I
will start with an apology...the beginning of this blog is a bit of a ramble.
But from time to time, when in a mental state of fluidity, I need to just write
what comes out....so you have been warned!
Thu 8th Dec - After my last posting, I had spent a nice time catching up on the net
again. I gather that there have been many people with the flu in the uk.
Typical at this time of year, bad bad timing that
spoilt Christmas for many.
Also got into
a discussion about the whole 'Work to live' cycle. Most, if not all people are
in either this or worse, the 'live to work' cycle! There is no way out as most
need to work to survive of course. The only way out is to give up the
restrictions of the 'Bricks and Mortar' lifestyle, and its associated bills and
upkeep, and...let me see now...hit the road and travel! What a great idea...now
why didn't I think of that before....Well I did, and that is why I am
travelling. Of course it isn't for everyone, as you cannot easily do it as a
family, but ok if you are on your own. The problem is that the freedom does
bring with it a major headache, and that is getting back into the 'Bricks and
Mortar' way of life, or whatever the equivalent is the case in other
countries...the Nipa hut and chicken patch....the longboat and canal....the Ger
tent and Yak...the Igloo and fishing rod...etc...
As a
traveller, the idea of tying down back into the regimented structure of a home
is a major and nervous concept to grasp. When, where, how, who with....and
why?...all come into the equation. A phrase I use all too often is...the right
person, in the right place, and at the right time. Well, the right time could
be now? But what happens if the need to carry on travelling still exists? Many
compromises to be worked out. The right place...well the world is a big
place....and full of 'The Right Place' options..and I have found many already.
The right person....well that is the 65 million dollar question of course. Is
mrs Right out there? Which comes first...the chicken or the egg? Answers on
this deceptively easy question are enough to fill reams of books in a library.
So with all of these life searching questions bouncing through my head these
days....why is the answer not hitting me in the face...not easy, and struggling
with it.
Those who
know me well enough, will know why I am mentioning this topic right now. Those
who don't...don't worry...I will write a book about it one day!
Through the
course of my travels, I have been one of the luckiest men on earth to have met
some really wonderful ladies, but why never in the right place, or worse...the
right time? So easy to get stuck in the 'I'm travelling' excuse mentality. All because these wonderful people have commitments that
entail restrictions on their freedom, it doesn't progress any further...or more
to the point...I don't progress it any further!
So
as I dine in the Masferre café on a 'Healthy Heart' sandwich, washed down with
'Mountain tea', and with the Christmas tree behind me still glowing, and ponder
on the answer to the meaning of life?...and for you 'Hitchiker's Guide to the
Galaxy' fans out there who are shouting out the answer...42! You will also know
that the answer requires 'The Ultimate Question'. The human brain isn't big
enough to compute this of course, so we screw up in trying to find out. And
some of us more than others. So I leave you with this question...When is the
right person going to be in the right place and at the right time? This is
rhetorical...no answer required...it will evolve and happen by accident rather
than by deliberate planning....possibly?
Fri 9th Dec - Moving on to Banaue today. First had to get to Bontoc by
Jeepney. Fortunatley, they leave from the early hours until 10am or later. 45
pesos and taking 45 minutes. Walked straight out of the Sagada Inn and onto one
that left a couple of minutes later at 8am. Five other foreigners on board
going to Banaue also. The route is unfinished road for most of it, with some
nice areas of rice terraces. Not much chance for quality sightseeing though due
to the bouncing around.
The
Jeepney stopped us right next to the bus stop for Banaue. Operated by the Emmanuel Bus company, costing 120 Pesos
and taking 2 1/2 Hours.
Set
off at around 9am and after about an hour or so, the road stopped completely. A
massive landslide had wiped out a major section of it. To get to the other side
involved offloading all of our stuff and then scaling a slimy mud embankment in
the rain, and then down the other side, to transfer onto another waiting bus.
Was wondering why I bothered spending so long cleaning by boots last night, as
now they were covered in thick ochre-coloured mud again. Today is turning into
an adventure...
Arrived
in Banaue in heavy rain. As the guidebook says, it is a collection if grey
buildings clung to the side of the terraces. The 'Plaza' as it is called, is a
bit of a jumbled collection of shops, but nothing looks good in the rain, so it
was excused. Tried one place for a room that wanted 200 pesos for a dorm plus
50 pesos to take a shower! The cheek of it, so moved on to the Sanafe lodge. Bumped into a couple from
the UK that I had met in the hostel in Manila, so decided to stay. 200 pesos
for a dorm on my own, and shower, although cold water.
It
was raining so heavily that spent the afternoon chatting and eating. The guy
who runs the Sanafe was able to organise everything for us, as we decided to
share the trek tomorrow to the rice terraces. We will also be returning to
Manila on the same bus, which he organised for us.
The
main reason for coming here is to see the famous rice terraces, which are over 2000 years
old, and many still in use today. They were created by the Ifugao (local native
people) and cover the sides of the valleys for several miles. Sometimes called
the "Eighth Wonder of the World", they have been named a Unesco World
Heritage Site. Apparently, their length, if put end to end, would encircle half
of the globe. The terraces once stretched northeast to Cagayan and as far south
as Quezon. However they are now slowly being abandoned and showing signs of
deterioration. A severe 1990 earthquake damaged some of the terraces'
irrigation systems, while El Niño triggered droughts that led giant earthworms
to erode the terraces' soil. Furthermore, the rice variety most suited to the
area's cool climate is not a high-yielding crop; because it takes so long to
mature, some Ifugao families have abandoned their land in the rice terraces in
favour of land that reaps faster rewards.
The rain
never stopped, and so didn't want to lose the opportunity for a look around, so
on with my raincoat and out to explore. The central plaza has an old Ifuago hut
on show. Luckily, and old lady and a younger lady were on hand to give me a
history lesson. Despite being small, it would house a whole family. Eating and
general life was outdoors, and so they really only lived inside for short
periods, and slept of course. For a family with children, this must have been a
cozy but noisy experience...for the kids that is...especially when mummy and
daddy wanted to create more offspring!
There
is a couple of museums to visit, one of Banaue history and the other a
sculpture museum. Darkness was approaching, and so didn't go in. For such a
small place there seems to be a lot of bus companies and transport available.
KMS, Ohiya-Yami, Autobus, Emanual and Florida bus companies, plus an overdose
of Jeepneys and tricycles, cram the streets jostling for passing space. All
emitting a noxious cloud of diesel as they fight it out. Should really be
wearing a facemask, as it is quite choking at times. The beauty of this place
is lost in smoke and constant engine noise!
Dropped
into the food market to buy some fruit. Plenty on offer, good quality and
cheap. Then back to the Sanafe for the rest of the evening. The hills opposite
veiled in an eerie mist, as final darkness fell to the sound of a multitude of
engine sounds...
Actually
did some light reading. First time in a while, and reading a book by the
American comedian Dr Bill Cosby called 'I am what I ate...and I’m frightened'.
It is a satirical look at the problems of health when you get older, and the
things you have eaten all of your life catching up with you. That
word...cholesterol! An amusing break from reading about travel.
Sat 10th Jan - Had organized through the Sanafe lodge for a Jeepney this morning,
leaving at 7:30am, complete with driver Christophe and costing 2,500 pesos
between us (a couple from the UK; Elliot and Angharad, plus myself). The
journey was around an hour and a half on very bumpy ride on unmade rough road,
and took us most of the way to the Batad
rice terraces stopping at ‘The Saddle'. I hired a walking pole here for 10 pesos, and it was definitely worth it. Had
experience of other steep climbs recently and the pole helped on occasions.
From here we had about 1 hour or so walk down to the Batad village tourist
Information registration point. From arrival plus the locals we met along the
way, they all wanted us to have a guide. Didn't think it was necessary, as the
paths seemed clear enough. Turned out to be ok, as you would have to have a
really bad sense of direction to get lost. The main benefit through would be
local knowledge on the history of the area. Fairly cheap anyway, at 200 pesos
or so.
There is,
surprisingly, many places to eat and stay when you get to Batad. Many people
choose to do an overnight stay, and had I not planned to return to Manila
tonight, would have done the same, as the setting is superb.
Stopped for a
coffee at ‘Simon’s Inn, which has a commanding view of the rice terraces. As we
were fairly early in the day, with plenty of time ahead, we decided to go right
to the bottom of the valley and see the Ifugao
village. This turned out to be a great decision as the village was beautiful.
Traditional Ifugao thatched wooden houses dotted amongst the rice paddies with
life going on as it probably has for many decades. Old ladies cooking up a meal
on an outside fire, young children crushing rice in a large pestle and mortar,
everyone being industrious…albeit at a slow pace. Getting about the place is a feat
of manual dexterity, as walls and stones are used to balance your way between
one paddy and another and navigate between houses. One old guy ‘Alfredo’
complained of a headache and asked if we had any medicine for him. The only
thing that we had was some Paracetamol that Elliot had, so I let him have a
small dosage with strict instructions on how to take them. Fortunately, Alfredo
spoke very good English, and understood, so was happy to let him have the
tablets. He also gave us a look around his house. Living on his own, he
mentioned the ‘Rice God’ that is part of their rice Harvest Festival, which is
kept inside the main wooden house. Warm in the valley, so no need to sleep
indoors, so just a blanket under the cover of the house eaves at night.
Some children
were playing down in a volleyball area at the base of the village, and as usual
were interested in some foreigners appearing, so came to check us out. The
scenery and atmosphere here is picture postcard stuff. Beautifully rustic and
peaceful….
The trek back
up to the Saddle was quicker than the descent and made it back before the rains
started. We had been lucky that it had been dry all the time we were in the
valley.
Tired and
sweaty, the return to the Sanafe Inn was welcome as jumped straight into a warm
shower and fresh clothes, followed by a hot mug of drinking chocolate and a
nice meal.
Returning
to Manila overnight with the Florida bus
company, which terminates in the Sampoloc area of Manila, the area where
I came from. The bus departed at 8:10pm and takes 8 to 9 hours and cost 450
pesos. There is an alternative with Autobus,
which leaves at 6:30pm, and goes back to the same area. Only foreigners on the
bus, which is the most I have seen in one place for a very long time. It was
funny that a majority got on the bus and immediately complained about the
airconditioning being too cold. It was cold outside, and even colder inside.
People stuffing socks in the vents, wrapping the curtains around themselves
etc. I think the idea is that they cryogenically freeze you to stop the aging
process during this transportation phase! I have been on colder buses, but they
were transporting polar bears!
So, as this rolling fridge freezer lurched
around one bend after another, and its brakes made that deathly squeal and
smell of burning material as it slowed down, it became apparent that there was
not the remotest possibility of sleep going to happen tonight. I think that
Sunday will definitely have to be a day of rest and recovery.
Sun 11th Jan - Arrived back in Manila at 4:15am Discussions
had bounced around over past days on what was going to happen next…I had
planned to stay in Manila for a bit, but then got talking to some other
travelers and that is when things start to change. So, plans for the next week
are emerging in a different direction than expected...A couple of the biggest
festivals in the Philippines happen next week, culminating in the finale on the
third Sunday of the month. The Ati-Atihan
festival happens in Kalibo town on
Panay Island, and the Sinulog
festival happens in Cebu city at the same time. Dancing, music and street
parades apparently, so not to be missed. Some planning required! The big
problem is the timing. Have to sort out some things first before I can organize
it. More on this later....
Had made an arrangement to go back to Sheira’s
place in Silang, so after arriving back in Sampoloc terminal, I jumped straight
into a taxi to head for Pasay EDSA area to get a bus to Silang. In the early
hours of the morning it was cold and the usual confusing array of haggling taxi
drivers and hotel touts. Fortunately, my taxi driver jumped out and sorted out
a bus for me. The bus operator took my bags and put them on to the bus and I
just had to climb on board. 45 pesos to get to Silang Bayan area. It is always
frustrating the differential in costs of transport. The bus all the way from
Banaue had cost 450 pesos for a 7½ hour journey, the taxi cost 300 pesos for
about a 25 minute ride, and the bus to Silang cost 45 pesos for a 90 minute
journey. I know it isn’t as simple as value for money, but the costs are
severely disproportionate to the actual benefit. Out of the bus and onto a
tricycle for the final leg of the journey, arriving at 6.15t am tired and ready
to sleep…zzzz….. Was fit for nothing the rest of the day as still recovering
from a long night. Didn’t do much other than to go shopping for food as wanted
to cook over the next few days. I was happy to get confirmation that my
replacement credit card that had been stolen in the New year’s celebrations in
Manila has arrived in the UK. The next major headache is to get it delivered to
an address here. Now, I had to go through this hassle in Thailand when I had a
card stolen. That took about a week to arrive. The Philippines is a slightly
different scenario, as I am moving around a bit and have to choose an address
that I can easily get to at any time in case it gets delayed. I have hard to
scare stories about packages going missing in the Philippines often. Not sure
if this is really true, but it I sufficiently worrying to need some extra
thought.
Mon 12th Jan – Domestics..don’t you just love em!
Tue 13th Jan – Wanting to go to the Ati-Atihan festival in
Kalibo sounds easy enough. The practicalities aren’t so easy. Can get there by
bus using Philtranco which departs from the Cubao terminal at 9am and takes 14
hours including the ferry. Arrives in Panay at Caticlan and then goes through
to Kalibo, costing 1377 pesos each. Accommodation is the big issue though.
Being as it is peak season and a festival everywhere is booked up. However, a friend of Sheira has family living
there and so the main option was to do a home-stay through until Sunday and
then move on somewhere else. The day vanished with trying to organize things.
That’s it for now folks….bye…
