The Final Curtain

It was our last full day on what had been one of the more amazing adventures of our lives. We had returned from the Philippine wilderness to the mayhem of Manila. Our flight out would be the next day, but first we had an afternoon to wander through this city and we got to do this with Jesse and Laura. In the considerable heat and searing sun, we walked through city parks and gardens, ventured up to the old walled city, and headed back in the hopes of catching the sunset. We took in the beauty of this place and tried to make sense of it against the ever present backdrop of poverty that punctuated the scenery. With every lush promenade came the homeless sleeping wherever the shade permitted. Beautiful monuments and charming horse-drawn carriages were balanced by small, naked children wandering with no apparent connection to anyone or anything.

We headed toward Boulevard Raxos, a broad avenue teeming with life both from the crazy quilt of suffocating traffic and the ubiquitous vendors selling whatever might catch your fancy. We thought how cool it would be to watch the sunset from a rooftop bar in one of the shining towers dotting Raxos and, just steps beyond, Manila Bay. Our search was fruitless, however, and we went to Plan B: find a 7-Eleven, buy cold beer and snacks, and head to the sea wall that runs along the promenade overlooking the Bay. With our cocktail supplies in hand, we sat four abreast atop the wall, our legs dangling over the edge, and stared out over the armada of fishing boats as the sun slowly set. Cold beer, pringles, oreos, and pizza flavored chips. Perfect.

Pictures were taken, memories were rehashed: three weeks, 11 flights, 22,000 miles covered. Swimming, diving, snorkeling, hiking, adventuring. The happy hour supplies vanished, and the Bay turned from blue to orange. We would have an absolutely delightful evening that night in Chinatown with Colin and Shanti, but it seemed as if the curtain on our trip fell as the sun did over the Bay. The orange and red sky and the now orange streaked sea were not unlike our own solar fireworks display – a wonderful exclamation point on some everlasting memories.