Okay, so this blog has been a LONG time in coming. I feel a bit justified in the delay though, as school work continues to pile up the way it can do only after you are given a little break. Mid Semester Break shall henceforth be renamed "your reprive before we bugger you all" in the interest of preserving accuracy in our academic institutions. However, writing this is actually a break from a paper (theory classes get dull fast, or as some Singaporean friends put it, "Ah, so Sian"...it makes sense somehow, though I admit that Singlish is wierd), so hopefully I remember what happened during the break.
(later addition)Oh yeah, and I figured I should slip this in WARNING! Obscenely long blog posting ahead! Try to take breaks of a few days or something if you're intent on reading it, or just skim the pretty pictures. I think avoiding this paper turned me into some verbose monster. continue with the regularly scheduled waste of time (end of addition)
Well, left Singapore for Manila, and then got to take a bus into downtown from the budget airline airport. 3 hours later, we're in out guesthouse in the heart of the backpacker district. This means lots of noise, lots of bars with cheap beer, and lots of people trying to make a buck off of ya. It's good to be on the road again.
Here's the room we had (Oh yeah, worth mentioning sooner rather than later that I'm travelling with my friend Caro from Toronto who is also on exchange to NUS. Later on we met up with Julian from Germany and NUS, and Mark, an American/Filipino on vacation to the Philippines. He also speaks Tagalog, which comes in handy later on. Hey Mark!)
So of course we have to go and wander the city a bit, since there isn't a lot of time in the city. Lots of different places to eat (Filipino food is awesome by the way. And we're also back to prices comparable to Thailand, meaning lots of tasty food for Colin!) Manila is definitely a BIG city, meaning you've got your mix of ultra modern homes and buildings and more than a decent chunk of rancid slums and skyscrapers crumbling into nothing around you. As Caro liked to put it, it's kind of a sci-fi "futuristic dystopia". So welcome to a vision of the future kiddies...
However, Manila does have some nice harbour area (the touristy full of restaurant bit.) Welcome to the uber rich section of the city. It's rather pretty at night. Everything is up in lights...
heh heh, and yeah, the ocean isn't all that clean, as the beach can attest to. Did I mention Manila is freakin' huge? About 3 times bigger than Singapore, or roughly 12 milliion people. Not small potatoes (sic) here (oh, and apologies in advance for the horrible spelling in this. I think the Engrish Language stuff is getting to me. Even in Singapore).
But nice to be by the ocean again... Singapore uses all of it's ocean for commercial purposes. Nearest beach is the plastic fantastic Sentosa (still have yet to go, hopefully before our monsoon season), and the other beach is on the east coast, exact opposite corner of the island from me, and therefore about 2 hours by bus and train. Yes, I'm getting lazy, what of it? lol, just turning Singaporean fast.
But yeah, back to Manila. I still find the shiny things pretty. Lots of people out using the space too. It could also be a side effect of being a giant city, but it definitely doesn't sleep the same way Singapore does. It's rather nice like that.
So, next morning I figure I'll take some pictures from the balcony of our guesthouse ("Friendly's Guesthouse at Adriatico and Nakpil for anyone going to Manila. Benji is an awesome guy who runs a good spot. He's full of all sorts of good information about how to get to different places, how much things SHOULD cost so don't let them tell you otherwise, and lots of wine on saturday nights. Rock on Benji! Note the helpful stranger thing in the title...though not just him. The Philippines have their sharks too, but we found out they've got some of the most hospitable people around!)
So yah, off for a day trip to Lake Taal and the Taal Volcano that's in the middle of the lake. Whoo! Fun times!
After the bus, trike, and jeepeney rides south, we make it to the market to try to hire a boat to get out to the volcano. We definitely stop for more good food.
Below is a typical example of a jeepeney. Bit old trucks left over from WW2 that run on diesel (like EVERYTHING in the Philippines, much to the chagrin of our lungs). They're always decorated something elaborate, and cram as many people into the back as can possibly fit. They have similar things in Thailand, though these ones definitely have character. It's also easy to notice that they're very catholic, as every vehicle has holy images and stickers that say "god bless this truck" over their rosary beads. Being in the traffic a lot this trip though, easy to see why they would pray, oi vey.
Ah, but the lake and island in the middle are pretty, no?
And a cow. Caro really likes the asian cattle. It was worth it just to see the funny looks she got from the locals though, as she prowled about to take pictures of random stuff (as she forgot her camera and used mine, so some of these lovely shots are her work. Thanks Caro!)
So yup, just a bit of a hike up the mountain to get to the crater itself. Also made a tad more difficult by the hordes of Korean tourists about who hire horse at the bottom to RIDE up. As we found out later in the trip, the Korean high season is great for the industry, as they pay prices FAR higher than anyone else would sanely pay. The magic of exploiting package tours.
Oooh, ahhhh
It's a hot day, but man, is the crater worth it. It's nice to look at, the smell of sulphur and the steam is actually quite nice. The offer to go swim is declined though, despite the insistence that it can cure just about anything I could possibly have.
Did I mention the hot day and long hike? SWACK ATTACK!
(note: if you are a baby boomer or higher, please get a smarmy teenager to explain the concept of "swack" if it is not a part of your vocabulary already)
And a little more crater (tons of pictures of it in different light etc, and of the lake and so on...but that gets boring after a while)
And just one more shot of the pretty water. Very blue, very warm, and very nice indeed.
Our boat driver was a really nicce guy who told us about the volcano and about his family and the weather and just about anything else you wanted to ask about him. He Has 10 children, and had to stop to count a LOT to find out how many grandchildren he has. Did I mention the staunchly catholic thing?
Oh yeah, just in case you missed it, CATHOLIC! Though they're pretty easy peasy about it, not so much dogma, which I found surprising. It's just more of daily routine, not so... angrily? held on to? I don't know quite how to put it. Everything is just kind of, "so you sinned? Just say you're sorry, move on and try to be a good person". I have to say, it's making me be a bit more aware of my prejudices against organized religion (to a degree of course, but hey, not being close minded is hard work, as I'm discovering more and more being outside of my western bubble)
I think the sign outside of the restaurant says a lot about the kind of "please and thank you" way of doing things.
The picture below...you cant' tell, but that kid is packing some heat. My heart just about stopped when Caro got out the camera to take the picture. We're just outside the gate of a playground after coming from getting some fruit. We ended up sharing some mangosteen with the kid and his brother...but man, that's just surreal.
Next day was a bit of wandering Manila after booking boat tickets to the island of Romblon. Out of the way backwater island with a few peace corps volunteers there that Mark has contacted that offered to put us up with a couch if we needed it. Sounds nice. But first, historical Manila and the Intramuros area (the old Spanish City that has survived a few centuries and the leveling of Manila during WW2 by both the Japanese and the Americans). Getting TO Intramuros involved a nice lady picking us up at the harbour as she was afraid we would be mugged as we walked down towards the city. It was really rather sweet of her. Don't panic Mom.
So yeah, big ol' cathedral that had services going in it and all, very nice.
More of the old streets. Feels like europe in a way...
And down by the river. Another spot filled with old stately ruins, newer not-so-stately ruins, and lots of open area (well, for Manila). Julian looks very content here.
The above picture may look entirely boring and not worth taking. This is true enough, except for the fact that just around the corner is one of the tin tower slums that are very, VERY common in Manila. (This is the part of the blog that gets to still turn into a public service announcement. It's seeing the surrounding area that makes me realize why Singapore is so fanatical about clinging to first world status tooth and nail. They're privileged as all hell, but their motivation can become a bit clearer once you get around.) The slums don't make an appearance in my photos for two reasons. Number one is that it just seems disrespectful to take a picture of other people's misfortune. The 3 year olds trying to sell yout snacks and things at midnight is enough to break your heart already. The quickest way to get what I mean is to think of the cutest puppy you can think of getting the kicked into the middle of traffic, and then using a baby to clean up the mess. And while it's horrible, all you can do is watch. The second one is the more mundane reason of, "if I pull out an obvoiusly 'monied' item like a camera, I'm going to last 5 minutes here."
It's really easy to feel far to rich over here. It's even easier to feel like a cold hard bitch as well. Give to one person...and you get swarmed. After a while, you just go numb and stop giving. And I hate that. Anyone else have a wicked urge to watch "The Motorcycle Diaries"? Really easy to get that movie after this.
Anyway, back to touristy stuff.
Off to Saint Augistine's for some old religious artifacts and Spanish treasures. It was a nice old building, around 500 years old or thereabouts. It has nice gardens, some neat stuff, and is just generally a quiet spot in the big city.
So, now on to our overnight boat to Manila. About an hour's delay and 30 minutes of "Hail Mary"s over the intercom later, we're on our way. We definitely have a pack of cards and lots of silly stuff to eat. Canned wieners and peanut butter anyone? Whoo!
And arriving at the city of Romblon on the island of Romblon in the dark. Here's the boat!
And the tricycle we used to get over to see Jeremy, our peace corps contact. Tricylces are actually motorcycles with a sidecar, but they're fun to ride in, especially when you've got about 10 people (no hyperbole here) hanging off of it and sitting in every space you can... hanging off of it is actually more fun. Hard to see in the dark though, I just think the picture is kinda pretty.
And then palm tree roots (excluded from this picture, mangrove swamp thing in the tidal area)
Then after not trying to impose to much on the total stranger that is Jeremy, we go just next door to the place that rents us a hut for a good price. It has a beach. This is key.
Above is the stately downtown of Romblon, Romblon. There are a lot of bakeries and stores here that sell all manner of tasty treats (Ube flavored pastry, or ube flavored ANYTHING, is really good. It's purple, though I forget if it's a yam or what. Purple is just a good flavor, so I can leave it at that)
Eating at the roadside stalls is also rather nice. Rice soups, vegetables in a savory kind of sauce, LOTS of different kinds of fish... I can get used to this. Somehow I still lost a lot of wieght this trip, go figure. (that's me in the green shirt...in case being a big gangly white man isn't sticking out like a sore thumb. Which I did. Asia is not where I blend in well)
Below is the local edifice of the Spanish colonization (hee hee, Colinized), the giant old church in the middle of town. It was rather nice, and the local ladies and a young man were very eager to show off their church. There was a statue of the baby Jesus inside that was a replica of one that mysteriously dissappeared a few years back. This statue was brought by the Spanish, but there were harsh storms every time they tried to take it back with them, so it was eventually allowed to stay in the town. It was said to heal people, to talk to them etc etc. One day the statue vanished, and a young boy nobody knew was seen running around town, and then he too mysteriously vanished. The conclusion trying to be drawn that the statue came to life and finally decided to wander off... it was a fun way to pass the morning.
And in the TRUE center of town, you see the real community gathering spot of every village I saw in the Philippines: The Basketball court. The "Legolegs" men running about (legolegs referring to really quick guys, even if most of them are short), pausing only to stop and whistle/oggle Caro (the equivalent for me were the scads of school girls. They tend to gawk at the white folk in the provinces we discovered. It's nice to have people at least PRETEND to be wowed by you sometimes, lol)
Romblon also has a large amount of marble in it, as it has huge quarries and no easy way to ship. This makes it a cheap builing material, so EVERYTHING has some marble in it. Floors, walls, bathroom sinks, and TONS of statues, from the hideous to the rather nice. I took this picture just because it's a big honkin' elephant. Did I mention I like the elephant part of asia?
And the ceilings of the stores can be rather amusing... it makes a rather pretty picture.
and then BEACH DAY!
Napping in the sun, swimming in pretty water, repeat. It's a hard life.
And more tropical goodness. After this day...say goodbye to Mr.Sunshine,he's going on a vacation.
Kareoke is HUGE in the Philippines. EVERYONE sings, no matter how good/bad they are, and they always get applause. American pop music is omnipresent, but it's funny to see the middle aged men singing along with whatever teen heartthrob is going through the speakers at the moment.
And this is our little canine companion who followed us around the island the entire time we were there. He was pretty annoying, but a nice guy to have around when wandering at night.
And the ineveitable group shot of us having dinner. Caro kindly taking a picture of us at our best. The two peace corps folk, Julian, Mark and I. you can tell I'm thrilled to pieces here at the prospect of a picture. I AM having fun though, there's a difference.
And our happy canine friend in the morning, as seen through our mosquito nets. he actually tried to jump IN at one point. he's nothing if not stubborn.
Now, it was on this day we thought we were to catch our once weekly boat back to Manila to just sort of chill in the city for a two days before we go back to Singapore. WRONG! Typhoon decides to hit the islands, and we're put on storm warning 1 where we are, with predictions of the storm moving up to Manila...exactly where we need to be. So, after some help from Jeremy, we bribe some fishermen to take us across the channel and around the coast guard in the hopes that one of the ports on nearby Tablas island can at least get us to Luzon (the island that Manila occupies) so we can make our way there. For all that it was haphazard and just a general mess... being out in a little fishing boat is TONS of fun! Lots of good laughs, pretty scenery, and just nice to be out on the water. I was grinning for a lot of this.
Our boat.
Now, this is the part where I'm LESS grinny. The boat brought us to the wrong place, and we tried to get across the island to one of the port towns (pronounced Ojungan, though forget the spelling right now). We end up dumped in a town of 500 people with no way out. The locals say they can take us to Ojungan for only 1000 pesos, no guarantee of a boat though. The jeepeney the next day can get us there the next day for 40 pesos, so that's what we WANT to do, but there's no place to stay. The tricycle driver still says that "hes sorry for the mistake, it's only *obscene price here* for me to get you to where you WANT to go". AKA: he's been trying to cheat us. Fun. A nice lady who has been listening in then gets our tale of trying to get back to Manila from us and offers us space at her house tonight, and then to let us head out with the 5am jeepeney, since her husband knows the owner of the 5am one. WHOO HOO!! Thank goodness for putting us up for the night! Unfortunately I forget everyone's name (as they have a BIG family) except for the Grandmother at this point. her name is Claudia. It was awesome of them to do this. This is part of their town....
And the family at the dinner table
As is common in a typhoon, power blows. The next day (3 jeepeny rides later) we find out the storm warning is up to class 2 for our region, class 3 for Manila. 'Tis a doozy, no mistake.
Markets along the way to the southern part of Tablas. Thank goodness for good food
Inside one of our many jeepeney rides. It was a long hard morning for my bottom (poor baby)
then ended up in the last town, after being told in every other town there's no chance that anything can make it up to Manila. Santa Fe is our last hope...
S.O.L
So, we start to plan for the eventuality that we may not be making our flight home, as Manila is still a LONG way off, with our flight the next afternoon. This is when we meet Rose. Her house is over by the docks, and she notes that we're looking a bit distressed, so we get chatting, and we explain what's happening. Over a nice meal and a good conversation (as he English is superb. Very well educated, just won't stand for living in Manila), she gets ahold of some of the locals and gets us a smaller, more rickety fishing boat...but it's willing to get us to Borocay, where there is an airport in nearby Caticlan. It's the best shot, and she haggles down to a good price to get them out in the typhoon. We take it. Thanks Rose!
Now, no pictures of the second boat ride. Lots of rain, waves only around 10 feet...but when your boat is about 4 feet wide, you do tend to worry. We all huddled up and sang songs and just kept going. A camera would die a fast death out here. The boat broke down once... but they were able to fix it. Thank goodness for small favors.
Below is actually Rose's place. She has a very nice family.
After the long boat ride we end up in tourist central: borocay. So not thrilled with the scads of package tourists. That, and I think that the overdeveloped nature of the place was a big shock after so much...nothing. But NICE nothing. This was more like tropical vegas. So we hopped Caro and I hopped the little boat over to Caticlan to see about flights, Julian and Mark decided to stick around for a day or two, since they have no deadline for a while yet (Julian having no class until wednesday, the dog). So, paying our 20 pesos (about 70 cents Singapore dollars, so a lot less in Canadian) we get across the channel.
And yes, fish at the other side. Unfortunately, no flights until tomorrow, as they're all cancelled on account of the fact the storm is currently trying it's best to kick the crap out of Manila. Lots of damage done to the city, about 40 dead by the end, and lots of trees ripped out of the cement and shanty houses blown down etc. Caro and I got to see a bit of this when we got back and were driving through the city. At this point, we just spend the night and hope for a flight.
4am the next morning we get to the airport...and proceed to fight through the hordes of package tourists to try to get a flight out. Unfortunately they have a superpower we don't: Lots of money and favor. Know that boat we paid 20 pesos for? It was a 5 minute boat, just across the channel and all that. Yeah, they pay $30 US for it! And that's only the beginning. Needless to say, we're outclassed, and therefore get a flight later on at about 10:30 am. This gets us to Manila in time...to miss our bus to the far reaches of Clarke airport. So, since no other buses want to go there today, and it's still 3 hours to the airport (it is now noon, flight at 4),we hire a cab. He dumps us on another cabbie who doesn't want to take us there, as the other cab driver duped him into this. By this point we're going a bit nuts and tired. Martin finally decides that since he took us, he'll take us all the way, accepting the little cash we have left to get us there. And a few cookies. Thank goodness for cookies. martin turns out to be very nice, and we have a good chat all the way up. He got us there fast and cheaper than we expected, so all is well.
Until departure tax. We have 0 money left. 350 pesos each to be let out. They dont' take credit. The ATM is busted. We have no foreign currency to exchange. We're (Julian's favorite term, roughly translated to "a$$ f###ed).
Until that is, that the friendly folks at Tiger Air lent us the money. Out of their own pockets. THANK YOU!!! Mental breakdown averted.
i think the fish are a metaphor for our smell...by metaphor, I mean it describes us perfectly. Hobo lifestyle accomplished, complete with avoiding shipping athorities on a fishing vessel out illegally. Not bad, eh?
And so Caro proudly displays our cheap booze from the Philippines (got to bring some back, since Singapore is expensive), and we both look pleasant after being up since 4 am on the MRT.
This trip would not have happened so well if not for meeting people like Benji, Mark, Julian, Rose, Claudia, Martin, Tiger Airway employees and god knows who else. They made an otherwise hectic state of affairs into a rather fun adventure. I can't tell it worth crap like this, (and it is now a long time later, with a morning exam pending), so I should jsut sign off and say:
Blanche wasn't far off there. Sometimes it IS best to depend on the kindness of strangers. They don't seem half so strange when you get to have fun with them.
And now break for a LONG time before next posting, as it should take a while for people to notice there's a new one, since checking should be getting less frequent to correspond with my laziness. Take care all, hope to hear from you soon.
