Pan-Asian Gallivanting

I hate Manila! So after I returned to this shitty town from Banaue I decided to get out of there really really fast. I hoped on a flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Once landing there I made my way to Banwa guesthouse. This guesthouse was the most eclectic and nice place I’ve been to since travelling. It was very mellow and is part of a nation-wide art community so there were pieces of art and jewelery everywhere.

Fate has played a big part in my life and did so again once in Puerto Princessa. I just happened to arrive at this hostel at the right moment. There were a group of 5 other travelers there who were invited to go to a small island called Kalipay, one hour in the ocean off of San Vicente. Apparently in the 60s a group of hippies from San Francisco left the U.S. looking to live a more simple life on an island in the Pacific Ocean. So they found Kalipay, bought it and built a house/hut structure there and moved there full time. As a way to share the image of the island people are allowed to live there and visit there for free but only upon invitation by someone directly asssociated with those original hippies. Luckily we ran into someone of association and were able to go there.

So it took a long time to get there but it was definitely worth it! We spent 3 days and 3 nights on this island with no electricity and no running water. It sounds difficult but it was actually quite nice and peaceful. We cooked our own food, went swimming, and read a lot. In all there were 7 of us on the beach; 1 Filipino, 2 Danish girls, 2 American men (including myself), one male Brit, and one Swedish female. It was one of those experiences where you can try to describe it but words cannot come to describe the time spent there. It was calm and simple yet beautiful and surreal all at the same time. Almost like stepping back into time and living the life of so many before us without those things we now take for granted. This is what the place looked like….

After leaving this island we all decided to head north and currently we are drinking rum and coke in El Nido. It is absolutely beautiful here and extremely cheap. You can get a room on the beach with a balcony overlooking the ocean views for $4/night in a three person room….so $12 a night if you go there alone. Even so this is incredibly cheap seeing how the same scenery and situation in the U.S. would cost probably $200-300/night.

This is my unofficial recommendation for those of you looking for a nice place to vacation. It’s absolutely beautiful here, the people are extremely friendly, it is not dangerous at all, and everyone speaks english. It’s a win win. Buy your tickets, pack your bags and come to the Philippines. Because in 5 years it won’t be the same. It’s tourism industry is going to explode within the next few years. So, come see it while it’s authentic and sublime!

The day after my trip to Batad I decided to spend less money and not hire a guide. So, I hiked up to the Banaue viewpoint….4 kms up the mountain overlooking the terraces. Along the way there were numerous stopping points to view the terraces and buy souvenirs. Since the whole trip took most of the day and nothing else really happened i’m gonna cut this one short…..so here are the pictures from the hike. Enjoy!!

Ever since deciding to come to the Philippines I’ve been looking forward to viewing the rice terraces in Banaue. Now that it was time to do so I had such anticipation and excitement within me. And let me tell you….Banaue did not disappoint. Although I got there after the rice terraces were harvested they were still jaw-dropping.

Just like in Sagada I decided to stay for 2 days and 3 nights. On the first day there I opted to splurge a bit and hired a tour guide to take me to Batad, a very small village with 2000 year old rice terraces. I decided to do this because I wasn’t confident in finding Batad on my own and also since my tour guide has family living in Batad. So I figured I could get even closer to the real lives of those native Ifugaos.

We started off the day really early, leaving at 7am. I hoped on the back of his motorcycle and we sped down the dirt road rounding hairpin turns. Once at the “Batad Saddle Point” we left the bike behind and hiked 5 kms down into the center of Batad. The hike was pretty dull in terms of sightseeing but once we got closer to the village the views became spectacular. This is what Batad looks like at the top of the hill, entering the villages.

We then started to descend down towards the main village where is family lives.

Once in the village I got to meet his family and was able to ask numerous questions about their culture. It was really nice to get an insider’s look into their way of life and customs. However, it was sad to note that even in this tiny village globalization is threatening their ways of life. AKA….My visiting them is helping them by giving them more money. But more and more tourists like myself are continuing to visit and thus the area is developing more to the point where natives abandon their traditional way of life in order to make more money off us tourists. Nonetheless it was nice to get this insight.

Once in the Ifugao hut of my tour guide’s parents he showed me how they prepare rice for every meal…and I even got to try it out.

After visiting with his family for quite a while we then ventured to the Tappia waterfalls just outside of town. Once there I got to swim with some locals who continually laughed at my lack of stability in the water and uncertainty to get closer to the falls. However, they were incredibly nice…..even showing me the way to the hidden cave in the back.

After this little dip my guide and I then hiked all the way back up to the “Batad Saddle Point” and drove home. I was soooo tired when I got home I ate some food and passed out around 8 or so at night. I guess I’m turning into an old man…huh?

Following a short stopover in Baguio, I ventured to Sagada. Notorious as a serene mountainous town….I had to check it out!

Upon arrival I knew that this was somewhere I could stay for a long time. Unlike the rest of the Philippines Sagada is calm and quiet. There are no tricycles and barely any jeepneys or trucks. I could actually walk down the center of the road for a good 30 minutes and never encounter any sort of vehicle. Due to this lack of congestion I opted to stay here for three nights at a very nice guest house.

Most of my time there consisted of hiking, eating, and lying around and relaxing after these tiring hikes. Segada is famous for its caves but I opted not to see them since you needed a guide to do so and it cost too much. I figured I’d rather spend that money somewhere else. So the first day there I started off looking for the trail leading up to Mt. Amdacao. Since there are no signs in Segada I ended up walking down the road towards the next village…ooops! But it actually worked out well. Along the road there were incredible views of the towering mountains and rice/vegetable fields.

I wondered down towards the next town for quite a while until a local pointed me in the right direction…25 minutes back the other way. So I turned around and found the road leading up the Mt. Amdacao. It was very steep and long…probably about 6 kms or so. But once I got to the top the views were outstanding. It was definitely worth it!

Since I got to the top around 11am I decided to continue the trail onto the other side of the mountain. But, a local resident wouldn’t allow me to pass!

I ran straight into this bull! Should I try to get around him or go back? I stood there for a few seconds looking at this huge animal and decided that I probably shouldn’t try it….so I headed back into town.

The next day I went on another hike to Kiltepan Tower….probably 8 kms outside of town. Once I got there, the views were even more breathtaking than those found on Mt. Amdacao.

I only stayed two days and three nights in Sagada but I probably could have stayed there for weeks or a month. If only I had someone to travel with! I would have someone to share this beautiful place with and be able to do more since we could split the costs. But, I won’t worry because I’m sure I’ll eventually meet up with someone. But, hey…..if anyone wants to fly out and join me I’m up for it!!! :)

So after meeting some friendly college students in San Fernando I decided to stick around and hang out with them for a few days. On Wednesday we said our goodbyes and we headed in separate directions. They went to Baguio and I headed north to Vigan.

I didn’t end up getting into Vigan until around 7 pm. But the sights were still amazing! It felt like I was in the middle of a Spanish colonial village with everything illuminated and no one around. I wish I had taken pictures of what it looked like at night but by the second night I was there it was raining too much to do so. :( Anyways, so I got a room at Vigan Hotel and decided to take it easy my first night in Vigan.

However, there were other guests staying in my room! Not people, rather there was a large family of GIANT-FLYING COCKROACHES! So, needless to say, I spent the first 30 minutes in that room killing them all and making sure that there were none left before passing out. Luckily I got all of them and never woke to creepy crawlers on my skin.

The following day I gave myself a walking tour of the city. Besides the old Spanish-Style Mansions and old churches Vigan is very much like the rest of the Philippines. However, it’s important to note that the more north I go into Luzon (the northern section of the Philippines) the deeper I go into the “Bible Belt”. I’ve never been to the south…but I would assume that it is something like the situation here. Everyone is very religious, people are extremely EXTREMELY nice, and there are Biblical passages/the Ten Commandments written on every other street.

Anyways…I left Vigan yesterday and arrived in Baguio in the afternoon. It’s still monsoon season here (sunny in the morning and rainy at night) so I opted to not head further north of Vigan and venture towards the Banaue rice terraces. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a clear view of them!! It’s Saturday morning here, so I’m about to hop on to a bus towards Sagada or Bontoc….not quite sure yet. Anyways I’ll talk to you in a few days because there might or might not be internet service where I’m going.

Pictures can be found at this location.

Enjoy!!

So….I gotta admit, Manila is really slummy and depressing. So I was extremely excited to get the hell out of there! After three days of dealing with beggars and monstrous amounts of pollution I decided to hop on a bus and head north to San Fernando (La Union). After I arrived I meandered northward a few minutes and ended up at Surf Resort in San Juan. I was so relieved to be there since this place was so much more beautiful than Manila. I mean….I was right on the beach…..it can’t get any better than that. To top it off I was one of only 3 guests there…which had its perks and negatives.

First off the place would probably be amazing when crowded since the bar there is massive and they have massive lights that illuminate the beach/ocean at night. Furthermore, the bar next to the hotel I was staying in kept playing reggae really loud all throughout the day. But since there were only three of us at the hotel the bar closed early and there was no one to hang out with…..

Until…..I went for a swim around 7 and while swimming a group of Filipino college students from Baguio City started to approach me and began to serenade me with Christmas songs….HAHAHAHAH. They started off with one and then prompted me to join and sing one….so that’s what I did. I started off singing Rudolf The Red-Nosed Rain Deer and they cheerfully started in with me…..phewww I was so relieved that they knew it because I wasn’t about to sing the whole thing to a crowd of 10. Anyways we started chatting. One thing led to another and they invited me back to their rented hut on the beach and we started drinking DSM gin (very cheap and very bad Filipino gin). Turns out that everyone I was drinking with attends Baguio University and they’re all studying nursing. Drinks led to more drinks and next thing I know we’re all in the ocean swimming and playing games together….what a good time. Eventually they had to go….but here’s the best part…….they invited me to drink with them in their city whenever I come through. Also, I’m meeting them in an hour in San Fernando when they get out of their internships at the local hospital. After that…I’m not sure what’s gonna happen. I was planning on going to Vigan today but after meeting them I might take the opportunity to see Baguio City…but we’ll see.

So…..after the airplane ride from hell i finally made it to Manila! First off, I’ve gotta vent about the flight. I don’t think words can be put to describe how uncomfortable it was. The whole flight, including stopovers and transfers, was around 28 hours. During which I only managed to sleep around 6 on-and-off hours. If it weren’t for the cute flight attendants I think I would have died!

After arriving in Manila I happened to meet a nice Japanese couple who wanted to share a taxi to find a hostel to stay at. So we did exactly that and found a nice place in the center of the tourist district. It’s only about $6 a night and I have my own fanned room instead of being in a dorm. I’ll post pictures of what it looks like once i get my smugmug.com account up.

After that the Japanese couple and I went out to eat at a street vendor. We shared two dishes: some concoction with pigs face and onions and sauce and pork chop. Both of which were very good! Some of you might think that pigs face sounds gross….but it actually wasn’t that bad because the sauce masked its flavor and it had a very nice texture…surprisingly.

Well it’s Friday here and I’m gonna head north tomorrow so maybe I won’t be able to update this for a while or so….but we’ll see.

So with 2 weeks before my actual departure I thought I’d kick off this running update with a few quick notes. As most of you know my venture into malarialand begins in the highly unstable Philippines, known for aiding terrorists….not really but had to throw it in there to scare you mom….sorry. Actually, from everything I’ve read and heard the Philippines is supposed to be one of the most delightful hidden secrets in Southeast Asia. It’s off the normal backpacking routes so I’ve heard that there are fewer tourists as compared to Vietnam, India, and Thailand but with an abundance of pristine white beaches and friendly people. But I’ll let you know whether this is true once I have some experiences to back up this assumption. Anyways….so the initial plan is to arrive in Manila on September 4th. Once there I’ll be staying at Friendly’s Guesthouse http://www.friendlysguesthouse.com/ which hopefully will hold up to its name. Until then I anxiously wait.

BTW….Jason is a grundel blister! Please disregard the previous post….but I’m leaving it up for your enjoyment since I do find it quite comical.

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