10 days into my stay in Melbourne I find myself in a car on the Great Ocean Road heading camping with two aussies and one Swedish girl, the boot full of good food and booze, looking at the ocean lollipop in my mouth and thinking this is so awesome. Well, to tell the truth, I wasnt thinking that its awesome. I was thinking that its so cool instead. But its not cool to say cool over here.
This was really the first time for me to get out of the city until now. Unless I count the occasion where I took a bike in a wrong direction from my place in the suburbs and ended up on a highway of some sort. That bike ride was special though. It was the strongest sun I have ever felt in my entire life and I had decided its perfect for some exercise. As I was pushing further under the ozone hole, I kept sighing with relief any rare moment there was some shadow. But it was still a joyride and I completed my 30km round tour. Even if it meant that to keep myself sane, I took my tshirt and hat off in the public toilet and made it soaking wet and put it on again. All this made the cold coctails of Friday night taste even better.
Besides camping, biketour and coctails (rum from philippines has paid off) and countless beer&wine (my liver does deserve a rest) I have also been to a massive open air classical concert. Heaps of people, all with their picnic stuff lying about the concert ground. And then a girl comes to sit just 2m away to join her two friends. I look and I can't believe my eyes. Its a friend of mine from Belgium! Just there, at that time. It means I'm in a good place.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Heaps of awesome people
"Thanks, babe" said the immigration officer in Melbourne airport handing my passport back and I stepped into the down under.
All I had arranged beforehand was a place to stay via couchsurfing. On the first day I needed to ask people's help do many times, including 10cents that was missing for my overpriced tramticket. But I made it to my host's place. He was actually working and other couchsurfers let me in and handed me over the key. I only met the guy in the evening in a pub. He didn't even have a key for himself... had just trusted that I feel like home at his place and don't sell his furniture or borrow his laptop and leave altogether. Pretty amazing.
Today as well. I changed from one couch to another and my host just had left me the key in the postbox, so I could come and drop off my bag whenever I want and leave as I please. I met him later at a free concert down in the city.
The middle host, where I stayed 4 nights, didn't leave me a key, but just suggested to climb in from the bathroom window in the back of the house. System worked. Now I left my big bag at his place to surf couple of nights elsewhere, just to return and maybe sleep at his friends garden, in a tent on Friday. I find the idea of sleeping in a tent in Melbourne pretty funny, but in a good way.
Besides sleeping arrangement, couch surfing had been really cool. This is a way to meet great people and who are locals as well and get valuable information. Plus just fun to talk to and hang around with.
Even the kangaroo bbq yesterday was organised via couchsurfing. One australian girl Anna just invited 25 people to her house, everyone brought some food and drinks and she took care of the australian specialities.
It amazes me how many kind, trustful and positive people there are. And I know I will also host once I will get an address again. Warmly suggested to you too :)
All I had arranged beforehand was a place to stay via couchsurfing. On the first day I needed to ask people's help do many times, including 10cents that was missing for my overpriced tramticket. But I made it to my host's place. He was actually working and other couchsurfers let me in and handed me over the key. I only met the guy in the evening in a pub. He didn't even have a key for himself... had just trusted that I feel like home at his place and don't sell his furniture or borrow his laptop and leave altogether. Pretty amazing.
Today as well. I changed from one couch to another and my host just had left me the key in the postbox, so I could come and drop off my bag whenever I want and leave as I please. I met him later at a free concert down in the city.
The middle host, where I stayed 4 nights, didn't leave me a key, but just suggested to climb in from the bathroom window in the back of the house. System worked. Now I left my big bag at his place to surf couple of nights elsewhere, just to return and maybe sleep at his friends garden, in a tent on Friday. I find the idea of sleeping in a tent in Melbourne pretty funny, but in a good way.
Besides sleeping arrangement, couch surfing had been really cool. This is a way to meet great people and who are locals as well and get valuable information. Plus just fun to talk to and hang around with.
Even the kangaroo bbq yesterday was organised via couchsurfing. One australian girl Anna just invited 25 people to her house, everyone brought some food and drinks and she took care of the australian specialities.
It amazes me how many kind, trustful and positive people there are. And I know I will also host once I will get an address again. Warmly suggested to you too :)
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
9 hours rough ride across the sea
I grew quickly very fond of El Nido in north of Palawan island. Lots of places to go during daytime on and off the coast, so many other travellers to hang out with. But I had already booked my flight ticket to Manila from another island (Busuanga) and had a boat ticket to that island.
Now, "boat" is an overstatement. One of the other travellers, German guy Martin, had warned me about them and of course I had read in my Rough Guide as well to be careful crossing the seas as bankas (thats the real term for filipino boat) tend to sink every now and then. But I thought thats a weak stomach talking.
So I stepped into my little wobbly bangka with quite an enthusiasm for the promised 6h journey. After 2 hours when myself and my staff was soaking wet, my enthusiasm was curbed. But I tried to find shelter against splashing water and continue reading my book, sleep or look at the horizon in order to calm down reoccurring upset feeling in my stomach. As I heard that the toilet was in pretty bad condition as well I opted for not drinking water. Capital-redfont-advertised "FREE MEAL" turned out to be a cup of rice with no sauce or savouring and one little peace of chicken. It was the funniest thing that happened during the 9h joyride.
Soon after darkness fell, we arrived to Coron town however. There was a lot of traffic noise, it seemed chaotic and I didnt like it. Somehow I found a place to stay. I tried to take use of wireless internet available in my room, but soon i fell asleep with the semi-dry clothes from the boatride still on and didnt even turn off the light, cause I just was too tired to make any move.
Next morning it was so great to see Martin in the living room of the guest house. We could bitch about Coron town and why had people we met separately told us that Coron is cool and/or even better than El Nido. Now way! He was slightly happy though to hear, that he was right about the boat that I took. (He had taken the boat a day before after his extensive research which ones are biggest and most trustworthy)
Anyway, as it felt that there is nothing to do on the mainland and it was too late to go to any tour, we hired together a boat to go and have a day on the beach. In the evening while drinking beer we missed again the chance to book a tour. Plus we were a bit suspicious of those tours based on the huge amount of boats anchored on a little beach today. So next morning we were still grumpy about the perspectives of the day ahead. Idea was to hire a boat again and go to the main sightseeing spots in a different order than the operated tours. But its pretty expensive, so I had offered I will find people on the street to come with us (have done that before in El Nido :) But all turned out just great as we sold the idea to a young french couple in our guesthouse. We were able to go the amazing places that Coron island has to offer and avoided all the crowds, had lunch on a private little beach and the mood was up. Even Coron town itself had grown on me with its very authentic setup and the fact that i live in a hut on poles above the sea and on the way there im passing a pig and kids that greet me with high five. That's the thing about new places. Sometimes you need to give a little bit of time to get readjusted and find your way and comfort there.
Regarding comfort - on the last day I went to a local beauty saloon and had a haircut, pedicure and french manicure for total 4 euros including tips. Then when I reached the capital Manila, i went straight from the airport with a taxi to a shopping mall to replace my wardrobe before entering the western world the day after. And now, here I am, surfing on a couch, watching TV, walking on soft carpet, cooking my own food, writing a blog using a laptop on my lap. Fantastic.
I havent seen anything of Melbourne yet, but I will. Im just taking a moment to relax.
Now, "boat" is an overstatement. One of the other travellers, German guy Martin, had warned me about them and of course I had read in my Rough Guide as well to be careful crossing the seas as bankas (thats the real term for filipino boat) tend to sink every now and then. But I thought thats a weak stomach talking.
So I stepped into my little wobbly bangka with quite an enthusiasm for the promised 6h journey. After 2 hours when myself and my staff was soaking wet, my enthusiasm was curbed. But I tried to find shelter against splashing water and continue reading my book, sleep or look at the horizon in order to calm down reoccurring upset feeling in my stomach. As I heard that the toilet was in pretty bad condition as well I opted for not drinking water. Capital-redfont-advertised "FREE MEAL" turned out to be a cup of rice with no sauce or savouring and one little peace of chicken. It was the funniest thing that happened during the 9h joyride.
Soon after darkness fell, we arrived to Coron town however. There was a lot of traffic noise, it seemed chaotic and I didnt like it. Somehow I found a place to stay. I tried to take use of wireless internet available in my room, but soon i fell asleep with the semi-dry clothes from the boatride still on and didnt even turn off the light, cause I just was too tired to make any move.
Next morning it was so great to see Martin in the living room of the guest house. We could bitch about Coron town and why had people we met separately told us that Coron is cool and/or even better than El Nido. Now way! He was slightly happy though to hear, that he was right about the boat that I took. (He had taken the boat a day before after his extensive research which ones are biggest and most trustworthy)
Anyway, as it felt that there is nothing to do on the mainland and it was too late to go to any tour, we hired together a boat to go and have a day on the beach. In the evening while drinking beer we missed again the chance to book a tour. Plus we were a bit suspicious of those tours based on the huge amount of boats anchored on a little beach today. So next morning we were still grumpy about the perspectives of the day ahead. Idea was to hire a boat again and go to the main sightseeing spots in a different order than the operated tours. But its pretty expensive, so I had offered I will find people on the street to come with us (have done that before in El Nido :) But all turned out just great as we sold the idea to a young french couple in our guesthouse. We were able to go the amazing places that Coron island has to offer and avoided all the crowds, had lunch on a private little beach and the mood was up. Even Coron town itself had grown on me with its very authentic setup and the fact that i live in a hut on poles above the sea and on the way there im passing a pig and kids that greet me with high five. That's the thing about new places. Sometimes you need to give a little bit of time to get readjusted and find your way and comfort there.
Regarding comfort - on the last day I went to a local beauty saloon and had a haircut, pedicure and french manicure for total 4 euros including tips. Then when I reached the capital Manila, i went straight from the airport with a taxi to a shopping mall to replace my wardrobe before entering the western world the day after. And now, here I am, surfing on a couch, watching TV, walking on soft carpet, cooking my own food, writing a blog using a laptop on my lap. Fantastic.
I havent seen anything of Melbourne yet, but I will. Im just taking a moment to relax.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Yellow watermelon
Based on the two photos i have uploaded so far on facebook, i guess its pretty obvious im kinda enjoying myself here. Hard not to.
El Nido was super. I stayed in a guesthouse with two dormitory rooms filled with 3*3 story high bunk beds and cool people. The best place to meet new people. Being alone/lonely is hard to come by. I managed perhaps 2 hours - when i arrived, i went straight to the beach (estimated 10 metres from my 2nd story bed) and there was a bunch of English girls. The girl who seemed to be the leader of the group intimidated me with her stunningly big yet perky boobs hardly fitting into a tiny bikini. So I didn't strike a conversation with them. Nevertheless, few hours later we were having beer together and discussing boys. Thing with beach resorts is that they are full of Flipino boatmen, who do a fair amount of physical work every day and swimming etc and the result is noticeable on their shirtless bodies.
So the days passed by with sunbathing on empty beaches, island hopping and sea kayaking. For sea kayaking I hired a boatman. Quite an adventurous day which started with him breaking the paddle and fixing it on some island with a piece of wood. Second half of the day we arrived to a long empty beach with big waves. Big waves means that we capsized on the way in. I didnt get hurt or anything but things got lost in the sea. Like my sunglasses.
I have this goal not to loose them during this year. Its a challenge considering I will wear them almost every day (latter is not a complaint :) Anyhow, it seemed kinda helpless, but here is a suggestion for you if something similar happens to you. Throw in the sea a face cleaning tissue or something that floats not directly in the surface but inside the water. Then follow its path. I was pretty proud of myself of finding my glasses in the seabed 30m away from the place we flipped over.
Of course couple of hours later when it was time to head back, the waves were even bigger. How to get past the wave breaking points? Another capsizing. Almost lost the paddle. Completely lost the snorkeling gear. Whatever. It was time to go. Somehow there was a moment of opportunity and we managed to get to the deep water. The waves did not break there, but they were still so massive compared to the tiny tainy kayak. So there we went on paddling me screaming and yelling with both excitement and fear and the waves breaking loudly 100 metres away against massive limestone cliff. And then he broke his paddle again. Dear lord. Some more screaming on my side. It started to rain as well. But we saw a boat from the same company approaching the next bay, so we made the final effort to get to them and got a motorised lift back. And in the beach bar there were already people from the dormitory waiting with rum. Ain't that nice. I'd go kayaking again.
El Nido was super. I stayed in a guesthouse with two dormitory rooms filled with 3*3 story high bunk beds and cool people. The best place to meet new people. Being alone/lonely is hard to come by. I managed perhaps 2 hours - when i arrived, i went straight to the beach (estimated 10 metres from my 2nd story bed) and there was a bunch of English girls. The girl who seemed to be the leader of the group intimidated me with her stunningly big yet perky boobs hardly fitting into a tiny bikini. So I didn't strike a conversation with them. Nevertheless, few hours later we were having beer together and discussing boys. Thing with beach resorts is that they are full of Flipino boatmen, who do a fair amount of physical work every day and swimming etc and the result is noticeable on their shirtless bodies.
So the days passed by with sunbathing on empty beaches, island hopping and sea kayaking. For sea kayaking I hired a boatman. Quite an adventurous day which started with him breaking the paddle and fixing it on some island with a piece of wood. Second half of the day we arrived to a long empty beach with big waves. Big waves means that we capsized on the way in. I didnt get hurt or anything but things got lost in the sea. Like my sunglasses.
I have this goal not to loose them during this year. Its a challenge considering I will wear them almost every day (latter is not a complaint :) Anyhow, it seemed kinda helpless, but here is a suggestion for you if something similar happens to you. Throw in the sea a face cleaning tissue or something that floats not directly in the surface but inside the water. Then follow its path. I was pretty proud of myself of finding my glasses in the seabed 30m away from the place we flipped over.
Of course couple of hours later when it was time to head back, the waves were even bigger. How to get past the wave breaking points? Another capsizing. Almost lost the paddle. Completely lost the snorkeling gear. Whatever. It was time to go. Somehow there was a moment of opportunity and we managed to get to the deep water. The waves did not break there, but they were still so massive compared to the tiny tainy kayak. So there we went on paddling me screaming and yelling with both excitement and fear and the waves breaking loudly 100 metres away against massive limestone cliff. And then he broke his paddle again. Dear lord. Some more screaming on my side. It started to rain as well. But we saw a boat from the same company approaching the next bay, so we made the final effort to get to them and got a motorised lift back. And in the beach bar there were already people from the dormitory waiting with rum. Ain't that nice. I'd go kayaking again.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Just a perfect day
Sometimes things just work out so smoothly. After these two days that I constantly fell, dripped over and hit myself I was so glad to have a pain free day.Not only painfree, but so smooth, beautiful day when everything works out better than expected (even with high expectations) with little to no effort.
I left the smoky unimpressive capital of the Palawan island to head to freshly appointed world wonder - Palawan subterranean river. I had applied for the permit for the following day as they said its fully booked. But then when I got to the place quicker than expected, everything started to roll out so well. Somebody just took me to the greatest budget accommodation ever. Bamboo beach huts for 8 euros. I had my own hut! I haven't had such a big private space for long long time.
As it was only 10 in the morning, I could easily change my permit for the same day and join a group of philippino teachers/students. I saw the world wonder, which besides the fact that its quite packed, its indeed great. The river goes 8km underground, basically a long cave with all the different formations inside and bats hanging everywhere.
Then I got back to my guesthouse, had this amazing fresh fish while looking into the ocean through the coconut trees. Then just when finishing, met this French guy Pierre and we went for a paddle boat tour to the mangroove forest. Again amazing. During daytime the snakes like to sleep on treebranches hanging over the river. I was praying for their good balance. Also got to know that kingfisher is not only the airline I took to Nepal,but a beautiful tropical bird. Mangroove trees themselves are impressive as well with their huge root system up in the air and hanging everywhere.
Then after it was perfect time for a swim in the bluest of sees, big rolling waves and sandy seabead with no stones or corals. After the thrill of the waves (im always a bit scared of them and these ones really seemed like a little wall approaching you), the French guy produced some mangos from his bag. And the mangos here melt in your mouth. Then just another swim for the fun of it, because even when the sun is gone, the air and water both are so warm, so it doesn't really matter if you are dry or wet. You will feel just fine. And then (this story is not finished yet!) Pierre says he has something special, something that I couldn't get here and though its not in prefect condition, it will be great. OK then! We go to the terrace in front of his hut and he brings out a champagne and some sausages from France. Jesus. How cool is that.
Next morning I wake up because of the bang of a coconut falling on the ground in front of my hut. And I feel a warm body next to me. There is someone sleeping besides me. For a moment I get frightened in confusion. No, its not Pierre. What were you thinking? Its a cat that befriended me the previous evening against my efforts.
I pack my bag, go pay the bill and ask for someone to come with the machete and open the coconut. And then I ate it for breakfast, thought of minus 30 degrees in Estonia and felt very much like in paradise.
Next time I should try a hut under a banana tree.
I left the smoky unimpressive capital of the Palawan island to head to freshly appointed world wonder - Palawan subterranean river. I had applied for the permit for the following day as they said its fully booked. But then when I got to the place quicker than expected, everything started to roll out so well. Somebody just took me to the greatest budget accommodation ever. Bamboo beach huts for 8 euros. I had my own hut! I haven't had such a big private space for long long time.
As it was only 10 in the morning, I could easily change my permit for the same day and join a group of philippino teachers/students. I saw the world wonder, which besides the fact that its quite packed, its indeed great. The river goes 8km underground, basically a long cave with all the different formations inside and bats hanging everywhere.
Then I got back to my guesthouse, had this amazing fresh fish while looking into the ocean through the coconut trees. Then just when finishing, met this French guy Pierre and we went for a paddle boat tour to the mangroove forest. Again amazing. During daytime the snakes like to sleep on treebranches hanging over the river. I was praying for their good balance. Also got to know that kingfisher is not only the airline I took to Nepal,but a beautiful tropical bird. Mangroove trees themselves are impressive as well with their huge root system up in the air and hanging everywhere.
Then after it was perfect time for a swim in the bluest of sees, big rolling waves and sandy seabead with no stones or corals. After the thrill of the waves (im always a bit scared of them and these ones really seemed like a little wall approaching you), the French guy produced some mangos from his bag. And the mangos here melt in your mouth. Then just another swim for the fun of it, because even when the sun is gone, the air and water both are so warm, so it doesn't really matter if you are dry or wet. You will feel just fine. And then (this story is not finished yet!) Pierre says he has something special, something that I couldn't get here and though its not in prefect condition, it will be great. OK then! We go to the terrace in front of his hut and he brings out a champagne and some sausages from France. Jesus. How cool is that.
Next morning I wake up because of the bang of a coconut falling on the ground in front of my hut. And I feel a warm body next to me. There is someone sleeping besides me. For a moment I get frightened in confusion. No, its not Pierre. What were you thinking? Its a cat that befriended me the previous evening against my efforts.
I pack my bag, go pay the bill and ask for someone to come with the machete and open the coconut. And then I ate it for breakfast, thought of minus 30 degrees in Estonia and felt very much like in paradise.
Next time I should try a hut under a banana tree.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Don't worry, my friend
Today I had an encounter with philippino police. Just yesterday the australian dude who has lived here 16y explained me, that never go to court, never argue. You will always lose. There is a term WWD. This means 'White While Driving' ie it doesn't matter what happened, the local guy will be right and you wrong. Better pay whatever is asked. While listening I hoped I will never have to deal with the police. Doesn't sound an outrageous dream.
So I returned the bike today and even fit a list to the local jeepney (kind of a bus) station to go to the pier. I was sitting there already and then a guy comes over with the bike again, shows at the scratched windshield and claims that it was damaged. Indeed there were quite some scratches. As I had never seen them before it really took me by surprise and I denied everything. The guy was saying something in Tagalog, but I only could get 'police'. Everyone in the jeepney seemed supportive of me and the driver even laughed at his request. I tell you, I was not laughing. And then the guy followed us around a bit and then disappeared. Thing is, I didn't even know who this guy is. I had rented the bike from someone else. He just took me to the jeepney station.
Jeepney driver told me not to worry and said they should have checked the bike when I returned it. When I got to the port and made my way to the boat, I was greeted by the police. Here we go!
I put on my most innocent, friendly, yet shocked face. I was glad that I had put on long trousers which hid the scratches and afraid at the same time they will look for evidence on my body.
The police were suprisingly friendly and even handsom, but I was too busy lying to really pay attention. So I confessed to one of the falls. Made a whole story out of it and said that they can even call my guesthouse as the people there helped to get the bike up again and we checked together that all is good with the bike.
I stressed also that I gave the bike back and nobody said anything. Only later they come with this claim. How do I know, maybe something happened to the bike after I had given it back? The last claim was pretty hard to state, but I had started to believe in my own story (I had actually sincerely forgot that the bike had fallen three times, though me only twice), so I managed.
In the end the police said that as I had the bike three days and the 1 hour, it is probable that something happened while I had it. They can not force me, but there guy is asking for little money, to fix the bike. Luckily police also mentioned what this little money could be, so I gave 6 euros. I apologised 'if it really was my fault'. The police said I'm a kind person.
After that I took off as fast as I could trying to still keep innocent enough pace. Soon Cagayan island was behind me. I console myself with the fact that the bike rides perfectly. And I gave half of a pineapple to a beggar lady later in the day. That probably doesn't count too much. She didn't even want it, but then I said OK, I will eat it then. Then she changed her mind and took the bag with the pineapple. The police saw it and thought she is stealing from me. Gosh. What a day.
So I returned the bike today and even fit a list to the local jeepney (kind of a bus) station to go to the pier. I was sitting there already and then a guy comes over with the bike again, shows at the scratched windshield and claims that it was damaged. Indeed there were quite some scratches. As I had never seen them before it really took me by surprise and I denied everything. The guy was saying something in Tagalog, but I only could get 'police'. Everyone in the jeepney seemed supportive of me and the driver even laughed at his request. I tell you, I was not laughing. And then the guy followed us around a bit and then disappeared. Thing is, I didn't even know who this guy is. I had rented the bike from someone else. He just took me to the jeepney station.
Jeepney driver told me not to worry and said they should have checked the bike when I returned it. When I got to the port and made my way to the boat, I was greeted by the police. Here we go!
I put on my most innocent, friendly, yet shocked face. I was glad that I had put on long trousers which hid the scratches and afraid at the same time they will look for evidence on my body.
The police were suprisingly friendly and even handsom, but I was too busy lying to really pay attention. So I confessed to one of the falls. Made a whole story out of it and said that they can even call my guesthouse as the people there helped to get the bike up again and we checked together that all is good with the bike.
I stressed also that I gave the bike back and nobody said anything. Only later they come with this claim. How do I know, maybe something happened to the bike after I had given it back? The last claim was pretty hard to state, but I had started to believe in my own story (I had actually sincerely forgot that the bike had fallen three times, though me only twice), so I managed.
In the end the police said that as I had the bike three days and the 1 hour, it is probable that something happened while I had it. They can not force me, but there guy is asking for little money, to fix the bike. Luckily police also mentioned what this little money could be, so I gave 6 euros. I apologised 'if it really was my fault'. The police said I'm a kind person.
After that I took off as fast as I could trying to still keep innocent enough pace. Soon Cagayan island was behind me. I console myself with the fact that the bike rides perfectly. And I gave half of a pineapple to a beggar lady later in the day. That probably doesn't count too much. She didn't even want it, but then I said OK, I will eat it then. Then she changed her mind and took the bag with the pineapple. The police saw it and thought she is stealing from me. Gosh. What a day.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Do you have brains?
To reach Camiguin island I had a 9h journey consisting of the following 9 motorised vehicles: an elevator -> taxi -> airplane -> private car/taxi -> bus -> boat -> jeepney -> tricycle -> motorbike.
I didn't get lost because I met a local girl. First I taught she is really young (because of the teeth brackets), then she turned out to have 2 children, after which I got to know that she is 1 year older than me, and even later that her partner with whom she has problems is a British man of 67 years old. My Buddha! She (Daisy) said she feels she can open up to me. By all means. Although I had difficulties to concentrate because of there fact that the dude is 67. Kinda hard to relate. Anyway, turns out he is married to another Philippine woman and hid it in the first years. "When I got to know, it was already too late. I was attached to Graham and so where my children". And she said it with such hopelessness. He lied to me, but what can I do? I already was in love. But she wants a husband. She wants the gossip to stop.
"Graham wants to have a child. But i don't want another bastard. I already have two bastard children."
Ouch.
Why would a 67 year old man want a baby, anyway? I didnt dare to ask.
Anyway, later i have learned that she is really old in philippino women standards. Most of the 60+ white men go for 18 year old wives. Australian old guy i talked to today has a theory that the older you are, the younger wife you can get. Because you die sooner.
Well, I think i was offered a husband already on the way from the airport in Manila. By the taxi driver. He was excited to hear i am not married and started to praise his son who is not married neither...
So if in Nepal at any given moment someone asks "How much do you weigh?" then here it is "Are you married?" or "Do you have a boyfriend". It can be the second question after "Where are you from?".
The best question by far until now has been: "Do you have brains?". I was renting a motorbike from a random guy on the street. In fact I had told tricycle driver that i want to rent a bike, so he drove me to the island capital and asked people around. Second person was willing. And then once you agree on the price and pay, the guy just gives you the bike. No guarantee, no documents needed. I asked if he wants my number or anything, but no. He hardly wanted to give me his number.
So anyway, i made a deal and then discovered that although they said its an automatic bike, it was not. So i wasnt able to start it. He wondered if i had brains at all. I confirmed that i do and asked him to show me the basics. After 5 minutes I was good to go. Well, so I thought. Only then i discovered that bike does not have mirrors and the helmet flies off when pushing a bit more gas. How much gas is hard to say cause the speedometer does not work either. But my bike is a discobike. Marcia and Kairit will know what im talking about. Blinking sidelights in the dark! Its a bit wild machine compared to scooters that i have driven so far, 125cc Honda, and heavy, Im not used to handle it. Im learning my limits. Good thing is that when its moving, I have no problems. But when its falling, then i have no strength. Or perhaps, indeed, brains. My muscles are sore from climbing a vulcano and my legs and feet have bruises, cuts and burns. Yesterday i fell with the motorbike when parking and then afterwards really hurt myself when entering a slippery bathroom. Today I fell again with the motorbike when trying to stop it half way up a too steep dirtroad and then when i walked to the beach (as i had asked help to get the bike back down the hill), I hit my toe on a stone! Mmmmm what a nice feeling to enter the salty seawater.
Now I have patches of medical cement on my legs and toe and I hope that this spell is over. Tomorrow stars a journey to Palawan island, the pearl of Philippines they say.
I didn't get lost because I met a local girl. First I taught she is really young (because of the teeth brackets), then she turned out to have 2 children, after which I got to know that she is 1 year older than me, and even later that her partner with whom she has problems is a British man of 67 years old. My Buddha! She (Daisy) said she feels she can open up to me. By all means. Although I had difficulties to concentrate because of there fact that the dude is 67. Kinda hard to relate. Anyway, turns out he is married to another Philippine woman and hid it in the first years. "When I got to know, it was already too late. I was attached to Graham and so where my children". And she said it with such hopelessness. He lied to me, but what can I do? I already was in love. But she wants a husband. She wants the gossip to stop.
"Graham wants to have a child. But i don't want another bastard. I already have two bastard children."
Ouch.
Why would a 67 year old man want a baby, anyway? I didnt dare to ask.
Anyway, later i have learned that she is really old in philippino women standards. Most of the 60+ white men go for 18 year old wives. Australian old guy i talked to today has a theory that the older you are, the younger wife you can get. Because you die sooner.
Well, I think i was offered a husband already on the way from the airport in Manila. By the taxi driver. He was excited to hear i am not married and started to praise his son who is not married neither...
So if in Nepal at any given moment someone asks "How much do you weigh?" then here it is "Are you married?" or "Do you have a boyfriend". It can be the second question after "Where are you from?".
The best question by far until now has been: "Do you have brains?". I was renting a motorbike from a random guy on the street. In fact I had told tricycle driver that i want to rent a bike, so he drove me to the island capital and asked people around. Second person was willing. And then once you agree on the price and pay, the guy just gives you the bike. No guarantee, no documents needed. I asked if he wants my number or anything, but no. He hardly wanted to give me his number.
So anyway, i made a deal and then discovered that although they said its an automatic bike, it was not. So i wasnt able to start it. He wondered if i had brains at all. I confirmed that i do and asked him to show me the basics. After 5 minutes I was good to go. Well, so I thought. Only then i discovered that bike does not have mirrors and the helmet flies off when pushing a bit more gas. How much gas is hard to say cause the speedometer does not work either. But my bike is a discobike. Marcia and Kairit will know what im talking about. Blinking sidelights in the dark! Its a bit wild machine compared to scooters that i have driven so far, 125cc Honda, and heavy, Im not used to handle it. Im learning my limits. Good thing is that when its moving, I have no problems. But when its falling, then i have no strength. Or perhaps, indeed, brains. My muscles are sore from climbing a vulcano and my legs and feet have bruises, cuts and burns. Yesterday i fell with the motorbike when parking and then afterwards really hurt myself when entering a slippery bathroom. Today I fell again with the motorbike when trying to stop it half way up a too steep dirtroad and then when i walked to the beach (as i had asked help to get the bike back down the hill), I hit my toe on a stone! Mmmmm what a nice feeling to enter the salty seawater.
Now I have patches of medical cement on my legs and toe and I hope that this spell is over. Tomorrow stars a journey to Palawan island, the pearl of Philippines they say.
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