Letter from Manila - A nupdate!

Fresh air? What is this fresh air of which you speak? We did have a period of relatively decent air quality, then they let the jeepneys run again. Back to square one.

And talking of exhaust, it's that time of year again. Yes, annual registration. Your chance to give the government money which, in turn, allows you to sit in some of the world's worst traffic for hours on end. And at around 60 quid, it's pretty good value if you ask me.

So Friday, we'll be off down the local Land Transport Office, or LTO to us seasoned veterans. There I will be gripped by Edmund, my little LTO mate who does all the running round for me whilst I get the '38 emissions tested and then stand around having a crafty snout until handing over the dosh. We don't even have to go through the tedious pencil rubbing of the engine number any more. I reckon the guys got fed up of continual blisters, so that was binned.

Anyway, Edmund, for those of you not aware, is apparently someone I offered a beer to at a drunken Sta Niño festival in Tondo many years ago. Then, when I first rolled up in the '38 a good while later, he came rushing over reminded me who he was, and that was that. Literally now, all I do is give him a copy of the registration document and last years receipt when I pull up, take her round for a pipe up her exhaust and, by the time I've finished that, he's got the compulsory 3rd party insurance sorted out and my paperwork is well on the way through the system. Around 15 or 20 minutes later, I'm normally off and away again, legal for another 12 months trouble free motoring. Good man, reasonable too!

Last year, for various reasons, I couldn't make until the end of January and then not until 10am. Given they've now imposed a penalty (a tenner!) for late registration, the place was rammed. It took five hours, in the sun, inching the car forwards, just to get the emissions test done, then around another two hours in a stuffed non-air conditioned office waiting. Not even Edmund could speed things up. Nothing to drink and, by the time I got home, I was suffering badly from dehydration. Not pleasant, not pleasant at all. It'll be back to 07:00, knocking on the door this time.

For Friday the original plan was that Tania was going to join me in order to apply for her Student License however I found this morning that they've, surprise, surprise, changed the rules. Now she has to attend and pass a driving theory course (min 15 hours) before she can apply. So that's the next step. I wonder if someone's actually thinking about taking this driving malarkey seriously?

Mind, she may come anyway, as I was talking about popping to a little bar I happen to know, which does a rather good Full English, on the way home. I think I know my Filipinas well enough!

That'll be Friday then, as long as the Dept of Transport don't call yet another purposeless meeting, of course.

Register the Range Rover – Pt4 (I think)

Summary so far:

1) Go to Land Transport Office – get sent somewhere else for “emissions test”
2) Arrive to find the test is actually a full MOT equivalent
3) Fail
4) Return – pass
5) Set forth this morning

Arrive at LTO around 07:20 to be greeted by my little friend, Edmund. I hand over all the various sheets I’ve collected over the past days.

“Have you logged in?”

“Huh? Logged in what?”

His chest swells with pride, “Ah, now we have a portal,”

I stagger back in sheer amazement and whisper in reverence, “A portal?”

Once again, this is something that the LTO website (last updated in 1807) fails to mention. Or it did yesterday.

I’m duly shown how to sign up and finally log in. Now we’ve registered me, the actual process of doing what I came to do, i.e., registering the ‘38 can begin.

My mate disappears for ten minutes or so, after which I’m told to go to the cashier and give her PHP3,200, which is 48 Pounds and 82 Pee, if xe.com is to be believed.

Anyway, the LTO have finally got around the problem of someone forgetting to order/pay for annual registration stickers. They’ve done away with them. However, I stood for five minutes at the sticker window before someone kindly explained this to me.

Home by 08:30, all legal for another year.

Interesting to see how the total experience will be next year, now I’ve got a vague idea of what’s going on, and whether it’s actually an improvement, or just more things to fill out.

Would work for me to!

Congrats on another years p38ing.

I appreciate that we live in a world of international foods everywhere but the notion of a full English breakfast in Manilla still boggles my mind.

Result on the P38 test, that breakfast looks good, bit tight with the beans though!

Prefer mine like this!

See and that is the issue, don't get me wrong I love an English breakfast! (if you saw me you might realize I love it a bit too much     ) but I'm am not exactly clear that it qualifies as 'good food.' 

FTFY 

If you saw the amount of fatty pork consumed here, fried bread virtually classes as a health food!

Indeed but, still the question remains (seriously) where do you get an English breakfast in a restaurant in Manilla - is there a pub or