The Philippines

Meat.

I think vegetarians are in denial. Those who have been vegetarians for years are simply very good at lying to themselves about just how good a bloody-rare Fillet Mignon tastes going down. Either that, or they're self-loathing masochists... because meat is good. Meat, is right. And in no other place is a people more in touch with their true feelings about carcass than the good citizens of the Philippine islands. There may very well be a connection here to the fact that Filipinos are also very happy.

By the time we left Indonesia, we both were a walking bag of bones, and sorely in need of some nutrients. So we have spent the last two weeks stuffing our faces with some of the best food of our trip. Filipinos love pork, and they eat it all, from ribs to skin to entrails -they even make some interesting dishes from chopped-up pig's head. This is a land of plenty, and the first place we have visited where they serve up meals in American-sized portions. And it's wonderful.
But enough of food for now.

We began our trip in Clark, a few hours north of Manila (and the only place Air Asia flies into). Clark was once home to extensive U.S. military operations, and as I recall, a very popular port-of-call in my Navy days, due to its thriving sex trade. Even now, the town crawls with older white men who fly in specifically for the surviving services on offer there... and they are aplenty. Despite having traveled over twenty-four hours to get there, including a precious few uncomfortable hours curled up on the chairs at Kuala Lumpur International in transit, we decided we could skip this particular town for better options north.

Luzon was beautiful. My grandfather served in this area sixty years ago, and I don't think much has changed in the highlands since then. It took us a few days to reach our final destination, but it was well worth it. Batad, a tiny mountain village accessed solely by foot over a mountain pass is home to an amphitheater of ancient rice terraces, still cultivated by local farmers. No cars, no motorcycles, and really warm, welcoming people. The view from the porch of the home we stayed in was simply amazing. We got in late, and it rained buckets, so first thing the next morning we hiked a few kilometers over a ridge and down a ravine to a 20-meter waterfall, accompanied by a local dog which acted as both our guide and protector as we navigated the steep terraces and packs of unruly dogs on our way. After breakfast we donned our packs for the 15 kilometer walk back to the nearest transit town. The rains of the night before had caused a mammoth mudslide that took out a huge stretch of road we were walking along, and as we aren't much for waiting, we took our chances and picked our way through the steep, knee-deep muck to the other side. About half-way across, Tatyana made the mistake of looking down, and it was a long way down... and asked me, for the millionth time this trip, why exactly it is that she follows me around...

Once out of the mountains we made our way on an overnight bus to Manila, where Margot's father, Glenn put us up at a condo he keeps there. What a host! It was such a treat to have access to warm water and a regular bed, and a refrigerator. And there was beer in the fridge! The next morning we flew from Manila to Cebu, where we caught a bus up the coast to Maya, at the northern tip. It was dark when we arrived, and we had missed the local boat to Malapascua, so we spent the night and caught a boat first thing in the morning. Malapascua was really nice -a beautiful beach and turquoise water. The big draw is the presence of Thresher sharks, but due to a tropical depression that was whipping up the water and ruining the visibility, we had to ditch our hopes of diving there, and after a nice evening and a great all-you-can-eat dinner of... guess it... pork, we jumped on a boat the next morning and headed south to Cebu, where we caught a ferry to Dumaguete on Negros.

After a few days in Dumaguete, we caught a bus and a boat to Apo Island, where, because of low season, we scored an amazing suite overlooking the ocean for a whopping $12 a night. Apo is a marine sanctuary, and the weather was accommodating, so we enjoyed some really great diving. The people there were really great; like everywhere else we went in the Philippines, just warm and welcoming and full of smiles.

We caught a flight from Dumaguete back to Manila, where we met up with Margot!!!, the first of our friends we have seen since we left home in March. So great to see a friendly face. She and her friends had a weekend planned down the coast at Batangas, so we joined them (thanks Glenn!!!) and had the best time hanging out with them and experiencing some good old fashioned Filipino relaxation. There we tried balut--half-developed duck egg--and survived. Tatyana posted some good pics, but wait till you see the video.

Back to Manila to get our act together, tie up loose ends and fill up on pork before heading out to Vietnam, where we will meet up with David and Jason. We should have another post in about two weeks.

Tatyana has posted pictures to her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032231&id=1081248185&l=447d8891b7