She smiled again, and said "It is I who thank you, Dan. Ours is a poor country, so anyone who is bringing jobs for our people is someone we want to take care of. If you're ready, we can get you to your hotel now."

Kelly and I both indicated that we thought that was a fine idea, and Bhoy quickly moved to take command of the three largest of our bags, while Marlyn picked up a fourth. Kelly and I both tried to protest, since we were left with only our carry-on bags, but Bhoy and Marlyn both ignored us as they led the way out of the terminal.

Once outside, Kelly immediately knew why I'd 'suggested' (all but told her to wear) light clothing for the flight: we were hit with heat and humidity that was happily very rare in our part of the U.S. I watched, too, as Kelly tried not to react to the varied smells that hit us – the combination of odors that any large city in the tropics develops: auto exhaust, decaying vegetation, and too many people – all leavened with heat and humidity. For someone who'd never been exposed to it before, it can be a real assault on the senses.

Once Bhoy had stowed the luggage, we all piled in. Bhoy drove, of course, while Marlyn took shotgun; Kelly and I were left with plenty of space in the back. I was more than a little surprised when Marlyn had Bhoy drive us past the monumental garbage piles near the airport as we made our way to the hotel. When Kelly saw it, I saw her turn pale and her expression change slightly when she saw the number of people digging around in it. A little farther along, we passed a shantytown, and Kelly saw the crude shacks that lacked even the most basic plumbing. I heard Kelly draw a breath, and quickly squeezed her hand to let her know to keep quiet. When she looked at me, I mouthed the word 'later', which she understood to mean that we'd talk about it in private. As we got closer to the hotel, Kelly started noticing the traffic – and I saw her flinch a few times when she thought we were going to have an accident. I suppose I should have warned her about the insane Manila traffic.