Life: Reimagined and Unrehearsed: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same...

Some things here in Makati are very different from the way we do things back in the U.S. For example, in restaurants the wait staff does not come by to take your order or check on you throughout service. It is customary to raise your hand when you're ready to order or wave to the server when you need/want something. Also, it's important to check your bill in restaurants. Quite often a service charge will be added to the check total. In this case a tip is not necessary. Otherwise, a tip should be left. It varies from place to place regarding the added service charge, and there is no set rule on how it should be done. We are getting used to money here as well. The Philippine Peso (Php) is the currency here, and about 43Php = $1USD. Paper money comes in 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, and 20 denominations, and coins are 10, 5, 1, and centavos/cents.

1000Php = approx. $23USD

500Php = approx. $11.50USD

Bottom coins left to right: 10Php, 5Php, 1Php, 25centavos

     A grande cup of regular brewed coffee at Starbucks is 110Php, a grande white mocha is 140Php. Some things are very cheap; we can walk into Pan de Manila - the bread place across the street that always has hot Filipino bread (pandesal) - and buy 6 hot large for 36Php. Cigarettes are super cheap here for some reason @ about 85Php/pck. Stores also sell half-packs @ 30-45Php/each. Ice cream cones in the mini-marts where you serve yourself as big as you want to are 25Php.  And...you can buy movies at 3/100Php or tv series - 1 season for 40Php - if you know where to shop. AirAsia and a few other local airlines run promos often, and it's possible to fly to Malaysia and back for next to nothing ($30 USD) or to some of the other islands in the Philippines for around $60-$100 USD round trip.

  Some things are not cheap - a half-gallon of milk is about 260Php, anything imported is quite expensive, and restaurant food varies greatly from about 85Php for a meal at Jollibee (the Phillipine version of Mickey D's) to as much as 1500 Php for a sit down meal at a more upscale place. We picked up a small pizza for dinner last night for 395Php.

     Some things are pretty much the same, though: