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  Manila, Luzon, Philippines
Thursday, May 22, 2008

In Hong Kong, I scoured English language newspapers for items about the Philippines to get more of a feel for what it's like there. In three days, this is what I learned:
Banks can be dangerous places. Nine people died when bank employees were lined up and shot execution-style during a robbery. In another report a woman was shot and killed after withdrawing money from a bank, and two policemen responding to the incident were gunned down. It's not just banks either: seven people were injured in the cross-fire when a drunken brawl got out of hand, and eight people (including four kids) were killed when a lone gunman went on a shooting spree near Manila. The victims there were all indoors but the bullets went through the walls and killed them while they slept.
Meanwhile, up the road in Angeles City, an Australian tourist was being shot in the face by his muggers. This came only one day after another Australian was found in Angeles after being murdered, chopped up and stashed in a suitcase..... 
It can get a bit rough out there, but it's far too easy to get carried away by the headlines. The Philippines has a bit of an image problem, but I love it here and so do most other visitors. It's one of the friendliest countries I've ever visited and one of the most beautiful. Almost everyone speaks good English, and you can have a real laugh with the Filipinos - they're good fun.

Jeepney, Manila

There are probably too many guns here though. Armed guards are absolutely everywhere, even in the shopping malls (and that's just private security, not the Police), so every now and then I get a little touch of the old 'Venezuela vibe', which keeps me on my toes. The Philippines does have a high murder rate, but places like Russia, Thailand or even Estonia are more dangerous on paper. Also, if you've come abroad to get killed the chances are that it will be on the roads. Fact.
The contrast between here and Hong Kong is massive. There are some high-rise blocks in Manila, but it's generally a low-rise city and much much poorer than Hong Kong. It wasn't always like this and until the 1960's was a fairly prosperous country, until the Marcos regime turned the place into an economic basket case. The economy is a similar size to Bolivia's, but the country looks far poorer and you don't have to go far to see entire families living out on the street. 
My hotel is in the Ermita district and was recommended by a neighbour, Hartley Parsons, who comes here fairly often. Ermita and the surrounding area is a madhouse mix of shanty houses, tourist hotels, restaurants and go-go-bars as well as the usual local businesses. There are a lot of desperate people here, and the moment you leave your hotel, beggars and hawkers are on your case; as an unaccompanied white male I'm a prime target. I've experienced worse in other countries, but the hassle factor here is quite high and they don't let go of you easily. 
My hotel is The Swagman and it's Australian owned, so I'm back on potatoes, and off the chopsticks. Vegemite on toast at breakfast makes a nice change from dried fish (although as a whinging Pom I prefer Marmite). Vegemite was exactly what I was eating when I had my greatest 'Small World Moment' ever - Hartley himself rolled up to my table to say "Hello"! I had no idea he was out here (with his mate Ticker), and although he knew Manila was on my itinerary, he didn't know when. Half an hour either way and we'd have missed each other.

Angeles City. When it rains.....

We were heading in opposite directions, so I only saw them for a few hours, but it was brilliant to catch up and have a bit of a chin wag. 
The main reason I came here in the first place was to see the Banaue Rice Terraces. They look like this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vWRukSG0hyA
I was going to use a local tour company to get there, as you can't just drive or get the bus. 4x4's and trekking are both involved, and everything is dependent on the weather. My problem was that because there was only one person going (me), everybody doubled their price and the sums of money being asked for just got silly. I decided to head up to Angeles City, which is the gateway to Mount Pinatubo, and see what the trekking possibilities were when I got there. For those of you who don't remember the Mount Pinitubo eruption in 1991, it was the second largest of the 20th century and blew the top 260 metres off the mountain. The effects of the eruption were felt around the globe in terms of miserable weather.
Angeles itself is quite a strange place, as it grew around the former USAF Clarke Airbase nearby. Many visitors are Aussie sex tourists (and business is booming), although a  lone Scotsman parading around in his kilt caused quite a stir. Some come looking for a wife and end up raising families here.

Mount Pinatubo - crater from the air

There's nothing much in Angeles that I haven't seen before, but the sight of a 70 year old Patrick Moore look-alike coming down to breakfast one morning with his sixteen year old "girlfriend", nearly made me spit my cornflakes across the table......
I arranged a trek to Pinatubo with a local operator, and then spent two days waiting for the right conditions (not too much of a hardship, as the Hotel has a swimming pool). There was torrential rain every afternoon, and although they could get me to the start of the trek by 4x4, if it rained while I was up there there was no guarantee they could get me back down again. After two cancellations, I abandoned the trek and opted for a flight over Pinatubo's crater instead. The aircraft was a 1949 Ryan Navion, and this is a picture of the actual plane:  http://www.airliners.net/photo/Navion-Air-Service/Ryan-Navion-A/0769869/L/&tbl=photo_info&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=0343044
I suspect that Jimmy Boyd, the American pilot, was older than the aircraft, but the whole thing was fantastic, and a real experience.
Back in Manila, I experienced much less hassle than the first time there. Maybe they secretly stamp "Philippines Virgin" on your forehead when you first arrive, and after a few days it wears off - or perhaps they just remembered the grumpy old bugger from last week.

Trike parade, Angeles City

The hassling didn't disappear completely of course, but occasionally it has its funny side. The same guy tries to sell me exactly the same pair of trainers every time I leave the hotel (we're now almost old friends), and then of course there was the time when I was pursued for two blocks by a man driving a pony and trap.....
Other random stuff:
Public transport is mainly the "Jeepney", which is a symbol of Filipino culture. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War 2 and are often beautifully decorated. They're better to look at than to ride in though - you have to stoop to get in and out, and you sit facing inwards, so you can't really see out. To pay the fare, give your money to the person next to you. They will pass it up the Jeepney to the driver, then your change will be passed back down to you.
Filipino food is pretty good, and I've been eating it most evenings. Some of the street food can be a bit weird though. You see people selling what looks like hard-boiled eggs, but it's actually balut. These are half-hatched duck or chicken eggs (basically boiled embryos in a shell) and not for the faint hearted. There's also a snack where they roast dried chicken blood, then cut it into little cubes. It's called betamax because it looks like a little video casstette!   
Street Names: for 2 days in Manila I thought was living next to a street with a Chinese name "Ped Xing".

Axbridge annual outing, Manila

Turned out it was a pedestrian crossing......
Travelling can take absolutely ages here. This was one of the problems I had with Banaue, as it takes 7-8 hours to get to Baguio city, the nearest sizeable place, another 4 or 5 to Banaue the next day.....and then you've got to get back again. If you want to come here to do something specific, you need to do your homework (and you're still dependent on the weather). 
Easter can be an interesting time to come here (Hartley put me on to this). Some Filipinos like to be crucified:
http://groups.google.com/group/Bible-Prophecy-News/browse_thread/thread/c80e3d33c58389ac/
I particularly like the idea of playing 'Stairway to Heaven' during the proceedings, but maybe the Rolf Harris version might lighten things up a bit?
The WTF Award for strangest bar of the journey so far goes to The Hobbit House, Manila. The place is staffed almost entirely by dwarfs.......
  
  

Hong Kong, 31st May
Coming back to Hong Kong for my flight to Beijing, was familiar and easy, and I liked the place better second time round. It didn't escape my notice that I didn't actually step outdoors and breathe fresh air, from when I arrived until I was about 2 minutes walk away from Tommy Hou's place in Causeway Bay though. 
Of course it rained again, but it made a real change to be able to read notices like "Floor may be slippery when wet". Where I've just come from, signs are more likely to say things like "Please deposit your firearms with the armed guard".

Next stop, China............................

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Scratching a living, Manila Bay	Boating pool, Manila Zoo	Stop pilfering!	View from my room, Manila
View from my room, Angeles City	Jeepney 2, Manila	Jeepney 3, Manila	Deposit deadly weapons here........
Ryan Navion cockpit	Hobbit House - it's full of hobbits!	All aboard the Skylark, Manila Bay	Chinese Gardens, Manila
Metropolitan Cathedral, Manila	Trikes, Manila	Ku Klux Klan monument, Manila (only joking)	Scratching a living 2, Manila Bay
Manila Bay

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