Back to the Philippines
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| Frankfurt, not exactly a typical German style skyline |
Although my flight wasn't unitl noon, I first had to get to Frankfurt, an hour and a half ride from Wurzburg. I arrived at the airport with time to spare for my flight to Kuwait. Following a lengthy layover in Kuwait, the next plane stopped over in Bangkok before heading on to Manila. On the plus side, I got 4 meals along the way again. Ah, Kuwait Airways! But this time the flight was booked, so no space to lay out and sleep. The plane was 90% or more Filipino, mostly overseas foreign workers (OFW) returning home. Millions of Filipinos work around the world as maids, cooks, ship crew, etc and send money back to their families in the Philippines.
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| Ah, the smog infested air of the crowded Manila streets! |
I spent three nights in Manila, but to be honest they were not all that eventful. My host actually lived in a city called Las Pinas, in the metro area but far south of downtown. A bus trip to the historical area (Intramuros) through the dreadful Manila traffic took me an hour and a half! So that definitely cut into my sightseeing time.
Over the weekend I managed to see Intramuros and visit the National Art Gallery as well. I also got back into the 21st century when I purchased a cell phone, albeit a basic model. It has definitely helped me meet up with contacts here, and is unlocked so I can use it in the rest of Southeast Asia as well.
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| The travel phone I bought in Manila |
On Monday morning (Jan 14) I took a bus from central Manila to Baguio. Baguio is the largest town in northern Luzon (if you remember the little geography lesson, Luzon is the northernmost part of the Philippines; the other two are the Visayas and Mindinao). The town serves as a jump off point for backpackers in he mountainous region known as the Cordilleras and also is a popular summer retreat for wealthy residents of Manila.
According to Wiki, Baguio is exactly a mile high - 5,280 feet for those of us who forget our conversion or for the rest of the sensible world that uses the metric system; (I hope) you never hear anyone say, how many meters are in a kilometer! The elevation means Baguio is significantly cooler than Manila, and I found myself actually in need of the jacket I packed.
While in Baguio I stayed with another Couchsurfer. She also had two other Americans over, both from Fordham Uni and traveling for their winter vacation. It was nice to have two fellow travelers there at the same time. Together we explored the city, and our host also showed us around during the day. I stayed two nights, as did the other travelers. On the second day we went to a zipline course on the outskirts of the city. I also did a 60 foot tree drop, where I was strung out in mid-air and had a free fall towards the ground. I usually am not a huge adrenaline junkie, but I have to say it was a rush.
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| Do I look scared? |
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| Just before the free fall |
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| The zipline |
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| Me, my host's mom, brother, and two other couch surfers |
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| Me and the two surfers from NYC |
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| Mystery meat on a stick in Baguio; one was intestine and another chicken stomach |
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| Baguio is built somewhat haphazardly on a series of hills |
The city of Baguio has over 300,000 full-time residents, but during the school year the population nearly doubles with college students! Unfortunately I was there during winter break, so the nightlife wasn't too exciting. Oh, and a note on universities - college students here are two years younger. They typically start at 16 and finish at age 19 or 20. The system just was changed, however, and the Philippines has adopted the k12 US cycle. But for now the students are still younger, and the universities have more of a high school feel to them.
On Wednesday I took an express van from Baguio to Banaue, a small town further into the Cordilleras of Northern Luzon famous for the nearby rice terraces. More on that soon to come!
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