Sitting under the canopy of a dilapidated bus station in some unknown barrio in Manila, we waited on sunrise. It was barely after 5 am. We had spent the night on the bus from Banaue. When it became bright enough and busy enough we eased in to a jeepney for a random drive around. Since we could no longer sidestep Manila, we determined to experience a little of it. We asked for directions to Intramuros - the 16th century district - still trying to avoid the crush and chaos of modern, downtown Manila. Located on the southern bank of the river Pasig, Intramuros brims with Spanish colonial history and architecture. The city still carries shades of its former glory as an imposing walled fortress but most everything was ruined after World War II. We cut a ... read more

Mount Mayon was, without doubt, the most impressive sight we saw in the countless hours on the bus from Batangas to somewhere and now on to Legaspi. Dubbed "The world's most perfect volcano" Mayon's slope, which rises dramatically above the flat of Albay, is almost perfectly symmetrical. But Mayon is as dangerous as it is beautiful having claims hundreds of lives. The most recent eruption was in June 2001. Spotting Mayon told us that Legaspi was near but as soon as we arrived and saw big-city Legaspi, we hopped on a jeepney bound for Donsol. In Romblon, we had learnt of strange, unbelievably large creatures that visited Donsol regularly each year. They were Rhincodon typus and could grow to 12.65 meters (41.5 feet) in length and 7 meters (23 feet) in girth. For easier comparison, they ... read more

We begin this blog by expressing our grief and condolences at the shocking news of the tragedies visited upon the Philippines by Typhoon Fengshen. Scores of people died just off the coast of Sibuyan when a boat capsized. Islands like Illoilo, Sibuyan and Romblon suffered devastating damage to homes, farms and livestock. We feel the pain. The indomitable people of the Philippines will remain in our thoughts and prayers. For the record, our visit was pre-Fengshen. Spur Of The Moment It was eerily quiet outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. But, then again, it was only 5:45 am. A guard, with a welcoming smile, pointed out the way to public transportation and we headed off. Clambering into the ‘jeepney’ after us was Raymond, a Ghanaian. He, like us, had no idea where he was ... read more

Flash-forward: Her almost-inaudible chuckle said, “I know you”. The lady immigration officer handed back our passports and waved us thru. We were back in Singapore. Flashback: Some of you may well remember (we’ll never forget) the welcome we received upon entering Singapore for the first time some 33 days prior (see Singapore: 4½ ). In sum, after enduring 4½ hours in the “kind” custody of Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), we were “given the benefit of the doubt” and were allowed to enter the territory. Over the next two days we wrote letters of complaint to and sought meetings with various bigwigs in Singapore. We met with an official of the ICA and officially lodged a complaint and just before we departed, en route to Chennai, India, we... read more

Delhi! The beating heart of India and home to 13,000,000. All of India's aspirations and ambitions, hopes and hopelessness, poverty, progress and pollution and any other combination of contrasts swamp every millimeter of Delhi's 1483 square km. There was nothing 'new' inside or outside New Delhi train station. The deafening cacophony, irrepressible masses and pungent odors were disorienting. Luckily for us, Paharganj, the budget accommodations area of town, was within walking distance. On the way, we chanced upon a barbershop and Vibert, with great trepidation, plunked himself down in the well-worn barber's chair and tried to describe his preferred cut. Raj, the barber, attacked the disorganized mop atop Vibert's head with unexpected skill and dexterity and twenty minutes later, Vibert emerged with a somewhat shorter, less disorganized mop. Thanking Raj ever so kindly, ... read more