Sophie and Dale's Guestbook

sounds great!!
hey guys! this adventure looks amazing! thank you for sharing. :o) xoxo jessica

erik is a moron
im from the philippines and ive travelled abroad so i know that manila is a dump compared to singapore, or even bangkok. but im not ashamed of it. that just how it is. every place is different. i glad you liked your stay

What's next?
Boracay, Bohol, Banaue, Sagada...what's next? I hope Palawan is on the list. Great pictures, btw.

Congratulations, on your high viewings count! :) If you have time, share your secret on http://www.travelblog.org/Topics/21363-1.html Mel

Same Same
Hey there guys, I have some of the exact same pictures from my travels to Banaue. Enjoy your travels, they'll end sooner than you'd like. I have only fond memories of my trip now. The blog that my girlfriend and I wrote about our travels, if you feel like having a look, can be found when you search Mr Shake A leg. Safe travels, Matt

Donna and Neil in Boracay?
Ah, Boracay. I miss that place already. Was just there a week ago!

aiks, forgot to login =.= the sultan does has a long name lol. Like the entry of boracay,very interesting to me. What will be the next destination? Keep us update!

Bora!
Glad to hear you had a great time. Can't wait for you guys to experience Palawan and how you'll find the place :)

knowledge behind the pictures
Dear Sophie and Dale, thank you for the pictures which have been created be mere chance. In displaying, you could have better separated the Tai rocket festival and your visit of the Akha village in your presentation. The Tai rocket festival is in spring time when the first rain has been coming, that is why the large maeng mau insects, which fly in millions in the evenings after rain. You may collect them and make a nice dish. Muang Sing is a region of the Tai Lue, the same Tai group as in neighboring Sipsongpanna of China. You have been very lucky to watch the bang-fai festival (rocket launching) which is a religious festival (actually prior-to-Buddhism), wich is also widely celebrated among the Lao and other Tai tribes. It is also called the Naga-rocket festival, invoking the age-old (re-named in Buddhist terms) Tai god of the rain, water and prosperity. This is a very festive day, and one of its characteristics is a little bit an obscene character, like carnival, etc. Due to the background of fertility, this day is also sexually explicit, by displaying pappe-mache models of sexual organs, etc., in some places. This means, men and women and children dress in odd costumes, everybody is kidding, even small monk kids are allowed to play around, in this case even with playing guns... which in normal life is not acceptable. The fire rockets made of bamboo which are 4-8 metres long, are carried in a procession to the launching place. This is a competition for the best ornamented rocket, long rocket, and the manner of joyful procession by the carriers and followers. the followers may come from the same village, or same extended family, etc. Muang Sing, as many other regions in Laos, are miedly composed of different ethnic groups, wheras mostly the Tai have a higher social development since a long time. Dominant in Muang Sing are the Tai Lue, settlement of many Tai Dam (Black Tai) villages in the recent time, and such ethnic groups as Iko (Akha) and Len-Ten... You were very lucky to have been in the region, to see this event, and meet some of the peoples. There, you was also safe-guarded by a man with a real weapon who was for sure not "having an eye on the small monks, or novices". The region is situated directly at the national border, and in some surrounding villages on top of some hills there are living peoples who are a little bit back in their social development and hove partly differing ideas on force and conflict management. Unfortunately, not every of your comments is fitting for the respective photographs. Best regards, ai lii (a researcher on Tai cultures)

Erik is stupid
don't mind that idiotic guy, I'm Filipino and I don't pretend to think that the Philippines is either well off or doesn't have a poverty problem. Erik is the idiot for denying it and actually compares the homeless issue here to the U.K. if that doesn't prove your an idiot I don't know what does. I think he is one of those people who only wants to hear praises for this country, and delude himself to thinking everbody adores it. 90 percent of Filipino's trust me knows the challeges the country faces, just some morons who bullshits themselves to thinking otherwise. I love your blogs honestly I thinking your giving your honest oppinions without bieng asses about it.

Someone seriously got offended, lol, shame that i am the one who always agree most when people criticizing my country. No offend but this is opinion of mine. It is unlikely Philippine among the poorest in SEA. For me the big gap between the social structure shows a sign of improper development plan, which is happening to most of the developing countries now(almost all i would say, when ppl use the public wealth for their own good). The rich ppl getting richer and poor getting poorer. Yeah, sad but it is true, and gives others the impression that the country is poor. Safe trip and looking forward to you guys next entry!

the philippines is not among the poorest countries in asia.it is a newly industrialized country and middle income country.just do yur reseach first b4 commenting.majority of caucasian are really dump and low iq.for such commenting an stupid and idiotic comments.yur country for sure have lots of homeless too so its a worldwide phenomena so stop bullshiting the philippines ok.just comment postive