One thing people do not fully appreciate about traveling halfway across the world is just how…read moredisorienting the time difference can be at first.
When my husband and I stay in BGC -- Bonifacio Global City in Taguig within Metro Manila -- our internal clocks are usually completely confused for the first several days. BGC itself is one of the most modern and walkable districts in the Philippines, filled with high-rises, parks, restaurants, shopping areas, and surprisingly peaceful streets during the early morning hours.
So naturally, we often find ourselves wandering around the city at dawn while the rest of the world still seems asleep.
And when it is 6:00 AM in Manila, it is roughly 5:00 PM back in Sioux Falls depending on daylight savings, which means our bodies are basically convinced it is dinner time while we are attempting to eat breakfast.
Traveling is glamorous.
Jet lag is not.
During one of these early morning walks, we stumbled into Wildflour Cafe, which immediately gave us the feeling of an upscale neighborhood bakery mixed with a polished diner-style brunch spot. It was already surprisingly busy even at that hour, clearly a favorite among locals and early risers.
Honestly, the easiest comparison I can make is:
Imagine a much more refined and stylish version of Denny's, except with better food, fresher pastries, and significantly more polished presentation.
Now to be fair, this is not necessarily the kind of breakfast that completely changes your life forever.
But it absolutely is several levels above ordinary diner food.
My husband and I both ordered steak and eggs along with a large serving of bread and butter to share because apparently we believe carbohydrates are an important emotional support system while jet lagged.
I ordered my eggs scrambled while my husband went with over easy. The breakfast potatoes were fresh, flavorful, and wonderfully prepared.
The steak itself was a bit overdone for my personal taste. My husband actually enjoys steak prepared more thoroughly for breakfast dishes, but I have always preferred at least a little pink or redness remaining no matter how small the cut may be.
The real star for me, however, was the bread.
Warm, fragrant, slightly crumbly, and absolutely wonderful once the butter slowly melted into every crevice. There is something deeply comforting about fresh bread early in the morning while sitting in a quiet cafe halfway around the world watching a city wake up around you.
Now the one surprise during this visit was the service.
Because Filipino hospitality is usually exceptional. Truly exceptional. In fact, some of the best service experiences my husband and I have ever had anywhere in the world have been in the Philippines.
This particular morning, however, things felt a little slower and less attentive than what we are normally accustomed to there. Nothing terrible at all -- the cafe was extremely busy -- but it did stand out compared to the typically warm and highly attentive Filipino dining experience we have come to expect.
Overall though, it was still a very enjoyable breakfast and a wonderful way to begin the day.
Or technically...
begin the day in Manila while our bodies were fully convinced it was bedtime back in Sioux Falls.
At some point during breakfast I remember thinking:
"We should probably go to sleep soon."
At 7:00 AM.
Jet lag is a very strange thing.