A Place to Crash for One Night

Location : Metro-Manila, Philippines

An Early Thought
As early as a year back, I already thought about sending an email to my distribution group (gmail, yahoo, e-groups, forums, site subscribers) if anyone would take me in for one (1) night during my temporary stay in Manila. I just toyed with the idea but felt too chicken to put it in motion...until now.

Why?
2 main reasons. The obvious one having a free roof over my head. The second is more of a social experiment. I noticed that whenever I'm in Manila, I invariably default to a set of friends I'm already comfortable with. Nothing surprising about that. However, it also means that I never get the chance to get to know better, friends outside that social core. It's always that occasional meeting with the standard script, "...we should have coffee one of these days". Guess what? It never happens. You meet again 6 months later and recite the same script. Worse, you may never find time to meet except in the virtual world where a quick PM is exchanged. Well, that repeating pattern has been looped to death. By sending out this email, it sends the message that I'm open for that elusive 'coffee'. It's now their call if they really want that coffee conversation.

Survivor Finale
When I received a call from GMA (Kapuso, not the president) about being in Manila for the Survivor Philippines finale, I knew my stay in Manila will last about a month. Apart from what GMA would provide for lodging, I was on my own. The thought of becoming another Kruz na Ligas bed spacer was not appealing. It was time to kick the social experiment to action.

Calendar
I created a private webpage displaying the month of December with colored dates and a form. Green dates mean I'm not booked yet. Red dates mean I already have a roof over my head for the night. I sent out an email to my distribution list (from friends to complete strangers and everyone in between) giving the link to that webpage. If anyone was interested in booking me to stay with them, they can find out which day is available and they can fill-in the form to book the date.

My Promise
What they could expect from me was the following:

I'll be alone.
I don't smoke.
I'll just sleep one (1) night per house.
No need to feed me.
I'll just need to use the washroom and a small space for my sleep...even the floor.
I'm completely self-contained - my own sleeping bag, earth pad, malong, toiletries, towel, etc. No need to provide me anything else.
I'll leave the house first thing in the morning...again, no need to feed me breakfast.
I won't open the fridge.
I'll leave no trace.

Invites for the Duration of my Manila Stay
It's surprising to note that the first 3 replies were offers to stay with them during the entire length of my stay in Manila - from a close friend, Julia Clarete, a stunning actress (who's also a friend) and Greg Hutchinson, an adventure tour operator and friend. Later on, a relative made the same offer. That's flattering, but of course, I have to stay the course of doing only 1 night. However, I can use the invite for a fail-safe lodge, in case I get no booking for a particular night. I chose the high-rise condo along posh Makati Avenue as the owners were away and I had the place to myself.

Julia Clarete Blogs

Kuala
Lumpur
6/26/16

Julia Clarette's Farewell Performance at 12 Monkeys

Julia Clarette
12 Monkeys
1/26/16

Catching-up with Chikoy Pura and Julia Clarette at My Bro's Mustache

Chikoy Pura
Julia Clarette
1/03/16

Crashing
1 Nite
1/06/09

Rock's
B-Day
3/13/06

Last
Day
8/03/02

10 Years
After
8/02/02

City
Jam
7/10/02

Changing Dynamics
Of course, having a safety-net place to crash, changed the picture. Now, I didn't need to worry about a roof over my head and instead can prioritize on the social experiment. I was thrown out of my usual routine. Instead of spending time in UP, I found myself in unfamiliar places as I commute from one destination to the next. I met up with friends for a get-together even if it didn't mean accommodation for the night. We ate on street corners, high-zoot restaurants and quaint neighborhood secrets. It was a delightful new ground.

Extremes
The places I ended up with were as varied as the people who received me. From one extreme, I put up my hammock on an MMDA waiting shed along the noisy and polluted Quezon Memorial Elliptical Circle. On the other extreme end of the spectrum, I spent a night in the most prestigious address in the country - Forbes Park, with a staff of 9 looking after my need.

from sleeping by a very dusty sidewalk on my hammock

to being chauffeur-driven to a lavish house in Forbes Park, courtesy of Tana Madrigal

Challenges
Being an urban nomad presented unique challenges. Like a turtle, I had to carry my house wherever I went - water, laptop and accessories, sleeping gear, clothes, footwear, etc. They get to be heavier as the day progressed. Also, upon boarding the trains or entering a mall, the inspection gets to be bothersome. Some guards would insist on full scrutiny. In crowded trains where waiting commuters would be 10-deep especially in rush hour, it was tough enough squeezing myself in, let alone carrying an oversized backpack.

Wifi
As a web designer working on a web project, I still had to be mindful of my deadlines. Wifi access was another issue. More often than not, I'd end up in Burger King for their free wifi, but how many burgers can I stand eating for a day? Starbucks comes to mind, but P140 for a cup of coffee was simply out of the question. Max's Restaurant also became a wifi refuge. Yeah, I had to ween myself out of street food into the fast food realm for wifi. It was later on I learned that Gateway, the entire mall, was wifi ready.

Manila Bitchin'
Oftentimes, I find myself bitchin' about Manila. Sure, it's polluted, congested and crime rate is high. But I also realized that I'd rather have a Manila than without it. Manila is where I party, enjoy the nightlife, chill out with friends, etc. I'm reminded of what a friend once told me about New York. He can't live in New York, but he can't live without New York. That's pretty much what Manila sums up for me.

Ending Thoughts
Waking up to a new unfamiliar place was exciting and underscored for me what new opportunities lie within a nomadic lifestyle. Not only have I finally had that proverbial cup of coffee with acquaintances and friends, but I've likewise met new people, friends of friends, and yes, virtual friends I eyeballed. I found myself in new areas within the city I would never otherwise be in. I learned a few things about people around me...where they worked, what they do, what interests them, etc. It was definitely a very interesting and very different Manila experience this time around.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
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