Here it is: Blog Entry #50 for Domestic Travel, according to the official counters on my Blogger dashboard. Enjoy!
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18 years ago, I made the mistake of going stag to my high school homecoming dance at The Peninsula. To ease the humiliation, I sat down at the Lobby Bar and ordered a Diet Coke. This was around the time when the Pen was going through one of their many lobby renovations, and it just so happened that they needed a few volunteer customers to help out for the on-the-job training of their new staffers. I agreed, they put my Diet Coke on the house.. and oh, what an excellent glass of Diet Coke that was, for sure.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sZWq_xlipPWCoMEeV4Xj6dvJz8FVab3WPNqiWr2K_tugjzyBowzJEM6i3D6lX_Xm5pdTVfGwEwe7PpyLjhyc4lC-wazHhnK_syYuPk_TUurcC0ZylC21ALpt-qqNHg6AgzYdDoojJg7jLp_VkWBGtcdKSHc0Dd2v9EEzQ=s0-d) |
(Photo: Pinoyphotoalbum.com) |
16 years ago, Scribey and I snuck out to the Pen for mid-afternoon margaritas and a few smokes at the lobby. Granted, this was around the time when 1) nobody checked for ID and 2) smoking in an air-conditioned hotel lobby was still allowed, but we felt so grown up and sophisticated, even though Scribey had to smack me over the head a bit when I found out that the chain-smoker at the table next to us was a then-B+ Filipino actor who, quite honestly, came off as a real douche.
Two Fridays ago, however, I almost fell off this balcony.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sLrgYhXrvMfnEuYoyhwgVo0aBaOonOYahlHJqZU4zjt63ksnpP8j8d_0fyqF1VUYL71zmIT6mLZt8j0Wh179-wNLNx7YLtfxIcWuxgcnWa7reL1z3UfafBniq0J9RVrYRBpF5yQyjMMEi0t1mgUvbL14kAMKzumhw=s0-d) |
(Photo source: Orbitz.com) |
And last Wednesday... well, let's just say that I had a life-changing cup of chamomile tea somewhere around here.
Even after all of this - and especially after coming
this close to getting in trouble with hotel security - I still love the Manila Peninsula. Wonder when I'll be
allowed back?
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That said - and out of respect for my new "friend," whose exact location I am no longer legally allowed to disclose - here's another one of the Pen's most recent guests, whom we can always count on to dress up nicely for a night at
Salon de Ning.