good samaritans in UK

UK is lovely! though i wasn't able to visit LONDON (which is the "real UK"), i got the chance to stay in Alderley Park (Macclesfield) and a day at Manchester. For not-so-geographically-pro (i admit, i am one) Alderley is a countryside (province). I love the place - beautiful (and very few) houses, huge lots, with cows and sheeps, vast grassland, few people, modern buildings/offices hiding on forests, few people, posh cars, few people, narrow streets and uh did i say few people? i did!

they say, alderley is the home for the rich, a house there cost 2M pounds (that's what the taxi driver told me), Posh and David Beckham used to live there (ok, i know the Philippines is not a football country). Simply put, Alderley Park is like Forbes park only multiplied in humongous british pounds!

But its not the place i remembered most. I took a train to Manchester on my last day. at the station, people told me that Manchester is different from alderley. Manchester is a city - and with it comes "all forces". People at the train station told me to be careful, beware of pickpockets, never to talk to strangers and check your wallet/belongings every once in a while. Ahh, the paranoia in me. With my Egyptian friend, we breezed Manchester with caution. If in alderley, you never saw a black guy - here in Manchester - you'll see people from all over - asians, blacks, middleeasterns, its like a mixed society (ok, ok, Manchester is a city, what do you expect).

at the end of the day, we went back with loads of goodies (oh well, my friend had loads, i just bought enough fyi - 1 pound = 96 pesos). we're always on the lookout for "bad elements". holding our bags and wallet tightly whenever passing through suspicious people. looking at each other knowing that we have to "guard our goods".

around 9pm (and there's still sun), we went back to the train station and went back to posh alderley. exhausted on the day trip, we went out to have dinner and by midnight started to pack things up. then i received a call - huh, me? who will call me here, i barely knew anyone?

I received a call from a man who told me that i lost my wallet in the train. to my surprise, my wallet is not in my pocket! the couple were sorry cuz they have to open my wallet (doesn't have money inside - only cards) so that they can contact me. they were asking on how they can give it to me. i told them that my flight will be 6am the next day. is it ok if i can just pick it up in their house. only to find out that they're place is 7 miles (around 20mins drive without traffic) from the hotel. I don't have any choice, i have to get the wallet this instance. so i told the unknown caller that i will call a friend (parang game show) to help me.

There's 6 Filipinos in the hotel (yes, we are definitely everywhere!), and its always nice to meet a kababayan (fellow countrymen) in a foreign land. i had TAGALOG chats with them everyday (for me, its cool to use FILIPINO abroad - para kang bisaya sa maynila ba, ganun ang feeling). i asked one to accompany me 7 miles from the hotel. so we went there around 2 am we found the place, the good Samaritans gave me the wallet, and as a token of my appreciation i gave them .... uh never mind, i gave them "something" for remembrance and invited them over to visit beautiful Philippines. the couple were sleepy already so we didn't have much time to chat.

Ahhh, my wallet, intact. complete. back to the rightful owner.

you see, i felt guilty feeling paranoid and all when i was at Manchester. and here, i found good Samaritans. no, they found me. my UK trip is over, but i will never forget those people - the Filipinos and the couple who got my wallet. There is hope to humankind.

UK is lovely! (spoken like a true Simon cowell)