Hola Vigan!

I arrived in Vigan. It really is different from anything else in the Philippines. Sadly, the 200-300 year old buildings are better structures than what people live in, in most of the country. I have developed a bad cold from the temperature drop and rain in Banaue and Bagiuo. The long bus rides I’m sure …

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Back in Bagiuo

I’m back in Bagiuo for the night. I spent most of the day on the bus coming back from Banaue. It turns out that I picked the rainy season to visit. Tomorrow I’m off to Vigan north of here, then to Puerta Princessa. I may have to say here a few days longer than expected. …

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The Manila Folder

There are some cities in the world which can only be described as great cities. Cities where you can walk around all day and never cease finding good street food, restaurants, parks and shops. The people are nice and the streets are clean. Manila is not such a city. Day 1 I learned the hard …

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Safe in Baguio

I’m finally out of Manila and in Baguio, which is higher, wetter, cleaner and safer than Manila. The ride up was interesting and the landscape near Baguio is very beautiful. I now need to figure out how to get to the rice terraces and Vigan. I should have a longer post on Manila up shortly. …

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Out of Manila

I’m hoping to finally leave Manila today. I don’t know what my bandwidth situation will be for next several days, so if there is a drought of posts, it is because I’m in the middle of nowhere. I’ll be visiting the “8th Wonder of the World”, the rice terraces and the city of Vigan.

Best and Worst of the Pacific

The following lists are based on places I actually visited. If you know of a place that should be on this list but isn’t there…oh well. You will notice a big discrepancy between my top 10 and what you might find in the 1000 Places to See Before You Die. I swear the book was …

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Tattoo

Philippines First Thoughts

Here is a list of random first thoughts: I’m surprised that there is as much English as there is. Almost all the signage is in English. I was expecting much less and more Tagalog. The Philippines is a big place with a large enough population that they should have a critical mass of speakers so …

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Final Thoughts on Palau

Palau Rocks. Pun intended. I’m not sure why Palau works, but it does. If you look at other Pacific nations with similar populations, they are pretty much basket cases politically and economically. Palau has managed to create a country with a standard of living higher than its neighbors (save for Guam) and a stable government. …

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