Blogs from Samar, Philippines, Asia

I can feel it so vividly, the feeling of new adventure on the open road. After an amazing time in Mindanao and around Mount Apo, I had met some really cool people and almost extended my time there. So tempting, much more to explore and I will be back. I stuck to my original vision though, woke up in my funky art hotel in Davao, tossed down some instant Indonesian coffee and walked out to the main street. It was about 8AM but starting to get warm already. I was completely comfortable in this city now, it had been rather scary when I first got here over a week ago. That's how it goes, these worries we create in our brain are often unfounded. Ready for new adventure, I hopped in a loud colorful jeepney that ... read more

Where to go after traveling the usual suspects? Here are some new ideas I came up with surfing the net while recovering from a Monday night drinking binge today. 1. Samar and Leyte in the Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Why: I could use a Red Horse* beer. The general idea: Buy a motorbike, tricycle or a Filipino style used jeepney that says "Jesus is with me" on the sides and "Guns'n'Roses" on the front and tour these relatively little known islands. 2. Bangladesh. Why: A detox in muslim country might be welcome. The general idea: See the Sundarbans sanctuary for tigers, well known for the fact that a person (usually a honey collector) is eaten alive by a tiger every third day. The tourists still claim of course that it's hard to catch a glimpse of one. ... read more

Eine weitere 10-stündige Nachtbusfahrt (780 P) in einem recht komfortablen ac Bus (komfortabel, nachdem die BonJovi Videoke DVD ausgeschaltet wurde) brachte uns nach Legaspi in Südluzon. Wir kamen bei Tagesanbruch am Busbahnhof an und nahmen uns sogleich ein Tricycle (150 P, return) für den 15 km Trip zu den Cagsawa Ruinen. Diese Ruinen bestehen eigentlich nur aus einem alten Kirchturm, aber der Grund hierher zu kommen ist der spektakulärere Ausblick auf den Mt Mayon, der vielleicht am perfektesten geformte konische Vulkan weltweit - Motiv unzähliger Postkarten - der fast 2500m aus der Küstenebene hervorragt und dessen Spitze von Rauchwolken umnebelt ist. Den Vulkan zu besteigen ist schwierig, teuer und nur in einem beschränkten Zeitfenster in der Trockenzeit möglich, aber allein der Anblick ist die lange Anreise wert, zumal die Route über Südluzon eine langwierige, aber durchaus ... read more

May is the time of most festivities in the Philippines. "Fiesta". Many people from the cities would usually take time off to attend their town fiestas in the provinces. I went to visit a friend (whose only daughter is also my godchild). My friend Emie's cousin, Lina was also going home to Homonhon Island for the May fiesta. I took the land trip with her, with her son Nathan, and nephew Rigel. We took the Eagle Bus Transport. I almost backed out of the trip because the bus was "fully loaded" on the aisle. Passengers had a lot of things, boxes they put within their seats and on the aisle. And some passenger were arguing with Lina that our seat were theirs. It looked confusing inside the bus. But I thought of my friend and wanting ... read more