Day 3 and meeting with the Mayer...

Ok so an early start and breakfast of rice, garlic and sausage. I'm starting to get used to eating rice with every meal! A a quick drive through the chaos of traffic and the team assembled at the city hall of Quezon City for the weekly flag raising ceremony. Considering it is so early it is still hot and the city is already in full flow. As we were lead through all the smartly dressed city workers in dawned on me that we were being lead towards the stage and then we are directed to sit on the stage facing all of the expectant gathered crowds. As I sat down I nudged Richard and we realised we are say directly behind the podium and that the national press are already snapping away at us!!! Good jibes are suited and booted for the occasion. The flag was raised with much aplomb and the sight and sound of the hundreds of gathered Philippinos singing their national anthem moving. The Mayer Herbert Bautista then gave a speech and after giving a commendation to a local film maker and praise to a team of healthcare workers that are working to combat TB he moved his own chair around so he could sit and sign into action a new piece of legislation. The amazing thing for me was how relaxed everything was and without any stiffness. The Mayer who looked barely in his 40's then grabbed a camera and snapped away at us! Lots to learn about getting the public engaged in politics! Richard has already decided that it's something he plans to introduce to Bolton although I'm not sure we have the climate!

It was then another breakfast with the Mayer and our official welcome to Quezon City or QC! It's a vibrant young city of some 4 million people with 40% under 30 years old which explains why everyone looks youthful! This was breakfast number two and really I was eating out of good manners than out of hunger. A lively presentation and I was massively impressed with the sheer energy and drive to be the best that came across. QC is a happening city and very much the economic heart of the Philippines. A full photo shoot with us, the Aussie VTT team who are all brilliant people and the QC officials and we were done.

A quick walk around the city offices and we were put in a motorcade with full Police escort to the Quezon memorial which is a massive monument at the heart of QC. This is a tranquil park at the heart of the city with playgrounds and is a Mecca for early morning runners. At the centre is the Quezon memorial which is normally closed on a Monday but was opened to us as we were VIP's. upon entry to the welcome coolness and shade. At 900 am it was already amazingly hot!

The Quezon memorial is dedicated to Manuel El Quezon and is 66 meters in height for the 66 years of his life (thanks Steale for confirming that this means he died age 66 ;-)

Inside it contains a huge range of items relating to his life and his tomb rest beneath a n demons hole or occulus kust like the Roman Pantheon or the Capitol dome in Washington. Amazingly as we walked around an started discussing the architecture of the building, I found that Amy and I share an interest in architecture. I am now supposed to post lots of facts but in fairness my confidence on my recall of facts is only 67% sure so if you want to know more than use Wikipedia as it'll be way more reliable!

After this visit it was a stroll around and an ice cream before a drive to UNTV for a TV interview with our host team for their cable show 'Rotary hour! As those of you who know me well will know, I'm never averse to a spot in the limelight so this was brilliant. After fielding some impromptu questions with Ambassador Richard leading the way we breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to base at the Rotary club.

Since it was only 3pm (although we felt that a full day had already been done) we decided to take in a mall and get some a flavour for the huge expensive buildings that promised a Taste of Asian shopping. On arrival I was amazed by the size and also by the brands available. If you can picture ten Trafford centres stacked and ten wide then you are getting close. A quick change of clothes upon return to my hosts and it was out to a Philippine restaurant for more food. At around midnight I finally closed my eyes after contacting home. An amazing day and pretty much set the tone for the trip!