Around Manila, Part 1

I have some fun photos that don't each need their own blog post, so I'm just going to do a compilation of things I'd like to share.

Justin and I went to get our Philippine driver's licenses, and we were entertained to discover that there is a church right in the middle of the Transportation Bureau. The Philippines has a very Catholic culture, and it makes sense there would be churches even in government buildings.

The Philippines is also full of street cats! They seem to tightly control dogs - I rarely see stray dogs here - but they let cats wander freely. This one was sleeping in the waiting area of the Transportation Bureau!

We received our large shipment of belongings from the United States in mid-January, and although we were delighted to get all our stuff, Elias was delighted to have so many big boxes to play in!

There is a restaurant near our building that is called Elias! Unfortunately, it is traditional Filipino food, and Elias will not eat anything on the menu. So Justin and I went for a lunch date there one day when Elias was in school... We enjoyed it tremendously!
 
The blue blood supermoon on January 31 was beautiful over Manila! My camera couldn't capture images of the eclipse, but this one of the supermoon is pretty cool!

I was amazed to be walking down the street one day, and I saw these men rappelling down the side of a skyscraper washing the windows! They each had a bucket dangling from their belt, a squeegee in one hand, and a rag in the other. What a job! Zoomed out picture below.


I picked up this local orchid at a market near us, and I am deeply in love with it. I hope I don't kill it!

The Super Bowl was early morning Monday our time, and so Justin had to work during it. I went to a nearby Australian sports bar to watch it, and it was really quite fun enjoying the Super Bowl with a breakfast buffet and an international crowd!
There is a boxing studio called Flyweight that is very near us, and Justin has discovered that he really enjoys boxing for exercise! He goes a couple times a week. This image was posted on Instagram by the class's instructor (front center of the photo). Justin is in the back center.
More Around Manila installments coming soon!

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