxed, I thought about what I should do for the rest of my stay. I still had two days left, including the day I would head to the airport.
Although I had planned to visit some of the places the motorbike driver recommended that morning, the unstable weather and the fact that I had no cash made me reluctant to go anywhere. Besides, I already felt satisfied with all the sightseeing I had done in Sagada.
In the end, I did nothing except have dinner at the same cafe. I ordered a cheeseburger, which cost 300 PHP ($5). It was unexpectedly delicious—so good that I almost ordered another one, but I resisted.
By then, it was already around 6 PM, and it was raining outside. I went back to the hostel, checked in, and returned to the same room where I had stayed before. All of the bottom bunks were occupied, and I noticed a handwritten paper sign that read, “Reserved Sato.” Since Sato is a very common Japanese surname, I assumed it belonged to the Japanese man I had seen earlier.
I put my large backpack in the room and went up to the fifth floor, where there was a bar and restaurant. I saw an Asian man wearing a tank top relaxing there. Using the free drink voucher I had received at check-in, I ordered a vodka Sprite, the same drink I had chosen during my previous stay. Last time, I only managed to drink about 1% of it, but this time I drank about 3% because the alcohol did not taste as strong.
After staying there for about 30 minutes, I went back to my room and took a shower. As I relaxed in bed, someone turned off the lights at around 8 PM, which made me decide to go to sleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of someone unpacking their belongings and getting settled for the night, but I was able to fall back asleep once they settled down.
