A city! Hallelujah! Someplace I could pound some pavement and see buildings with more than one room. Someplace that had a library! Call me an angel, 'cause I was in heaven.
In Coron, I remembered that Couchsurfing existed. I had gotten used to meeting up with people in hostels or staying with friends and hadn't really been traveling "solo" since, well, Thailand. My host in (well, near) Angeles City was fantastic and really helped point me in some good directions and had me try some great food. Oh, and he had a pool, which was a great way to cool off.
I only stayed a few days in town, but I tried to make the most of it. I saw a museum, wrote some poems in a library, visited City Hall, ate some good food, and just wandered around. I saw my first movie in a theater in at least a year (Captain Marvel). I wandered around the red light district and wrote some introspection at a Phillies bar (I thought the hometown connection was at least worth checking out).
The big self-improvement moment in Angeles City was finally figuring out how the Jeepneys worked, which made my stay in Manila so much smoother. The whole city was like a "Manila Light" - a necessary transition from nearly three weeks in towns with one main road.
A final note - my path finally crossed with Anthony Bourdain. I went to the place where the dish "Sisig" was invented and what was the poster on the wall? An advertisement that his show had been there and he'd eaten that. I was wondering when I'd stumble into such a spot.
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