Paradise in Pinatubo

            It was still dark and raining  when i woke up with a jolt. My alarm has been on snooze for the past hour, and i have 7 missed calls. The group that i was joining on this trip was already at the town where we're hiring four-wheel drives, and was just waiting for us scraggly slowpokes. What was supposed to be a carful of people was weaned to two.Two girls backed out at the last minute, and Henry unwisely thought we're supposed to meet at 730am in the city. We're meeting the group in Tarlac at 730.

            The drive was fast and smooth, it took Romi 2 hrs to drive to Bgy Juliana, Capas, Tarlac. I slept through it, but the rain has stopped, and was still cloudy. We had five minutes to grab our things and jump in the jeep, and join the P&G people who are Romi's officemates.

            Mount Pinatubo had been a sleeping giant until 1991, when it decided to spew out massive volcanic ashes which reached Metro Manila, making midday look like midnight, burying towns in lahar. Now as we drove through the sandy slush, it's nice to see some vegetation finally flourishing. It took us another hour to get to the jumpoff. The former jumpoff aptly called Skyway, was closed because of incessant rains. Thus what was supposed to be a 20-minute hike turned out to be 3 hours in this new, much-farther jumpoff. A bit of a problem for those who wore jeans and flip-flops, but still doable.

            Accompanied by an able local guide, we began the easy hike to the crater lake. There were numerous stream-crossing, and after a couple of streams, my trail shoes were soaking wet. But it was that or wearing outdoor sandals, but the sand would rub against your skin, causing hotspots and blisters. We walked in the middle of a gorge, with soft, eroding walls of sand on either side. We were only allowed to walk in the middle, and not touch these walls. Yelling is not allowed, as the vibration might trigger a landslide. Four foreigners perished in these trails when they encountered a flashflood while camping. There was no way out.

four-wheel drive

jumpoff

narrow gorge

crater lake

poop break

taken on poop break

carabaos bathing

mother aetas

her kids

                                        

            Nevertheless, the view of crater lake made the trip worthwhile. The campsite had been turned into a mini-resort, with huts, manicured lawn, and a small store selling cold drinks. I had mixed feelings about the change-- sad to see this once-pristine grounds turn into something more touristy, ergo a lot more people will visit and make their impact on this mountain. On the other hand, it provides the locals with sustainable livelihood, and the campsite is maintained regularly. It even has a couple of toilets.

            After guzzling down a chilled soda, we went down the lip of the mountain, to the edges of the crater lake. The lake was of a delicious opaque color of water-nixie green, the kind that makes me think of mermaids. The sulfur made it so, fortunately i couldn't smell it. There were people sunning themselves, some under their umbrellas, only a handful people were swimming. The water was freezing. There were boats piled in one corner, because boating isn't allowed at this time.  The rains made the walls soft and could easily topple over you, and locals are afraid of having a mini-tidal wave causing boats to flip over. I wanted to swim over to warmer waters maybe half a kilometer away, but again it was not allowed. We're only allowed to swim in the small cove nearest the campsite.

            I ate my packed lunch, after which i plunked down at a warm rock, and listened to music while i marvelled at the beauty in front of me. The surrounding walls were a deep green in most areas, while some a bare gray, revealing recent landslides. I couldn't take my eyes off the unusual shade of jade of the water, inviting me to take a dip. There was a bit of a breeze, making me wish for my jacket i left in the car. Friends who previously came here complained of the searing heat, but never because it was chilly.

            I didn't take the plunge until the last minute. The water was cold, but as long as i keep moving,  I did enjoy my swim. I can hardly see my feet, the water was so opaque.

            Soon enough we had to start heading back. We were the only ones left. One of the girls in our group, the one in jeans, had some pain in her leg,  the locals tried to heal it by hilot, the  Filipino version of  physical therapy/massage. She got better, and walked back on her own. One guy, from another group, didn't fare as well. We saw him lying down in one of the huts, his feet propped up. He sprained his ankle a few meters from the lip of crater lake. He couldn't put any weight on it. He needed to be put on a stretcher and carried down. He weighs 200 pounds. With a small prayer i muttered to myself, i wished him and his group luck and went on my way.

            To make the trek more interesting, Romi and I decided to run some of the flat trails. We managed to pass all those who went before us, and arrived at the jumpoff after an hour fifteen. 

            We saw some Aetas along the way, kids playing on a boulder while their mother washed clothes by the stream. Carabaos were bathing.

            On our way back the town, one of the passengers in our jeep asked the driver to because she needed to poop, she's having stomach problems. We're in the middle of a wide plain, with a few depressions by the streams. We gave her two umbrellas, and she walked off to a depression a few hundred meters from us and made her “claim” behind them. We pretended to be oblivious and took pictures of the landscape instead. She was abashed but smiling when she came back. If i were her, i'd wish i would just die. :)

            The town had a nice clean public toilet to change clothes in, cheap but yummy street food to sate our appetites, cold sodas to quench our thirst. A few drunk locals wanted to have their photos taken wiith the celebrated Romi Garduce, one of the few Filipinos who has scaled Mount Everest, but didn't have any camera.

            It was all-in-all a very lovely and interesting trip.

a day in bangkok

The bus from Pakse brought me to Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. By now i'm used to border crossings by now, and my system is clean from any canabis. I met a Filipina on the way, who works in Laos, in a coffee plantation. She was very generous with information and advise on how to go around Bangkok, and even paid for my dinner (shrimp with broccoli for 40 baht-cheap no!). Too bad i didn't know about a faster bus to Thailand before. I booked fr Pakse, and the trip will take 12 hrs, instead of 8.

Grand Palace Museum

bantay sa palace

Cass and me

I arrived in Mochit Bus Station at dawn. I was having a hard time calling fr my mobile phone, and i was supposed to meet a mutual friend in Bangkok to show me around. Thankfully, her call got through my phone, and we met at a pier. Her name's Cass, a Thai archeologist who works for the Princess, and she really did a good job showing me a small slice of the vibrant city.

street scene

Only a local would know that the best way to wriggle out of  Bangkok's congested streets is to take a boat across the river, for as cheap as 3 baht. No more stressing about how to get fr place to place. I had Cass with me. :)

We had breakfast at a riverside restaurant, and went to the Grand Palace Museum. It's a big compound, too big to be lugging around 16 kilos of luggage around your shoulder, but that i did. And the scorching heat was overpowering. But it made for a bright blue sky, perfect for photos, so i swallowed my complaints and just shot picture after picture. We manage to stow my duffel at Cass' friend's house, and saw more of the city unencumbered and light.                                       
                                                                        



At my request, we went to Chinatown, and saw one of the oldest temple in the city. Cass was a true tour guide who walked me through the murals and history of her beloved country. I asked her how she liked having a king, and said they were essential ambassadors of their country, without them to show potential colonists how prosperous and independent their country is, they would've been invaded by now. Interesting...

Lunch at another riverside resto. Walked through their oldest university.

I had a couple of hours to shop, bargains were everywhere. My haggling skills were put into good use.

My tired feet and shoulders got a treat as i got an authentic Thai massage. I didn't realize that a small woman could have so much strength as she twisted my limbs in impossible positions! She laughed as i moaned in pain. A professional sadist. And i a masochist.

full moon by the river

I only saw a glimpse of Khao San Road and its lively neighborhodd, full of foreigners, bars pounding dance tunes. I looked at it wistfully, mentally noting that i'll definitely go back to check it out.

Dinner of tom yum at khao san area for 40 baht. and a beer.

Took the airport express bus, late enough for a smooth and fast ride to the airport. The flight back home to Manila went without incident.

End of the line. Trip finished.

I'm already daydreaming of my trip back to Thailand, to stay longer to get to discover the little gems that are not so famous but just as beautiful.

Who wants to go? :)

laos' bolaven plateau

The night bus fr luang prabang to vientiane was an uncomfortable ride for me-seated next to me was some fat drunk local pretending to be asleep as he lolls back and forth.

my favorite shot

It was dark and raining in the early morning of vientiane. tuktuk drivers swooped down on unsuspecting travellers like me, and i try to haggle a ride to the town proper. i plunked down a tuktuk brimming w locals, and was dropped at the town center. it was dead calm, the town was still sleeping, and i had to find an open coffee shop and wait for the lodges to open.

vientiane wat

Soon enough i have a place to stay, grabbed my LP book on Laos and headed out. It was raining, and a Sunday, so most of the establishments were closed. Got to see a few wats, the Royal Palace, the Patuxai (their version of d'Arc de Triomphe). Time was very slow. I just want to leap forward and get vientiane over with. I was supposed to cross the border to Nong Khai, Thailand, but i decided to explore the unbeaten path of  Laos' Bolaven Plateau instead.

rhona, this is what a sleeper bus looks like!

I got on a true-blue sleeper bus to Pakse, complete w mattress, fluffy pillows and a comforter, and free dinner. I slept like a baby. It was dawn when I woke up in the south of Laos.

It was difficult for any girl to fit 4 days' worth of clothing, rain jacket, camera and charger, and toiletries in a teeny 15-liter backpack, but that's what i did, and left my heavy bulky duffel backpack at the motorbike rental place. I met a "guide/driver" of some sort to drive me around Bolaven Plateau in a motorbike.

For someone who had a bicycle accident early this year, it's no surprise that i am doubly terrified to get on a much-faster motorbike. But since this is the most convenient way of touring the plateau, and hiring a tuktuk for 3 days cost 1 million kip, I wore my helmet and shades on, and I prayed to God for safety every minute i was on it. God was on my side, not a scratch on me. :) kudos to the driver!

people on the road fr pakse

Tad Pasuam

Day 1 was rainy, we stopped a lot and drank a lot of lao coffee, which was later replaced by ice cold lao beer. We ate buffalo meat for lunch which the locals shared w us. We saw waterfalls (Tad Pasuam) and an ethnic village. Early afternoon, we're at Tad Lo, where i saw elephants feeding on bananas. The falls in Laos are different fr the falls i see in the Philippines, which are narrow and high. There the falls are low but wide. at that time the water was very strong, not safe for swimming. But it was magnificent, ten times over. I always marvel at its beauty longer than i should. Masarap lang tumanga at tumambay at tingnan. The view fr our lodge's restaurant was awesome.

elephants at Tadlo

sunset at Tadlo

Tad Lo

view fr resto

Day 2 was sunny and bright. Great weather. We encountered numerous kids walking home fr their school. Tad Faek and Tad Hua Khon were gorgeous! Met a Spanish couple who also hired a bike, but the boyfriend was new to driving one, resulting to his girlfriend's "thigh tattoo" (nasty burn fr the muffler) when they slipped. Had a nice evening with them, interesting to hear them speak Spanish and actually understand what they're saying. Spanish and French classes in UP paid off . Slept in a bungalow overlooking the falls. I wanna stay there forever.

day 2

cute kid

walking fr school

tanders making tambay

Tad Faek

Tad Hua Khon

Tad Hua Khon

Day 3 was a ride along dirt road to Paksong. saw Tad Katamtok and took what i think is my best photo in this entire trip. In this stretch, no English was spoken. It's funny that they always mistake me to be Lao. I learned how to say in Lao "I don't understand. Philippine." I learned some of their language by this time, learned how to ask for food, fried eggs, noodles. When all else fails i simply whip out my Laos LP book, and there in lao alphabet are a glossary of common food. I tirelessly greet every local "sabaydee!" with a wave and a smile. Paksong is where they grow delicious Italian roast blend coffee, which we had when we got there. Spoke to the owner of the shop, a Hollander named Coffee. He gave us advice where to stay, where to eat and which falls are worth the trip. I slept  at a classy hotel (Lao standard) at the top of a hill, overlooking the town. The air was chilly. The fried rice w chicken and Beer Lao in Bolavein Restaurant were delicious.

Tad Katamtok

Tad Champi

Day 4 started early. we were on a muddy dirt road looking for a particular waterfall. we almost fell in ankle deep slush. did not get hurt, just got dirty. hiked some dangerous trail, mala-Mt. Banahaw ang terrain, all roots and branches to hold on to for dear life. twisted my ankle. damn those flip flops. wishing for my trail shoes which were sitting clean and primly in pakse, inside my duffel. we were on top of a 100-meter falls. on the trek back we saw pilgrims worshiping a buddha on a mountain peak. very scenic way to worship. finally had our wish when we went to Tad Champi. biting cold water, but swam anyway. said my last goodbye to laos, and rode back to pakse.

It was refreshing to go down the path less traveled.

From there I took another night bus, crossed the Thai border at ubon,  then arrived in Bangkok in the morning.

halong bay, hanoi alone

halong bay

Rhona just left to catch the bus to the airport. i grabbed the map of hanoi and decided to get lost for a couple of hours. i always made sure i know where i am on the map, but it takes a while. the streets in hanoi keep changing names every couple of blocks. i covered the entire old quarter area by 9pm. dog tired but excited to continue my adventure on my own.

The following morning I went to Halong Bay for a day trip- $16- free lunch, bus and boat included. it was i think 3 hrs fr hanoi. slept most of the way but i did manage to see a few temples along the countryside, and verdant rice paddies. it was beautiful.

From the pier, we boarded a junk. and off we sailed to Halong Bay.

I haven't been to our very own version of Halong Bay in Palawan yet, so my perspective on this trip is fresh and untainted. From the hustle and bustle of hanoi, the solace and the grandeur of the place were a welcoming change. chillax lang. the vast cliffs rising fr the water look like dragons swimming. a couple of cliffs looked liked cocks fighting at one point, then as we moved it became a giant turtle. we stopped by a floating market where you can buy fish and fruits. i bought my favorite fruit, atis, or na in vietnamese, and practiced my haggling skills.

Lunch was eaten family style; we are grouped w other passengers, an excellent way of meeting people. in my table there was a german travelling alone, the rest were vietnamese. the viet family was very friendly. gave us pomelo, and put food on our plates- fried tilapia, squid in a delicious sauce, kangkong in garlic, etc. 

After lunch we headed out to see a cave that will lead us inside the cliff mountain, revealing a big outdoor pool  guarded by cliff walls, ala "The Beach". to get there, we either had to ride a  smaller motor boat or we could kayak. The viet family of 3 wanted to kayak, and invited me to be the fourth person. I wasn't very eager to-I haven't done it in a long while, i don't know how far it was, and if there's current it would be more difficult. I finally called it quits when i found out that i will be partnered w the 50-something mom, while the siblings will get another kayak. I don't want and cannot paddle for the both of us. I wriggled out of it by saying i don't have money for the rental and want to ride the motor boat instead and suggested that the mom come w me. we were both happy to do it. The cave tunnel was short, and the view inside is marvelous. it would've been nice to camp there for a couple of days.

We also went inside a cave system, w vast stalactites and stalagmites, brilliantly lit purple, blue, red. it's about 3-storey high. The harbor outside is lovely too, w numerous junks parked, lit by bright sun w a bright blue sky.

The trip home is just as long, but much more happy. 

A couple of days in Hanoi... what to do, what to do. I decided to explore the French Quarter, which has beautiful French architecture, wide tree-lined streets and quaint stores. A far cry from the Old Town, like Quiapo and Paris. Ate more pho at the sidewalk. saw the Opera House. went in the History Museum. most interesting is the Hao Lo Prison Museum (Maison Centrale) or "Hanoi Hilton" for the Americans who were locked up there during WWII. It was built to detain vietnamese dissidents rising against the French. The guillotine is still there. the quarters cramped, evidence that conditions of the prisoners there were horrible. I bought a green cap w the red star to commemmorate.

The next day i went to picturesque Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, where their scholars studied Confucius and other disciples. The compound held several courtyards, traditional buildings and tranquil gardens w lotus pools. Then across the road was the Fine Arts Museum. Fell in love w lacquer paintings.

street of my guesthouse

halong bay

floating fruit stall

through a cave

one of the oldest bldgs in the French Quarter

Hanoi Opera House

book made of gold!

hao lo prison

temple of literature

After an afternoon w Luu Van Sin, Nguyen Sang and other vietnamese artworks, i hurriedly went back to the guesthouse to catch my flight to Luang Prabang.