I am in Boracay now and it is amazing. ...have I overused that word yet? A lot of traveling to get here. Buses and jeepneys and boats..oh my.
Rewind back to Sequijor..
The 4 of us spent another full day in Sequjior. We rented motorbikes again and drove to the mountains where we found the The Cambugahay waterfalls coming off the Po-o river...yes po-o river. We spent the afternoon swimming and frolicking in the pools below the falls in what can best be described as a whimsical faerie land. Lush and green and magical. We got back off the mountain after sunset and treated ourselves to a nice big room in a resort where we sat on the deck overlooking the ocean and drank margaritas. I slept in the hammock outside. It was perfect. the next morning we took a ferry back to Dumaguete. From there Mattias went back to Apo Island and Zoe left for Bohol. And then there were two... Alex and I.
Alex and I planned on just staying one night in Dumaguete and leaving for Palawan in the morning. In the morning we got up and packed and headed for the bus station but about halfway there we decided to stay in Dumaguete and see some of the sights. We checked back into Harold's, rented a motorbike and dove up the mountain to Valencia. From there we walked down 350 steep stairs to the Casaroro waterfall. It was worth the hike. The water was freezing though! It amazed me that in a place this hot there could be water that cold. Brrrrr.
The following morning we were up at 7:30 and on the bus to Bacolod by 10am. The bus ride was 5 hours which translates to 7 hours in Filipino. It was an interesting 7 hours. The bus was not air conditioned and about 35 people and one rooster over max capacity. It's ok...I quite enjoy flying around sharp curves at 70mph with a Filippino man in my lap and a rooster in my ear. We made it to Bacolod 15min after the last ferry to Iloilo. We had to stay the night. Turns out that Bacolod is a pretty cute and happening little town. We called a taxi from our hotel and payed 70Php to go downtown only to find out that it was walking distance.... After eating some street food Alex and I went to play some pool...we have a sort of competition going...who is less terrible. At the pool hall while we were waiting for a table I ordered a rum and coke. The man behind the bar mumbled something about going downstairs and disappeared. He was gone for a long time. Just when I was about to give up on my rum and coke and order a beer, the man appeared with a bottle of Tanduay rhum and handed it to me. I explained that I just wanted a rum and coke so he poured the whole bottle of rum into a pitcher and topped it off with a bottle of coke. I'm not even really sure what to say about that except that I drank the whole thing and it was quite good :).
The next morning we were up early and caught the ferry to Iloilo. I have never been on such a boat ride. I am pretty sure it was going 250mph. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. We made good time though. Off the ferry and into a taxi to the bus station. Another 6 hour bus ride to Caticlan. Someone should tell the bus drivers out here that they are not driving sports cars. It's like they are unaware that they have 60 passengers in the back. My butt left my seat several times as we caught air over bumps in the road.
Off the bus and on another boat to Boracay! Took a tricycle to Friendz Resort and checked in. Walked down to the beach..Set on a pillow on the beach and ate Mongolian grill while listening to live music. Perfect end to a long long day of traveling.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
19-21 April
I decided that my next destination would be the island of Siquijor. Siquijor is an island of mystery and magic. It is where all the traditional mountain healers and witch doctors live. So obviously this is the next destination for me. It is not too far from Apo so it seemed the the logical next jump. Zoe and the boys agreed to come with me. This will be our last trip together before we all part and go our separate ways. It was really hard to leave Apo but there is so much to see and I want to experience all that I can before my time here is over. A short..slightly less wet boat ride back to Dumaguete followed by a short ferry and we arrived on Siquijor. When the ferry docked I went to take my pack but there were a group of men standing there and they said no that they would bring it out. The 4 of us plus one English couple we had met in Apo waited outside for our bags. The man brought them and then he asked for 20 Pesos for each bag. I explained to the man that I was perfectly capable of carrying my own bag off the boat and that I had in fact tried but he said no. None of us thought that we needed to pay this man. We were sure he was trying to rip us off. We collected our bags and headed up the dock to the main road. When we got to the gate that led to the main road the bag man rushed ahead of us and slammed the gate. He would not let us leave without paying him 20Php each. I didn’t see this going in a good direction. Luckily after about 5 min of arguing another man came over and let us out of the gate. Thank God. I was pretty sure we were going to be carted off in a van and thrown into a cell until we caved and coughed up our 20Php each. Who knows..the bag man be constructing voodoo dolls of the 6 of us as we speak. I guess we’ll know if I return home with a pea sized head or something. I shouldn’t joke about that…sorry. I actually felt kind of bad afterward and had half a mind to go back and pay the man. That is after all how he makes his living.
We made it to the main road and found a jeepney. We told the driver that we wanted to go to Siquijor town but he apparently didn’t care. He took us to a place called JJ’s just outside of San Juan. OK… I guess this is where we are meant to stay. Didn’t really have a choice did we? It worked out ok though because this place is absolutely beautiful! Right on the beach…white fluffy sand and a great view of the sunset. I am happy.
This Island doesn’t have many cars or jeepneys. The only real way to get around is to rent motorbikes. So the next day that’s just what we did. We rented two and drove all over the island. Into the mountains and around then back to JJ’s for BBQ and sunset and rum and bonfire on the beach. Did I mention that I love my life?
We made it to the main road and found a jeepney. We told the driver that we wanted to go to Siquijor town but he apparently didn’t care. He took us to a place called JJ’s just outside of San Juan. OK… I guess this is where we are meant to stay. Didn’t really have a choice did we? It worked out ok though because this place is absolutely beautiful! Right on the beach…white fluffy sand and a great view of the sunset. I am happy.
This Island doesn’t have many cars or jeepneys. The only real way to get around is to rent motorbikes. So the next day that’s just what we did. We rented two and drove all over the island. Into the mountains and around then back to JJ’s for BBQ and sunset and rum and bonfire on the beach. Did I mention that I love my life?
Apo Island
Apo Island is absolutely amazing! I feel like I have been taken back in time. No running water. Electricity run off a generator that is only on from 7:30am to 10:30am and then again from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. No motorized vehicles at all. The little village is so charming. The people here are honest and friendly. The air is clean, the ocean is clear. If it weren’t for the lack of ice cubes, I could live here forever! ...Hey, every once in a while a girl's got to have a gin and tonic with some ice cubes..
This morning after coffee and breakfast overlooking the turquoise sea, I decided to go exploring. This Island is not very big. You could probably see the whole thing in one day..by foot. I had been told about a lighthouse so I went to check it out. ‘Just up those stairs’ they said. They failed to mention that there were 62,423 or them…roughly. I started to count but I lost interest around 14. Nice hike though. Along my way I encountered a handful of small goats, 2 half starved cows..one of which I’m pretty sure was doing yoga..one very excited dog that thought it would be fun to run circles around me at lightning speed, a young Filipino boy carrying a giant bunch of bananas, an old Filipino man carrying 50ft of bamboo and a large ant colony that I accidentally sat in. I reached the top of the island. The lighthouse itself was not much to look at but the view from up there was breathtaking to say the least. I had a complete 360 degree view. Incredible. Back down the quarter of a million stairs and into the ocean to cool off and do some snorkeling. I can’t get over how clear this water is. Everywhere you look there are turtles and sea snakes and fish of every color. After snorkeling and a bit of lying around in the sun I went back to Liberty’s for some lunch and ginger tea. It was then that I realized that it was only 1 o’clock. I couldn’t believe it. I have already had a full day and it’s only 1 o’clock! I mustered up some energy and walked to the other side of the island and hiked up to a view deck at the top. I found two perfect trees to put my hammock in and laid and swayed till sunset. Perfect view from up there. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching the sunset. It is such a unique experience each time. After reluctantly hiking back down I met up with Zoe and the boys on the path and we all sat on the beach, drank rum and took pictures with the stars. What a perfect day. I love my life.
This morning after coffee and breakfast overlooking the turquoise sea, I decided to go exploring. This Island is not very big. You could probably see the whole thing in one day..by foot. I had been told about a lighthouse so I went to check it out. ‘Just up those stairs’ they said. They failed to mention that there were 62,423 or them…roughly. I started to count but I lost interest around 14. Nice hike though. Along my way I encountered a handful of small goats, 2 half starved cows..one of which I’m pretty sure was doing yoga..one very excited dog that thought it would be fun to run circles around me at lightning speed, a young Filipino boy carrying a giant bunch of bananas, an old Filipino man carrying 50ft of bamboo and a large ant colony that I accidentally sat in. I reached the top of the island. The lighthouse itself was not much to look at but the view from up there was breathtaking to say the least. I had a complete 360 degree view. Incredible. Back down the quarter of a million stairs and into the ocean to cool off and do some snorkeling. I can’t get over how clear this water is. Everywhere you look there are turtles and sea snakes and fish of every color. After snorkeling and a bit of lying around in the sun I went back to Liberty’s for some lunch and ginger tea. It was then that I realized that it was only 1 o’clock. I couldn’t believe it. I have already had a full day and it’s only 1 o’clock! I mustered up some energy and walked to the other side of the island and hiked up to a view deck at the top. I found two perfect trees to put my hammock in and laid and swayed till sunset. Perfect view from up there. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching the sunset. It is such a unique experience each time. After reluctantly hiking back down I met up with Zoe and the boys on the path and we all sat on the beach, drank rum and took pictures with the stars. What a perfect day. I love my life.
14-16 April...I think
I haven’t written in a while…I know. I’ve either been having too much fun or on a remote island somewhere with no electricity or both.
I didn’t wind up going to Banaue. While in Manila I made myself a little passport of friends (Zoe..England, Frank..Switzerland, Shanti…Canada, Alex..France, Mattias..Holland). Alex and Mattias headed off to Apo island and invited Zoe and I to join. We decided that sounded like fun and booked our plane tickets for Tuesday. We hung out in Manila for a couple more days with Frank and Shanti had too much fun and not enough sleep. Tuesday came around and I was happy to leave Manila. Not only had I spent the last 6 nights staying up past the sunrise but had also lost a number of things...
Things lost in Manila:
1 Shoe, One of my favorite earings, The 17,000Php camera I had jut bought...stolen by a prostitute.., 800Php..also stolen by a prostitute..., 18 hours of my life, My sunglasses and countless hours of sleep.
...Zoe and I were exhausted and delirious packed and in a taxi by 11:30 for our 1:30 flights. I made my flight ok but Zoe was dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take another taxi and almost missed her flight. We met back up in Cebu around 3 and took a taxi where we were hoping to get something to eat and pick up our boat tickets in advance for the 7:30 boat to Dumaguete. The travel office told us that we had to get our tickets at the pier but confirmed that there was in fact a bus leaving at 7:30. By the time we found a place to eat and ordered we were a bit pressed for time so we had to take most of it to go. It’s OK..we’ll eat in on the boat. Well that should be interesting since they wrapped it up in plastic bags and we had no utensils..We’ll figure it out. We rushed into a taxi and to the pier…really short on time now. There were about 7 ticket windows at the pier and the first 5 we tried said that there were no boats going to Dumaguete and that we would have to wait for tomorrow. No way…I could clearly see a boat with Dumaguete written on it and people aboard. Luckily at about 5min till 7 we found the window on the other side of the building that would get us to Dumaguete. Perfect. The boat was in the first slot we had just enough time to walk over and get on. We were heading that way when a man shouted “Ride the bus! The bus! Ride the bus!”…It was much funnier at the time than it sounds when typed.. We were then shuffled back to the other side of the building and onto a bus which took us all the way to the other side of the pier to the furthest slot from our boat and then all the way back to the place where we started…… Seemed a bit unnecessary to me but ok. Luckily this is the Philippines and everything moves at an extremely slow pace so our boat was about an hour late departing. The boat was unlike anything I have ever seen..each deck covered with bunk beds. It looked like some sort of prison orphanage or something. Zoe and I found our top bunks and settled in. As the boat was departing we stood at the rail looking out. An 11 year old boy approached me and began to ask me a series of about 1000 questions “where are you from?” “have you ever been to Hollywood?” “Have you ever seen a real live mermaid?” “are you drunk?” Haha.. No I wasn’t but apparently I am such a mess that I just appear drunk to children. The boat took off and Zoe and I took our bunk beds, had a couple beers and Pad Thai and curry out of a plastic bag that we had to eat with a tongue depressor I found in my first aid kit. No wonder small children think I’m drunk..lol.
The boat arrived in Dumaguete around 3:30 in the morning and we took a motorized tricycle to Harold’s Mansion…sleep. The next morning I met Harold himself and he convinced us to stay one more night. That night we had a BBQ then went out to a bar for some live reggae. Hanging out with several people from the hostel we got totally wasted and decided to walk into town at 3am for some food. After eating Chow King we were too tired to walk back so we grabbed a trike. Luckily, Lee, the guy next to me was paying attention because the trike driver fell asleep. Twice. We made it home alive and went straight to bed. The next morning we woke up late and hung over….again. We took a trike to the jeepney station, a jeepney to the road that led to the boats for Apo Island and walked down it. From there after about 2hours of waiting around..hot and hungry…Finally for 300Php each we hitched a really wet boat ride to Apo. Checked into Liberty’s..Food…Nap in the hammock. When I woke up from my nap I found that Alex and Mattias were not only still on Apo but staying in our dorm. Nice luck.
I didn’t wind up going to Banaue. While in Manila I made myself a little passport of friends (Zoe..England, Frank..Switzerland, Shanti…Canada, Alex..France, Mattias..Holland). Alex and Mattias headed off to Apo island and invited Zoe and I to join. We decided that sounded like fun and booked our plane tickets for Tuesday. We hung out in Manila for a couple more days with Frank and Shanti had too much fun and not enough sleep. Tuesday came around and I was happy to leave Manila. Not only had I spent the last 6 nights staying up past the sunrise but had also lost a number of things...
Things lost in Manila:
1 Shoe, One of my favorite earings, The 17,000Php camera I had jut bought...stolen by a prostitute.., 800Php..also stolen by a prostitute..., 18 hours of my life, My sunglasses and countless hours of sleep.
...Zoe and I were exhausted and delirious packed and in a taxi by 11:30 for our 1:30 flights. I made my flight ok but Zoe was dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take another taxi and almost missed her flight. We met back up in Cebu around 3 and took a taxi where we were hoping to get something to eat and pick up our boat tickets in advance for the 7:30 boat to Dumaguete. The travel office told us that we had to get our tickets at the pier but confirmed that there was in fact a bus leaving at 7:30. By the time we found a place to eat and ordered we were a bit pressed for time so we had to take most of it to go. It’s OK..we’ll eat in on the boat. Well that should be interesting since they wrapped it up in plastic bags and we had no utensils..We’ll figure it out. We rushed into a taxi and to the pier…really short on time now. There were about 7 ticket windows at the pier and the first 5 we tried said that there were no boats going to Dumaguete and that we would have to wait for tomorrow. No way…I could clearly see a boat with Dumaguete written on it and people aboard. Luckily at about 5min till 7 we found the window on the other side of the building that would get us to Dumaguete. Perfect. The boat was in the first slot we had just enough time to walk over and get on. We were heading that way when a man shouted “Ride the bus! The bus! Ride the bus!”…It was much funnier at the time than it sounds when typed.. We were then shuffled back to the other side of the building and onto a bus which took us all the way to the other side of the pier to the furthest slot from our boat and then all the way back to the place where we started…… Seemed a bit unnecessary to me but ok. Luckily this is the Philippines and everything moves at an extremely slow pace so our boat was about an hour late departing. The boat was unlike anything I have ever seen..each deck covered with bunk beds. It looked like some sort of prison orphanage or something. Zoe and I found our top bunks and settled in. As the boat was departing we stood at the rail looking out. An 11 year old boy approached me and began to ask me a series of about 1000 questions “where are you from?” “have you ever been to Hollywood?” “Have you ever seen a real live mermaid?” “are you drunk?” Haha.. No I wasn’t but apparently I am such a mess that I just appear drunk to children. The boat took off and Zoe and I took our bunk beds, had a couple beers and Pad Thai and curry out of a plastic bag that we had to eat with a tongue depressor I found in my first aid kit. No wonder small children think I’m drunk..lol.
The boat arrived in Dumaguete around 3:30 in the morning and we took a motorized tricycle to Harold’s Mansion…sleep. The next morning I met Harold himself and he convinced us to stay one more night. That night we had a BBQ then went out to a bar for some live reggae. Hanging out with several people from the hostel we got totally wasted and decided to walk into town at 3am for some food. After eating Chow King we were too tired to walk back so we grabbed a trike. Luckily, Lee, the guy next to me was paying attention because the trike driver fell asleep. Twice. We made it home alive and went straight to bed. The next morning we woke up late and hung over….again. We took a trike to the jeepney station, a jeepney to the road that led to the boats for Apo Island and walked down it. From there after about 2hours of waiting around..hot and hungry…Finally for 300Php each we hitched a really wet boat ride to Apo. Checked into Liberty’s..Food…Nap in the hammock. When I woke up from my nap I found that Alex and Mattias were not only still on Apo but staying in our dorm. Nice luck.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cannot seem to get out of Manila
Last night I once again attempted to make my way to Banaue. I made it as far as the bus station... I arrived at the bus station around 8pm hoping to catch the 10:45 bus to Banaue. When my taxi pulled up to the station and I saw the 455,000 people standing around I had a suspicion that I may not be leaving Manila tonight.. Sure enough...the bus was sold out. I went ahead and purchased a ticket for the 9pm bus the following day and took another taxi back to Friendlys. Well, one more night in Manila...I decided to go out. I ran into a English guy that I had met a few days prior and we had a couple beers. A couple beers turned into a couple more and before I knew it we were at a club called Bedrock (decorated like a cave from the Flinstones...really cute :)) and the shots of Jager were flowing... About an hour and too many consecutive shots of Jager into our clubbing we had attracted a group of Filipino transvestites. Man could they dance! I was too drunk at this pint to take pictures...sorry. It really didn't seem like we were in the bar that long but when we came out the sun was coming up. This town is absolutely insane! Sunrise and people are still all over the streets and in the bars drinking!
About 7am I was getting really tired and a bit delirious...time for bed. Nope... Before I could make it back to my hostel my kids were up and wanting to play....off to McDonalds for breakfast. Don't judge me...it was the only place open that had pancakes. I finally made it home and to bed around 9am I would guess. Geez...What a crazy night. I'm almost sad that I wont be here for the weekend when people are really partying!
About 7am I was getting really tired and a bit delirious...time for bed. Nope... Before I could make it back to my hostel my kids were up and wanting to play....off to McDonalds for breakfast. Don't judge me...it was the only place open that had pancakes. I finally made it home and to bed around 9am I would guess. Geez...What a crazy night. I'm almost sad that I wont be here for the weekend when people are really partying!
Another failed attempt to see the Chinese graveyard
My plan today was to A: get my bank situation sorted out...again.... B: Go buy some new hiking shoes...one of mine is mysteriously missing along with about 12 hours of my life..lol. and C: go see the Chinese graveyard. I accomplished one of the three. I got my bank situation figured out. I did make it to the mall to buy some shoes but when I got there all I could think about was my little street children...Oliver, Elvie, Margo and Junior. So I wound up at Robinson's in the toy department. Oliver and Elvie LOVE listening to my MP3 player so I found a kids version for about 199P and bought it along with some other little toys. When I brought my kids the toys they were of course delighted but when I tried to turn on the little radio I found that it was broken. I decided to go back to the store for a new one. I asked the mother if I could bring Oliver and Elvie with me to the mall and she said sure but Elvie was nowhere to be found. The mother didn't know where she was so I went out looking. This little girl is 7 years old...you would think a mother would know where her 7 year old daughter is...but I wont get into that...
I found Elvie about 5 blocks away playing in the street. She was so excited to come to the mall with me that she washed up and changed out of the clothes she had been wearing for days. Off we went laughing and skipping to the mall where my intention was to go straight to the toy store. Again plans changed and we wound up at the arcade. We played games and bumper cars and just had a blast for an hour or so then got some ice cream and we were off to the toy store. I let The 2 children pick out one toy each and one for each of their brothers and sisters. Before leaving the mall I stopped and picked up some underwear, t shirts, flipflops, baby wipes and a few other essentials. We left the mall hungry and exhausted so we went back to our street for dinner and to play with our new toys. After it was all said and done I think I had spent about 1500P. There goes my shoe money..I guess I will be hiking barefoot..lol. Well worth it. And I guess I will see the Chinese cemetery another time..
Needless to say, I had a wonderful day. I am leaving (finally!) for Banaue tonight. It is going to be really hard to leave! I have fallen in love with these children! When my 2 months in the Philippines is drawing to an end if I have any money left I am going to pay for Oliver and Elvie to go to school. It will only cost about 50 bucks each for classes, books and uniforms. If anyone would like to help let me know.
I found Elvie about 5 blocks away playing in the street. She was so excited to come to the mall with me that she washed up and changed out of the clothes she had been wearing for days. Off we went laughing and skipping to the mall where my intention was to go straight to the toy store. Again plans changed and we wound up at the arcade. We played games and bumper cars and just had a blast for an hour or so then got some ice cream and we were off to the toy store. I let The 2 children pick out one toy each and one for each of their brothers and sisters. Before leaving the mall I stopped and picked up some underwear, t shirts, flipflops, baby wipes and a few other essentials. We left the mall hungry and exhausted so we went back to our street for dinner and to play with our new toys. After it was all said and done I think I had spent about 1500P. There goes my shoe money..I guess I will be hiking barefoot..lol. Well worth it. And I guess I will see the Chinese cemetery another time..
Needless to say, I had a wonderful day. I am leaving (finally!) for Banaue tonight. It is going to be really hard to leave! I have fallen in love with these children! When my 2 months in the Philippines is drawing to an end if I have any money left I am going to pay for Oliver and Elvie to go to school. It will only cost about 50 bucks each for classes, books and uniforms. If anyone would like to help let me know.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Venting...
So last night I was going to finally head up to Banaue. My bags were packed and i had even met some other travelers that were headed that way and we were going to take the bus together. I needed to get some cash out before going because there are no ATMs in Banaue. I went to one ATM...'unable to process your request'. Hmmm... I went to another ATM...same message. What the F? I came back to the hostel and got online to check my bank account and sure enough they put another hold on my account! I am more than a little pissed. It took me 2 days to get it resolved the first time they did it. When I last spoke to them I thoroughly explained to them that I was in fact traveling SE Asia and would be using my card. The women said she would make a note of it and it wouldn't happen again. Well..it did and now I am stuck in Manila for at least another day with 790P (about 17$) to my name. Uuuurgh!!! Hopefully I can get it all resolved today and be on the bus to Banaue tonight. I need to get out of this city for a while!
Good news though....I found my phone! I had apparently plugged it in to charge in the common area of the hostel during my weird blackout day...or two?
Now if I can only find my other shoe I will be a happy girl :)
Good news though....I found my phone! I had apparently plugged it in to charge in the common area of the hostel during my weird blackout day...or two?
Now if I can only find my other shoe I will be a happy girl :)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
China Town 05-April-2010
I started this day by going to the mall and spending WAY too much on a camera. It's pretty awesome though and it seems to be one that I cannot easily break...that alone is worth the extra money given my history with cameras. Having taken care of that I decided to venture off to China Town and see the Chinese cemetery (which I never wound up seeing :( ). I walked to the park and found the spot that I have dubbed Jeepney Chaos Central. I was crammed into a jeepney headed toward China Town with about 50 other passengers. The ride there was only slightly terrifying with the traffic and the driver jolting to a halt every 5 seconds before darting in between cars with no warning. Not only did I manage to survive, I made some friends on the ride. They were a family of young Filipino cousins headed to china town as well. When we got off the jeepney I reached in my purse to pay the driver my 7P but he was off before I could even unzip my bag. I felt terrible for not paying but the family I met got a huge kick out of it! They laughed and laughed. They said 'you supposed to pay when you get on!'
The cousins consisted of 4. One guy from Manila and 2 girls and another guy from Banaue. The guy from Manila was showing his cousins around and asked if I would like to join them. They were headed to see the metal church. I accepted and we were off. Along our way we got thirsty so we stopped at a little Chinese place for some pineapple juice and noodles cooked with what I can only guess was dog or rat....mmm. Hydrated and refreshed we headed out to the heart of Manila...Chinatown. Absolutely insane! The streets were full of vendors selling everything from underwear to cooking pot lids...no pots..just lids. It was absolute chaos!!
Along our walk one of the girls I was with told me I looked like Celine Dion...haha.. and would not stop telling me how beautiful I was. The guy said he was honored and privileged to be walking in the streets with such a beautiful American and that I must be a model. This kind of talk went on all day and night. I do not take flattery well so I was very uncomfortable. I couldn't think of a polite way to ask them to shut up so I just smiled and hoped they would stop. On our way to the metal church we passed the Quiapo church..the church of the black Nazarene. It was full of people praying and touching the sculpture of the black Jesus. Beautiful church for sure. On our way to the metal church I got thirsty so we stopped for so some coconut juice. The coconut juice was served to me in a plastic bag with a straw. How exciting! I have never enjoyed a beverage out of a baggie before! It was delicious! Yum Yum!
We made our way to the metal church and it was absolutely incredible! Probably the most beautiful church I have ever seen! It is claimed to be the only prefabricated steel church in the world. How incredible to build an entire church from only metal! Beautiful!
After the church one of the girls I was with...the girl who was apparently my biggest fan :)... told me it was her birthday and insisted that I join them for drinks, a meal and videoke at her cousin's house to celebrate.
We arrived and I nearly had to crawl through the doorway to get into the house....I am a giant in this country.. I was hustled up to a tiny bedroom where 6 of us sat on tiny couches and chairs and began the videoke. We were served san miguel beer and noodles and chips. I was waited on hand and foot like I was royalty. I refused to sing Celine Dion as requested but the beer was flowing and before I knew it I was belting out 'My heart will go on'...geez.
Earlier in the day my new friends had asked me if I had ever tried balut. My response was something to the effect of hell mother f..ing no. no. no. no. Eww! For those of you that don't know...Balut is a partially devloped duck or chicken egg that is buried to ferment for a couple days before being boiled and eaten. so...no..uck..uck..no. Well....like I said the beer was flowing and my friend all of the sudden appeared with a bag of..you guessed it ..balut. I was feeling pretty relaxed and apparently adventurous. I tried it. Hey..it wasn't that bad...surprisingly. At least now I can check that off the list of things I never wanted to try.
This is where things got weird... I really wasn't that drunk but every time I tried to stand up my body felt like it weighed 14 tons and I had to sit back down. I found it strange but not strange enough to put any real thought into it. At this point...it must have been around 8pm... the guy that I call Small Dog (from a previous joke) came in with a pitcher of liquid and orange coconut powder and something in a bottle. He lit it on fire and when the fire ceased he poured it into glasses for us to take shots. I drank one...two..three... then......nothing. I remember nothing else from the evening. In the morning I woke up in the only bed in the house and everyone else was on the floor. As soon a I opened my eyes I was being fed eggs and bacon, toast and coffee. I got up and was instructed to shower. Ok. Umm...where does the water come from. Oooooh... the bucket. Another new experience for me. A shower from a bucket of water!
My plan was to leave this day and go to Banaue. My friends said that they were heading that way anyways and I could just ride with them. They put me in a taxi to my hostel..told me to gather my things and they would meet me in the lobby. Gather my things I did and I went outside to wait.
While sitting on the sidewalk waiting, a little boy came along. Oliver was his name and he was 6. He asked me for nothing but sat down with me against the wall. I reached into my bag and pulled out an orange...and then another. Rather than eat it it seemed he wanted to play. So for hours we engaged in all sorts of creative games consisting of oranges and water bottles. Oliver's sister Elvie came along to play as well. While I was falling in love with these children there were some local people hanging around. One man seemed to know them...I think he was their uncle. It was after dark now and I asked if he knew where their mother was. He shrugged and said that she was off trying to make some money probably. I said 'where do they sleep?' He pointed to some cardboard on the side of the road. 'Do they go to school?' 'No' The man said....they cannot afford it. From what I could understand school costs 1000P a year. That is only 20$!!! I started to cry...I couldn't help it. Elvie looked up and me and put her dirty hands on my cheeks....she looked me in the eyes for a minute then wiped away my tears and smiled... I melted.
I was joking with Oliver about his dirty feet and saying how I wish I could take he and his sister home with me and give them a bath. The man..the uncle.. offered them to me. He said I could adopt them. Just like that..."Here, have my children". I want more than anything to do just that! A couple of other little street girls came over to play and I was getting hungry. I ordered us all a large pizza and we sat in the street and ate. Best meal I've had yet!
It was about 9pm now and my friends still had not shown up. I was still feeling really dizzy and heavy from the night before so I went back to Friendlys to check in for another night. While waiting for the man to check me in I looked over and saw a warning sign about people slipping you a drug called Ativan. It listed the side effects and they sounded a whole lot like the way I was feeling. It doesn't make any sense. None of my things are missing...I wasn't violated... I don't know if that is what happened or not. Maybe I just ate something bad. Anyways...I checked back into Friendlys and slept like a baby.
This morning I woke up at 6am...wide awake! I had some coffee and hung out for a bit then I went out for a bite of food. As soon as I turned the corner from Friendlys who did see? Elvie and Oliver! The came running to me and jumped in my arms :) I invited them to come have breakfast with me and they brought their little brother (Jr) and sister (Margo) along. We had a wonderful breakfast of pizza and burgers and french fries! I hung out with the children half the day and we had a great time!
Don't be surprised if I return home with 2 to 4 children....
Tonight I am taking to bus to Banaue. I think it is about a 12 bus ride. I am really looking forward to getting some fresh air!
The cousins consisted of 4. One guy from Manila and 2 girls and another guy from Banaue. The guy from Manila was showing his cousins around and asked if I would like to join them. They were headed to see the metal church. I accepted and we were off. Along our way we got thirsty so we stopped at a little Chinese place for some pineapple juice and noodles cooked with what I can only guess was dog or rat....mmm. Hydrated and refreshed we headed out to the heart of Manila...Chinatown. Absolutely insane! The streets were full of vendors selling everything from underwear to cooking pot lids...no pots..just lids. It was absolute chaos!!
Along our walk one of the girls I was with told me I looked like Celine Dion...haha.. and would not stop telling me how beautiful I was. The guy said he was honored and privileged to be walking in the streets with such a beautiful American and that I must be a model. This kind of talk went on all day and night. I do not take flattery well so I was very uncomfortable. I couldn't think of a polite way to ask them to shut up so I just smiled and hoped they would stop. On our way to the metal church we passed the Quiapo church..the church of the black Nazarene. It was full of people praying and touching the sculpture of the black Jesus. Beautiful church for sure. On our way to the metal church I got thirsty so we stopped for so some coconut juice. The coconut juice was served to me in a plastic bag with a straw. How exciting! I have never enjoyed a beverage out of a baggie before! It was delicious! Yum Yum!
We made our way to the metal church and it was absolutely incredible! Probably the most beautiful church I have ever seen! It is claimed to be the only prefabricated steel church in the world. How incredible to build an entire church from only metal! Beautiful!
After the church one of the girls I was with...the girl who was apparently my biggest fan :)... told me it was her birthday and insisted that I join them for drinks, a meal and videoke at her cousin's house to celebrate.
We arrived and I nearly had to crawl through the doorway to get into the house....I am a giant in this country.. I was hustled up to a tiny bedroom where 6 of us sat on tiny couches and chairs and began the videoke. We were served san miguel beer and noodles and chips. I was waited on hand and foot like I was royalty. I refused to sing Celine Dion as requested but the beer was flowing and before I knew it I was belting out 'My heart will go on'...geez.
Earlier in the day my new friends had asked me if I had ever tried balut. My response was something to the effect of hell mother f..ing no. no. no. no. Eww! For those of you that don't know...Balut is a partially devloped duck or chicken egg that is buried to ferment for a couple days before being boiled and eaten. so...no..uck..uck..no. Well....like I said the beer was flowing and my friend all of the sudden appeared with a bag of..you guessed it ..balut. I was feeling pretty relaxed and apparently adventurous. I tried it. Hey..it wasn't that bad...surprisingly. At least now I can check that off the list of things I never wanted to try.
This is where things got weird... I really wasn't that drunk but every time I tried to stand up my body felt like it weighed 14 tons and I had to sit back down. I found it strange but not strange enough to put any real thought into it. At this point...it must have been around 8pm... the guy that I call Small Dog (from a previous joke) came in with a pitcher of liquid and orange coconut powder and something in a bottle. He lit it on fire and when the fire ceased he poured it into glasses for us to take shots. I drank one...two..three... then......nothing. I remember nothing else from the evening. In the morning I woke up in the only bed in the house and everyone else was on the floor. As soon a I opened my eyes I was being fed eggs and bacon, toast and coffee. I got up and was instructed to shower. Ok. Umm...where does the water come from. Oooooh... the bucket. Another new experience for me. A shower from a bucket of water!
My plan was to leave this day and go to Banaue. My friends said that they were heading that way anyways and I could just ride with them. They put me in a taxi to my hostel..told me to gather my things and they would meet me in the lobby. Gather my things I did and I went outside to wait.
While sitting on the sidewalk waiting, a little boy came along. Oliver was his name and he was 6. He asked me for nothing but sat down with me against the wall. I reached into my bag and pulled out an orange...and then another. Rather than eat it it seemed he wanted to play. So for hours we engaged in all sorts of creative games consisting of oranges and water bottles. Oliver's sister Elvie came along to play as well. While I was falling in love with these children there were some local people hanging around. One man seemed to know them...I think he was their uncle. It was after dark now and I asked if he knew where their mother was. He shrugged and said that she was off trying to make some money probably. I said 'where do they sleep?' He pointed to some cardboard on the side of the road. 'Do they go to school?' 'No' The man said....they cannot afford it. From what I could understand school costs 1000P a year. That is only 20$!!! I started to cry...I couldn't help it. Elvie looked up and me and put her dirty hands on my cheeks....she looked me in the eyes for a minute then wiped away my tears and smiled... I melted.
I was joking with Oliver about his dirty feet and saying how I wish I could take he and his sister home with me and give them a bath. The man..the uncle.. offered them to me. He said I could adopt them. Just like that..."Here, have my children". I want more than anything to do just that! A couple of other little street girls came over to play and I was getting hungry. I ordered us all a large pizza and we sat in the street and ate. Best meal I've had yet!
It was about 9pm now and my friends still had not shown up. I was still feeling really dizzy and heavy from the night before so I went back to Friendlys to check in for another night. While waiting for the man to check me in I looked over and saw a warning sign about people slipping you a drug called Ativan. It listed the side effects and they sounded a whole lot like the way I was feeling. It doesn't make any sense. None of my things are missing...I wasn't violated... I don't know if that is what happened or not. Maybe I just ate something bad. Anyways...I checked back into Friendlys and slept like a baby.
This morning I woke up at 6am...wide awake! I had some coffee and hung out for a bit then I went out for a bite of food. As soon as I turned the corner from Friendlys who did see? Elvie and Oliver! The came running to me and jumped in my arms :) I invited them to come have breakfast with me and they brought their little brother (Jr) and sister (Margo) along. We had a wonderful breakfast of pizza and burgers and french fries! I hung out with the children half the day and we had a great time!
Don't be surprised if I return home with 2 to 4 children....
Tonight I am taking to bus to Banaue. I think it is about a 12 bus ride. I am really looking forward to getting some fresh air!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
04-April-2010..Manila
By the time I got through customs and out of the airport it was nearly 1am. I was so tired that I found the first car that would take me to my hostel and wound up paying 1000P (about 20 bucks). Too much! That is twice as much as I am paying to stay in the hostel for one night...oh well..chalk it up to being tired..I would have payed anything to just get some sleep! And sleep I did...aaah. On my way to the hostel I was really surprised to see how alive this city is. 1:30 in the morning and the sidewalks are packed with people and the streets packed with cars. It is true what they say about the traffic here and people driving like crazies. Makes sense though...there are no street lights or stop signs at any intersections! Every man for himself on the road. I stayed at the Malate Pensionne in Malate Manila. I woke up this morning and checked my email only to find out that they had put a hold on my bank account for irregular activity. Figures. It's going to be fun trying to sort that one out without access to a phone.
I decided to take it easy today due to the jet lag so I headed out to the mall to shop for a new camera...mine stopped working in Hawaii :( When I arrived at the mall I was frisked and searched before entering...that was a first. I am pretty sure that this is the largest mall that I have ever been in! 4 stories...a full hardware store...a full grocery store..geez. In the center of the mall was an Easter celebration for children and blaring over the speakers for their enjoyment was a rap song about taking shots and getting fucked up. Yes. Fucked up. This is apparently kids music.
After the mall I decided to take a walk around the city. Manila...loads of character and a pungent smell of urine. The latter probably has something to do with every other building being a bar that run specials like all you can drink from 12am to 6am for 199P (about 4.50).
I have to note that on my walk I passed a midget man on the sidewalk standing on a chair giving shoulder massages. That made me smile :)
While I was hopelessly lost wandering around the city (...what? Me? Lost? Surprising...I know.) I got to see first hand the poverty that I have always heard about in this area. To see children sleeping on newspaper in the street makes me want to cry and scream... I was followed for about 5 blocks by a small boy asking for money. I realize that if I gave cash to every child in this city that begged for money I wouldn't last a week before I was broke. I remembered that I had an apple in my bag and I gave it to him. He was delighted and went on his way. I went straight to the grocery and bought a bag of oranges and a bag of apples and carry them with me now to give to the street children. I wish that I could take them all with me and give them a proper meal and a good home.
After getting lost and finding my way again I checked out of the Malate Pensionne and into Friendlys across the street. This hostel has more backpackers and socializing. I think I will like it better. I think I will stay here at least one more night before heading north to hike the rice terraces.
I didn't buy a camera yet but as soon as I do I will post lots of pictures!!
I decided to take it easy today due to the jet lag so I headed out to the mall to shop for a new camera...mine stopped working in Hawaii :( When I arrived at the mall I was frisked and searched before entering...that was a first. I am pretty sure that this is the largest mall that I have ever been in! 4 stories...a full hardware store...a full grocery store..geez. In the center of the mall was an Easter celebration for children and blaring over the speakers for their enjoyment was a rap song about taking shots and getting fucked up. Yes. Fucked up. This is apparently kids music.
After the mall I decided to take a walk around the city. Manila...loads of character and a pungent smell of urine. The latter probably has something to do with every other building being a bar that run specials like all you can drink from 12am to 6am for 199P (about 4.50).
I have to note that on my walk I passed a midget man on the sidewalk standing on a chair giving shoulder massages. That made me smile :)
While I was hopelessly lost wandering around the city (...what? Me? Lost? Surprising...I know.) I got to see first hand the poverty that I have always heard about in this area. To see children sleeping on newspaper in the street makes me want to cry and scream... I was followed for about 5 blocks by a small boy asking for money. I realize that if I gave cash to every child in this city that begged for money I wouldn't last a week before I was broke. I remembered that I had an apple in my bag and I gave it to him. He was delighted and went on his way. I went straight to the grocery and bought a bag of oranges and a bag of apples and carry them with me now to give to the street children. I wish that I could take them all with me and give them a proper meal and a good home.
After getting lost and finding my way again I checked out of the Malate Pensionne and into Friendlys across the street. This hostel has more backpackers and socializing. I think I will like it better. I think I will stay here at least one more night before heading north to hike the rice terraces.
I didn't buy a camera yet but as soon as I do I will post lots of pictures!!
02/03-April-2010..Off to the Philippines..
Left Hawaii...long flight..I am sitting at the Tokyo airport waiting for my flight to Manila. I miss Maui already. It is always so hard to leave. Maui has such a huge piece of my heart!
I never really cared too much to visit Japan but it is kind of cool to be here..even just at the airport. The technology here is so different from any places I have been before. I spent a long time in the bathroom pondering the toilet..haha. I was curious about all the options the toilet had to offer. What is the difference in the bidet and the shower buttons? I was too afraid to press them and find out..something about water spraying up at me from a public toilet freaks me out a little bit. I was intrigued enough however to try the button marked 'Flushing sound'..'For women only'..hmm. Sure enough, when pressd it justs makes the sound of a flushing toilet. What? Why? So many whys. Like why is that for women only? And who was the woman sitting around on the toilet one thinking.."man, I really wish I could have the sound of a flushing toilet without actually having to flush"?... Too funny!
Ok, enough about toilets.
Off to manila in about an hour...
I never really cared too much to visit Japan but it is kind of cool to be here..even just at the airport. The technology here is so different from any places I have been before. I spent a long time in the bathroom pondering the toilet..haha. I was curious about all the options the toilet had to offer. What is the difference in the bidet and the shower buttons? I was too afraid to press them and find out..something about water spraying up at me from a public toilet freaks me out a little bit. I was intrigued enough however to try the button marked 'Flushing sound'..'For women only'..hmm. Sure enough, when pressd it justs makes the sound of a flushing toilet. What? Why? So many whys. Like why is that for women only? And who was the woman sitting around on the toilet one thinking.."man, I really wish I could have the sound of a flushing toilet without actually having to flush"?... Too funny!
Ok, enough about toilets.
Off to manila in about an hour...
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