The following photos were taken in January, 2004. We spent a night at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel hoping to visit the “World of Lanterns”. We had a fun weekend but never did manage to see the lanterns.

The Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel pool and, beyond, the Manila Bay.

One of the pleasant surprises that weekend was the fireworks display at the Manila Bay harbor. The little specks of light are from the buildings that line Roxas Boulevard.

Amazing as it may seem, I was using a 1.3 megapixel camera at the time–my first digital camera. I still cannot believe that I was able to capture the fireworks and the specks of light with such clarity.

Performing at the hotel’s Siete Pecados that night was a band called Arpie and the Multivitamins. Hilarious.

This photo was taken early in the morning. The hotels and other buildings along Roxas Boulevard could be seen clearly from quite a distance. The Manila Yacht Club is on the right side. The gray block on the foreground is the roof of the Folk Arts Theater, Imelda Marcos’ folly. Built in 77 days for the 1974 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, it is now slowly sinking into the reclaimed land on which it stands.