This place down the street where the Berjeya Hotel is, is a melting pot, sort of. It's two business's down from the hotel. Its a restaurant, but very open. Run by women, as far as I have seen, the kitchen is sunken but almost street level. From the street you walk up an area full of tables until you reach a counter full of similar items they sell in the Philippines. Individual cigarettes, small candies, and other individual small stuff you can eat. That counter is waist level for the patrons, but head level to the lady cooks. Its on a corner, and its all open. No walls except the back of the kitchen. So the roof is several different levels put together as time went on.
Sitting at the higher level near the counter you can see everything the tables at the street level even though they are about two feet lower. Its just a great spot for watching all the different sorts of people go by without getting so close that you get solicited for stuff. Its a gathering spot for local Algerians. Last night one was arguing and insulting one of the waitresses. I've got no idea really what was going on, but it was loud, she was mad, and he was insulting. They were there when I was here the first time. Many have told me they are very social. The only real complaints I've heard is about the "Arabs" and how they treat women. "They come here to do things to women they can't in their country".
The first time I came here in early November, it was afternoon, and I sat and had a few beers. It's such a great place to people watch. There was this lady there, mixed Philippino and something darker, pretty, but emotionless. She was sitting facing me against the wall in a bench seat. I was trying not to stare even though there was little else to look at. She had a beer in front of her and she was just chillin at the table. I went up at some point to get another beer and she walked up and introduced herself as Jane. So a bit later some strange shaved headed white guy showed up and sat next to her. He looked a little hollow eyed and acted odd dancing around a bit. I kept eye contact with her, smirked a bit at the crazy man bothering her...which shortly after is when she introduced herself. Ok, well fix the timeline yourself, the crazy guy came up at some point before she introduced herself.
After returning from Palawan (pronounced Puh-LAUW on) to Makati, I went out to get something to eat and maybe find another good people watching place. I ended up returning to the Resto Bar down the street from the Berjeya. I bought some old guy selling hats dinner, but told the waitress not to tell him where it came from, the other waitress didn't get the memo. Nothing came of it, I mean of her pointing at me and telling him who bought his dinner. I know he would have spent the 350 pesos ($7) better had I just handed it to him, but he seemed to enjoy the meal.
So after a few beers on my part, Jane showed up and sat down in the table in front of me. I got up and sat down in front of her at her table and said hi. She told me her name wasn't "Jane"...."my name is Rose". I argued a bit with her, she recognized me from 3 weeks ago, she thanked me for the dinner, but insisted her name was Rose. I gave up on Jane, kind of. I'm pretty good with remembering peoples names, and knew she introduced herself as Jane. We talked awhile and at some point she gave a little concession and said her name was "Rosie-Jane". I'm not sure how she couldn't have confessed that a little earlier, or didn't get that connection, but, well, whatever. She told me she was homeless in Makati, that she slept next to "that building" and pointed somewhere behind me. By the way she was dressed, with a lite blue dress on with shoulder straps that looked new, it was hard to imagine she was homeless. It wasn't just the dress, it was the way the waitresses interacted with her, and she was pretty. While sitting in front of her, across the table, talking I noticed a few things. She kept wiping sweat from her forehead, and it wasn't that hot, it was comfortable, maybe 75 degrees and lower humidity. I was wondering if she was nervous talking to me. It was kind of cool to find out she was. She kept taking the shoulder straps of her dress and pulling them down to the sides of her shoulder, and the waitress kept complimenting my looks in front of her. It felt good, I'm not going to lie. Then the guy from before came in and started talking to her. The hollowed eyed white guy who it looked like was bothering her 3 weeks ago. She directed him to sit at the table behind her, and he did. Apparently they were friends and both homeless. George sat back there and I ordered beers and food for him. We sat apart like that for a while, until some late 60 something Finnish guy sat at the table next to us and got a little disrespectful. He started out just interrupting our conversation, like she wasn't even there and was talking to me. "Are you Finnish?" ....."in Finland we learned everything about all the states and the U.S. in school, but what do you Americans know about Finland?". I told him I was German to which he told me there is a lot of "Finish" blood in Germans. I agreed that American schools are not up to par with the world, and geography and all. At some point he said something about "getting a little pussy will............", and I told him I'm not talking to him anymore. "I'm done with you"......"Why because of the way SHE reacted when I said that?"......."No, because what you said is completely disrespectful, regardless of how she took it". He kept trying to talk. I got up with her and went to her friends table behind us. The Finnish guy got up all frustrated saying "Jesus Christ" and walked off.
George, Janes' friend was an Australian. He was a bit off, but mostly normal, but hard to understand. He kind of had this fast cocaine mumble. I bought them a few more beers as we talked. The old Finnish guy passed back thru and held his hand out for me to shake and said he was sorry. I shook it.
Before I left that night I gave Jane and George, 1000 pesos ($20).
I walk down the street the next day around 8 am past that Resto Bar looking for breakfast not really paying attention to the place. After breakfast, heading back to the hotel, I passed the place again. There was Jane and George sitting there with their heads down and their arms over their heads on the table I left them at the night before. I sat down and said their names. There was no movement at all. I looked over at the guy selling Viagra or Cialis and IPhone 5's on the street and he was smiling.
I ran across the portable pharmacy/apple store later after coming out of the 7-11 down the street the opposite way from the hotel. He held out his little box of pills in front of me, then made eye contact. I told him I was good and that I didn't want the pills, but asked if "they" woke up. He said they did, and left the place....
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