"Bahala Na"

Wow, it has been a total whirlwind since I arrived in Manila really early last Friday. Transportation here is RIDICULOUS to say the least. Basically, do not plan to go anywhere on a time crunch, and give yourself tons of wiggle-room for anywhere you need to be. Needless to say, after my first few days here, I decided that I had to scale back my “grand plans” of seeing a whole slew of the islands if I wanted to actually see anything and not just be boarding ferries, planes, taxis, etc. all day long.

That being said…there have been some seriously wonderful moments in the last 5 or 6 days, and I am so glad I came on somewhat of a whim after Thailand. It’s a totally new place and, while I try not to compare and contrast TOO much, there are just so many unique qualities of this place that it definitely will stay on it’s own separate pedestal in the realm of the “Chloe SE Asian Excursion 2009” : ) or whatever you want to call this big adventure… Also, it’s my first country to explore on my own—ahhhh , no travel buddy! Arati come back!

I do miss Arati, and it’s been a little weird getting used to travelling solo, particularly in a country where there really are not many tourists or backpackers (compared to the other places we went), but I’m getting the hang of it. There are ups and downs of course as there are with everything while travelling and in life in general I guess. And, while I have no one with me 24/7, you’re never REALLY alone here, (there are people everywhere!), and the Filipinos have been more than welcoming, helpful and so kind.

So let me give you a little run down of my Philippine Adventure thus far:
So, I got to Manila super early on Friday, Dec. 4th, made my way to the Red Carabao Hostel (in the middle of Nowhere Manila but really nice), and then was sort of wired and decided to walk all over the city as much as possible to get some of the travel claustrophobia out of my body.

I visited Rizal Park, where there is a 3D map of the country in a little pond of water, so that was pretty cool, and then I walked all over the Old Spanish Section, called Intramuros (because it’s walled off), which was definitely the highlight of the city for me.

Outside of the older section, the hustle and bustle, fumes, chaos, and overall “city-ness” was hard to stay calm in, but inside Intramuros, there is a little oasis. Horses with carriages, awesome old churches, and forts, cobblestone streets and some greenery make you breathe a little easier. Also, I went into the St. Augustin Church and museum as well as an old House in the Spanish Colonial style, and, though I wasn’t sure I was in “museum mode,” I’m so glad I made myself go in. They were both really well-done, and made you feel like you had stepped back in time. They were also really quiet and calming, which helped me again in my attempt to recover from all the travelling and chaos that started my day.

After Intramuros and some chicken adobo and rice (SO good!), I got into a tricycle to get to Chinatown, Ongpin Street, and the famous Binondo Church. The tricycle didn’t work out so well because, while the motorized ones (think of a side car that looks like a little like a horse chariot attached to a motorbike – maybe that works?!) are really efficient, this one was run by an actual bicycle…and my guy was struggling…and I felt really guilty about being pedaled around…and then it cost WAY too much…but I’m a sucker…and yeah, it was a long, expensive trip,…but OH well, right?!

I got to Chinatown, had some fun and random treats while I walked around (dumplings, more purple yam flavored ice cream, mooncakes, and some others), and got back into the hectic-ness that started my day. As the sun went down, I hustled to the LRT (metro/subway) to make sure I could get back to the hostel before it got too sketchy since I was all alone…

Now, get this: when I got onto the subway in the morning, I was a sardine in a sea of Filipino men…then, when I boarded at around 6:30pm, I was with only women. Why could this be? I naively wondered, “Perhaps all the women get off work at the same time? Many of them are in scrubs, maybe the hospital just let out?” Um, no. There are “women only” cars on the subway because women were complaining about groping men. Awesome. I kind of appreciated it though!

Speaking of Filipino men. They are very forward. Not rude or offensive (at least not so far!), just forward. Everyone here, like I mentioned, is very polite – lots of “Ma’am”s from all genders, ages, etc. and “Good morning”s abound, but that does not mean that there isn’t a lot of shouting and hollering too. Basically, what I’m getting at is the men here are not shy...so, ladies, if you need a good ego boost, you will feel like a queen walking around here!

The Filipino culture just has so many distinguishing qualities from those of the other places I’ve visited on this trip. In some ways, it is the prominence of an American/global influence that strikes you:
Jeepneys for transportation (transformed US Army Jeeps left over from WW2), NBA basketball jerseys everywhere, American song lyrics, ringtones, pop culture, Facebook, Starbucks, McDonalds, almost perfect English everywhere (it’s actually the 3rd largest English-speaking country), etc.

And then in other ways, there is a Filipino and Spanish-influenced uniqueness that makes it spicier and more fun:
Pesos, tagalong, delicious culinary treats!, patience amidst the chaos (there are very few Americans I know who would be able to keep their cool with the inefficiency and slow-ness, but Filipinos are much less antsy and rushed…maybe we could learn something from them in that capacity?), smiles and fortitude despite extreme poverty, strong communities, dependency on each other, Filipino pride

One of the other standouts for the Philippines is the fact that it is a Christian, and predominantly Catholic, country. No more monks, Buddhas and temples--bring on the churches and crosses! Catholicism and prayer is definitely very present in society here – there were prayers projected on a TV before the ferry departed, there are written messages and Bible quotes on the backs of almost all vehicles, and there are crucifixes and religious statues everywhere. Not to mention, there are tons of Christmas decorations, yeah!!

As a Catholic, I’ve really enjoyed feeling like a part of the community in that respect, and it’s definitely made me feel even more welcome and connected on that personal level. Unlike in many of the other countries Arati and I visited, finding mass to attend on Sunday was really easy here, and there were tons of people in attendance. It definitely adds a new dimension, has made me think about my faith more, and has opened my eyes a little bit to how the Church has evolved in a more global way.

So, back to things I’ve done so far here. While I don’t want to make this just a “list of sites” I fear that I’d just start blabbering on and on (even more than I already have/usually do) if I tried to make you get the whole “feeling” of all these places. SO, I’ll try to contain myself, but you have to understand that without my travel partner, I’ve had to keep a lot of thoughts in my head, so brevity might be especially hard for me today! : ) Anyway, here goes…

After the walking tour on my first day, a bunch of us in the hostel decided to go on a day trip to the town of Tagaytay and see the famous Taal Volcano (the smallest active volcano). We took the public bus for the 2 hour ride, and, before climbing to the top of the volcano’s rim (only about an hour or so up a dirt path with lots of people riding horses past), we stopped at “Peoples Park” for a look out point. While there, we basically stood next to a huge Jesus statue and took pictures of the volcano in the distance covered by fog while the woman from our hostel, Aileen, who was born in the Philippines and kind of became our tour guide for the day, told us that Imelda Marcos has built this park for the Pope when he came to Manila…he didn’t visit her park when he came…she even included a disco…did she really think the Pope would want a disco?!

So, Saturday was the volcano day, and we didn’t get back to the hostel until around 9 or so because of traffic, so I was pretty spent and slept like a log. Then, on Sunday, I had to get moving because I had booked a flight from Manila to the island of Bohol, my 2nd stop. However, before leaving, I went for a morning run in a big Chinese Cemetery by our hostel, where there are huge mausoleums built over the graves of Chinese people. Really they were more like houses than anything else and there was even a marching band and a funeral procession while I jogged through the place…a little strange, but hey? Why not? You never know what lies around the next corner…

On to the island of Bohol.
After the plane landed in the major hub of Cebu, I had to take a 2 hour ferry to get to the island of Bohol. See what I mean about transportation? Whew! Anyway, I made it to the island in time to find a place to stay, eat a big bowl of rice with shrimp and veggies, have some halo halo for dessert (which is mixed fruit with crushed ice, ube flavored (yam-like potato) ice cream in a parfait-style), go to a late night mass that I found in a huge, gorgeous church right by where I ate, and crawl into bed.

Day 2 in Bohol was going to be a calm day. I promised myself. Stay in ONE place…but thennnn….curiosity got the best of me! I started out by taking a Jeepney to Alona Beach on Panglao Island. I was more crammed in this Jeepney than I think I have ever been in my life. Sweaty people, dripping gasoline cans (hopefully full of water!), bags of fruit, rocks, you name it, and stops every 2 minutes for more passengers…but only 25 pesos – a real bargain! Haha.

Anyway, I got to a beautiful beach, but after a few good walks, some relaxing time, and some serious sun, I had to get to a cooler spot. That’s when the motorbike driver came by and I decided to hop on…and then my brain started finagling all the potential things I could see that I’d heard about, and you can see where this is headed! I decided to only see ONE thing that first day, and then go with the same driver the next day to see all the other things I’d heard about. So, first we went to the Tarsier Conservatory. What is a tarsier you ask? Well, first of all, think of Yoda in Star Wars.

Tarsier facts:
- really small (could fit in your palm), nocturnal primates unique to islands of SE Asia
- named for the tarsius bone because they have really long skinny legs
- they are not the smallest primates even though many people think they are
- they have huge eyes that are 150x humans’ eyes relative to body size
- they can jump 5 meters
- people are kind of obsessed with them here

So, after spotting the tarsiers and going for a short hike, day one with my awesome motorbike driver was complete, but I signed him up for round 2 the next day!
For the second day in Bohol (which started with a great run through a more rural part of the island (and I saw a rainbow!), I visited one of the country’s oldest churches, Baclayon Church, which was founded in 1596 by the Jesuits (and was having a big festival that day), I saw more tarsiers, visited these things called “nut huts” where people can stay in a jungle-y area by a river, saw the famous Chocolate Hills (a big bunch of random hills that sort of look like Hershey kisses…it’s a bit of a stretch, but still cool), had lunch in a little place in the back of a market in a town called Bilar, and saw a 250 kilo python (named Prony) that eats pigs and goats whole (1 per month)…it was absolutely ridiculous!

While it really was just a great day overall, and totally reenergized me and got me back on the “travelling is awesome bandwagon” (I was feeling a little beat down from all the transportation, waiting for transportation, and associated “trapped” feelings), I think my favorite thing might have been the lunch at the market. My driver was nice enough to take me to eat with some of his friends, and so I got to enjoy my first “real” Filipino meal--the jackfruit/coconut/rice combination was so delicious, I really wish I could make it at home! The family who owned the place was so nice, and there were tons of little kids to talk to, show pictures to, and just have fun with. They really made me feel so welcome there, and I love not feeling like a total tourist – it was such a great, impromptu stop – I don’t think he realized, but my driver definitely got a good tip specifically for that add-on destination!

After that awesome day in Bohol, I had to get on another ferry already to go to Cebu so that I could get a cheap flight the next day (today) to my other decided upon destination, Boracay Island and its famously wonderful white sand beach. Cheap flights between the islands here only leave at very specific times, so coordinating everything gets a little complicated, but so far so good with not missing anything (fingers crossed!).

Anyway, I ended up sleeping at a VERY gross hotel last night so that I could be near the airport when I woke up this morning. It was not very cheap and it was not clean (like I barely touched anything in the room and tiptoed around in my flip flops!) and the shower down the hall squirted water in every direction EXCEPT down…but the women that ran it assured me it was safe, so I chose it. Yikes, I was glad to get out of there this morning! BUT all the effort/yuckiness was completely worth it because Boracay is WONDERFUL.

It is absolutely one of the best beaches that exists—In my totally unbiased opinion, of course. It might be up there with Bali’s beaches, I have to say. Despite the fact that it is totally inconvenient to get to (unless you have more money to play with), the 3 km of white sand, abundance of water sports and activities to try, really awesome place where I’m staying, and good food, music and people totally reemphasized that while there are ups and downs in this crazy kind of travel, the UPS are so worth it! It’s not super cheap here (the country as a whole is not that cheap it turns out…), but I think a few days won’t hurt my wallet TOO much. I am also SO ready to not move around for a while – and this is the perfect place to stay put!

On that note, this is becoming a novel, so I will stop. As for what’s next? The rest of my Philippine adventure will be here in Boracay and then I will be flying back to Manila on Monday before I head back to the US (stopping in Hawaii for a few days and some birthday fun with Kristen, Phoenix for a 1 day layover, and then on to good old Waterbury for Christmas) – I cannot believe it is already December!! I’m going to freeze…
Keep in touch : )