If there's an award for most festive Christmas in the world, the Philippines is way on top--sorry, Germany. This was the nativity scene I encountered as soon as I walked into the arrivals area at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
Fried chicken for breakfast on Christmas morning! Being that Christmas is such a huge holiday here, not much was open on December 25. I spent the morning eating fried chicken (apparently that's a thing in Japan?) with a Korean guy from my hostel talking about everything from Hank Aaron to guns in America...all thanks to the help of his trusty horrible e-translator. If that's not an international Christmas experience, well then I don't know what is.
Christmas mass was so full that crowds gathered outside the church
Intramuros
Tagaytay volcano. Was it worth the traffic jam spent in a squished van? I think so.
And halo-halo because, well-- it wouldn't be the Philippines without it.
