Tagibilaran port was busy and you have to queue 3 times, if like us you’ve bought tickets in advance; once to change your online confirmation into a ticket, once to pay a small port charge and once to check your luggage in (which also costs extra). Usefully at this port each is next to the other and we’d arrived when the queues were short. We had open class tickets, the same price as economy we prefer to be outside, this turned out to be on top, we had a roof and plastic drop down sides but it was a beautifully calm day. The waters were crystal clear and there was not a ripple it was had to believe this was the ocean. Definitely the flattest calmest waters we have ever sailed. With a journey time of ... read more

By 10am we were on the road out of Sagada heading to Mt Pulag. We stopped for lunch in Banaue. Alfredo knew a good place and we had a fantastic vegetable curry between us out in the balcony with a view over the town. It was a little boring going partially back the way we’d come but that all changed in the next town of Lagawe when a tuk-tuk drove into the side of the car, it hit the back as Alfredo swerved. They both pulled over, clearly no deal could be done (payment) as a few minutes later they were both off to the police station as Alfredo needed a police report to claim on the insurance. He was calm but pissed, the car wasn’t his it was his boss’. It was better we didn’t ... read more

Before leaving NZ we’d found a driver to take us on a 5 day loop trip into the mountains. Being short on time we’d quickly realised we wouldn’t be able to fit in as much as we wanted if we went by public transport. Our first destination was Banaue in the heart of the region that is home to the Philippines infamous rice terraces. Its a 9-10 hour drive, so our driver had asked if we would be ok to leave at 4am to miss Manila’s traffic gridlock. Thankfully our bodies are still partly on NZ time and while we hadn’t got to bed any near as early as we should getting up at 3:30am didn’t feel too bad. We were surprised at how much life there was when we left, Manila clearly doesn’t sleep. Even ... read more

Kashgar marks the end of the 1,300km Karakoram Highway and the end of our journey. We've completed one of the classic travel journeys, following in the footsteps of the many traders, warriors, pilgrims and poets that have gone before us on this remote branch of the ancient Silk Road, through the Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakorum mountains. Depending on your perspective we’ve survived one of the world’s most dangerous roads or travelled one of the world’s most spectacular. Either way we mustn’t forget the heavy toll on the workers who built the modern day road in the 1960’s and 70’s. 810 Pakistanis and 200 Chinese lost their lives due to the high elevation and inhospitable terrain. Most from the landslides which continue to be a regular feature of the Highway, and the scars from which – ... read more

Tashkurgan is totally different to Pakistan. Dominated by big concrete buildings, many behind barricades, and while only a small town it’s main road is a big 4 lane highway. There was barely anything on it as we walked down the side, we wondered where all the life was. The only other foreigner on the border bus was a Korean woman, also heading to K2 hostel (which is where all the travellers in Tashkurgan go), we had said we could head there together. There was no sign of any form of transport we could take and everything we had read said the town was walkable. The map we had didn’t extend as far as the immigration office so we asked a couple of young Pakistani guys on our bus, who are studying in China to become doctors ... read more