Tagbilaron

Yesterday I decided to hit the shops in the City as it is called here. I was taken by hotel shuttle to the Mall which is by far the smartest part of town. There is a pizza hut and a macdonalds, the only ones on the island of 1 million. imagine the myer centre with a department store in 1960 a person manning every display, I'm talking a stack of jeans here, wonderful dummy's with white bouffant hairdos. Outside in the mall are shops, my personal favorite a shop of plaster religious figures, the Virgin, Jesus, baby Jesus etc sandwiched between a sports shop and a hair and nail salon. I had a pedicure and manicure for $3 then wandered the street but there was nothing even I could buy except a DVD of tintin 3D ho hum for jimmy for $1. This is one of the least touristy places I have been, there is no special price for foreigners, and hardly any westerners. We all say hello to each other is is such a novelty. That is excepting the hotel and the tour of course. I managed to pick up a new book a Rosamund Pilcher for $2.50 the store man was so pleased to sell it and I was very pleased to find it. In the afternoon I had an hour massage which was fabulous. Today I'm back to grotty smoggy Manila but I'll be pleased to get into the last stage of my dental treatment. One of my temp teeth has the disconcerting habit of falling off mid bite. I stuff it on again but it puts you off eating!, Better than Cate who tells me she swallowed one. I'm thinking of you all in the deluge. I hope the mould hasn't started to grow on your shoes yet. Thanks for the emaile etc. without electronics I would be really going mad.