I see spots on the manifold. Is this normal?

 

A guess ! ---> Being under the oil filler, there is a chance drops fell on it, that may burn away after miles...

 

If no coolant smell, then not coolant. Maybe perform a deep cleaning of the engine bay to help pinpoint. Road salt can end up in there.

 

It doesn’t look like oil. More like a liquid. So the only two options are water or coolant.

my question is, is it normal to have a few drops of coolant spilling over the exhaust manifold?

could this be the odor going into the inside of the car? What does coolant smell like? Burning glue gun?