Letter from Manila - Santol - of course!

Recently I wrote that, to date, we've had no Walang Pasok yet. Spoke too soon.

At the moment we have a meeting between the annual monsoon and some little (for now) tropical storm. It's bouncing down although not showing on our Drown-o-Meter yet.

By 5.30 this morning, all the cities to the north of Manila City had declared WP. I was scanning the web up to six fifteen when I took Tania to school. Nowt.

Twelve lunchtime, a logical break, came and went and still nothing. However at two, Mr Estrada must have staggered off his commode and peered out the window.

"Putang in a mo, are those poor people I see bobbing past the Mayoral Palace? Maybe it's time for a little Walang Pasok" musing that this would be the first non-lavatorial decision he'd taken in months.

I received an SMS from Tania on her smuggled in mobile and duly went to collect her. Ironic that the school is closing because of inclement weather but the kids can't wait inside for collection. I brought my drowned rat home 😂

Now waiting for tomorrow's edict. When he gets off the pot again!

Got to admit, it does sound like it should be the name of a popular East European festival!

Today we have a pre-emptive WP, Mr Estrada, or Erap to his mates, must have done a bulk one yesterday, so the Pasok is definitely Walanged.

Now, the last time they did this, announcing on a Sunday that schools would be closed on the Monday, it turned out right nice. However, as there's a lovely thunderstorm brewing itself up, they may have made a good call. For once!

Anyway it's now 05:00 and my dilemma is; do I let her blissfully sleep on at five thirty, or do I be a bit of a git and wake her to tell her she can sleep on? I obviously don't have enough to do.

At least she can help me do another bleed on my front brakes later and try and get rid of the slight binding, so the day won't go to waste and, given the current e-learning situation at MCS, she'll probably get more education anyway.

Cheers!

It's about time you came to Asia "proper" not just Singapore.

To be honest, I've pretty well given up on the port. The client was supposed to be meeting PNR two weeks ago and I've had zero reply to any communication since.

On that job, as we'd be using PNR infra, the axle load is a max of 15 tonnes. Not much I know, but without rebuilding a few dozen bridges, that's it. Using 13m, 4 axle wagons I can carry 2x20' or 1x40' without problems unless they're "Super Heavies". They'd have to go by road - they're only a small %age anyway. I'd also be using two locos, one at each end of the rake with through control for two reasons. 1) to get the power I need without exceeding axle loads again and 2) I've no room for a run-around at terminals. I had specced 25 tonne axle loads on the terminal tracks, just in case PNR ever got around to doing a proper refurbishment!

Frustrating part is that I could be shifting 200,000 containers a year within 24 months (increasing to a max of 500,000), making a massive difference to Manila and indeed, had things gone to plan, I'd be doing that about now!

So favorite at the moment is a 45km commuter line to the north of Manila, which well eventually connect to Clark Field up in Pampanga. Had a meeting about that last week and it would would be around five years work. I can't get as enthusiastic about this one, but needs must and all that. But even though it's Japanese funding, as ever in the Philippines, let's see.

All part of the new Philippines export drive under Mr Duterte.



You may remember the photo above from way back in June. Obviously it was a rush job as they returned, only two months later to do this...



That's right, dig another trench on the right as the original one, on the left, was in the wrong place Those are bags of rubble to stop cars falling down the hole!

It's not all bad news, they did reinstate some of the original ones...



This time the bags of rubble are to prevent cars driving through the fine skim of wet cement they put down.

True craftsmanship.

Have you installed your hand print or that of pups, yet?

This is more George's style after a few San Migs or even Red Horses



Who needs the Mona Lisa?

Saw this in the local shop and thought of you George, not in a weird way of course 

What's funnier is when Kuya asked the guys who were doing the digging what it was all about, they said it was to connect the houses to the sewerage system. This row of 7 houses was built around 6 years ago, so where's everything been going in the meantime?

Enjoy our nation's capital! I never did.


I wonder if this face would work?




It does follow me, everywhere. Oh, I see what you mean!


Funnily, I'm about to head off to Makati. No banana ketchup will be involved though.



Oi! You casting nasturtiums?

And never mind wondering, rip 'em out and send 'em over!

Clever Dr me thinks a decent dose of anti histamine will make her sleepy and sleep will help. Plus less chance of breeding resistant bugs by overuse of antibiotics.