Manila to Banaue, Philippines January 11-12, 2025

I was quite impressed with myself that I was not feeling anxious about getting to the bus depot in time for my 10:15 pm departure.  The only problem I might’ve had was that there would not be a Grab available considering it was Saturday night.  I went downstairs to the lobby to check out but called for a Grab first and much to my surprise the site said it would be there in five minutes. I stood up from the table to walk to the front desk to check out and a car pulled up out in front and that was my car!  I couldn’t believe it.  The front desk had to call housekeeping to check my sheets because apparently they’ve had some “issues” with guests doing God knows what to the sheets and they have had to charge for damages. Anyway, mine were fine and soon I was on my way to the bus depot.

We left on time at 10:15 PM. My seat was broken but luckily no one was sitting next to me so I had lots of space. It was a long and cold trip. We stopped twice for comfort rests which are bathroom breaks.  I met a couple from Lyon, France who have been travelling for three months.  The places we stopped reminded me so much of Western China. There is a big urn of hot water and the smell of those gross noodles in the packages.  There were some interesting signs –

This is called perching.  People squat on the toilet to do their business.  I’ve seen barbwire fastened to toilet rims to prevent this.

Don’t ask me why but Philippine buses are known to be freezing and this one was no exception.  The driver even wore a coat with a scarf wrapped around his neck. I asked him to turn it down and I think he did but these buses do not have heat and so there isn’t much option, I guess.  I was lucky to be able to sleep quite a bit. As it was getting light and we were passing through a village, I noticed three men rushing towards us waving their arms. I thought they wanted to get on the bus and the driver did stop however it was not for them.  There had been a landslide and we could go no further.  

Three Ohayami buses had left at the same time from Manila , and so now we could combine into one because we were near the end of our trip, and most passengers had already gotten off. We travelled a little bit further and stopped in the line of traffic. I got off the bus and walked towards the landslide.  The first thing I saw was this man selling the most delicious, fresh, warm buns out of a little cart for 20 pesos each. That’s about $.25-

They already had a loader moving the debris and it was a small slide in comparison to many. They are very common in this area because it rains a lot and they live in a mountainous area –

I had to go to the bathroom, so I walked into the village, met a girl on the street and she took me to her home. The bathroom was very primitive –

She explained they had electricity, Internet, a school nearby and she planned after grade 12 to studyhuman resources. Her mother was sweeping the dirt courtyard and they were very friendly. They would not take any money.

A busy home,  what’s for lunch?  Chickens or rabbit?-

A pig going to slaughter-

David, my guide in Sagada explained that animists will slaughter a pig at the death of a loved one or for a wedding.

It appeared the slide was going to take longer to remove than first thought so we foreigners walked across the debris-

and got into shuttle vans to take us to Banaue.  There, I talked to the information centre about a tour to the rice terraces which is one price, regardless of how many people are in your group.  That makes it unfortunate for single travellers like me but that is life. Because I already had a reservation at Sagada, a neighbouring town, I decided to go there first so I caught a shuttle, switched in Bontoc to a jeepney and after about an hour and a half was in Sagada.  Along the way-

Sagada-

Both towns are well set up for tourists. You have to pay a small tourist fee upon arrival, about $1.25. Then I found my lodging at Ajjaa’s Place-

Where’s the sink?-

I then found a tourist agency and went on my hanging coffin tour.

Before the Catholic priests arrive to civilize the Filipino, the religion of Philippines was animism. That is a belief in nature and animals. Because of this, their burial sites were on the walls of mountains. There are thousands of coffins hanging on the rocks but the practice is no longer in vogue because Catholics believe ashes to ashes dust to dust and are buried in the ground. 95% of Filipinos are now Catholic.  Another problem was that as the tourists came and the bodies decomposed there was quite a bad smell!  There is no way to get to the coffins without a guide because you have to pass by a check point booth where your information is recorded. David wasn’t the best, but he had the information, I only had to tease it out of him.  The bottom left coffin is small but it is not a child.  Babies are in a foetal position in the mothers womb, and therefore people are sometimes buried in the foetal position- 

Coffins in the distance-

The modern cemetery-

On November 1st, All Saints Day, people light fires by the graves of their loved ones –

Afterwards, I stopped for a delicious curry and tried the beer of the Philippines-

I visited with a German woman who has been travelling since July, then headed back to my homestay.  Tomorrow I will go back to Banaue, do a tour of the rice terraces and probably catch a 4 PM bus back to Manila.  

I am really enjoying my time and notice that I have not played one game of Scrabble.  I am going to have to find a lot more to do at home to keep me occupied.

 Manilla, Philippines 

I was wide awake at 2 am - I guess I am experiencing jet lag!  First thing I did was book a bus to Banaue which leaves at 10:15 tonight.  Banaue is where the rice terraces are in the north and I will move onto Sagada tomorrow afternoon.  I’m not looking forward to an overnight bus but there is no other option so…

After a very good breakfast, I walked to the ferry to try to get a ride to Intramurros, the historic part of Manila.  I had to take a shuttle to the other side-

Unfortunately it was full until 10:30 so instead I caught a jeepney , transferred then transferred again.  Luckily lots of people speak English and are very helpful.  

Intramurros is pretty lame compared to most cities this size and age however sign after sign explained - here stood ___________ destroyed in WWII.  I had no idea but had also never thought about it-

There are also empty lots where buildings used to be-

There’s a very sad monument-

This is the seventh Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral.  Previous ones were either destroyed by fire, typhoons, earthquakes or bombs.  Catholics are resilient!  Because this one was built in the late 40s and early 50s, it’s not very interesting-

Kind of a funny sign in a church-

Further down the street is San Agustin church-

where a baptism was happening- and other families were waiting outside for their turn-

The wall surrounding the old city still stands-

Intramuros is a few restaurants, schools, a couple churches and homes-

Mangoes are processed in the building I liked the most-

It’s not really worth visiting but… right beside it is the Intramuros Golf Course-

It costs about $40 a round and quite a few were playing.  A caddy is required.  I visited the pro shop and it’s about the size of my bedroom.  The grass is that thick bladed stuff that doesn’t really grow but is heat and drought resistant.

Fort Santiago is also in this area.  It was occupied by the Spanish and lastly by the Japanese.  A moat surrounds it-

The entrance-

There’s a dungeon-

where during the Spanish reign they used iron shoes to crush the bones of the feet, thumbscrews to dislocate joints in the hands, forehead screws were used to put pressure on the sides of the skull and lead weights were used to crush the chest and abdomen-

There are also pictures of the city at the end of WWII.  100,000 people were killed in one month during the Japanese invasion-

After Manila was liberated in 1945, the US army discovered 600 decomposing corpses.  They died from suffocation and heat exhaustion.  They were buried in a mass grave below the white cross-

It’s also where José Rizal was imprisoned and eventually killed for being a traitor.  Today he’s a national hero.  He was killed by a firing squad in this room-

There’s a museum honouring him and a garden-

The American barracks were also destroyed in the war-

On a more positive note, there’s a Lego display of historic buildings-

The Pasig River meanders through Manila-

Afterwards I went to Chinatown, the oldest in the world outside of China.  It was established in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement for Catholic Chinese-

It was very busy.

Kumquats-

What?

Lucky red-

I went for lunch at Wai Yang Fastfood which isn’t fastfood as we know it.  I had to wait outside about an hour before a table was available.  The cutlery arrived in a glass of hot water-

I had roast duck with abodo sauce-

Fried dumplings with fish sauce and very hot chilis-

and for dessert buchi balls-

It was good but not exceptional.  I think some of the best Chinese I’ve ever had was in Winnipeg when Nico was sick.

I tried to come home on the ferry but it was full so took a couple jeepneys.  It took an hour to get back to the ZHostel where I have new roommates- no one stays too long.  But before I got here I stopped at Saint Peter and Paul Church which was also constructed a few times with the most recent in 1849-

There’s a black Jesus-

I had a shower and am ready to take a Grab to the bus depot for my 10:15 departure to Banaue.  Hope I can sleep!