I have come to the conclusion that Filipinos are deeply religious because only a deity may protect them and their lungs against the traffic and resulting smog.
It took quite some time to get from Dumaguete to Iloilo: tricycle to the bus station, a six-hour bus ride to Bacolod, a ten-minute tricycle ride to the wharf, a seventy-five minute "fastcraft" ride to Iloilo, and a ten minute ride back to another pension. Determining when to get off the bus ride has always proved to be interesting, seeing that I really have no idea when to do so until there is a moment where it seems to be a good idea to get off then, and it's always worked out. Of course the tricycle drivers are trying to charge extortionate rates for rides that further threaten ny well-being. After checking into the pension, I literally ran onto a jeepney to get to the shopping mall that I'm at now: you should have seen the look on people's faces as their vehicle is moving along and suddenly this tall'n'gangly foreigner just jumps right on board. Well, if he can manage like us, we may as well offer him a seat...
It's not over, though: tomorrow it's another day of travelling until Boracay, land of the most beautiful sand beach I have ever seen. I'm really looking forward to spending an extended period of time further regaining my color. But even though those hours of travel could be monotonous, after travelling for so long you start to kind of enjoy the time in which you can't really do much besides listen or watch your iPod, read a book, or nap.
Weather better be nice the day after tomorrow or someone is going to be in a pissy mood...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Fragrant Harbour, Nine Dragons, and Many Small Islands
I would have arrived into Hong Kong earlier than 11 if I had not realized that I had forgotten my camera after clearing Macau immigration and hadn't rushed back to get it. Fortunately, no one else had realized I left it there. It took me a while before I arrived at Chunking Mansions in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The only room I was able to find relatively quickly was an extortionate $HKD 250 a night; the types lurking around at that time did not seem to friendlyso I bit the bullet and took it.
The next day I was able to secure a cheaper room. It was so small that if I had ran into it I would have flown out the window, but it was clean, had a television, air con and fan, a shower with hot water, and flush toilet. Most people mat think that this is nothing to brag about: I invite you to go backpacking in Southeast Asia on the cheap for three months and then get back with me. Kowloon is absolutely maddening yet great. There are tons of people everywhere! That night I met up with my Auntie Becky and Uncle Ronnie: we went to for a simple dinner before checking out some phones.
The next day we had some dim-sum, followed by a trip to The Peak on Hong Kong Island, which was absolutely beautiful. After that we left the urban madness behind and went to Lantau Island, where we took the world's longest cable-car ride to see the world's biggest copper Buddha. My Aunt and Uncle were so nice in taking me to these places and even paying for me too, even though they had been to The Peak the day before.
Day three was spent soaking up the Hong Kong Island scene. Went to Hong Kong's allegedly best Canto restaurant - gah was it expensive!- and then wrote in my journal at Segafredo's and Staunton's, the latter being this really chill wine bar where I had an excellent glass of Merlot. I ended up receiving a free glass of wine from the manager and giving the rest of my Macanese money to these kind ladies who were sitting next to me. It ended up being such a nice night that I was really sad to leave Hong Kong. That airport is friggin' massive, by the way.
My arrival into Cebu at three in the morning - it seems I have a penchant for late-night arrivals - was less than glorious. Again, getting affordable accomodation was difficult but after going to ten different pensions, I finally found a place to sleep. The next day: Gerry's Sisig. IT WAS SO GOOD. I then caught "The Dark Knight": the fact that I had been to Hong Kong the day before made it a special treat as I was able to recognize the sights.
Today I made my way to Dumaguete, four hours south of Cebu by bus. Away from the city the water is so clear and I cannot wait to go to the beach tomorrow and regain some color! It's so nice to be back in the Philippines! Four years ago I swore I would come back and had every single intention but not the money. But now another opportunity has presented itself and now I am back for three more weeks! It's going to be a blast!
The next day I was able to secure a cheaper room. It was so small that if I had ran into it I would have flown out the window, but it was clean, had a television, air con and fan, a shower with hot water, and flush toilet. Most people mat think that this is nothing to brag about: I invite you to go backpacking in Southeast Asia on the cheap for three months and then get back with me. Kowloon is absolutely maddening yet great. There are tons of people everywhere! That night I met up with my Auntie Becky and Uncle Ronnie: we went to for a simple dinner before checking out some phones.
The next day we had some dim-sum, followed by a trip to The Peak on Hong Kong Island, which was absolutely beautiful. After that we left the urban madness behind and went to Lantau Island, where we took the world's longest cable-car ride to see the world's biggest copper Buddha. My Aunt and Uncle were so nice in taking me to these places and even paying for me too, even though they had been to The Peak the day before.
Day three was spent soaking up the Hong Kong Island scene. Went to Hong Kong's allegedly best Canto restaurant - gah was it expensive!- and then wrote in my journal at Segafredo's and Staunton's, the latter being this really chill wine bar where I had an excellent glass of Merlot. I ended up receiving a free glass of wine from the manager and giving the rest of my Macanese money to these kind ladies who were sitting next to me. It ended up being such a nice night that I was really sad to leave Hong Kong. That airport is friggin' massive, by the way.
My arrival into Cebu at three in the morning - it seems I have a penchant for late-night arrivals - was less than glorious. Again, getting affordable accomodation was difficult but after going to ten different pensions, I finally found a place to sleep. The next day: Gerry's Sisig. IT WAS SO GOOD. I then caught "The Dark Knight": the fact that I had been to Hong Kong the day before made it a special treat as I was able to recognize the sights.
Today I made my way to Dumaguete, four hours south of Cebu by bus. Away from the city the water is so clear and I cannot wait to go to the beach tomorrow and regain some color! It's so nice to be back in the Philippines! Four years ago I swore I would come back and had every single intention but not the money. But now another opportunity has presented itself and now I am back for three more weeks! It's going to be a blast!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Vegas of the East
While Las Vegas may have more casinos, I cannot imagine how they could have some just as big, crazy, and fancy as they do here. Apparently the tables in Macau make tens times as much money, so I guess there's the market for something upscale.
Last night I made my way to the Grand Lisboa. It used to be the biggest in Macau, but while I am still wondering if that is true, it definitely is the fanciest, had the best looking people in it, and probably the biggest rollers. It also had the best show, with at one point a girl dressed in Native American stripper gear who began all cultural but then through it all off and whored it up to some music a la I like to move it move it. The next casino of note, Wynn, was not to shabby, but it had water fountain shows every fifteen minutes, which were postively stunning. It also had a "Rotunda Show", where the ceiling and roof literally split apart and tress sprung forth from the ground. The MGM grand was not that impressive in comparison, although I must say that it did have an interesring area where it looked like you were outdoors.
Today, I went to The Venerian Macau. I think my life is changed. It had a killer mall with food court where I had a so-called Triple Fatburger, and they weren't lying. The mall had canals in it. And it was on the second floor. And it had foreign employees as gondola people and filled the halls with song. The Lisboa may have been the fanciest, but The Venetian was definitely out of this world.
Next stop: Hong Kong!
Last night I made my way to the Grand Lisboa. It used to be the biggest in Macau, but while I am still wondering if that is true, it definitely is the fanciest, had the best looking people in it, and probably the biggest rollers. It also had the best show, with at one point a girl dressed in Native American stripper gear who began all cultural but then through it all off and whored it up to some music a la I like to move it move it. The next casino of note, Wynn, was not to shabby, but it had water fountain shows every fifteen minutes, which were postively stunning. It also had a "Rotunda Show", where the ceiling and roof literally split apart and tress sprung forth from the ground. The MGM grand was not that impressive in comparison, although I must say that it did have an interesring area where it looked like you were outdoors.
Today, I went to The Venerian Macau. I think my life is changed. It had a killer mall with food court where I had a so-called Triple Fatburger, and they weren't lying. The mall had canals in it. And it was on the second floor. And it had foreign employees as gondola people and filled the halls with song. The Lisboa may have been the fanciest, but The Venetian was definitely out of this world.
Next stop: Hong Kong!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Orient Express
Saturday morning, I flew out of the backwater aiport that is supposed to be Hanoi International back to Bangkok for a final two-day flory tour before heading over to Macau. It was so great to be back in Bangkok, a city that has truly become my home away from home away from home on this backpacking adventure. Two hours after the plane landed, I had already left my bag in safekeeping and was busy shopping away in Siam.
The next day Hanna and I played it cool until nighttime, where I had my last Bangkok night. We went to Sukhumvit where we enjoyed some tapas before heading over to Patpong for a looksie. May I say that I have never seen so many old, dirty, crusty men in my life? It was awful. Continuing on our tour of sexual deviance, we headed over to Silom where I saw my first ping-pong show. Please look that up if you don't know what that means in BKK; we saw a woman smoke a cigarette, pop balloons with a blow dart, and pull five meters of a stringy party favor out of... somewhere.
Seeking to cleanse my eyes from that, Hanna and I went to DJ Station, where I had my first gay-clubbing experience in BKK. The boys were hot and they all had iPhones. Nothing interesting happened that night per se, but that's okay because I just wanted to dance, and that is what we did. Hanna is great to go dancing with. The fags take well to her as well.
Night slowly became morning, and at 4:30 I was back at Suvarnaphumi to catch my flight to Macau. On the flight here was a flight attendant that was so hot I daresay he was the hottest man I have seen in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the crew for that flight operated the return flight back to BKK so there couldn't have been any opportunities: drat. I completely love Macau. I've always wanted to go to China. I am not quite sure if this really counts, but Chinese is all over the place, and there are quite some good-looking Chinese men here as well. It's so weird to be out of Southeast Asia. There are hardly any backpackers and things are much more expensive here. But things are modern. And the places are clean. And besides the hoardes of casinos which Macau is famous for, the city really does have some wonderful sights that have kept me busy throughout the day. The mix between Chinese and Portugese cultures have really created a unique city that I can see myself spending a lot more time were it not for time and money constraints. It truly is a beautiful city with many cultural sights... with free admission!
Tomorrow I take the ferry to HKG. The bulltet-tour continues...
The next day Hanna and I played it cool until nighttime, where I had my last Bangkok night. We went to Sukhumvit where we enjoyed some tapas before heading over to Patpong for a looksie. May I say that I have never seen so many old, dirty, crusty men in my life? It was awful. Continuing on our tour of sexual deviance, we headed over to Silom where I saw my first ping-pong show. Please look that up if you don't know what that means in BKK; we saw a woman smoke a cigarette, pop balloons with a blow dart, and pull five meters of a stringy party favor out of... somewhere.
Seeking to cleanse my eyes from that, Hanna and I went to DJ Station, where I had my first gay-clubbing experience in BKK. The boys were hot and they all had iPhones. Nothing interesting happened that night per se, but that's okay because I just wanted to dance, and that is what we did. Hanna is great to go dancing with. The fags take well to her as well.
Night slowly became morning, and at 4:30 I was back at Suvarnaphumi to catch my flight to Macau. On the flight here was a flight attendant that was so hot I daresay he was the hottest man I have seen in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the crew for that flight operated the return flight back to BKK so there couldn't have been any opportunities: drat. I completely love Macau. I've always wanted to go to China. I am not quite sure if this really counts, but Chinese is all over the place, and there are quite some good-looking Chinese men here as well. It's so weird to be out of Southeast Asia. There are hardly any backpackers and things are much more expensive here. But things are modern. And the places are clean. And besides the hoardes of casinos which Macau is famous for, the city really does have some wonderful sights that have kept me busy throughout the day. The mix between Chinese and Portugese cultures have really created a unique city that I can see myself spending a lot more time were it not for time and money constraints. It truly is a beautiful city with many cultural sights... with free admission!
Tomorrow I take the ferry to HKG. The bulltet-tour continues...
Sunday, July 13, 2008
More of Vietnam
So Hue was pretty fun with the Citadel and the tomb of past emperors. It was interesting, because in all honesty, the only history I really associated with Vietnam was the war, which was pretty stupid and ignorant, to say the least.
After that, I made my way up to Hanoi, which I must say has been the most interesting city I have been to to date. The Old Quarter is absolutely stunning. I stayed at the Hanoi Bacpacker's Hostel, which is basically like an international frat house. The next day I finally met up with Hanna, her brother Laas, and his girlfriend Lisette. Hanna and I giggled our way to Sapa on the night train with the help of wine and diazepam, where for the first time in like three months I was in a climate that did not provoke profuse sweating. That changed drastically the next day, however, as we embarked on a two-day-one-night trek in the mountains where we visited a few hilltribe villages. Meeting the minorities would have been a little more interesting if the tribespeople were not hell-bent on selling us handicrafts at every turn. Day two was particularly hell with an hour-and-a-alf trek upwards that almost killed me nine-point-five times over.
During the trek I asked our guide a question regarding the relationship between tribal minorities and the national government in Vietnam. However, the answer I received was what the Vietnamese government did for the minorities, which eventually progressed to how only the Part truly understands the needs of the Vietnamese people, tribal or otherwise, an understanding which is essential to their "thrival". This was further argued with an account of a testimony of a tribesmember going abroad to seek a better life, only to find alienation in terms of language and culture. To be poor is better than to be not understood and alone, our tour guide said, which is why it is best for all Vietnamese to live in Vietnam, a Vietnam guided by the Party, which knows best.
Throughout my time in Vietnam I have been wondering what was particularly "Communist" about this country- if anything, the only thing most of this country seemed to share was poverty, although not of an extreme sort per se I must admit. It seems though that Communism in Vietnam rules particularly strong in idealogy by offering a sense of community that will unite the Vietnamese and lead them to success and prosperity. However, or at least in my so-called liberated Western understanding, I wonder how much of the latter has actually been attained.
Tomorrow Hanna and I head over to Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay, where I intend to regain some of that nice color that I have lost over the last few days. Saturday I fly back to Bangkok, but only to fly to Macau on Monday - it's actually cheaper to do it that way as opposed to any other way, including overland. Another day in Bangkok! And with Hanna, too, as it seems so far! Yippee!
After that, I made my way up to Hanoi, which I must say has been the most interesting city I have been to to date. The Old Quarter is absolutely stunning. I stayed at the Hanoi Bacpacker's Hostel, which is basically like an international frat house. The next day I finally met up with Hanna, her brother Laas, and his girlfriend Lisette. Hanna and I giggled our way to Sapa on the night train with the help of wine and diazepam, where for the first time in like three months I was in a climate that did not provoke profuse sweating. That changed drastically the next day, however, as we embarked on a two-day-one-night trek in the mountains where we visited a few hilltribe villages. Meeting the minorities would have been a little more interesting if the tribespeople were not hell-bent on selling us handicrafts at every turn. Day two was particularly hell with an hour-and-a-alf trek upwards that almost killed me nine-point-five times over.
During the trek I asked our guide a question regarding the relationship between tribal minorities and the national government in Vietnam. However, the answer I received was what the Vietnamese government did for the minorities, which eventually progressed to how only the Part truly understands the needs of the Vietnamese people, tribal or otherwise, an understanding which is essential to their "thrival". This was further argued with an account of a testimony of a tribesmember going abroad to seek a better life, only to find alienation in terms of language and culture. To be poor is better than to be not understood and alone, our tour guide said, which is why it is best for all Vietnamese to live in Vietnam, a Vietnam guided by the Party, which knows best.
Throughout my time in Vietnam I have been wondering what was particularly "Communist" about this country- if anything, the only thing most of this country seemed to share was poverty, although not of an extreme sort per se I must admit. It seems though that Communism in Vietnam rules particularly strong in idealogy by offering a sense of community that will unite the Vietnamese and lead them to success and prosperity. However, or at least in my so-called liberated Western understanding, I wonder how much of the latter has actually been attained.
Tomorrow Hanna and I head over to Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay, where I intend to regain some of that nice color that I have lost over the last few days. Saturday I fly back to Bangkok, but only to fly to Macau on Monday - it's actually cheaper to do it that way as opposed to any other way, including overland. Another day in Bangkok! And with Hanna, too, as it seems so far! Yippee!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Good Morning (again), Vietnam!
Vang Vieng was fun all the way until one point where Pierre had a few unpleasant hours and then everybody left. No sooner than they did I booked what ended up being an 18-hour transit to Si Phan Don, or Four Thousand Islands. I guess there's something to be said for staying on an island where there is only four hours of electricity per day, but I wasn't quite in the mood for that, and so after two days I booked myself for a twenty-hour journey to Hoi An, Vietnam. It's wonderful to be in the land of Vietnamese coffee and food again. Ran into Ish, Dave, Dan, Ealga, and Lauren again: it was wonderful to see them again and spend a few days together. I'll be meeting up with Hanna in three days in Hanoi, and I'm sure we will have nothing short of a blast together!
Some time back in Pai I reached a point where I was sick of meeting new people. It seemed like every night I went to the bar, had a few drinks, and had the exact same conversations with different people that never really developped into anything. It's heaps but after a while it was like the fountain ran dry and I no longer had the energy to do it anymore, and would rather just put my energy into people I already know rather than meeting new people. Call it a grasp for consistency in a world where the city you're in changes every three days.
But I'm starting to feel a disconnect from my friends back at my homes. And I'm feeling a little lost about that.
Some time back in Pai I reached a point where I was sick of meeting new people. It seemed like every night I went to the bar, had a few drinks, and had the exact same conversations with different people that never really developped into anything. It's heaps but after a while it was like the fountain ran dry and I no longer had the energy to do it anymore, and would rather just put my energy into people I already know rather than meeting new people. Call it a grasp for consistency in a world where the city you're in changes every three days.
But I'm starting to feel a disconnect from my friends back at my homes. And I'm feeling a little lost about that.
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