Asia - The Philippines

I knew I was in the kind of place I belonged (apart from being in a hurricane) when the Manila airport had a blackout (makes me wonder what the air traffic controllers were doing during the plane landing) and had to wait two hours for the luggage to be brought out by hand (rather than conveyor belt)...and the taxi driver tried to do the old 'drive the long way round' trick on me. Being accustomed to these kinds of shenanigans from South America I sat with a map of the city in the cab and chastised the driver for his poor attempt at cheating me out of my money. Did I make the right choice in coming here? Hell yeah! This is exactly the kind of shit I was missing when I was in New Zealand and Australia.

Arrived at my chosen hostel (and chastised the driver again for his poor cheating effort...I even told him to go to Colombia and learn from the masters). The hurricane was in full swing with trees bending, roads washed out, no people anywhere on the streets and street signs fallen over. On top of that I still wasn't feeling too good so opted for a room for the night rather than a dorm. I was a bit pissed off when they asked me to wait 2 hours until check-in time (10am). When I finally settled into my room I felt a kind of deja vu and recalled my days of sitting out a double whammy storm in La Paz, Mexico.

All I could do during the day was make a brave dash for the nearest shop and stock up on supplies (in case it lasts longer than a day. I got absolutely drenched from head to toe and nearly fell into drain hole the size of my body. Shit, what a way to go...death by drowning in a drain hole in Manila).

Did a lot of reading and writing in the evening and night and nuked myself with fruity vitamin C goodness. Later on at night I made a brave effort to go out for a beer. Donning my poncho and a brolly I lasted all of 5 seconds before I was again totally soaked with the added frustration of having a broken umbrella...doh).

Clear skies today but the streets were pretty wrecked. Felt a lot better this morning so checked out and headed for a hostel for something a bit more lively in dorm style living. Did my usual walk around town to get my bearings (not easy in Manila...a lot of the streets look exactly the same with thousands of money exchange shops and kiosks). Am already loving the atmosphere here...the hustle and bustle of people, suspect smells and aromas everywhere, noises coming from everywhere at full blast, dusty and dirty roads with huge puddles, beggars all over the place (well, not loving that part) and some new modes of transport to try out (tricycles with built in housings for passengers and Jeepneys (jeeps with hugely extended backs to fit 20 people in).

Later on in the day I caught a Jeepney (no easy task finding where to catch the bloody thing) to the Chinese Cemetery. This is quite a unique cemetery where local Chinese and some others have built multi-million Peso apartments for the dead to rest in. We're talking Italian Marble interiors, kitchens, bathrooms, drinks machines 'fire escapes' (can't quite work that one out)...all very decadent. It was kind of like walking through a deserted town with lovely bungalows but no one around to use them.

On November 1st (Day of the Dead) the families of the dead would spend a whole day in and around the dead drinking, eating and being merry to celebrate the life of the dead. When me and the guide went to the highest apartment (3 stories high) and walked out onto the roof terrace the don't had left the key on the inside and the door slammed shut. So, half an hour we spent calling for help to escape from a life of being locked in a bloody oversized coffin. Eventually got rescued and the tour continued. The heat, humidity, smells and dust of Manila are truly stifling at times so after a lot of walking around and getting lost a siesta was on the cards.

In the evening had a few beers in the local area (the very suspect red light district where the hostel is...Molate) and knew the night was at an end when I was sitting drunkenly transfixed on old Korean and Japanese gents (supported by two tambourine playing girls) having a serious sing-off on the Karaoke machine. The Korean songs were all quite melancholy and rather depressing as were the Japanese ones...no Elvis sung here tonight. I was very nearly coerced into singing a tune...but was worried about clearing out the bar.

There are quite a few characters at the hostel which is nice to see; an old fellah from Bradford called Gerard who's been cycling around for the last three years to try and kick his drink habit. Has it worked? Well, considering beers cost about 25 pence, sadly not. Then there's a young Israeli fellah who's just set up a pancake stall in the shopping centre who consistently moans about getting good staff. Then there's an old German fellah who is project managing a software release here and is also always moaning about staff.

Gotta say the Friendly Guest house is probably one of the best hostels I've stayed in; great location, atmosphere, relaxed, free Wifi, beautiful verandah and the staff are fantastic (nice).

One big annoyance with using the budget Filipino Airline is their fascist check-in staff who refused to let me fly from Singapore to Manila unless I had an onward ticket (stating that immigration wouldn't let me in without it...absolute rubbish of course, as I later found out the immigration don't give a monkeys if you have an onward ticket or not). So biting the bullet I bought a return ticket (even though my plan is to catch a ferry from the Philippines to Indonesia). I was promised no cancellation charge when I cancelled it on arrival and it would be hassle free. So this mornings mission was to go to the airline office and cancel it.

Of course the Philippines being what it is the office had only two staff working and literally 400 people queuing up. I took my ticket number (302) and stared in disbelief at the number displayed on the wall...38. Ok, Rowley be patient I thought and waited for half an hour. Half an hour later the number was at 41 and gave up for today...I'll be back. Had some cheap Chinese lunch and then had a long walk along the shore-lines promenade.

My final destination was Imelda Marcos's Coconut Palace. The story behind this place is; 20 years ago Imelda heard that the Pope was paying a visit to the Philippines so she splashed out millions on this palace, as a place for the Pope to stay. It's made mostly of Coconut wood and banana leaf. When the Pope heard she had spent so much money on it he sent her a letter canceling the tour and stating she should have given the money to charity instead. So off he went to Indonesia instead (doh!). It wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be but some rooms were very majestic and beautiful. Later on I had big plans to visit Rizal Park and also the 500 year old city wall near to it but the heat got the better of me (no sane person walks around the city at peak heat time (2.30pm).

I holed up at the air-conned hostel til dusk and then went for some beers. I thought I'd save a bit of dough on dinner so went to a barbecue stall and ordered a meat stick. It was only after biting on the first bit of meat that I thought 'hmmm, bit fatty this'. I asked what it was and was told it was pig's ears (for the love of God). It was pure fat and gristle. Didn't want to waste it though so gobbled it down pretending it was tasty. Well, it wins hands down on taste factor compared to a Wichita Grub anyway. The first day I arrived here I was chatting to a street hawker and since then I have my own personal follower and stalker. He follows me bloody everywhere and suddenly pops out from the middle of nowhere 'you buy watch today Rowley?'. He's harmless but a tad annoying.

Early night tonight...gotta catch those Cebu Pacific airlines rascals in the morning. I'm pondering some Oceans 11 type scam to get a good numbered ticket for the queue...bribery would be an option.

Manila is starting to feel like a place I could stay and get trapped in for ages. Although its streets are filthy with homeless people everywhere, beggars, touts (Viagra seems to be their main trade...hmmm, wonder why?) and smells you could turn a corner and there would be a spotless 5 star hotel or a gigantic shopping mall. Robinson's Shopping Mall is our local mall. Although I truly dislike shopping malls this place is a great refuge from the stifling heat. It's like walking into a fridge and is hugely popular with the locals. They all slip in for a cool down. I wonder if anyone actually buys stuff here.

Walking around Manila feels pretty safe for me although after midnight it can become shady.

Armed with my un-needed flight ticket, passport and a single-minded determination I went to the Cebu Pacific office at 9am, only to find it doesn't open until 10am (nooooooo). So, as I needed some booster injections I thought I could get them done at the local hospital and get back in time for the airline queue. No such luck. I waited for 4 hours and the jabs cost me $45 (same as Uk prices nearly). Rushed back to the Cebu office and it was deja vu time...400 people queuing.

Did some chilling in the afternoon and the evening. At dinner time had some dinner and drinks with some Filipino girls who sold me a cheap pair of swimming shorts in the shopping centre. Had a good laugh and watched them sing (in the broadest possible terms) away on a Karaoke machine. I was quite happy just to watch.

Again, first thing I headed to my nemesis that is the Cebu Pacific office. Ok, I'm wasting a lot of time here but the ticket was $200 (much needed at the moment). Managed to get the number 72, even though I was there from opening time and the wall number was 36 (can't figure that one out). So after 2 hours I finally got seen and was told there's a $50 cancellation charge and I would get the refund in 6 months (oh how I laughed). I did the usual 'I refuse to move until I have a guarantee of a refund within a week at least. This seemed to work so at some point when I return to Manila I can hopefully pick it up.

Went for a walk to the Rizal Park where they have a huge pond with a floating map of the Philippines Pretty impressive and a good way to work out plans. Also popped into the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. Very beautiful and seeming to be a secluded place for love bird couples to meet. The skies opened up for a tropical downpour so most of the end of the day I just relaxed at the hostel.

We had a new arrival today. An old fellah called George who's been cycling around the world for 4 years. He looks like an old grizzled ship captain with a gray beard and tattoo's all over. I knew sparks were going to fly when he met Gerard. As expected they met and immediately started challenging each other; 'so, you're a cyclist then. Where's your muscles then?' 'You cycled in China eh? Well, I cycled in the deserts of Libya' and so it went pretty much all day. George even started boasting about his military training and how he could kill someone with his little finger. It was better than TV, watching this interchange. I get on really well with Gerard so when I'd see him in the kitchen he'd shout out 'He really is a prick that George...SAS training, my arse'.

I'm really liking the Filipinos who I've met so far (a few at the hostel now). They are very outgoing and quite cheeky at times. They are a nation of survivors in my eyes. They constantly get hit by natural disasters but just pick up the pieces and carry on as normal. Then contrasting that, they are one of the only countries in the world that still has piracy on the seas. There have been quite a few attacks on ships and boats, especially in the China Sea (hmmm, the life of a pirate eh...sounds tempting to me).

The next week I'm going to leave my new home that is Manila, before I settle here for good and head north to Banaue, where there are breathtaking rice slopes (8th wonder of the world apparently). Then it's back to Manila to maybe get my flight refund. Then the beach is calling me and I'll start doing some island hopping (please let the weather be sweet).

Had a day of doing not much today. The rain was sporadic but heavy duty at times so just watched a lot of TV with fellow hostel hermits. By 10pm I'd had enough and tried a recruitment drive for a few beers at the local bar. The only taker was Graham (a Luton fellah who is especially quiet when sober (I wasn't much looking forward to it to be honest) but after a few bevvies he soon livened up. Sat in the outside bar right in the middle of Adriatica Street and let the beers flow.

This being a right dodgy and seedy neck of the woods we were joined by the usual array of pimps, pro's, street urchins and touts (and the odd guitar playing Filipino showed up every now and then). What was only supposed to be a few beers ended up being an all nighter, which only ended at 7.30am because Graham got paranoid (para keet) that the two gorgeous girls we were sitting with were out to rip him off (foolish fella...we had nothing to get ripped off). Apparently at some point in the night I had blurted out that I'd always wanted a guitar...well, lo and behold a guitar selling tout showed up as if by miracle. So parting with 10 quid I was the proud owner of a Filipino made guitar. It's always been one of my ambitions to play guitar and now the music world was now my oyster. As more beer flowed it got to a stage where I insisted I was a half decent guitar player and singer to a small group of female spectators and touts. There followed a shockingly bad 10 minute gig (Stairway to Heaven and Hotel California was attempted).

Thankfully it was a free gig and I was way too lashed to notice the laughing and swift disappearance of the audience (they must have thought I was some kind of guitar wielding clown). Well, there's plenty of time for a bit of tweaking here and there. I took the guitar back to my room before anyone tried to smash it and on my return noticed that Graham had done a runner from our table and was chatting to some French fellah on another table. I had a few more with the girls and then capped the night off with a coffee or two.

Gerard, the old fellah from Bradford had this terrible habit (one of many I might add...plastic bag rustling was another favourite of his) of popping his iPod on when he wakes up and singing in the dorm room (totally out of tune, pitch and anything else). Today he didn't bother me whatsoever because I didn't get any kip all morning and if it wasn't for my generous nature (I pitied the other sleeping hostellers too much) I would have picked up my new guitar and strummed along to his singing. Feeling like shit all day it was all I could do to drag myself to the hostels communal area and sit there moaning about the state of me and my poor head.

Had a brief chat with an odd Dutch fellah in the dorm room who spends pretty much all day and night on his dorm bed. I guess he just needs some chill time and sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of Manila. After watching lots of crap TV I went to meet my two Filipino friends when they finished work at their shopping centre job. Had a late dinner and a few beers to treat my bad hangover.

Damn this rain! It was absolutely pissing it down all day and the odd trip out I made resulted in being soaked right through within 10 seconds. Spent a lot of today downloading some guitar lessons (no, it wasn't just a drunken promise I made to myself...I really am going to learn) and made a start on it. Watched a few OK'ish films (Hulk 2, Spiderman 3 and Fool's Gold (funny film). I was a bit pissed off because today I was supposed to catch the bus to Banaue (north Philippines). I thought better of it because of the rain and the sound knowledge that the roads would be in an shit condition. Hopefully tomorrow will be my day.

The biggest event today was the solving of a spate of tea leafing in the dorm rooms. There are two big rooms here at 'Friendly's Guesthouse' and some iPods, Mobile's, camera's and money went missing two nights ago. Today the mystery was solved (everyone was quite relieved. Nothing worse than people at a hostel looking at you as if you are the main culprit). The guilty party was actually the night's visitor of a stupid Danish fellah who decided to bring a bar girl back for the night in a busy 12 bed dorm room (ahah..foolish fellah, he lost loads of stuff himself).

Again the rain thundered down but not as bad as yesterday. At lunch time I'd made a decision to get the bus anyway. Got chatting to two backpacker girls Andrea (Swedish girl of Chilean descent) and Melissa (Austrian girl of Vietnamese descent) and thereafter a travel team was formed and we all went to the local bus station to buy a ticket for tonight's bus. Taxi drivers have a cheeky way of earning extra money. They use metres but at the start of the journey always ask if the passenger would like to pay an extra 20 Peso's. The trick is, if you say no they will drive a longer route that will in fact cost you more than 20. This happened on the way to the bus station and I am now the wiser for it.

Went to Robinson's Shopping Centre to say my farewells to my two lovely Filipino girl 'friends' and then chilled at the hostel and packed. My beloved new guitar would be safely stored there for this trip (until I can play at least the basics).

At 10pm said my goodbyes to the hostellers I'd got to know and caught the taxi with the girls to catch the bus. Being a night bus I was hoping to get some sleep on this 7 hour ride to Manague. I knew this was a pipe dream when I saw the state of the bus and the seats. In fact my seat fell off when I sat down and for the next hour all I could do was try and fit it back on.

Well, I got absolutely no sleep so was quite disheveled and wired when I arrived at the first stop of Manague. Waited around for an hour for the next bus ride to the tiny village of Sagada. Seven hours and losing all feeling in my bum cheeks later and I was there. It was pretty much what I expected...a small village with no tourists and a lot of staring and giggling locals. Checked into the St Joseph Guesthouse for the cheap price of 200 Peso's each (all three of us shared a room). Siesta time (boy did I need a proper sleep after last nights bus traveling).

Early evening went for a walk around the village which took all of 5 minutes and had an early dinner with the girls. After which it was time to register at the local Municipal building (in case anyone goes missing). Also looked at a list of local rules and regulations; dress decently, no kissing in public and...a 9pm curfew was in order? (Sweet Jesus...have I just entered some kind of Nazi occupied land?). In reality I later found out the curfew was only for drinking alcohol (still...pretty harsh but would explain why this village has a zero percent crime rate).

Everyone was pretty knackered so an early night of reading and chilling (of course we thought there was a curfew in place so didn't venture out).

Went for a casual stroll around and had a delicious pancake, banana and yoghurt breakfast. The only thing the locals seem to do all day is sit around chatting and staring at passers-by (fair play to them...I did the same for a while). This place is beautifully located between hills and mountains and is a luscious green all year round apparently. Gorgeous big trees, plants and flowers everywhere and the kind of place where when you walk past a local they will greet you or you them.

After lunch and a siesta we all went for a walk to the small waterfall nearby and had a splash about. Was a great feeling to swim around again. A few hours later some local fellah's joined us and decided to wash their clothes in the clean waterfall and pool waters (doh). One selfish but great thing about traveling in the Philippines is that most people speak English. They shouldn't have to but for me and my fellow travelers it really makes things smooth and good. We couldn't find any drinking establishments of any kind open after 9pm (well, there is a curfew on after all) so me and the girls watched a film on my laptop.

Earlier on in the day we had booked a guide for some hiking in the area and the start time was 4.30am (to catch the sunset over the rice slopes). Really don't know if I can manage that kind of crazy time.

Well, surprise surprise all three of us overslept by about 2 hours and at 7am rushed down to meet our guide. He had wisely taken another more punctual and polite group than us. So we went for some breakfast and booked another guide to take us straight away. Our guide was Joseph and the first stop was the Paddy Field viewpoint (where we should have been for sunrise).

It was a beautiful walk through lush forests and fields and then a beautiful view overlooking the hills and flats of rice. Apparently because of the altitude (1,400m) and cold (for me it was bloody boiling) they could only harvest the rice once a year whereas in other regions it was 3 times a year. Next up was a tough walk to an underground river running through a cave. Quite an amazing sight.

We followed the river and climbed through more forest and came to a small hanging cemetery (the locals hang their coffins inside the entrance to caves. It's more of a traditional burial way but the choice can be made...Christian cemetery or cave cemetery). The oldest coffin there was 500 years old and proved that this method wasn't meant to last as some bones were showing and bits of cloth hanging out. Finally the major hanging cemetery. We had to catch a Jeepney from town to this one and some cheeky local scamps jumped on the back of our hired Jeepney and got a free ride out of town.

Got to the big cave and saw loads of hanging coffins. Ventured for a closer look and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a skull staring at me from a crack of one of the coffins. There were the odd broken coffins with cloth and the odd ankle bone sticking out. I decided then that this was not how I wanted to be buried or if I was I'd like some kind of plastic dinosaur bones sticking out of mine just to confuse people. Our guide told us that around these mountains the infamous Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita buried most of his gold and secretly people have been hunting it for years even though it's illegal.

Exhausted after hours of uphill walking sanctuary was found in the local cheap restaurant. I popped out for a smoke while dinner was being made (wish I didn't) and watched some cute tiny birds flapping about. Soon realised they were in a feeding frenzy as a mass group of cockroaches had tried to make a run for the kitchen. Knowing that the 9pm curfew means no night-life the main event for the evening is watching a film on the laptop. While we were watching Hulk 2 in the empty St Joseph s Guesthouse reception area I heard a commotion and looked around. Four Filipino lads were carrying a totally comatosed old bloke who'd had way too much sauce. Very bad Gin seems to be the poison of choice round these parts and walking past local shops (doubling as bars) you can see and hear the local men-folk wailing a song or two or shouting and staggering around.

There was a hefty storm in the night. Hope the weather's good for tomorrow's hike into the remote head hunter villages around Tangliya (Kiranga Province). A piece of trivia I never knew and discovered tonight was that the Philippines was named after Charles 1st's son Philip by the Spanish colonisers in 16th century.

The plan for the next week is some hiking and general moseying around the villages, then its back to Manila to get my visa extended and to finally sort out my Cebu Pacific refund. Then its off to the island of Palawan for some beach time and caves.

I was in charge of this mornings wake up call (foolish girls) and true to form I woke up late myself. In the end it didn't matter because time is relative here. The 6.30am jeepney to Bontoc ended up leaving at 7.15 (only when it was full). The one hour ride was a bumpy affair but through some gorgeous scenery of rolling green hills and plentiful rice steps. Arrived in Bontoc at 8am and then caught the 9am bus to Tanglayan. It was a packed bus and as we sped off the only place to sit was the edge of a seat (mercy on my left cheek).

I was well scared throughout the two hour roller coaster ride up and down a snaking road (well, it was more of a gravel path wide enough for one car). This road was scarier than the famous Bolivian Death Road and as jeepneys passing us on the inside came through our bus was mere inches from the edge of the sheer drop cliff (bits of gravel and stones would tumble over the edge as the tyres rolled across the edge).

Listening to my MP3 player for relaxation, the track that came on at the worst moment was Radiohead's Lucky and as the lyrics 'pull me out of the plane crash' came out I soon turned it off. Lucky for me this bus was full of feisty Filipino students on a weekend trip to Tobuk. The three main culprits almost dragged me to the back of the bus for a chat. I was invited to Tobuk but told them I had head hunter villages to see (doh!). I got their numbers so will visit them for some Karaoke in Bontoc some time.

The bus dropped me and my travel buddies at a village called Luplupa where a very rickety metal bridge awaited me to get to the main part of the village. On the way all three of us were invited for lunch by the owner of the only guest house in the village. Her name was Evelyn and she's the sister of the famous guide captain Victor (known throughout the world). This village was exactly the kind of place I've been looking for...a remote village of many pigs running around, chickens, cheeky kids running away from the sight of westerners and true hospitality (many families invited us in for a coffee). This place had character and felt real. The day-to-day lives of most just involved the hard graft in the rice fields harvesting the much needed crops.

After the delicious lunch we settled into the guest house (the Riverside Inn) and because it was low season we had the whole building to ourselves and my own room for P200 (2 pound fifty). It was then time to meet the main man Victor (a grizzled veteran of years of guiding people through the head-hunter lands). He told us some tales and history of the region...boy does he love to talk. In the evening chilled on the balcony overlooking the village and watched the villagers go about their lives; pigs squealing, kids crying, parents shouting, 70kg rice bundles being carried down from the fields, cocks crowing (their body clocks obviously in some far off time zone) and women washing clothes. Have started listening to a lot of Steppenwolf music these days ...shit, what a great band (I only knew about Magic Carpet Ride before) and sat there listening to their great music watching the night unfold.

Later on had another visit from Victor. He's getting on a bit now and has hung up his guiding boots. His main role now is to tell visitors stories and recommendations. His talking couldn't get any more random as he jumps from head-hunter history to his time in Germany to the tricks of smuggling certain things around (nuff said about that). Johnny, the Riverside manager popped round and explained everything about the walks and prices etc. and dinner was cooked by his master chef wife.

Before bed I sat on the balcony again and pondered how lucky I was to to be able to experience this place and see some real village life. Looking forward to tomorrow's hiking through some very remote villages.

Hiking day today and Melissa was heading off back to Manila. Funny girl she is...I've never known anyone to use her iPod so much. Chatting to her was impossible because of this so nobody has a chance of getting to know her. Up at 6am and a swift breakfast at Johnny's place then our guide led us to the jeepney stop. Caught the jeepney to the start of a grueling 2 hour uphill climb. At the top caught sight of the famous landmark called sleeping beauty. Its the silhouette of a sleeping woman (I wouldn't say she was much of a beauty though).

Then ever upwards again with stunning views all around...lush green hills and rice steps everywhere. Reaching the first village called Buscalam most of the villagers gathered round when I made a bee-line for the only store in the village and bought some matches and sweets. Apparently matches are really sought after here. Dished out a load of stuff as a thanks for letting me walk through the village. I had heard that there was only one tattooist left in this region and she was a 70 year old woman. I had this crazy idea of getting a traditional head-hunter tattoo here but when I saw her tattoos and the state of her tools I thought better of it. After more hard but scenic walking we reached the village of Butbut (pronounced Bootboot).

This is where a lot of the head-hunter action took place years ago so a must visit. Stopped and had a rice and green bean lunch with a family. The grandfather had quite a few tattoo's on his arms (round these parts having a tattoo means you have killed someone). When they asked me if I'd killed anyone I boasted about my 99 kills and that I was only short of a century by 1 (thankfully they saw the funny side and didn't believe a word of it). The Granddad's tattoo's were all of birds which signify strength round here. Coincidentally my tats are all of birds but signify freedom for me. He was pretty impressed with them. Donning his machete and rice clipping knife he marched off to the fields to finish off a hard days work (still only 79 years young).

Next was a slippery downhill march to the village of Nebat. Arriving just as the villagers were marching off for the afternoons harvesting work. They all looked a happy bunch and were chattering away with each other (even though it was scorchingly hot). It's no coincidence that in a global survey trying to find out which country had the happiest people Filipinos were at number one. Such poor people...but so happy. It really is an eye-opener everywhere you go. One of the group asked me where I was from (a pretty standard question) and then the question of how many people I've killed (that's a bit personal, I thought...but then remembered the tattoo's). I was going to use the 99 kills line but they looked kind of serious...so zero kills for me. The track got more and more treacherous going downhill and we had quite a few falls and slips. Nearly lost Andrea and the guide in one go as they started slipping down a steep slope.

Exhausted we arrived back at base and went for a quick visit to the local store. Rather than the packet of smokes I ordered the owner tried to sell me into the idea of marrying her 20 year old daughter (not that she wasn't a looker or anything but the idea sent me scurrying straight back to the guest house). Had another delicious home cooked meal for dinner and afterwards chatted to Johnny, his wife and her sister.

When the subject of Christmas celebrations in the village came up I nearly choked on my tea when the words dog and delicacy were used in the same sentence. Ok, I'm open minded about international cuisine and I'm sure they have specially bred dogs for treats, I thought. But no, they just grab any old dog running around in the village and roast it (Mother of God!). Later at night me and Andrea went for a smoke on the 2nd floor balcony. Daft girl, she pulled the door closed and locked us outside. The village was in complete darkness (power cut) as we shouted for help. Any other time it would have been a laugh but we were both knackered from hiking. Thirty minutes of shouting bore fruit and Johnny came to the rescue but also chastising us. I asked him how many people had done this before...'none' was his reply.

Two things I have learned about the Filipinos since arriving that really fascinate me. Firstly, what they call 'bahala na' which roughly translated means 'all things shall pass and in the meantime life is to be lived'. For them all adversity is greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and a smile. Talking to an old lady sitting next to me on the bus ride from hell I asked her if she wasn't scared of the sheer cliff face. She shrugged her shoulders and said 'if it happens, it happens...nothing you can do about it. I nearly begged to differ and to explain the genius plan I had been scheming of jumping out the window and somersaulting off the roof to safe ground if we started falling (obviously a totally unrealistic plan).

The second national psyche that really fascinates me is the 'family unit' or 'kinship group'. This extends to distant cousins, multiple Godparents and the 'backada' (gang of friends). It is a large unit and extremely close-knit. What happens is they all look after each other through good and bad times, rich or poor. And they really do look after each other...money is spread all around to make sure everyone's OK. The only problem I can see with this is it means poor families pretty much remain poor and the rich stay rich. I still think its a pretty cool way of living life. For me it certainly beats the western psyche of looking after numero uno.

Ahhhh, Sunday mornings and lie ins. For the villagers here there is no such luxury as the Sunday morning lie ins. Apart from the hour at church and doing laundry it's a day like any other in the rice fields for the backbreaking rice harvesting. Had brekkie on the balcony and watched the impeccably dressed kids go to first mass...then it was the turn of the impeccably dressed adults for theirs. Even the pigs and chickens seemed to look smarter and behave better today. 30 minutes later the skies opened for what was going to be a full day of rain. Even so I still went for brave walk through torrential rain and lightening to see what was happening in the rice fields. Another motive for this walk was to get a mobile signal to call the feisty students to organise a meet in Bontoc. No mean feat considering some wise guy from the NPA (New People's Army) rebel group decided to shoot the mobile antennae out with his automatic...blew it to pieces.

Back at base had a coffee and watched the story of a little piglet unfold. It started with a small boy chasing a piglet through the village and throwing big stones at it. When he reached the owners house he tossed a small carcass at the feet of the family standing there (possibly a bird of some sort) said a few words and walked off. The family immediately doled out a vicious ordeal of punishment to the piglet (proper stoning of Biblical proportions). Not a nice site...truly but the interesting part was, there was no anger or resentment shown by the little boy. Here it's called 'hiya' which means sense of shame. It's very shameful to lose face in front of others so expressing any strong emotions is a definite NO NO (probably one of the worst things that you could do. Its a trait that backpackers fail miserably on when buses are late, taxi drivers rip them off or things just don't work out as they would back home. It's really embarrassing to see an angry backpacker shouting at a Filipino.).

My last night here in the rainy but lovely village of Luplupa and there were many visitors after dinner to bid farewell. Johnny and the family..then Victor...then our guide from the hike brought round some delicious rice doughnuts (really delish). Everyone was trying to get me to buy some land here and build a house. Of course they were going to find me a wife right away to keep the home in order (right...I really need to leave this place tomorrow before a wedding with roast dog is organised...basta!)

Caught the early morning jeepney to Bontoc and said goodbye (yes, goodbye) to Andrea. Traveling the few days with her was a strange experience for me and a true test of my patience. Now, I pride myself in speaking pretty clear and coherent English (well, unless I've had a beer or two..then it all goes out the window) and being very patient, especially after my time of travel. But she nearly drove me mental. The problem with her..or maybe me was she didn't understand me at all and anything I said there would follow a 'Huh?'. The locals understood me perfectly in the tiny village of Luplupa. So I think it was with relief that we both went our separate ways. I can't remember anyone I've traveled with who I didn't feel at least a bit sad on saying farewell...this was a first for me.

My first stop in Bontoc was the wonderful Bontoc Museum. A really great, compact museum showing all the local traditions using photos and real objects with traditional music being played at each section. Outside there are traditional huts showing how people lived a hundred years ago. Having a fag break outside I got a text message from the feisty ones. So checked into the Chury La Hotel, spruced up and met them after their Uni classes. They all had part time evening jobs at a local hotel...and their main job was to sing Karaoke (Oh Sweet Jesus).

Bontoc being a town of fuck all to do (again, drinking curfew at 9pm...apparently due to the amount of killings and fights after drinking the local gin) we stayed at the hotel til closing time (10pm). During that time a lot of beer was consumed. I've never been that smitten with Karaoke and to be honest hate any kind of public performing but for some reason tonight the mike may as well have been super glued to my hand. I belted out New York, New York..Desperado...Creep and Islands in the Stream (not sure where that one came from).

Needless to say even though I pride myself with two years of school choir singing behind me..I was shit (with a capital Shi). I still got a polite round of applause from the girls and other gangs of locals cringing in the corners. At closing we braved the mean streets of Bontoc in the hunt for a late drink and found sanctuary in a tiny bar for a few hours. A great night was had by all...nuff said.

(sigh)..never again. I was a bear with a sore head this morning as I reluctantly stepped onto the 8am bus to Banaue. Quite mixed feelings about leaving here...a town that deep down is a shithole with FA to do...but...and it's a big BUT...it has Sheng, Myra and Meauw to make up for it. What a town! Again quoting that great poet and philosopher A. Schwarzenegger...'I'll be back' (in precisely 1 week I hope). Apart from being well hung...over, the winding and scary road to Banaue didn't do me any favours as the whiteys kicked in a few times.

Arrived after a few hours and was immediately pounced on by a tour tout. Him being far too aggressive for my liking and me being half cut still I told him to Fuck off for 15 minutes (in a nice way of course...and with no spectators) which he promptly did. One of my main reasons (apart from staying in the villages) was to see the 8th Wonder of the World...the huge rice steps. So after some serious negotiating I was told that P600 would cover seeing two rice wonders and some hot spring time on a hill. Sitting in the side car of a motorised tricycle was fun but well bumpy and after just 20 minutes I knew I needed a crash helmet to prevent my head from cracking on the metal side car casing.

The views were magnificent though and even suffering with brain damage and a hangover I could appreciate its beauty. I learned a valuable lesson (I should know better really) when the driver said we couldn't go to the hot springs unless I paid the P700 guide fee to him (doh). Oh how I laughed (not with him...but at him). My fault anyway...I should have asked all the right questions before then there wouldn't be any doubts. I told him to forget the hot springs and we headed back to Banaue. At the bus terminal I was faced with a difficult decision dilemma ...I wanted to go back to Bontoc to see the girls but I also realised that the measly 21 day tourist visa given on entry into the Philippines was running out and at a penalty of P500 per day for being over I had to extend it. (sigh).

Another problem I needed to sort out was my nemesis that is Cebu Pacific, and specifically my ticket refund. So at 6.30pm I caught the 10 hour night bus to Manila. The ride was pretty rough and could have been more scary if it wasn't dark (thank God for the night to disguise those sheer drop cliffs).

Arrived in Manila at 5am in pitch black and hopped into a taxi...then hopped straight out swearing at the driver under my breath when he quoted me P400 for the ride and refused to put his metre on. Caught a different one with a metre and paid P75. The hostel staff wouldn't let me check in without paying for the previous nights stay so I just slept on the communal sofa for a few hours then checked into the dorm (without paying for last night) after the staff realised I was taking up most of the communal area and was more of a liability sleeping there than in the dorm.

The rest of the day was just spent lazing around and chatting to Gerald and Graham (Bloody Hell...they're still here!). In the evening met up with my mates at the shopping mall and had a night of drinks and dinner. Tomorrow as it's their day off I've been invited to stay at their family house. Should be good.

Late morning (needed to catch up on some sleep) I met up with the girls and we caught a jeepney for the long ride out to Qeuzon City (one of the many satellite cities around Manila that also make up Manila as a city). An hour later arrived at the family house where I greeted the Mother, younger brother, his son and Tintin's son. I was immediately given some shorts and a T-shirt to wear (so I didn't ruffle my already pack-ruffled clothes).

Most of the day just chatted to the family and went for small walks. Tintin's Mum had 7 kids in total and they lost the father 15 years ago making bringing all 7 of them up extremely tough for her. But with the help of the kinship group system of helping each other it was a bit easier.

Lunch was spaghetti 'Filipino style' which means the tomato sauce was sweet (anything to do with a tomato sauce seems to be highly sweetened here). There followed the traditional viewing of an afternoon horror film (the 5 year olds included). Then to lighten things up a bit they pulled out their home made Karaoke machine and started belting out some tunes (mostly of the sad local 'Pinoy' variety). There followed a scattered procession of neighbours visiting and saying hi to this weird English fellah in their neighbourhood and also asking if I knew any illegible bachelors back home (nahh, all my mates are settled...I lied).

The house itself was tiny and in a slightly ropey area but...the place was spotless and they had everything they needed and knew exactly where everything was. Altogether there were 6 people sleeping in a two bedroom house. Cramped but functional. The rent is P5000 a month (roughly 60 quid) and the whole family (including other brothers and sisters) contribute towards bills and such. The main thing I noticed is they were happy with their lot. Dinner, then another horror film of such bad quality I don't even remember what it was called. Then the brother called his mate round and we bought 2 litre bottles of local brandy (called 'Generoso' and at only P60 a bottle it certainly was...). It was at this point I started noticing my health deteriorate...watering eyes, sore throat and mass headache. Shit, the same symptoms I had in Guatemala 8 months ago that had me bed-ridden for a week. We all got lashed up and Karaoke'd a bit, danced a bit and then tried to watch another horror film (I fell asleep at this point hoping I'd feel better).

The plan for the next week is to kick what has now developed into acute tonsolitus by chilling at the hostel then head back to Bontoc to see the Karaoke girls, then head south for some island hopping.

OK...it's official now...the Philippines is my favourite country so far (sorry Colombia...c'est la vie). I think the Filipinos are the Latino's of South East Asia and the country has the rough and readiness of Africa...so for me it's just purrrrfeck. Just to think I nearly skipped it and went to Bali instead (phew).

Well, thankfully I haven't developed what I thought was going to be some kind of flu (yet) and as I headed to the Cebu Pacific office near the airport I had the look of a man with serious intent. The reason for this visit was the $240 refund for a flight ticket I won't be using. It all started off badly when I was asked to sit down in reception until someone was ready. Nearly 2 hours later and my bottom lip was nearly bleeding and my tongue was nearly chewed off..patience was wearing thin.

Finally someone came to see me and said that a refund would take 6 months to sort out and I had to prove that I was leaving the Philippines to them. Controlling myself I explained (very nicely) that 6 months was bollocks..I wanted it now and it was none of their business if I stayed in the Philippines or not...after all, they are just an airline. Off they went to talk to the manager. Four more visits (and 5 hours later) with the same reply ensued and being a hairs breadth away from going loco and calmly said I need to speak to the manager and will be calling the British Embassy (not sure why...but any kind of official contact is a good ace to use in my experience), the Filipino immigration department, my friend who works high up at Cebu Pacific (obviously porkies) and I will not leave this office until a refund is given. Five minutes later the manager appeared, instantly gave me the refund and all was well (except for my tension). I resisted the urge to tell him what I thought of the Philippines most popular budget airline and walked out thanking him for his time.

All in all I was in the office for 7 hours and returned to the hostel in the evening a shattered and traumatised fellah (well..not that bad really). Met up with my shopping centre friends Tintin and Joy for a few bevies and some dinner and planned for tomorrow's mission...extending my tourist visa (God help me).

Shit, went all the way to the Immigration office and then realised its Saturday today. Headed right back and went for a walk around town. God it's so hot and humid here in Manila. Up north it was warm but a really nice consistent warmth that didn't make you want to sit down or have a shower every 15 minutes. Even so..I really like the vibe here and there's always something going on. Did some travel planning and had a chat with Graham and Gerald. I am getting worried about that Gerald...I'm starting to think he's a total loon. He keeps sending everyone random text messages about mental health and bullies (weirdo). I talk to him and stuff but have blocked his number from my mobile.

Later in the afternoon I did some emailing using the free Wifi at the hostel (nice) and went to meet Tintin and Joy for dinner. Had a few beers in Adriatico st. at night and met up with the two girls Jesse and Che who Graham got all paranoid with the other week.

Ok, this morning I woke up feeling like shit (and not because of the beer I'd swilled the night before). I couldn't breath properly, was coughing like a loon, felt dizzy and had a well high temperature. Caught a taxi to the Manila Doctor's Hospital (starting to get to know this place all too well) and prepared myself for the imminent 4 hour wait. 5 hours later and I was prescribed antibiotics and some gargling gear and the prognosis was Acute Tonsillitis and the treatment was rest and no...NO smoking or alcohol (crap...double crap). Later on Tintin and Joy came to nurse me for the evening, cooking me food and making me hot drinks and we watched a few films and just chatted. Fever is running high so just chilled and slept a lot. For the first time ever I actually felt cold in Manila.

Well, even though I felt like I was dying I had a mission to complete and headed to the immigration office. True to form if you want anything done quickly and easily the universal language is money...more precisely P1000. The 38 day visa extension normally takes weeks and costs P2000 but with the payment of a 'express' fee of P1000 (8 quid) it could be done instantly.

I was nearly in stitches when I met two Scotsmen from the hostel who were too noisy and refused to pay the express fee saying they should get it instantly anyway (Schoolboy error). In the end the paid the fee but the fellah at the counter punished them for their rudeness by telling them to return tomorrow. The fellah winked at me while he was saying this (to say wait around...yours will be ready shortly). The Scots' asked me if I was coming back and I said no...'I'll hang around here for a while'. Two minutes later I had my passport stamped. Back at the hostel I sheepishly explained where they went wrong at the office and they cursed the system and promised to have harsh words with the clerk (they still hadn't learned anything...sigh).

Relaxing and recuperating in bed it suddenly went dark outside and a fierce wind and rain followed. It was hurricane time again. I think this one was called Bertha and was passing over the northern Philippines. It hit us bad as flower pots were smashed, street signs collapsing and the streets flooded. Fortunately for me I had nothing better to do but get better.

My loving nurses braved the storm and came round to continue their good work of getting me better. We watched a few films on the laptop as I drifted in and out of a fevered sleep.

Still feeling shit and coughing like mad. Am waiting for the fever to break and to feel at least a bit better. Nothing to report today except sleep, nursing and random eating. The hurricane is still whipping Manila and the rest of northern Philippines. The only thing of any productivity I can report is me learning the chords of A Major and D Major. Playing the guitar each day helps to keep me sane while I'm illin. I'm really getting into it now and hope to be playing something recognisable as a song within a few weeks so I can do a proper gig in the bar across the street without the girls scurrying away in fright, covering their ears with their hands.

Another day of feeling bad but the antibiotics are kicking in now. I have stopped smoking and drinking and am starting to think maybe that's why I feel so bad. Hurricane dying off but still rampant.

Last night my fever broke and I woke up sogging wet this morning. Feeling a lot better but still have a clogged up throat. The storm has gone now and we have clear blue skies now. Went for a walk to buy some supplies and get some air. Funny, the streets look normal even after the storm...maybe it always looks this rough? My plan was to go back to Bontoc in the north today but what with the storm the roads are apparently full of landslides at the moment...and I'm still not 100% better. So the trip's postponed for now. Went to the shopping centre and bought my friends a thank you present for their loving nursing then came back to the hostel and watched a whole season of the Simpson's with other lazy hostellers (all of season 5...class).

My throat is a lot better now and feeling my energy return so headed out for a light drink. A few hours later returned and went to sleep. This last week has shown me where time goes and can be wasted when you travel. In theory doing beurocratic stuff should go quickly and travels can continue but in practice it never does and then the element of illness gets thrown into the equation and a whole week is lost without actually doing anything. This week went bloody quickly even though I don't remember half of it.

The plan for the next week is hopefully more exciting than this last week. I'm heading back to Bontoc in the north to spend some time with my student mates there and explore the region more. Then back to Manila for a short stay and catch the boat to the Island of Busuanga where there is superb wreck diving, crystal clear lakes and beautiful beaches. Time to explore the some of the thousands of islands the Philippines has to offer.

Feeling much better today so made preparations for the Manila evacuation. Had lunch with Tintin and co near Robinson's Shopping Centre and packed my bags. Dossed around the hostel until 8pm then with my pack and trusty guitar (becoming a bit of a travel liability..knocking people with it and banging it against anything in its way...but its worth it) I made my way back to the bus terminal. Getting to the right terminal here in Manila can be a pain because every bus company has its on bus terminal so there are literally hundreds of the bloody things everywhere...and no central terminal. The ride was the usual bumpy affair but under cover of darkness I was spared the scare factor of the cliff drops. Because of the recent hurricanes the direct route to Bontoc was blocked with landslides so I had to go the long way via Banaue.

Chatted to a pair of cool Filipino girls who were on their way to Sagada. One of them, Corinne was going to chill in her mates place for 3 months to write her book of poetry.

Finally reached Bontoc at 11am. Felt like a hell of a long journey this time but was also like a home-coming for me but when I met up with the cheeky students (with their ringleader Sheng) I remembered why I'd come here. Had a few afternoon cerveza's and a small dose of Karaoke but succumbed to the tiredness of the long journey and had to scurry back to the hotel for a siesta. After an early dinner I went out for a few more beers and yes, the mic came out again as I belted out a few numbers. Plans were made to visit a river for tomorrow with the girls so went to bed early.

Getting up way too early for my liking the five of us headed to the local river for a splash about and some sun worshipping. The water was damn cold but refreshing. Only Sheng and Sharon (her cousin) could swim and not very well either..nearly lost them both as the strong currents grabbed them and nearly took them down-river. There was a local bar nearby so we all decided it was safer to go there. We had the whole place to ourselves as the beers flowed (40p a bottle I might add). So for the next 5 hours we drank and sang like there was no tomorrow. My tunes were Angels, What a Girl Wants and of course my old favourite Because I Get High.

Back at Bontoc and highly tanked up we all continued the drinking and singing way into the night (well, just past curfew time at 10pm anyway). To quote a classic 70's tune...Oh what a night...

Now, this could be classed as being well lazy but for the next week and possibly more (the date I am writing this entry is actually August 15th and due to having too much fun in what I can only class as the country I may well settle down in, the entries until this time will be scattered, hazy and to be honest there will be quite a lot missed out for a lot of reasons. I've really lost track of what's been going on...well, what ya gonna do? Sadly this week is exam week for the girls so I had to entertain myself for the rest of the week during the daytime. Of course night time was a different story and the partying went on...and on...and on..

Beer, Karaoke, bad singing and the girls.

...beer, Karaoke, improving singing and the girls

... ....beer, Karaoke, moderately good singing and the girls (Sheng's sister showed up tonight for a sing song.

The plan for the next week is a few more days here in Bontoc to..ahem, improve my singing skills then its back to Manila again where I finally get to catch the ferry to the island of Palawan (an island south of here). Please, please, please let there be no hurricanes this time...

Well, after a week of Uni, beer and Karaoke it was time to go on a recuperating trip to some hot springs with the girls. We sat in a jeepney filled with old women and chickens and after waiting nearly 2 hours finally headed off. Arrived late afternoon and all hopped straight in the pools for some much needed detox. After a soak and a splash about we all went for a walk into the village. Most of the villagers were themselves either soaking in their pools or in some cases cooking their rice in some of the hotter pools. The women in the village pools got well embarrassed (as did I) when I walked past...them being starkers and all. A flurry of covering up and all was well. Back at hot spring heaven the girls cooked some dinner and we went through a few litres of bad red wine whilst soaking in the pools.

Caught the early morning jeepney back to Bontoc (sadly only one a day so had to take this one). This is my last night here and although I could very well stay here forever the travel urge is picking up again and I really want to see more of the Philippines. At night we all went to the biggest bar in town and watched a few bands from Manila do their stuff. Not bad but all covers of RnB tunes. Had a top, top night as a send off. Kinda looking forward to getting on that bus tomorrow though.

Said a sad, sad farewell to Sheng and the girls and just as I was about to hop on the bus Graham (from Manila) showed up limping. He'd bought himself a motorbike in Manila (more specifically a Honda..well a Monda really...a Chinese copy) and during his ride up here had came off it...scraping his legs and body badly. He was OK though...just bruised and shaken. On the Manila bus I sat next to an Italian rasta fellah called Andrea. Really nice bloke but shit could he talk (and loud as well).

After four hours of chatting like there was no tomorrow I needed a break and grabbed an empty pair of seats behind his, donned my earphones and chilled. Funny thing is he still carried on chatting for hours...and hours..so I did the polite thing and just kept nodding.

Arrived in Manila pretty refreshed at 6am and checked into what felt like my Manila home..the trusty Friendly's Guest house. Me and noisy Andrea went straight out for a beer across the road and drank and chatted well through the morning. Went to bed at lunchtime and had a long, long sleep. Dinner time went to see my mate Tintin at Robinson's for dinner and was on good form and excited to be leaving here for the tropics of the Palawan island.

Damn you weather!! Last night yet another hurricane hit us...and just as I had planned to catch the ferry. Sigh, the next few days entries are just about waiting for the storm to pass. All I managed to do was a few forays to Robinson's to see Tintin, drink a few beers in the evening, read, watch TV, chat to other pretty pissed off travelers, eat and sleep.

Hurricane...noooooooo

Hurricane...but with a glimmer of hope. It is clearing a bit and late afternoon I managed to fight the winds to the ferry ticketing office and buy myself a ticket for tomorrow's ferry to Palawan...woohoo.

The plan for the next week will hopefully be a more exciting prospect than the last as I ferry over to Palawan and travel around there for a couple of weeks enjoying some top beaches and remote villages.

After chilling at the hostel in the morning I caught a jeepney to the ferry terminal. Queuing up for the ferry I had a few chicks asking if I played guitar. My modest answer with a wry smile was yes, of course. I mean come on...I have perfected the A and D chords and was onto plucking now (God help me if they ask me to play on the ferry...I'd have to feign a finger injury). Plonked myself in the bunk bed that is the open sleeping area and got ready for the 28 hours in possibly rough waters.

My surrounding bunk bed neighbours were trainee marines so I behaved myself..especially when their CO came round to check on them. I felt like I was being shouted at when the CO went into one and almost replied with a 'Sir, yes Sir' myself. It being my 1 year travel anniversary I had a few drinks in the ferry bar and chatted to a few girls traveling to Coron and Palawan.

The seas were getting quite bumpy so after a few bevies I went back to my barracks for a sleep and some MP3 time.

Today is a special day for me indeed. Not only am I off traveling again after staying in places for longer times but I am celebrating my 1st years travel (not that I'm counting or anything but it dawned on me a few days ago). Its amazing how quickly the year has flown by...really, it has. Its quite fitting though that I celebrate this day in my favourite country (by far) out of the 18 I've visited over the last year. Who would have thought Colombia would get topped...certainly not me. I would have been really pissed off I ended up in Venezuela or New Zealand on this day.

One other thing of major importance that has also dawned on me and hit me like a ton of bricks is the state of my finances or rather the non-existence of them. To put it in very basic terms I am completely skint and if I was running a business I would be filing for bancruptcy right now.

So the month of August will be the last month of travel and blog entries for me on this half of the trip as I work out where the best place to settle for some 6 months would be. Its time for the realist to kick in...I need to work, plain and simple. In a perfect world I wouldn't break up the trip but what ya gonna do? Six months of work in either Korea, Australia or back home and I'll be back on the road again like greyhound on steroids who's just drunk 20 Vodka Red Bull's. Even though seeing my family and friends again would be awesome he going home option would be the least preferable because going back to normality again would be a kick in the bollocks for me. We'll see...

After a pretty good nights sleep (just happy I wasn't woken by the CO at 0600 for training) I had a walk around the ship. Not much here except a bar, restaurant, small shop and a smoking room. Chatted to some of the locals about Palawan and got myself pretty riled up and ready for it. Read quite a bit, tried to write but that just made me a tad sea sick, listened to some tunes and watched some tv (yep, there was a tv screen near the beds...nice).

At 7pm the boat docked in Puerto Princessa amid a flurry of activity. True to any ferry port in Asia there were millions of hotel, taxi and restaurant touts everywhere. My guitar (slung over my shoulder) was nearly knocked into the water by an over excited granny dying to get off the ship. Lucky I grabbed it just in time. Course I didn't get stroppy with her because that's just not done here...instead everyone just laughed about it.

Caught a tricycle ride to a recommended hostel called Banwa Art house Hostel (ponsy name but really nice place). Had some dinner and chatted to the manager. I had the whole dorm to myself so chilled out (result).

I had a few missions to do today like yet again extending my tourist visa and getting some flights to various Philippines destinations (domestic flights are well cheap here..average 20 quid a flight). Sadly the immigration was closed, with it being a Saturday and all but managed to get some flights booked with my favourite airline company..Cebu Pacific. Wandered around town a bit and to be honest there's not much to the capital of Palawan. Its not a beautiful city but pretty lively. In the afternoon I decided I was in serious need of some sun so asked around for the best place for a swim and a sun soak.

Caught a tricycle to the nearest and best beach and was totally disappointed. I had to walk through knee high water running through a swamp to get to the beach and then found the beach a complete mess of flooding, litter, flotsam, jetsam and bbq'ing locals. Chatted to some local dudes and got a few names of clubs and bars in town. Ms Kookey's seemed to be one of the best bars...God knows what kind of bar it is though.

Back at the hostel I chatted to a group of rowdy paddies from Dublin who were organising hiring some motorbikes to ride around the island. At night me, Mark, Paddy and Danny went out for a few drinks at what was supposed to be the top bar in town (it was dead but the food was good). Of course went to check out Ms Kookeys and immediately knew what kind of bar it was..but what the hell, the music was good so we all had a boogy and got lashed up.

Last night I was invited to join the Irish lads for 5-6 days of biking around the island. They're good lads so how could I resist. Went into town and hired a nice little Honda 110 for P400 a day (9 quid). Back to the hostel for lunch and then our convoy of bikers headed off leaving a cloud of dust in our wake. The first destination was Sabang and its beautiful beaches and subterranean cave river. With 9 hours travel time ahead of us we flew like the wind.

Paddy, for the second time did literally fly but not like the wind. He was going round a sharp turn with tarmac road and tried to avoid a huge mountain of cow shit. Sadly trying to avoid it just made him lose control and he went flying ass over tits. Lucky for him he just had bad bruising and cuts. He's a pretty tough cookie and just brushed himself off and carried on. This would be the second fall he's had and by now his bike is starting to change shape and is starting to look more like a badly made custom bike (bits missing, gear changer bent out of shape, plastic bits hanging off and throttle stuck in high rev...this would cause him all sorts of trouble later on).

The road was really great for part of the way and then it just got worse and worse. Dusty, pebbly, rocky, muddy..it was all there. The lads flew ahead and I being stuck in the back was covered in dust most of the time. After numerous stops I'd be picking dead fly's and insects out of my clothes, face and bag. It was great being on the road though..I soo could get used to this way of travelling (maybe next time). Finally reached Sabang at the early time of 7pm (not bad going) and was led by a local to a well nice wooden hut resort on the beach...beautiful. After checking into separate beach huts we all went off for a much needed wash down and soak in the sea. I'm sure the sea changed colour after that.

Had dinner got totally lashed and then went looking for a possible bar or club in the area (Haha absolutely no chance..this was such a small place and it had a 9pm curfew). So instead we bought more drinks and sat outside the huts drinking and swimming til the early hours.

After waking up with sore heads we all got a boat to the local underground river (thought to be the longest in the world). Donning hard hats and life jackets we boarded the small row boat and entered the bat ridden cave. It was quite an experience paddling through a cave this big with bats and birds flitting about missing my head by inches. There were of course many specially shaped stalactites and stalagmites to view but the real experience was just floating through it. Paddy was in charge of lighting duties at the front of the boat and did a terrible job of it.

The guide said point left and he'd point right. We were close to chucking him in the river and taking over ourselves but were having too much fun watching bats swoop mere inches from his face making him jump around like a loon. After the river and cave trip we decided to hike back and took the Monkey Trail which in all honesty should have been called the Uphill Wooden Steps Trail. It was pretty tough going for 4 hungover lads but we did clock one monkey (begging for food).

Exhausted and starving (we almost ate the lonely and starving monkey we spotted) we arrived back at beach paradise at 4pm and grabbed some lunch. Then went for a soak and a splash about in the sea. It was on this night that something unmentionable happened to one of our group for which a sworn oath was taken that it would never be mentioned...ever (very funny but sadly can't be repeated on pain of death).

Not much to do here at nights so sat around the hotel bar and ate and drank all night.

Early rise and time to go on the road again as the Easy Riders headed back the way we came on the dusty arse breaking road and then headed towards El Nido. Danny and Mark being the faster riders were well ahead and reached there by 6pm. Me and Paddy took it easy and stopped for a few fag breaks and even spotted an Emperor Scorpion (them being the only creatures I am really scared of I kept my distance). Of course Paddy had another mishap and we've now dubbed his bike the Wild Stallion. It seems to have a mind of its own and bucks at the most annoying moments (like when other vehicles approach) and throw him off. The Wild Stallion no longer resembles a bike..its now just an empty shell of a lump of metal with bits hanging off. Found a pretty cheap room for all of us at Og's Guest house.

Went out for dinner and then got ready for a night out. We all missed going to a club in Sabang so now was our chance. The only real club was a disco of dubious character. Danny and Paddy left early (they were knackered) but me and Mark hung around for a boogie and drank til the early hours. Had a very good night all in all.

Today was chilling day and after being on the bikes for so long it was nice to just stretch out on the sand and soak up some sun mixed with frequent swims it was just what I needed. The evening was dinner and then more drinks and boogying at the only club open in town.

Today we all booked a days boat trip to see the islands around El Nido. Early at 8am we managed to catch the small boat and spent a day snorkeling, splashing about and three of us even had a dive (to be honest it was a mediocre dive...the coral was totally destroyed). The highlight for me was spotting a Reef Shark on one of the snorkeling trips. Boy was he fast. He clocked me and swam off like a rocket (thankfully not a hungry bigger shark).

Tonight Mark had a date with a local girl working in the souvenir shop and locals in small towns being extremely shy about dating she had to bring a chaperone with her. I volunteered my company as a distraction for him. She ended up bringing 6 girls with her. Sweet Jesus it was tough going but I managed (with the help of Danny later on) to keep them occupied while the love birds chatted away in the corner.

For the next week I'll be heading back to Puerto Princessa tomorrow, spend a few days there and then catch a flight to Manila then straight away catch a bus to Tagaytay for 3-4 days (dubbed the summer getaway resort for Manila folk). Then I fly to the island of Mindanao (notorious and probably the most dangerous place in the Philippines due to Muslim rebel activity from the comically named MILF rebel group). I'm staying well away from all the trouble spots in the north (Cagayan De Oro).

This is the second last day in El Nido. The bikes have to be returned on 9th. In all honesty I have no recollection of what happened today or tonight. It could have been the best day of my life but I can't remember...

Sad to wave goodbye to El Nido. Its not the liveliest of places but a really nice chill spot with just enough going on at night to keep us occupied. Of course two of our bikes wouldn't start so for twenty minutes we tried some diy mechanics to fix mine and Paddy's bikes. In the end the experts that we are didn't notice the petrol gauge on empty (schoolboy error). I nearly had a serious incident when a local chicken bus ploughing past me on a dirt road got too close to me, covered me in inches of dust (couldn't see a thing) and I nearly flew into the bushes at the side of the road. I cursed the driver and his family and chickens and tried to catch up with him but riding behind a bus at full speed is a recipe for disaster and yet again I got covered in dust.

The ride back went a lot faster than coming here and after a brief lunch stop at Roxas we flew into Puerto Princessa (and the Wild Stallion behaved for the final leg). Took the bikes back to the hire company and we all held our breath when they checked the Wild Stallion (damage charge). Now either all the staff had terrible eyesight, knew nothing about bikes or were feeling generous because they only charged Paddy P120 (1 pound fifty).

Back at the Banwa Art House we got spruced up, chilled out and then headed out for the night. It was at this moment that Paddy realised he had an unfortunate problem with his little general. It seems he was too frisky in Borocay and now certain symptoms were rearing their ugly head. I won't go into details but how we laughed and had a good 'clap' when we heard. He had no shame and made it a point to tell everyone..even the staff at the hostel. He even started showing people his todger to prove the point. Before it got out of hand we dragged him out for the night.

The nights action was a place called 'Disco' on the main road. It was a nice and cheap place to just have a boogie and watch how the dancing should be done. They are pretty good dancers the Filipinos. Paddy had the hump because we were winding him up about his situation and quoted from a web site of dubious accuracy that he can't have sex for 6 months and drink for 9 months (all rubbish of course but enough to make him sulk all night).

Mark got lucky and went his own way with a girl who looked uncannily like Cleopatra. The rest of us went to Ms Kookeys again but we were in for a surprise when we discovered it was gay night and they were holding some kind of Mr Puerto competition. All the usual girls were sulking in the corners and me and the boys were having a good laugh and generally making nuisances of ourselves.

Said goodbye to the lads. They were flying back to Manila and then on to Dublin and back to normality. I'm going to miss them..they really were a good laugh and good people. Of course them being 21 they were always ribbing me about my age but it was all good natured and such. Paddy I'm going to meet up with in Cambodia next year so he can show me around.

The rest of the day I tried to do some writing but the brain wasn't there so I just did some reading, eating and sleeping.

My visa is running out yet again so my mission for today was to extend it. It was a painless but expensive process costing me P4000 (fifty quid...bloody hell..nearly a weeks budget). It was worth it to get the extra 2 weeks stay in this wonderful country. I also booked some cheap flights to get me around the country. Altogether I got 3 flights for sixty quid. Because I'm running out of time it makes more sense to fly anyway.

Managed to get some writing done and rested in the hammock. Chatted to some new arrivals and persuaded them to hire some bikes to tour the island..well worth it.

Today I leave the beautiful island of Palawan and fly to Cebu city to see one of the top tattooists in the Philippines...a fellah called Inkin Ian (I need some tattoo repair work done and he's the main man to do it). Pretty uneventful flight at noon and landed in Cebu at 1pm. Checked into the Hotel Mercedes in down town Cebu City. After a spot of lunch I went on a bender and pretty much crawled into every bar and club there was on offer. Somewhere along the line I ended up in a Karaoke bar and sung some random tunes. Rolled back to the hotel after hitting a club at 4am. Oh what a night...

Nervously I headed to the tattoo parlour for my 1pm appointment and after 8 hours of agonising pain I scurried back to the hotel, holed myself up there with supplies and slept like there was no tomorrow.

Another flight to catch and back to Manila for me. The flight landed at 3pm and by 4pm I was on the bus to Tagaytay, the summer retreat for Manila folk. Arrived at night and walked about a bit looking for a reasonably priced place to stay (not many around here). Finally found a nice balconied room, went out for a cheap bite at a local stall (grilled fish) and had an early night ready for some sightseeing tomorrow.

For the next week I'll be spending a few days here in Tagaytay then flying out to Mindanao. I'm just a little bit nervous about this because everyone I mention it to here says stay well clear of the place, what with all the rebel action. I've picked a safe area to stay though in the north so it'll be cool.

Another flight to catch and back to Manila for me. The flight landed at 3pm and by 4pm I was on the bus to Tagaytay, the summer retreat for Manila folk. Arrived at night and walked about a bit looking for a reasonably priced place to stay (not many around here). Finally found a nice balconied room, went out for a cheap bite at a local stall (grilled fish) and had an early night ready for some sightseeing tomorrow.

For the next week I'll be spending a few days here in Tagaytay then flying out to Mindanao. I'm just a little bit nervous about this because everyone I mention it to here says stay well clear of the place, what with all the rebel action. I've picked a safe area to stay though in the north so it'll be cool.

A few more days in Tagaytay and one last night in Manila as I fly to South Korea to see Seungmi and to try and find work there.