Blogs from Philippines, Asia - page 322

This last week has pretty much been a brief, round trip of North Luzon, with the eventual destination of the famous Batad Rice Terraces. However, the adventure on this trip has definitely been in the journey as much as the final destination. Some of the individual jaunts have been epic to say the least, making Batad feel that slightly bit more special. Jaunt 1: Starting smooth was an overnight bus trip to Baguio, arriving at the awkward hour of 3am and hanging around in an internet cafe waiting for it to get light. I managed to knab a 2-seater to myself, admittedly, I think, because I stank quite bad. It might just be my paranoia (so I kept telling myself) as I'm not sure what the lady I was sitting next to said, but between her ... read more

I'm alive and well in the Philippines... more than I can say for internet connections here however. I have tried and tried and tried to load photos from Beijing but was unable. Instead of posting a bunch of text without pics I've opted for this very quick update. Expect a Beijing AND Philippines blog Feb 1st. Best, Jason. Here is where I"m staying if you're curious... some great photos on the site: www.dolarog.com Just in case you thought I was one dimentional and sought only -30C weather... this may convince you otherwise!... read more

Before I start, Afsan, one of my fellow Mount Kinabalu climbers has also added some really great photos, so feel free to take a look, especially of the one of me completely wrapped in warm clothing on the summit. http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=y3whyk9.14lf6kah&Uy=mjlfr7&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0 I always seem to have trouble with buses and airports. In Belize, I got on a bus passing the airport junction and was told "next junction." "Airport?" "Yes, yes, next junction." Then on arrival at said junction - "Airport?" "Ah, you want airport. Last junction." And so proceeded to get off and was fortunate enough to hitch my way back in time. Getting to KK's airport was thus a déjà-vu experience - boarding the bus that said 'Airport", I asked the driver if the bus was going to terminal 1. "Yes, terminal 1, yes," was the ... read more

I spent the last few days in the town of Baler. Baler was made "famous" in Apocalypse Now. It was about this beach that Robert Duval decreed that "Charlie don't surf" Though not sure the fame really took off. You have to really want to get to this town. Its an 8 hour bus ride from Manila of which the last 4-5 hours is over a 1 lane dirt/gravel road through the mountains. Most Filipinos don't even know where or what the town is. But its beautiful. Its a small fishing/farming town with the mountains coming almost right up to the beach. Its also very secluded. I think there were only about 5 tourists in the whole place and one guy was there for 4 months studying rats for his PHD. I went there to learn ... read more

The Philippines, being a tropical country, has a warm weather reaching up to 35 degrees centigrade during summer. Still, there is one place which is relatively cooler by 9 degrees from the lowlands - Baguio City. With this, this highland lives up to its title as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Approximately 250km north of Manila, just a 4-hr drive away, one can experience the cool climate, taste the sweet strawberries, and be captivated with the marvelous sceneries in the highlands. Various transport companies serve the Manila-Baguio route, so its accessibility is also one of the many pluses why tourists flock to Baguio. Local transportation are also available - one can hire a taxi to go around the city. Places to Visit: Camp John Hay - Former recreation area of the US Military. This camp ... read more