TravelBio

Despite one of my friends crashing his motorbike, and despite more than our fair share of rain, a week in Siargao was well worth it. I’d extended my stay three days already, and by Monday the 15 th it was time to get a move on. I needed to drive all the way back to Davao City to return the bike, then fly (yet to be booked) to Manila before catching my return ticket to China. The most direct route from Surigao to Davao is about 400 kms, which would have been an easy two day trip. That route was almost entirely on the highway; well, there aren’t really highways in Mindanao, but it would be far from a scenic ride, driving mostly over flat land alongside trucks and numerous cars. I was heading from Surigao (all the way at the top of the map) to Davao; The most direct route would be through Butuan and Tagum on the main road, but I wanted a coastal drive Instead I decided to take a roundabout way, crudely planning a seaside drive with my pixilated printout map. I co...

After 300 kms on the motorbike – with a flat tire in Surigao City and a sore ass to boot – I wanted a good night’s rest. Problem was the ferry to the island of Siargao left early; my guest house advised me to take the 5 am trip because later ones might not have been able to accommodate the bike! Not only that, but I had arrived in Surigao after the ticket office closed, so I needed to get there even earlier to ensure a seat was available. So I packed the night before (not that I carried much) and was up and at em by 3:15. I drove straight to the port, only to find that it hadn’t even opened! At 4 am I was the first to buy a ticket, and we didn’t take off until after 5. I managed to take the bike on the 3.5 hour ferry trip, although they got their money’s worth. My ticket was 250 pesos (a bit over $5), and I had to buy what I thought was a ticket for the bike at the ferry port. Then on board they charged me 500 pesos for the actual ticket – apparently I had just paid the lo...

When you search Davao City on Wikitravel, this warning pops up: Many governments, including the US, UK, Australia   and Chinese, strongly dissuade any travels to the island of Mindanao because of the threat of terrorist attacks, bombings, shootings and kidnappings of foreigners. Davao has been targeted by bomb blasts in both 2013   and 2015. Davao is on high terrorist attack alert. Sound like a nice holiday getaway? Well the website also says this: “ In Davao, the contemporary fuses with the traditional as migrant settlers from all over the country peacefully co-exist with a sizeable expatriate community and numerous ethnic tribes who continue to live as they did centuries ago.” Talk about a contradiction! Yes, it’s true, parts of the island of Mindanao are dangerous. There is a Muslim insurgency in pockets of the southwest. Hostages, some of whom were foreign tourists, have been taken and held for ransom. But Mindanao is vast, and Davao City far from those hotspo...

Once I walked out of the airport, past the taxi touts and into the humid, tropical air of the parking lot, where family members were waiting to reunite, I got a familiar feeling: I’m back in the Philippines! This was my fourth visit – really I should say three because back on my long SE Asia trip I spent 1.5 months there with a two week Christmas gap (in Germany). On previous visits around the country, I’d been to Manila several more times, and it was like a reunion of sorts. This trip I got to spend it with my co-teachers from Hangzhou. On the plane I’d met two Filipinas who teach in China. They were bringing bundles of gifts back to their families for the holidays, and since I wasn’t checking a bag I agreed to let them use my luggage allowance. I know that sounds sketchy, but at least I did see them open the suitcase and rearrange things – again, mostly just gifts. To show her appreciation one of the women offered to give me a ride to my hotel. Her brother and his fami...