And so Sagada marked the end of my time in the Cordilleras, as I took the 7h winding road back down south to Baguio for a quick overnighter, before proceeding on northwest to the Unesco World Heritage City of Vigan. From Baguio, it was a pretty 6h drive along the western coast of North Luzon, on the expressway fronting the South China Sea. But after spending a week in the cool altitudes of the Cordilleras, back at sea-level, the oppressive heat of tropical Philippines became an unwelcome reality again. Vigan is certainly different from the highland towns, somewhat akin to the Intramuros area of Manila, with its well-preserved Spanish colonial heritage and architecture, but without (too many) of the annoying incessant touts of the capital. Like the other Filipino cities I've visited outside the capital, the ... read more

It had to be a bit of a letdown. After the almost overwhelming experience of seeing the Ifugao rice terraces for the first time in Maligcong near Bontoc, subsequent viewings could only be less spectacular, even if it were to be at the supposed heart of it all, in Banaue. Perhaps it was because the rice terraces here are mud-walled, compared to the stone-walled variety of Maligcong. Somehow the silvery glint of the embankments in the reflection of the sun seems to make a difference. This despite the volume of terraces here at Banaue clearly besting Maligcong. Or perhaps it was because the town itself wasn't quite as welcoming as Bontoc. Or perhaps too welcoming, I should put it. After a respite in my initial days in the Cordilleras, the familiar touts were back, bombarding the ... read more

So with the quick introduction to Philippines complete after three days in the sweltering capital, it was time to head north towards the Cordillera Mountains, from where I intend to make my assault on the famed Ifugao rice terraces of Banaue, yet another Unesco World Heritage site. But before that, there was the small matter of a 7h bus ride from Manila to Baguio, the de facto capital of North Luzon, inclusive of the 1.5h or stuck in the crazy traffic of the capital, just trying to get on the interstate expressway! Arriving in Baguio at almost 11 p.m. at night, dark and disoriented, I somehow managed to stumble my way around the winding roads of the former Spanish/ American hill station, before locating several "transient houses" (essentially home-stays). Of course I had the assistance of ... read more

Yes I know, it's been ages since I've updated this blog, but as warned, I was back in Bangkok for another extended stay continuing my Thai studies. Two full months in fact, during which I established a rather ordinary routine of lessons, homework and reading, with just the odd opportunity for short travel and sightseeing. Jin, the Korean backpacking whom I met in Langkawi, came to Bangkok for about a week sometime in mid-Feb, so we met up again and caught some Bangkok sights together (photos attached). I also quite incredibly bumped into a good Singaporean friend while strolling along Sukhumvit Road one random Thursday evening, and so we spent some good times together that weekend catching up, and reliving our Bangkok experiences from previous trips. Of course I also caught up with some new friends ... read more

After five days of beach-bumming, punctuated by the raucous Full Moon Party on the final night, it was finally time to leave the islands, and return back to the track leading to Bangkok. My next stop was Chumphon, the natural jumping-off point from the mainland to the islands. There aren't any real attractions in this small city per se, but it still sees many tourists in transit to the islands. It was here that my inhibitions from my Koh Phangan escapade caught up with me - as I began to feel the effects of food poisoning. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I suspect it was the cold pizza I had from one of street vendors at the FMP. That ruined the day of my arrival in Chumphon, as I was basically bed- (and ... read more