Blogs from Luzon, Philippines, Asia - page 5

You know you're going to a good restaurant when there's a sign like this out the front and and armed guard to enforce the regulations In case you can't read it "Please deposit your firearms here" Side not to self - as nice as it can be at some places - if I ever have deep fried pork hocks again - it'll probably be too soon... read more

It took the bus four hours to get to San Antonio where we met our guide/boatman Kuya Mike. The last time we went to Pundaquit for camping, it only took us three hours by bus leaving at midnight – this time we missed the 04:00AM bus and had to wait until 05:00AM for the next one. Coming straight from work, I was groggy from having not slept and with the bus doing long stops, it wasn’t a very pleasant ride. It was a busy season seven months ago when we went camping at Anawangin so this time we were hoping that we’d have our ‘peace and quiet’ in another remote cove, Nagsasa. Unlike Anawangin which is just about 30 minutes boat ride from the Pundaquit beach, Nagsasa Cove is one and a half hours away. Though ... read more

My first cock fight was on TV. The national sport of the Philippines is an indigenous offering, more popular than three American contenders - basketball, baseball and volleyball. There is no more wonderful exposure of the double entendre in 'cock'. Eight men- muscles taught, drinking- spit and shout at the screen. In a spray of blood the fight is over. The winning cock, still flapping, is dragged off camera. In testosterone-fuelled celebration, the winning punters snatch their cash. Losers sit emasculated. My newbie's reaction to the fight was typical. Was that it? But it was so quick! The fight itself is nothing but a bloody stage where men battle over more important things - money, power, masculinity, sex - all in the context of 'cock'. My second fight was on a street corner. Again, it was ... read more

On my return to Manila with the Americans we had a nasty shock or two; quite literally - I was electrocuted in the shower which was very upsetting, feeling so vulnerable at the time... We were then told there were no beds at that guesthouse or any other in the few mile radius due to the Easter weekend, on top of that all transport was shut down and we would be stuck in the hole that is Manila for the weekend (The city is undoubtedly one of the worst I have ever seen; everything is cracked, broken, malodorous and dirty). Devastated, I tried to re-book my flight back to HK while Matt and Josh graciously searched for a bed for the night. During their absence I met Tom and Iselin, two Norwegians. Shortly after, Matt returned ... read more

Aujourd'hui, c'est la fête nationale chinoise, qui célèbre le soixantième anniversaire de la création de la République Populaire de Chine. Ce qui explique ces regroupements de gens devant les télés dans les aéroports ... et oui, ils sont là pour regarder en direct le défilé. En plus, dans 2 jours, c'est la fête de mi-automne en Chine, ce qui explique que dans chaque avion, nous avons droit à notre portion de mooncakes. Un régal! Nous arrivons quand même à Manille. Premières impressions : c'est très pollué. Dans les rues, c'est la bataille des jeepneys. Petite explication : les jeepneys sont des transports en commun, récupérés à partir d'anciennes jeeps de l'armée américaine et décorées par leurs propriétaires et chauffeurs, qui se trouvent être très croyants, ce qui donne de jolis trucs. Nous nous promenons dans ... read more