Bye bye The Philippines

After three weeks I had to say goodbye to this most amazing, surprisingly, beautiful, divers, tropical, sunny country which wasn’t included in my initial travel itinerary but brought under my attention during my trip. I am so please I did visit it – to short – but at least I got a taster of the country which I will add to my ‘countries to visit’ list.

The country is heavily over populated as the Philippinos find families very important (most of them are Catholic) so they’ll have at least 4 -9 children. Another reason is that in this country the poorer part of the population needs the support from their children when they get older. Despite that the people are organized, willing to help you so things happen and most of it on time. There’s enough transportation to get you where you want with tricycles, jeepneys, bus, train, ferry, boat, van, taxi, motorbikes and planes. The streets are clean everywhere as you’ll see people sweep the streets many times a day; collect litter and recycle this; there are signs not to dump any waste; or asked to be environmentally conscious by signs in the street or in your hotel. But most of all the people are why I do like it so much and who make your stay a dream. It seems that they’re always happy and have a big smile on their face so when you asked them something they most of the time start with laughter before answering your question.  There is always someone who will help you or if they see that you look lost they will come over and say: where do you need to go? Once my travel companion hurt her leg while on a motor bike and people literally were pointing at her leg or stopping her to ask what happened and suggestion she had to go to the hospital. In the end she just had to put a band aid over it to avoid all these questions.
Many times people walked with me to a train station and waited till I bought a ticket to make sure I was safe and heading for the right direction. I never felt unsafe, vulnerable or that someone wanted to pull my leg, you could even negotiate reasonably with the taxi drivers regarding your fare.
I could go on for a long time but it all comes down to this; The Philippines and its habitants is an amazing destination and I LOVE it so will return at some point with lots of time and a big smile on my face to enjoy this part of the world again.

The Negros

My final destination in the Philippines is the Negros in the Visayan Island group. Here you’ll find dive and snorkel spots, remote beaches and laid back towns.
I stayed in Dumaguete for a couple of days to get a feel of the area and to find out what to do. From there I went on a snorkelling trip to Apo Island which is famous for its turtles….and yes I did see and swam with many of them including colourful fish and beautiful coral reefs.
From there I was planning to visit at least 3 other destinations before heading to my next country Indonesia but when I arrived on Siquijor I was sold and knew I wouldn't get any further till I had to leave. This Island is just 45 minutes from Dumaguete but a real gem and a backpacker’s paradise with cheap accommodation. The breath-taking scenery has a South-American / tropical feeling but the Island is also renewed for its witches and healers. I stayed at a place with the most amazing view from the beach fronted communal area where I’m sure the Bounty commercial was shot many years ago. In the evening its quiet and with almost a full moon the beach and sea just looked magical. After my first night it wasn’t hard for my fellow travellers to persuade me to stay here instead of going to Bohol which was my initial plan. I enjoyed Siquijor by exploring it on a motorbike and relaxing in a hammock on the beach. Travelling on the motorbike made it possible to see the inland of the Island, people were pleased to see some tourists and were waiving or inviting you for a chat and drink. Most villages were a cluster of houses on the main road with always a church, little wooden convenient shop, petrol stall and basketball field (they love this sport and everyone plays it on a daily basis). The Philippino/Australian owners of my guesthouse said that many people stay here for at least 1 or 2 weeks and it’s easy to understand why….

Apo Island

Siquijor island...

Sunset at Siquijor

Boat trip in El Nido

Following my Island trip I stayed one night in Coron which is very busy with many restaurants, bars and shops. There isn’t a beach near the town centre so you need to travel a bit to have a swim and beaches. The place tried to quick to accommodate the numbers of tourists which resulted in badly designed and build buildings. In Coron I took a small Bangka to El Nido, the boat trip took 7 hours but it was fun and the rest of the tourists or locals on the boat chatted to each other to kill the time. The views were beautiful as sometimes we passed a little paradise beach or Island and even spotted one dolphin.

El Nido is lovely, it’s a village with one main road along the beach which hosts most of the guesthouses and restaurants. This area is famous for its black limestone so the views are big black limestone Islands or rock formations in the sea. It has a bit of a hippi-esque feeling and most of the locals were born on the island and made tourism as their profession. In the evening this place has a relaxed atmosphere were no loud music is aloud and you can have your dinner with your feet in the sand on the beach. You could easily stay here for a week and not get bored as there are many boat trips, hiking options, lovely beaches, climbing facilities and the restaurants to fill your tummy.

I only had 3 days here so I explored the area on a mountain bike -which I regretted when cycling in 35degrees- to Las Cabanas beach. Climbed the big limestone rock in the morning with guide Lance and was rewarded after 45 minutes with amazing views of El Nido.

El Nido view

The rest of the day I spend exploring many Islands on a speedboat as most trips are with a Bangka which is a lot slower but can’t reach all islands. This trip is a bit more expensive but worth the fun which I enjoyed with two French guys called Pierre and Laurent and captain Nonong. We started with Cadlao Lagoon, Cadlao long beach and Helicopter Island, followed by the stunning deserted beach of Martinloc, Binanqculan and had lunch at Tapiutan. Lunch was bbq chicken and barracuda with rice, salad and adobago sauce. Captain Nonong is also a bit of a chef so I had seconds as it was just delicious but maybe the view of this deserted island helped too. We continued in the pouring rain to Secret Beach, Shimizu and finished with the Big and Small lagoon. Arriving with a speedboat when all the other Bangka’s were moored in the water was sometimes a bit Footballers wives but the smile and laughter of Captain Nonong was priceless as he is so proud to work with the only speedboat in town! That day I jumped into the water many times to spot a wide variety of colourful fishes, turtle, stingray and a lobster. Unfortunately there were many jellyfish so you had to look up a lot instead of down for not hitting on of these ugly purple looking jellies. There were little ones is the water which made your skin itch and tingly a bit. This was the end of Palawan for me as with a night bus to Puerto Princesa I took a flight to my next destination The Negros.

Black limestone formations

A paradise treat for Angel

A paradise treat for Angel I was finally leaving Manila for a 14 days ‘taster’ of the Islands with a fairly busy schedule ahead. I took a propeller Cebupacific plane from Manila airport to Coron which is the largest island in the Palawan province. On arrival I took the mini-van to the town centre and was planning to stay there for 2 days before moving on to the next island. However, when I left the mini-van and retrieved my bag the driver and travel agent lady (Jenny) said that they were heading for the harbour to take a boat to Sangat Island and if I was interested to join? This island is a black limestone one with white beaches and has diving and snorkeling facilities. It wasn’t cheap but the thought of some rest and white beaches got the overhand and within 10 minutes I decided to change my plans and jumped back into the car. We entered a small wooden boat and left in the complete dark with only the 1/3 moon and many stars. For the next hour we went in almost complete silence (from the passengers) only the motor making a noise but enjoying the views. Even in the dark it was beautiful; the moonlight put a glitter on the waves and due to a flashlight we could see fish jumping from the water. I’ve noticed that I had a big smile on my face and knew that I’ve made the right decision to jump this ship for Sangat Island. Only the next morning I could enjoy the views and see what I’ve signed up for, I’m staying in a wooden hut facing the sea and it’s amazing views. The monkeys walk around your hut but run off when you come near so no wonder it is suggest to leave your doors closed to make sure they won’t gain entry and explore your room. The place has big open air restaurant for all your meals and they just finished the outdoor bar around a massive rock which will be opened in a few days but was already open for beers, chats and music.

Sangat Island

The rock bar

My first day I spend chatting to the other visitors on this island, been snorkeling for hours and seen many colourful fish and reefs just meters away from my hut, went to the WWI shipwreck for some more snorkeling. The rest of the day I’m resting in my hammock or eating more food. They prepare 3 times a day amazing fresh food starting with breakfast; fresh fruit, home made bread, crisp bacon, eggs and cheese, lunch; bbq-ed fish kebabs, chicken legs, roasted vegetables, and a fresh salad, dinner; pork rendang, grilled fish, green pumpkin curry, rice and salad. The staff are all Philippinoos with 2 lost Brits (dive instructor and receptionist) and are the sweetest and loveliest people I’ve met so far but how could you not be when working on an island like this? Every day most of them commute in with a 20 minute boat ride from the mainland and say they feel like one big family. Anida is the resort dog – a female rotweiler- but as sweet as the sugar coated bananas you get as afternoon snack and always happy to see you. So I had a problem as how long can I stay on this island and still catch my next flight to the next set of Islands? Well I wasn’t the only one with this problem as on arrival I met a Dutch guy who was still there after 4 days and indecisive if he was leaving or not the next day. I’m one of the few who is carrying my bag with my valuables with me as they say you can leave your valuables in your hut as nobody can leave this island unnoticed! It was a great two day treat and taster of this part of the Philippines (Palawan)

Paradise

North Luzon

Trip to North Luzon (Philippines) This is a vast expanse of misty mountains, the regions trophy piece is the central mountainous area known as Cordillera with their famous rice terraces in and around Banaue and Bontoc. The Hippi-esque Sagada has a few terraces but its main attractions are hiking, caving and the laid back ambience so it was time for me to check this part of the Philippines out. I left with a very comfortable bus (with Wifi) Manila to travel the 5 hours to Baguio which in my eyes is only worth the visit for an overnight stay to the Cordillera area. This is a university city with many shops, restaurants, faith healers, live music bars and a major air- noise pollution. I walked around in the Burnham park and visited the Orchidarium which is more a garden centre than Orchid farm. Later on I heard that the surrounding mountains are quite nice but I only passed them by bus on my way to Sagada. The next morning a 6 hour bus ride from Baguio to Sagada was on the agenda. On both sides of the road you could see green mountains due to the trees, vegetation, and terraces with vegetables, plants, flowers, rice beds or other crops. The road is called The Halsema Highway named after its founder who did a great job making this area more accessable with a concrete road and putting it on the tourist map. It was still a very bumpy ride with lots of curvy bends, going up and descending the mountains but it was worth every minute and by 15.00 we arrived in the hill side village of Sagada. This one road village has a very chilled, hippi-esque feeling with little shops where they sell their trade mark weaving products (mostly bags, purses and phone covers) or chill at one of the many places for a meal and in the evening Munshkin has live reggae music (only once a month so I was very fortunate) In my two days visit I went to the Echo Valley with the coffins hanging (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_coffins) on the mountain wall and I did the cave connection with a group of Israeliers. You enter the Sumaguing cave and walk, climb and wade through water to the Lumiang cave. It was a fun experience and the best cave for me as you had to work hard to get to the other end and meanwhile you could enjoy the cave formations.

 The next day I had to travel from Sagada to Batad with local transport which in the end turned out to be a real adventure I left in a Jeepney for the 40 min trip from Sagada to Bontoc. I was seated inside with mostly mothers and toddlers. Some Westerners were seated on the roof which I'm sure has better views but less safe. In Bontoc a mini van was waiting for more passengers so half an hour later we set off for the 1,5hr trip with the most stunning views I've seen so far. The big mountains were covered in a green carpet of trees or rice field terraces. If this was the beginning well then I was in for a treat. When we were almost at our destination Banaue the colour green got more vibrant and the views even better; these were real rice terraces that's for sure. In Banaue I first secured my bus to Manila followed by an investigation what to do next. Other travellers adviced me to go straight to Batad as it has the best views there so I took the last jeepney for the day heading to Batad for some serious hiking. Inside the car between the seats there were 9 bags of rice and two boxes of chicken for a wedding next week in the village. While waiting for the jeepney to leave I started to talk to a lady called Hariet with her lovely baby daughter Louise. She used to be a guide of the area (Batad) and suggested I should walk back to Banaue in 2 days. She would help me to find a guide when in the village. But first we had to get there, the jeepney left and 5 min later it started to rain so covers down to stay dry! We left the main road and soon it turned into an off road adventure. The Camel Throphy could have started here for one of their annual trips, I was pleased to see that the driver knew what he was doing. After 45 min we had to get off in the pouring rain and get ready for a 30 minute decent on foot to Batad. On arrival I could see what everyone was talking about and why you have to come here as the rice fields are shaped in an amphi theatre shape and the village is clustered around it. That evening I had dinner with an amazing view and company of many travellers followed by a massage from Gladys.

Rice terrace in Batad

Locals in Pula

Views near Batad

Day 2; I woke up with the sound of rain which wasn't what I was hoping for. My guide Joseph was already waiting for me when I arrived downstairs. An hour later we set off in the rain heading for the Magadam waterfalls, we walked through rice fields took steep steps to decent down to the river. I was already stunned by the views, vibrant colours of the fields and how big this area was. Here the rice terraces were constructed by humans many years ago and are made from stones and cement. After the waterfall the climbs started as we had to cross two mountains to reach our lunch destination Cambulo. The rain had stopped but I think I was wetter from sweat than what had been coming from the sky. Till we reach the village for lunch I walked on rice field edges and balancing on small steps to climb or go down the mountains. Joseph had given me a stick that morning for support and now I could see the benefit of it. I was ready for a meal when we reached Cambulo to fuel up for the next 3 hrs. Again it was worth it as the views only got better, I made so many pictures but feel it doesn't project the real picture I saw in front of my eyes. At the end of the day, we covered 15 km of this rice field hike when we reached Pula and I was pleased as my legs couldn't face another climb. It was a great day with a good inside of the life of The Philippinos who live here. Joseph and I discussed many issues and I've met some locals too who work hard to earn a couple of meals a day. What I've seen they don't have much and only eat rice and some vegetable as meat isn’t always available in their small village, live in wooden huts with no walls, no running water and electricity but they seem very content and happy. Joseph told me that he doesn't have a bank account, works in the raining season in another part of this area to earn money to support his family of nine kids. He has healing power but doesn't want to use this to make money as he's afraid he will lose the power.

Joseph with his 'betel nut teeth' smile

Batad

Day 3; I've done several hikes and saw lots of country side so far during my trip but these 2 days have been the most challenging for me and of the beaten track as the first 2 hrs we didn't see anyone else. I didn't know what to expect. As for the rice paddies; for me The Philippines have the most beautiful, stunning, groomed, colourful and divers ones I've seen. I am thankful that someone informed me about this country, area and trip as this country is a big surprise for me and feels people have been keeping this as secret from most of us.

The Chiang Mai loop

During my trip I’ve received some great travel tips from other travellers who told me that the Northern part of Thailand is very beautiful. I decided to do a loop on a scooter and find out for myself. I first had to travel from Chiang Mai to Mae Sai which was a 6 hour bus trip to get me there. Mae Sai is a border crossing into Myanmar that is used for many people as a ‘visa run’ as only a small river is in between the two countries. This is a one street city with many little shops, food carts, a massive day and night market and at the end there’s the big blue building which is the immigration office which leads you into Myanmar. By night this place is very quiet as the food carts leave by 8pm - you have to get your food elsewhere or eat early- . Along the river is the tourist area with many guesthouses and restaurants and bars to keep us busy in the early hours if needed. With my rented Honda I set off on day one slightly anxious as the border route isn’t signposted and heard it could be a hairy road to take you there. But everyone was raving about it as it has beautiful views of Myanmar and the mountains. Leaving Mae Sai behind and heading for the hills was my first task till I hit the first check point. The police man asked where I going and if I was on my own, he said be careful as the road is quite steep but there are 2 more check points along the way. I felt a bit more comfortable knowing that I was noticed but not about the steep hills? Well the rest of the journey went well; I had stunning views of the mountains which are very green and change from a jungle scenery to a patchwork of colours and fields with different crops. The road was now and then steep but my Honda got me up and down the hills so my first stop was Doi Tung which is a busy strip in the middle of nowhere with many tourist busses to visit the royal palace, botanical gardens some eateries. I had a rest there and continued to my destination Mae Salong. I stayed 2 nights in Mae Salong which is a mountain village and gives you a good impression of China as most of the people are from China, many signs are in Chinese and they speak it as well. The place is very quiet but a good base to explore the Aka, Luha minority villages, tea factories, Chinese museum and a couple of temples. One day I went to Tha Ton which is a town along the Mekong river and was 50 km ride away but worth the views and experience. From here you can take a boat to Chiang Mai over the Mekong river too. The last day I had to travel the same way back but this time I know where I was going. I met a French fellow traveller in the morning so we drove back together in no time and had a late lunch in Mae Sai. . I agree that the North Thailand is beautiful and you could easily spend more time traveling in this part of the country which is very different then the partying or beach life in the South.

Me and my bike

Tha Thon views

ThaThon

Cookery Course in Chiang Mai

One of the things you should do while visiting Chiang Mai is joining a cookery course to learn some of the Thai dishes and its ingredients. I joined one at Thai Farm which is outside town and based in a big garden. The kitchen is open plan with a big table to enjoy your home made dishes and facing a vegetable patch. I joined a mixed group with Irish, Mexicans, and various Canadian based so it was a cacophony of languages and cultures. Our teacher was a young Thai lady called Goong who is a bright, energetic, fun and loving person who made the day even more interesting. Her English was very good and she was eager to learn more so we also tried to achieve that at the end of the day. I never will forget her hick-ups: She pointed into the direction of the toilets and said there are the ‘happy rooms’ we thought it was quite funny but unusual. Later on we found out that she meant ‘a pee room’! When we were outside in the garden and passed a banana tree she said these are Thai bananas which are thick and small and are different than the normal bananas which are tall and big. She bursted into laughter straight away and I’ll let you figure out why.

 During the day I prepared the following 5 dishes:

Thom Yok soup

Yellow curry

Stir fried chicken with basil

 Pad Thai in take away bag!

Pumpkin in coconut milk

 I ate all 4 of them and took the pad thai home for dinner (in case you were still hungry), of course I tried other dishes which my fellow students prepared and learned how to prepare sticky rice as well. It was great experience and at the end of the day Francois and I surprised the group incl teachers with a beer which was very much welcomed by the group. I returned back to my hotel with a very full tummy, recipe book and a doggy bag with my pad thai which I never ate.

Hiking trip in Luang Namtha / Laos

Together with Swiss Simon I’ve arranged a 2 day hiking trip into the Luang Namtha protected area (big forest). It was just the two of us and Si an English speaking guide. The day started with a visit to the morning market to buy supplies for our trip. I'm used to markets but this one felt different. Locals were selling their fresh products like, tomatoes, green pumpkin, small green eggplants, bamboo, cabbages, herbs (dill, coriander, wild basil). But in one part people were selling many little dishes I've never seen like bamboo (marinated and cooked), rattan (looks like bamboo) duck or pork packages in banana leaves, grilled or stuffed fish. I didn't know where to look and wanted to try everything! We bought some of it for our lunch so I was able to try some of them.

Then my eye caught some hairy pieces of dry meat and I was told it was buffalo skin; this would taste delicious fried with our LaoLao for tonight so Si bought this as well.

When Simon and I signed up for the 2 day trekking we weren’t aware that it also included a cookery course from both our guides! During the trip they were picking herbs or spices along the way and used it later on for our food. They were constantly busy preparing dishes for dinner or lunch the next day.

The food in the North has more taste and uses many different herbs to compliment a dish. They hardly eat the famous soups here for every meal so I was pleased to taste these new dishes and learn to prepare them too.

We took off with our guide Si for a 45 min tuktuk drive to the park. There we met the park ranger Cun (a young guy with big smile and cheeky eyes) and the village head who chooses the person from the village to be the park ranger for each trip. This could be a man or a women depending on which work needs to be done that day in the village. Working as a park ranger is extra money for the family in the village.

We walked for 1, 5 hr. and decided it was time for lunch. We sat near the river on banana leaves and some of them served as a tablecloth. The lunch menu was jungle made salad (Rattan, salt, fern, chillies, lemon). chicken laap, duck in banana leaves, steamed bamboo and of course sticky rice. You eat with your hands and roll a ball of the rice which serves as a ‘spoon’ to get another dish or just dip it into a sauce. .

When finished Cum and Si went to the river to catch some fish. Simon had a try too and caught a little one too. . During our hike we suddenly heard children's voices in the forest and saw 8 pairs of flip flops on the track. Si told us that the children were looking for bamboo roots which you'll have to 'dig' out of the soil with your feet. We continued for another 1,5 hrs. walk and reached 'camp' ; a big wooden hut with some mattresses hanging from the ceiling and nothing else. The kitchen were some pots, pans and serving bowls the rest would all be prepared outside at the open fire. It was close to the river so we had a swim and the boys continued with fishing; result 3 big, 8 medium, 4 small and one frog. Back at the camp a 4 hrs. cooking session started in front of my eyes prepared by my 3 boys. First of all the chicken was de-boned and  pressed in-between halved bamboo branch and roasted over a fire. Than a bamboo trunk was transformed into a large cylinder as Si and Simon were preparing a banana flower soup - one for the Falang (non spicy) and a Laos one (very spicy). . First water was boiled in the bamboo trunk, salt and the chicken bones added. When the water is boiling add, garlic, banana flower, coriander, green eggplant, lemon grass, dill, chilli. . Continue to boil it for another half an hour and enjoy this very delicious soup.

Home made fish paste: grill the fish (even better on open fire) and crush these with green eggplant, chillies, coriander and sourer leaf (lemon) in a pestle and mortar. Eat this with sticky rice and other fish dishes, even nice for breakfast.

At 8pm we finally sat down for dinner with all these lovely dishes which took 4hrs to prepare but Si said it was especially for us as we were just the 2 of us, we had to wash it down with some LaoLao in real Laos style Sokdee!!

After some chats around the fire we retired to our 'bed'. I woke up a couple of times as the mice had a party in our room and the next morning I heard that even a bird had joined in the fun. 

In the morning the cooking continued as Si was preparing lunch with chicken and green pumpkin, fried potatoes and carrot with herbs before continuing with breakfast – omelettes with jungle made tomato sauce. Last night we forgot to eat our buffalo skin so we added this to the breakfast too; Si put the pieces into the fire so the outside was totally black, he took them out and bashed with his big knife on the piece till all the burned black dust disappeared and a crispy skin was left. In the UK you could compare it with pork scratches, it tasted ok as the crispy outside was nice but inside it was a bit like a gel and tasted very salty! Not so nice with your breakfast so I took a piece to take with me to try later with a beer.

We walked that day for 3 hours mostly downhill to get back to a village for a riverside lunch to finish this 2 day hiking trip which more felt like cookery and eating course in the jungle..

Market with lovely dishes

Wobbly bamboo bridge

Lunchtime fishing catches...

The Falang and Laos soups

Our accomodation

Breakfast - incl buffalo skin- 

Preparing the buffalo skin....