• Начало поездки
    3 ноября 2016 г.

    Manila

    3 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    It all started with a Jeepney!!!

    We arrived to Manila after a 27hr journey via China, so least to say we were exhausted.
    I was conscious to the fact that all we needed was a crazy Asian city to push us over the edge but what we found was the opposite in fact.

    Before we knew it we were on our way to Baclaran night market in a Jeepney named Jessie, all squished together locals and guests, diving in and out of the madness. 14 pesos later we hit the market with adrenaline fuelled smiles ready to barter for anything that took our fancy.

    Manila, is yes a crazy Asian city but it has an air of calm, confidence and carefree. So instead of the organised chaos intimidating you, it draws you in so you find yourself eating,drinking and chatting under on of THOSE sunsets.

    HIGHLIGHTS
    • Intromuros
    • Rizal park
    • Sky deck, Bayleaf hotel
    • Illustrado
    Читать далее

  • Banaue rice terraces. Philippines

    5 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We set off from Manila airport at 930am in a hire car that took some getting used to.
    Driving through the city during Saturday market time was insane, but completely worth it as we got to see Manila from another angle and experience the mania of day to day life.

    Eventually we got on to the expressway (a drivers dream) which only lasted an hour or so unfortunately. It then became an A road of some sorts, cutting itself into the Carrabello mountains, 70 miles took us 6hrs!!!

    We arrived to native village inn, 9km outside Banaue town, 12 hours later.
    It was twilight when we were shown to our Ifugao style hut, we had no idea what awaited us in the morning.
    At 6am I opened the hut door .....
    I'll let the pictures do the talking!!

    Highlights/Top tips

    • hire you're own car and drive it yourself, not as scary as you'd think and we saw so much more for it

    • Native Village Inn - paradise!
    Cosy, peaceful stay and an experience in itself.
    www.native-villageinn.com
    Читать далее

  • Batad Village, Ifugao rice terraces

    6 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After our breakfast of sweet mango and fresh eggs, we met a beautiful human called Marvin.
    He was our guide for the next two days.

    Day 1 Trek

    Batad Rice Terraces, 8th Wonder of the World.

    In a nutshell one of the most stunning yet strenuous treks of my life,but so worth it.

    The amphitheatre of the 4000 year old agriculture engineering humbled all three of us, as we scaled the rice terraces and explored the valley base village.

    Unforgettable. Bucket list tick
    Читать далее

  • Hapao, Philippines

    7 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Day Two Trek through Hapao rice terraces to the natural hot springs.

    We meandered along the narrow concrete passage ways for three hours until we reached the hot springs.
    At some points on our journey, looking down was not an option, it you fell one way was mud, the other was death.

    We stripped off and precariously stepped in to the hot bath temperature water. The combination of hot water and eggy sulphurous air took some getting used to, but eventually I relaxed on one of the smooth boulders and listened gushing white water behind.

    The highlight of the day for me was not the the hot springs but snaking through the landscape we had been gazing at 3 hours before... We were in the vista.
    Читать далее

  • Sagada, Mt. Province, Philippines

    8 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The Hanging Coffins of Sagada

    We set of early from paradise aka Native village inn. As Dan drove us 12 hrs earlier in the week, I thought it was my turn to drive the tank!

    Drove into Banaue town and topped up with petrol, well that's what we asked for..... Then I heard a shrill Dan telling the filler that he had specifically said UNLEADED!!! The lovely friendly filler had put a lovely 30litres of Diesel into our lovely petrol engine.... Dan - "we have a major problem! "

    Trying to not to catastrophise the situation, we all panicked! Ha!

    We rolled the car out of the way and before we knew it three Filipino knights in oil covered armour had DETACHED our fuel tank from underneath the car and were sucking the fuel out into buckets. They reattached the tank, shook our hands with smiles and they were gone.

    We got back on the road and headed to Sagada and Echo valley. The drive was stunning and the day was hot and clear.

    The hanging coffins clung to the limestone cliff in a eery yet peaceful manor.The guide explained that this way is easier for the spirits to escape.

    The day ended in a drive in motel!
    Читать далее

  • Taal Volacano

    10 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Woke up early (530 am) for sunrise.
    Even though it was a little cloudy, it was stunning. The fisher men were up before us, snorkelling in the lake with spears, catching the lake fish, Tawili.

    We took a long tail boat over to the Taal Volcano and walked up to the ridge to the caldera, which is now a lake with a tiny island in the middle. A lake within a lake.

    We spent the rest of the day chilling by the lake 😀

    Top tips

    • two night stay only needed
    Читать далее

  • Lake Taal, Philippines

    10 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Arrived to Talisay, a sleepy lake shore village.
    We managed to find a the Green Lake resort, which if a little rough around the edges, was in a peach of a position; right on the lake side.
    Time for some well earned relaxation, before the volcano trek tomorrow 😀Читать далее

  • Lake Taal Yacht Club

    11 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The day was slightly over cast, so we were thinking what we could do. Then we realised there is a yacht club next door!

    None of us had ever sailed, and Dan was super keen to test it out, so we opted for a mini catamaran and an instructor.

    The sun was shining as we set sail... smiles on our faces.... Then the storm started 😱😂

    It felt more like a Alton Towers ride.... than a Durran Durran video, and my name is definitely not Rio! Was still bloody good fun though!
    Читать далее

  • Palawan

    12 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    A new week, a new Island. We leave Luzon and our car behind and fly west to Palawan.

    Home of the underground river and the Bacuit Archipelago. After an hour flight from Manila we land in the capital, Puerto Princesa. We are heading straight to El Nido, the nest, which is on the north of the island.

    So only a 6 hour bus journey between us and tropical waters .😍

    We arrived to Dormitels, our hotel on Corrong Corrong beach just before the town of El Nido. Its super cheap and on the beach and the clue is in the name for why it's so thrifty. Again we arrived in darkness, so another view awaited us in the morning!

    The next day will literally did nothing but lie on the beach and read... Bliss! And ended the day with a glorious sunset and beach BBQ and few san miguels... It was good to be at the beach!
    Читать далее

  • Bacuit Archipelago

    15 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    A day in paradise.

    We went island hopping, kayaking and snorkelling in heaven!

    We felt like we had been transported into a mystical world of fantasyscape jagged limestones and turquoise waters.

    Best day so far... Happy bunnies😃
    Читать далее

  • Napcan beach

    16 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    A day at the beach... What a beach 😍

    Followed by the full moon party, a few rums and a boogie!
    While we were at the party,we met a lad who was travelling alone and he was from Stourbridge!! (Home town) He loved the Philippines as much as we did.

    Hangover in the heat is AWFUL, so turned the air con up full whack... And now have a head cold!😂 plus me and Dan have been the first to succumb travellers belly 😳😂

    Leaving Palawan today... Bohol awaits us!!
    Читать далее

  • Planes, boats and automobiles

    18 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Journey from Palawan started at 3 am😖. It began with a 6hour bus to the airport, then a 1hr flight, into a cab to the ferry terminal, on the love boat, not, for 2hrs, hired a car( I use the term loosely, after wondering around Taglibaran, we managed to find Richard, a lovely fellow who basically lent us his car for 5 days) bobs your uncle, we arrived at Nut Huts Loboc, on the island of Bohol. Home of the chocolate hills and the tarsiers.

    Now bear in mind me and Tammy both have head colds and me and Dan both have, well dyssentry!!! So the journey was eventful!

    Toilet. Loo. W.C potato potata.... The Comfort Room, as its so quaintly known here, has seen most of the action in the last few days and what a story it has to tell! But fear not, nothing 2billion basillus clausis can't fix!!! It's only week three.... God to think what India has in store

    Nuts Huts was a beautiful haven on the lush jungle edged river... Our traditional Nipa hut was called Clock work orange.

    The best night, was our second night. A twilight boat trip under the stars, searching for Firefly's. It was a night we will never forget, the Milky Way was so close, you could almost touch it! We all saw a shooting star, and eventually found, what could only be described as a rhythmic swarm of stunning Firefly's. AMAZING
    Читать далее

  • Chocolate Hills (not so chocolate)

    20 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We left nuts huts behind and the Loboc river, and we headed for Carmen, chocolate hills country.

    As the rainy season had just finished a couple of weeks ago, they were less chocolatey and more spinachy!! But still cool to see.

    There are two theories of how they formed;
    A) a geological formation caused by coral uplifts - grass covered limestone.

    Or

    B) Tears of a heartbroken giant, Arogo.

    You decide...
    Читать далее

  • Anda, Bohol. Philippines

    21 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Final destination for the birthday boy, with three nights of luxury for our last few nights together.

    Our home of relaxation for the next few days is Casa Amihan, a small family run boutique resort on the white sandy beaches of Anda.

    What greeted us was one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen. That coupled with a mini speech from Dan at dinner left us all a bit emotional.
    Читать далее

  • The Last Supper

    22 ноября 2016 г., Филиппины ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    A dinner of Filipino cuisine and two bottles of white wine, recalling our trip highlights with our main man Dan.

    Of he goes back to London on a epic 27 hour journey. We will miss him very much.

    Lots of tears at Taglibaran airport. Me and Tam blubbed all our way to the port, where we get a boat tonight to Siquijor Island.
    Читать далее

  • We made it to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    25 ноября 2016 г., Малайзия ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    One typhoon warning, a boat journey, two pricey flights and we are now in Malaysia.

    Tammy and I were here last April. We were reminded of the fact when the lovely border people greeted us with " welcome back to Malaysia mam".

    We loved it then and cannot wait to explore this beautiful lush country, at a slower pace.
    We are expecting to spend about three weeks here,before heading to Cambodia via Thailand. Obviously all this can change what with typhoons and all!!

    Leaving the Philippines suddenly was very hard (we adored it) but the island we were heading to was in the middle of the typhoon and it didn't look like it was shifting. We even got onto the ferry, got settled and waited over two hours, until a Filipino announcement declared the boat wouldn't be leaving until Saturday!! At the earliest!! Most people didn't move, they planned on staying on the boat until they got the all clear!! Now i know we are on a budget but the prospect of staying on a boat for three nights in the port, didn't seem like the obvious choice, so we found a plush hotel and got a double room for £15!! to re-group and plan our next move!!

    The journey from Bohol to KL, was LONG... but was made much easier with a cheeky 7 hour stay in the Wings Lounge, basically a pod, to get your head down in between connections.
    Читать далее

  • A new hat and new home... Pulau Pangkor

    29 ноября 2016 г., Малайзия ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Pulau Pangkor (translation: beautiful island) where the Malays holiday, is a low key sleepy isle, with a lush jungle interior.

    It offers a real insight into their family life; eating, drinking and larking about in the sea. Kinda how we do it, but for some reason it feels less urgent, more relaxed. Maybe it's because they get more than one day of sunshine a year, who knows.

    There are three cultures that make up Malaysia. Malays, Chinese and Indian. A melting pot that seems to work in a predominately Muslim country.
    Everyone is expected to abide by an ancient hindu customary law, that places great emphasis on collective rather than individual responsibility on maintaining harmony. It is called Adat.

    Seeing the female Malays playing in the sea with their children, fully clothed for modesty, is a lovely sight. It has no impact at all on their enjoyment and they beam with love and happiness. This image is not usually portrayed to us in the west, and I wonder why this is?!

    Oh and Tam loves my new hat!!!!
    Читать далее

  • Georgetown, Penang

    1 декабря 2016 г., Малайзия ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We have arrived in Georgetown!!! I have been chomping at the bit to get here .... And it has not disappointed. You know that feeling you get, when you just feel so comfortable, relaxed and excited at the same time... I feel it here. I think my mum gets it in Brighton, I've had it before in Lisbon.
    Anyway, we are staying in an amazing hostel in the old town, right in amongst it. Our room is basic but stylish and the shutters make me feel like I'm in a French colonial villa in the Far East.

    We dropped our bags and headed straight out to mooch around the lanes, with our heads in the sky gawking at the architecture, the street art and the FOOD!

    It's only been 6 hours and I'm already considering a job/flat situation.

    Roll on day two in Georgetown!
    Читать далее

  • Started with Laundry .... Ended in Ink

    3 декабря 2016 г., Малайзия ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    So by now we had more dirty clothes than clean. And on our mooch yesterday, we spotted a dazzling, all singing and all dancing launderette!!!! Ha! After that was all done.. We got ourselves freshened up and did a walking tour around Georgetown, that incorporated all the street art highlights and some good food too.

    We had a very smiley afternoon of taking photographs and slurping on ice balls!

    When we found the swing street art, I instantly remembered a photo my friend has had taken when she was here... see photo.

    After all the walk in the heat, we decided to go to a bar for a G and T. B@92 is a retro american bar run by a Serbian man and a Thai lady, who rustled us up some wild boar Thai stew with mash.... It. Was. Incredible.

    After our second gin, I was looking up at the buildings and saw two swallows flying in unison, (they seem to everywhere on this trip so far) and they made me think of me and Tam on this adventure... So without any time for thinking, we heading to a tattoo parlour and I had them tattoo'd on my left middle and index fingers. It was agony but totally worth it. Something to remind me of this adventure.

    Another memorable day, one of the best.

    (Mum please don't kill me)
    Читать далее

  • Langkawi

    8 декабря 2016 г., Малайзия ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    So we left George Town after 5 nights of incredible cuisine and stunning street art, and headed to the island of Langkawi. We took a "superfast" ferry from Penang an arrived to Langkawi for about 530 in the evening. On the journey me and Tam decided it would be best to hire a car, in order to explore the island as much as possible. Also the place we had booked to stay for the next 7 nights, is a little off the beaten track (jungle retreat).

    We met Justin Bieber at the port ( a 62 year old Malaysian version,) and i managed to get him to rent us manual (hurray), can on wheels for 50 ringgit a day, instead of 100! not bad, although after we paid Justin, we had to wait a good hour or so for the car to appear. During that time we managed to pick up a Swedish lone traveler. Sandra was very sweet and had been travelling for 4 years, and by now all she wanted was a wardrobe! ha!

    We eventually made it to Pondok Keladi, ran by a gay Malay- British couple. It is heaven and so relaxed. http://www.pondok-keladi.com/

    So far we have mostly been having lazy mornings, driving to beautiful beaches and cooking dinner, whilst drinking duty free gin in the evenings. BLISS!
    Читать далее