Category: Philippines

• Getting Comfortable in Manila

  Filed Under: PhilippinesFeb 09, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I love hostels. I love hanging out, meeting interesting people from all over the world and when I find a place I really like and have nowhere else I need to be I have a real hard time leaving. I could always say I like to stick around in places because I want to get to know them better but in reality, I’m probably just lazy.

  I’ve been staying at Friendly’s Guesthouse here in Manila and it’s a wicked place to hang out. There’s free wifi and a beautiful rooftop terrace for getting some serious amounts of work done and a beer fridge nearby which has prevented me from getting serious amounts of work done.

  I’m sort of torn because I know there are some fantastic people staying here that I’ve had a lot of fun with so far but I’ve got my flight to Bangladesh scheduled for Monday. I wish I could hang around here even just for a few weeks longer to get to know everyone a bit better because there are some really interesting characters in this place.

  It really does prove that the people you meet have a huge impact on your impressions of a city. I never expected to like Manila and didn’t intend on spending anymore time here than I had to but I’ve ended up having a great time. I even scammed a free week of accommodation and beer for redoing the hostel’s website and know that anytime I return to the city, Benjie will be there with a warm welcome.

  I’m sure I’ll meet some amazing people in Bangladesh so I’ll leave my fate up to the visa man at the Bangladeshi embassy. So far no sign of my visa and one application has been lost. I’m not sure if he’s just incompetent or expecting a bribe from me or what. Whatever is going on with the visa, I’d be quite happy to hang around Manila a wee while longer so if my application goes AWOL again. The lazy part of me kinda hopes it does!

• Swimming with Whale Sharks

  Filed Under: PhilippinesFeb 05, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  The one thing I knew I for sure wanted to do in The Philippines was swim with whale sharks. It was also, for some bizarre reason, the only thing I really didn’t put any effort at all into planning. I knew that the town was near a place called Legaspi so I flew there. That’s pretty much all I knew.

  The rough plan was to take a bus to nearby Donsol after my flight, stay a couple nights and try to find people to share a boat with. The reality was that my flight was delayed by four hours so I couldn’t get to Donsol until the following morning and by that time people were already out on their boats. I had to fork over loads for a bus to take me to Donsol and then had to hire a boat myself which cost me another small fortune.

  I would have been pretty annoyed if I didn’t manage to see any sharks but it turned out that I saw 12 of them. Because I had my own boat I had the sharks to myself in some cases. It was nice to swim with them without having to worry about being kicked in the head by someone’s flippers.

  It’s hard to describe how amazing it was swimming with these huge beasties so I’ll just say it kicked ass and if you ever get a chance to do it, make sure you do. It was pretty cool.

  Afterwards I headed back to the city I was staying in and got a little tour around courtesy of my bus driver. He invited me to his house where his sisters had a little stall set up selling two products: a traditional noodle type dish that I forget the name of and hot dogs. I opted for the noodles.

  All up it was a great day and swimming with whale sharks is one of the best things I’ve ever done.

• The Not So Fun Side of Travelling

  Filed Under: PhilippinesFeb 01, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I arrived in the small city of Legaspi after a 45 minute flight and a four hour delay. Four hours! I only had a few hours sleep due to more late night poker playing in Manila (I lost) so it was all pretty torturous. I’m here because I’m going looking for whale sharks to snorkel with tomorrow so my plan was to grab some food, plunk down in my room and spend a few hours doing some work on my computer before heading to bed early.

  Seems pretty straightforward except that my computer’s power source has mysteriously died. Not good. Then I decided to console myself by getting McDonald’s, which I don’t even really like but sort of felt like at the time. It was closed. It was 6pm! What kind of Macca’s closes at 6pm?? So I opted for Chow King, a Chinese fast food place. I got something that resembled chicken with tasteless noodles that I couldn’t eat and three spring roles that resembled mini penises. Fortunately the penises came with a tasty sweet and sour sauce and were edible. Plus I found root beer so the beverage side of things was a success.

  My guidebook warned me that this hotel’s rooms were ‘cell like’ which has never bothered me before so I didn’t heed the warning. But this time around I don’t have a computer to do work on, I didn’t bring a book to read or notepad to draw on, there’s no common area to hang around in and they took away my TV because I’m paying the cheap-ass room rate. Plus crossing the street in this town involves some serious feats of bravery so I really do feel like I’m in a prison! Add to that my sorry excuse for a dinner and things were pretty bleak.

  And if that’s all not bad enough, the hotel’s reception area smells like a kitty litter and the hallways smell like spew. It really is a combination I can safely say I’ve never experienced before in my life. It’s not a totally overpowering kitty litter smell but definitely in need of a change. I don’t think they have a cat. The spew smell, however, is pretty rank. Maybe I should start paying more than $4 a night.

• Freaky Monkeys and Mystery Mounds

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 28, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  Bohol is one of the major stops for tourists in The Philippines because it is home to the tarsier, a little monkey-like thing with freakishly huge eyes. They can be found scattered around the island in cages but there’s also a sanctuary thing where you can see them in their own environment. They’re cool little beasties with a long tail and their head can turn almost the whole way around on their neck. They sort of follow you as you move around near them and their head just sort of swivels as you go. It’s like somethin gout of a horror movie except they’re really tiny and really cute.

  Not so freaky are the Chocolate Hills but they’re still mostly unexplained which is kind of cool. The area is made up of loads of large hills, all around the same size and shape and nobody is really too sure how they got there. It’s pretty neat looking but really at the end of the day it’s just a bunch of hills.

  Bohol was good but nothing too exciting. The place I stayed, Nuts Huts, was really good. It’s stuck away in the jungle and you have to take a boat to get to it. Pretty secluded so all there really is to do is swim, do a bit of hiking or laze in a hammock in their cafe. I chose the laze option more often than not and hung around chatting to the owners about their experiences running the hostel.

  The more I travel the more my dream to open a backpacker’s hostel comes roaring on back. Either way, chatting with hostel owners along the way has really been interesting and I’m taking notes.

• Drinking Tanduay with the Locals

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 25, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I spent yesterday drinking lots of rum. The local tipple is called Tanduay and only costs a couple quid for a big bottle. Sweet.

  I started my day on White Island which is just a big sand bar that people flock to to do some sun tanning and swimming. I headed there for a look, snapped some photos and was invited to join a group of local guys who were manning the food and drinks stall. They were helping themselves to the rum and I could hardly refuse an offer like that!

  The problem was we were drinking it in shots and chasing it with Sprite. Not my usual choice but when in Rome… After a couple bottles I offered to buy one and we stuck in again. Then the wife of one of the guys arrived, screamed a bit at him, then grabbed the Sprite and my precious rum and poured it out. Where is the respect? Turns out she was jealous of her hubby drinking with another girl – me. That was kinda cool… I’ve never caused someone to spiral into a jealous rage before.

  So we moved our drinking to the beach before I headed back to Enigmata for, what I thought would be, a quiet night. Not two steps into the doorway I was accosted by Rowena, the owner’s sister and before I knew it I was on the back of a motorbike heading out to a karaoke place. I think I’ve found my calling. Where has karaoke been all these years? I think my theory of the louder you sing the better you become was tested but I’m not sure if it was proven correct or not. We did manage to clear the place out while polishing off even more rum.

  Then things get a bit blurry but I think there was a lot of dancing involved. A lot of bad dancing, I mean. And there is a hangover involved right now. So that tells me it was a good night!

• Not a Fan of the Bangladeshi Visa Office

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 21, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  I had to back track to Manila after Kalibo to pick up my visa for Bangladesh. The plan is to head there after The Philippines to do some volunteering but Satter, the guy that works at the Bangladesh Embassy, seems to want to mess with me.

  I dropped my passport and visa application off at the office last week and was told it’d be ready in five to seven days. The plan was to leave it there for three weeks, until the end of my time here, and then pick it up before shipping off to Bangladesh. The problem with that master plan is that I forgot that I needed to extend my Philippines visa and to do that I’d need my passport. The one I’d left at the Bangladesh Embassy.

  So I backtracked to Manila, the plan being that I’d pick up my passport, visa in it and then head to an immigration office to extend my Philippines visa. All this, as you can guess, was giving me serious headaches. It’s giving me a headache typing it. I’m sure it’s giving you a headache reading it.

  Long story short, little Satter, Bangladesh visa guy, gives me my passport tback without a visa in it and tells me to come back with a hand written letter saying what my intentions are in Bangladesh. He made the claim that he’d told me about that when I came in before which is a complete lie. I don’t have a lot of faith in this guy. Am I supposed to bribe him? I don’t know.

  So I’ve got to backtrack to Manila yet again, this time with this lame ass letter in the hopes that they’ll get their act together and not come up with some other excuse this time around. I’m a bit dubious about the whole situation, especially since I’ve already paid for it. He’s assuring me that he can get it done in a day when I head back to the city and if that happens I will be amazed.

• Dancing and Drumming at Ati-Atihan

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 20, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I’m in the small city of Kalibo for a festival called Ati-Atihan which I think is a celebration of native Filipinos. I should probably know what it’s all about, that’s pretty bad. As far as I’m concerned it has been a parade with street dancing and lots of drums and costumes and lots of booze consumption by tourists and locals alike. There are places to buy beer every few metres.

  The place is packed with people watching the dancers. I even seemed to attract a crowd of my own when I stopped to put some sunscreen on. A little crowd of kids approached and I thought they had their hand out for money but it turns out they just wanted sunscreen. Well, I hope they did. If they did want money then they will have gone away feeling totally ripped off. I can understand how I might have attracted a crowd though… I’m sure my disturbingly pasty white skin with red splotches of sun burn would have attracted attention anywhere.

  The basic idea is that there are loads of different groups of people, each with their own costumes and some with small floats that have been rigged up on the top of motorbike tricycles. All of them have drums, some have xylophone things and crowds of people dance along behind while others watch from the sidelines. This goes on all day long with everyone getting progressively drunker. I don’t know how the little kids can march and dance for so long in the hot sun with giant costumes hanging from their heads. I’m undecided about whether it’s a new form of child abuse or not.

  I was watching along with the rest of the crowds and was dragged in to dance by my new friend who I will call Stalker Boy. He kept ‘accidentally’ grabbing my ass. But besides that little problem he was ok and one of his mates was the boss of one of the groups and got me a gig as a drummer! So I was marching along, drumming badly and thinking up new forms of ass grab defense for ages and had a damn fine time.

  A bunch of us grabbed a bite in some back alley restaurant that, now that I think about it, didn’t seem like a restaurant at all but someone’s house. Then we ended up at a video karaoke place and then I made a run for it from Stalker Boy because he was getting just a bit too ass grabby.

  All up a really great festival, good music, nice people and I had a blast!

• Bored Then Boozed on Boracay

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 17, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I’ve discovered that I’m not the type of person who will head out to a bar alone, no matter how friendless I am and no matter how much I want to. I spent the first three days on Boracay as a big, fat friendless loser. Not because I was too shy to meet anyone but because there was nobody in my hostel to meet. Well there were, allegedly, but I was shacked up in a room on my own and didn’t see any of these phantom guests. I could have hit the bars on my own but I’m too chicken so opted instead to be a nerd and take advantage of the wifi connection to do some work and have a quiet beer with the owner of the place.

  But then a couple of Norwegian girls arrived and things got a bit more interesting. With my new bar buddies in tow we hit the strip and were in fine form hopping from bar to bar then jumping into the sea and finishing the night off at 7am with a greasy breakfast before passing out.

  Everyone here is up for a party and there are places all the way along the huge beach to indulge. I repeated my efforts on my last night and it was a struggle scraping myself out of bed and onto a boat then bus. Not the best day to have a hangover.

  It’s one of those places where you party your face off by night and sleep on the beach by day. I’m happy to have escaped though because that’s the sort of place that lots of money can be spent, lots of liver damage can be accomplished and lots of tops layers of skin can be burned off.

• Getting Munched by Mossies on Boracay

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 14, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  I’m really happy I bit the bullet and sprung for malaria medication because this whole prevention thing just isn’t working for me. I’ve sprayed myself silly with deet to the point where I feel like a walking toxic hazard but the wee buggers are still having a feast.

  I guess the good thing is that the red bite marks will soon blend in with my sun burn that is no doubt on the horizon. I haven’t been doing much here besides wandering, relaxing and working on my websites. That suits me since next weekend I’m heading to some boozy festival in a town not too far away. I hear the people there ply you with rum and force you to dance on floats in the parade which could be either really fun or tragic considering how badly I dance.

  Well I was going to go to the beach but the weather seems to want to mess with me and it’s pouring out. I guess I’ll just sit here being itchy until the sun comes out.

• Manila Madness

  Filed Under: PhilippinesJan 12, 2008 | Comment?

  
  
  

  

  I really didn’t have high expectations for Manila and, to be honest, I still don’t have a clue what to expect from the place because I didn’t see much. My time here was spent getting a visa for Bangladesh, playing poker, and spending an all nighter at a local pub.

  My visa effort was a disaster. I managed to suss out the rough area I needed to go, figured out public transport, walked for a zillion years and got to the street the Embassy of Bangladesh was on only to discover I’d left the address behind. I promptly hopped in a cab back to the hostel, grabbed the address, started chatting to a Canadian guy, had lunch with him, and then grabbed another cab straight back to where I was.

  Big waste of time but I did learn that there are some nice cabbies who will put your fare on the metre and some bad dudes who will attempt to cut you a deal for twice as much off the metre claiming that traffic is really bad and it will work out cheaper. Well, it won’t. I know this now.

  Back at the hostel I found myself in a game of poker, then another, then another, then another the next night and another and, well, you get the idea. I won once and got second three times which means I got my money back. I think I might be a little bit of a poker shark, if I may say so. Are poker people called ’sharks’ or is that only for pool? Anyways, I like it and not knowing what you’re doing seems to throw the other people off.

  On Saturday night the place I was staying, Friendly’s Hostel, put on a wine and cheese night thing with other munchies. New bottles of wine kept appearing and it was a really sociable atmosphere and a big bunch of us ended up at a pub around the corner with some live bands.

  I was worried about missing my 9am flight the next morning because I don’t have an alarm clock but it turns out I should have been more worried about missing it due to still being at the pub. Me, a Dutch girl and a Belgian dude ended up drinking with the staff and owner until 6am so I just went straight from the pub to the airport.

  Anyone who knows what my hangovers are like will know that the following journey of plane, bus, boat was a very long and painful adventure.