Hobbiton in the Philippines

Day 14: Manila, Philippines
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkein)

And who in their right mind can? Not me. Tolkein definitely had an acute sense of appreciation for the weird, but even he would be taken aback by the Hobbit House Bar and Blues Club that calls Manila home, where genuine Hobbits serve you and entertain with the great hospitality for which the afore titled (and highly fictional) Hobbiton was highly renowned.
Aaah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves now...
Needless to say I reached Manila after a few dramas at the airport, as I mentioned previously the ATM at Changi was broken so I was flying into Macapagal airport with 3 Singapore Dollars and a few Thai baht mixed in for good measure, hungover as all hell from the night before at the Singapore Wombats shindig hoping to god that my ATM card would work in the Philippines when I finally found an ATM, presuming that there were ATMs in the country.
And hope that they had a decent Visa-On-Arrival arrangement because I forgot to check before I left.
And that said Visa-On-Arrival wouldn't cost anything like it does it in alot of other countries.
The brilliant Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Doug Adams maintains that in all situations one must remember to keep a cool head, and remember, 'Don't Panic!' (which is printed on the cover). I can't help but think that The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is based on the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks, one of which I reluctantly purchased but have been pleasantly suprised to find myself referring to from time to time despite the fact that it has become very outdated very quickly (50/50 hit rate as to whether the businesses mentioned exist 1 year after printing). And there I go off on another tangent again.
So obviously I made it to Manila or else I wouldn't be writing this post from the Slouch Hat Inn, Ermita. This is an Australian themed bar/hotel which was recommended by a mate in KL, a bit expensive for the Philippines but all the same a nice way to dip a toe into the water as far as foreign accomodation goes. The ATM at the airport in Clark was also busted, further heightening my tension but I was able to enter Manila without putting my hand in my pocket once but had to get a 5 minute cab ride to the ATM with a predatory cab driver which cost me more that the entire bus trip to Manila. Once I checked in at to the Slouch Hat Inn, had some tea and headed out into the town, a few beers and then home for a big day to come of Jeepneys and Hobbits.
And here's where my inner geek comes out to shine...
The Hobbit House Bar and Blues club is a Lord of the Rings themed bar with a great line up of blues musicians playing all night long. I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings, it was my 'idle' book, that is to say, whenever I wasn't reading anything else I would default back to this book and read it again. Its close to a thousand pages so similar to painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge, once you have finished it, it's time to start it over again. This club has all these great little paintings of scenes from the book, obviously created before the movies came out so it was a whole different image than the ones Peter Jackson masterfully created for the modern age. The best thing of all is that in the bar you are served (and entertained) by hobbits, that is to say, midgets who complete the illusion of drinking in a bar in Middle Earth. Outstanding!
Leaving Manilla tomorrow for Palawan and the road to El Nido, selamat!