Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hobbits and Christmas Carols

One evening while in Manila, I decided to check out the nightlife. I started off by eating in some open air little bar/restaurant. I had an alright dinner, some ridiculously cheap San Miguel, and I talked with some expat from England who was there for some sort of business.

While I was eating and drinking, a group a street kids came up to the entrance. They began singing Christmas Carols. It felt a bit out of place, but then I remembered that even though I was in the South Pacific wearing shorts and a t-shirt, it was in fact December and The Philippines is a very Catholic country.

These carolers were amazing though. They didn't just stand politely singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," they had makeshift percussion instruments and a dance routine. I was more than happy to give them a donation.

My next stop for the evening was a very strange, but kind of amazing place, The Hobbit House. This is a bar which was apparently opened by a peace corps volunteer who really really loves Tolkien. The front entrance is a big round wooden door like that of Bilbo Baggins, and most of the staff are little people.

Now, I know what you're thinking. It's exploitative. The bar/restaurant is there for people to gawk at the little people. Perhaps it is. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the place. They had a great beer selection, a bathroom attendant, a pretty good atmosphere and decent music. When the band had finished, the bar-tender put on the "dream match" between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya. It was a few days old, but I don't follow boxing much, or really at all, and it was a great match. During the match, the bartender told me all about Manny Pacquiao and acted as a personal commentator for the match. Needless to say, "The Pacman" is now my favorite boxer.

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