February 28, 2016

...and we thought there were a lot of people at the parade yesterday!  Nothing I can tell you will begin to do justice to the crowds that gathered this morning for the major event of the month - the Flower Festival float parade.  Not only was there a non-stop stream of breathtakingly beautiful floats that were laden with real flowers but there were marching bands and dancers to entertain the crowds.  In addition there were a couple of floats that carried some major Filipino celebrities.  We were told they were celebrities and the crowds went wild when they came into view!  The crowds were literally a sea of people as far as you could see in any direction and we were in just one location along the parade route...it would have been the same no matter where along the route you were.  We had returned to the same vantage point we'd had the day prior and once again weren't disappointed with how much we were able to see.  Some of the time the best views were on other peoples phones or tablets, other times it was best to duck down a little and peek in between two taller people in the front row, and occasionally the crowd would shift just enough so that the person in front was shorter and you could just stretch up a little for a clear view of the event.  And by the end of the parade both Lynda and I were right at the front with unobstructed views of everything unfolding below us.  Being right there in the thick of it really lent to the overall experience.  Feeling the energy of the crowds, smelling the combination of pollution and carnival foods cooking, seeing the event unfold as planned (even when there were little hiccups like a stalled float), and just simply knowing that we were two in an estimated 2 million in attendance at today's event!  In truth part of the thrill is that it is on the edge of scary too....there are so many people that if just one thing went sideways...what would the domino effect of that be???  Actually, we did get to witness a tiny bit of that at the end of the parade (when we had front row views) when the people who'd been watching at the start of the parade actually got a little ahead of the end of the parade and inside the "no go" zone.  That was coupled with the stalled float and from our vantage point high above the street (on the pedestrian overpass) we were able to watch the sea of people converge on the plaza that was directly below us.  The people were moving like lava - something that couldn't be stopped....they weren't individuals as much as they were a mass.  As quickly as it was on the cusp of being out of control...the police and the military jogged in from the end of the parade and created a human wall (by holding hands) right there below us.  Inch by inch they gently moved the crowds back away from the "no go" zone in the plaza just by their uniformity and presence.  This whole Festival event is like nothing I've ever seen before and watching that crowd management from above was like watching a live training video - it was perfect!  The police line maintained their human "rope" until the parade was over and the stalled float was moved.  Then inch by inch they receded allowing the crowds to move freely though the plaza once again as the police fell in line at the end of the parade...their designated position.  I'm guessing that is a major reason they bring up the rear of the parade both yesterday and today...I can't imagine that this is the first time in 21 years something like that has happened.  Don't get me wrong though....the only moment of concern (and it really was only about one minute long) was when the crowds started to converge in the "no go" zone and whistles were being blown to call in the troops.  As soon as the police line formed....it was all very orderly and actually quite pleasant - no one was upset at all and the festive air of the event was maintained even through this hiccup.

As the end of the parade disappeared from our view the crowds began to dissipate too.  Within 15 minutes the plaza was virtually empty and cars were beginning to use the road again.  Perhaps most impressive though was that where those throngs of people had been standing for hours not a speck of trash was left behind.  It truly was amazing!

Once some of the crowds had cleared Lynda and I began to make our way back in the direction of our hotel knowing that not a bit of traffic would be moving anywhere for some time!  Our plan was to connect with our afternoon tour guide around noon and we were to call him from wherever we thought he might be able to pick us up.  We found a spot where traffic seemed to be moving fairly well right across from City Hall and in front of Police Station #7 and then all we needed was someone with a cell phone who would agree to phone him for us.  The obvious option was to just go into the police station and ask them if they had a phone and so we did. :). Interestingly for some reason landlines cannot call the type of cell phone our guide had and so one of the officers got his own phone and was able to text the guide for us.  He told the guide that we'd be waiting for him at Police Station #7.  It was after we'd exited the police station and were sitting out front waiting for our ride that it occurred to us that our guide might think we'd been picked up by the police and then we wondered if he was even a licensed guide and would he want to go anywhere near the police station if he was operating without a license!!  In the end it was all good and although we had to wait a long time (45 mins because of traffic) for Noel to get from where he was to where we were (only a couple of km away) he had no trouble identifying us (remember...we definitely stand out in the crowds here!).

Our afternoon of touring with Noel was interesting.  It didn't really go as planned but honestly it was all good.  First stop was on the way to Asin Hotsprings at a native wood carving village where we were able to admire the artistry of the carvers who work with ebony and iron wood and other domestic types of wood.  As wood becomes more scarce and as the elder carvers pass away this craft is also a dying art.  We wound our way down deeper and deeper into one of the valleys far below Baguio city and as we descended the climate even began to change.  In the 16 km drive down we went from smoggy stuffy city to foggy moist jungle.  The road was all paved but was narrow and windy so slow going.  (Supposedly it is very similar to the roads we will take to Sagada and Benaue tomorrow.). We passed through 2 tunnels along the way and eventually arrived at the hot springs.  The natural springs are not used as they are too dangerous and difficult to access.  A pool and a hotel have been constructed and there are bungalows (a sort of gazebo) that you can rent for the day.  The public can access the pool for 100 pesos.  We paid our 100 pesos and went in to check it out.  We'd also brought a picnic lunch so sat at poolside to have our lunch.  In the end we decided against going for a dip as the pool was very crowded with vacationers (mostly children) and when it started to rain...we took that as a sign to head back to the car.

The rain continued and at our next stop, the Tam awan Village - Garden in the Sky, we took one look at the endless flight of steep rock stairs that were terribly slippery from the rain and where there were limited hand railings and it was an easy decision to bypass this stop.  The disclaimer about the level of difficulty and possible danger that was posted at the entrance sealed the decision.  Noel felt so badly that we'd missed out on seeing the village that he insisted on taking us to an "extra" stop - a weaving village.  We all had to laugh when we arrived there to find that it was closed for the day.  It was agreed that we should call it a day and head back to the hotel.

Along the way a couple of other little tidbits that we learned from Noel included:

• This city was built for 300,000 people and it's now bursting at the seams with over a million residents.
• Water here is a problem due to overpopulation and is already rationed.  Different areas of the city have water on specific days which means you don't always have water available unless you have a way to store it.
• Noel also works as a jeepney driver.  His normal shift is 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and it is not unusual for his day to be even longer than that regular 12 hour shift.  His jeepney route is 3 km long and his jeepney can hold 20 passengers at a time.  Each person pays 8 pesos and 5 centavos (we haven't seen any centavos yet)
• There is no smoking allowed in public places and in fact - few people smoke in Baguio.  Of the 2 million people we saw today not one of them was smoking.
• Littering is also against the law and the city employees have assigned garbage detail to ensure there isn't a speck of litter anywhere.  Today there was a bundle of cardboard that must have fallen off a truck and broken on the ground.  Within minutes there was a team of 3 or 4 people (not sure if they were paid or volunteer) and they had every bit of that cardboard picked up, swept up, and gone from sight within 5 minutes.

Till next time - not sure when that might be though as we hit the road for some pretty out of the way places at 7 am so.....will report back in when we can,

L & L

Feb 27th pics

These are of the street dancing.  It's actually more of a marching band parade. Photos don't do it justice as you don't get the energy of the drums, music, and cheers.  People of all ages participate and they come from all over the country to do so.  This is the 21st annual flower Festival and more than 3 million ppl visit Baguio to attend it each year.  I'm pretty sure we were standing with about 2.9 million of them for this parade!

February 27, 2016

Shoot me now!  At least that was what I think I said when none of the taxi's would stop to pick us up this afternoon after we'd been walking and standing for almost five hours in the blazing sun with about 250,000 of our closest friends (at least they must be close friends cuz some of them got pretty cuddly at times in the crowds).  At one point Lynda was prepared to push me down in front of an ambulance and give me CPR in the hope that they'd give us a ride!  In the end...it was a local woman who was able to get us hooked up with a taxi and were we glad to see the Cosmopolitan Hotel looming in front of our cab!

On the upside the "street dance" was AMAZING!  Neither of us had any idea what to expect and so when the drums and xylophones and horns and cultural costumes and baton twirling girls and marching bands kept coming and coming....we were nothing short of "extremely impressed"!  If you'd like to get a taste of what we saw today and where we were check it out on YouTube.

The Baguio Flower Festival lasts for the whole month of February and this final weekend is the culmination of all the celebrations with the "street dance" and the "flower parade" which we will see tomorrow.

Our vantage point for the street dance was up on one of the pedestrian walkways that cross the busy streets here and we were about three from the front row but the advantage we have here is that we're a little taller than average soooo....we could actually see pretty well.  As well, the walkway was covered so we were in the shade - an essential if we were going to survive to the end of the parade!

The participants in the street dance ranged in age from elementary school to adult and some of the groups had travelled many hours to be here to participate.  Keep in mind...they all had to travel the same road we did to get here too and my hunch is that a number of them might have had the upside down 5 gallon buckets in the aisle type seating!

When I say there were drums....I could extrapolate that to include everything from traditional tribal drums of all shape and size made out of bamboo and other wood right through to snare drums and bass drums and steel drums and drums made out of massive oil barrels and well....you get the picture.  The other main instrument were xylophones and they came in all shapes and sizes too.  The really large ones were on wheels and took two or three people to push them along as the players kept up the song.  The little ones were individually carried and all had a unique tone that made the music very very sweet.  To say the costumes were colourful is an understatement....they were "colourful on steroids" and the costumes ranged from flower themes to tribal.  Believe it or not but the tribal themed groups did the whole parade in bare feet!  Remember that it's hot here today and there is no way that pavement wasn't burning the bottom of their feet!

Okay....I've had a little rest and so now I'm back to fill in a few more blanks.  I guess I should come clean and let you know that the "shoot me now" comment was in part because I'm not operating at 100%.  Many of you will already know that I hurt my knee in December and unfortunately that is giving me some considerable grief with all the walking and standing on pavement.  But that's not the only thing....you remember how I was cuddled up with Bert on the back of his bike over in Vigan....well....Bert had a bit of a cough and my hunch is that every time he coughed all of those little germs blew right back onto me.  Regardless of how I caught it, I now have full blown laryngitis, a cough and a brutal head-cold.  Fingers crossed that it doesn't creep back into my chest as I just finished up with a bout of bronchitis a couple of weeks before I left home so my resistance was already low when I arrived here.  But all that is just bothersome little stuff and be damned if it's going to get in the way of our plans!  Although the "shoot me now" mantra might come back into play once or twice over the next few days. LOL. In fact I had my feet propped up on the wall to help my lymphatic system out a little and wouldn't you know but I ended up with a massive Charlie horse in my calf so I'm likely dehydrated too.  OMG....poor Lynda she's the one who will be saying "shoot her now" if I don't smarten up!!  Between restless legs and a buggered up knee and a squeaky voice and muscle spasms and coughing spasms.....yikes....I don't want to be around me!  It makes me wonder WTH is Lynda made of as she manages to dodge all these germs and malfunctioning bits.  Jeez....I want some of what she's having! :)

To backtrack to this morning....we ordered our complimentary breakfast to be served in our room and what a treat it was to sit here in our little kitchen while room service delivered and then cleaned up the dishes...yep...I could get used to this.  Philippine style breakfast is very consistent.  You get to choose what kind of meat you'd like (beef, pork, local sausage, or corned beef) and that is accompanied by a cup of rice (at Baguio it's always garlic rice), a fried egg (sunny side up), and a couple of slices of tomato and cucumber.  At this hotel breakfast also includes a tiny banana.  It is always delicious and very filling so we're never really hungry again till mid afternoon.  This afternoon we each had a sandwich and our total bill was $10 so we're definitely staying under budget on the food column!  It's already 6:00 and so chances are that dinner will consist of a few almonds that I brought from home, some dried mangoes we bought on a bus from somewhere to somewhere, and a cup of 3 in 1....so dinner might be about 50 cents. :)

I'm jumping all over the place with this blog tonight so.....Back to the Burnham Park area (where the parade ended).  It is filled with little stalls selling their wares.  Everything from food stuffs to clothing and souvenirs.  It is also filled with people!  People walking, people sitting, people setting up tents in any shady area they can find, people napping in hammocks they've strung between trees for the day, people smiling, people laughing, and everyone ready to say hello to the only two Caucasians we saw in our travels today.  In fact, we were even approached by 3 young women who are studying mass communication at the Baguio University.  They were in the process of completing an assignment to poll (and film) a cross section of visitors with questions about their experience with the Festival and the parade today.  My hunch is that this trio might get bonus points for finding the only white people on the grounds!

There were plenty of pulis (police) around today and it was easy to tell who they were as they all wore matching t-shirts saying pulis on the front and back.  Everyone is so ready to help if they can and the pulis are no different.  They gave us directions when we were lost (well not really lost but lost in terms of which was the shortest route to find a cab) and they answered questions that we had about signage and a couple of observations.  First is the signage....from our vantage point on the pedestrian overpass we could see signs saying that it was illegal to cross the street unless you were a senior or disabled.  The pulis explained that this is true for every month of the year except February when the festival is on as pretty much all the rules are bent a little during this busy time.  (BTW...this year celebrates the 21st anniversary of the festival).  Lynda and I figure we're still okay to cross the street without using the pedestrian overpass though as she is officially a senior (60+ and I am totally disabled at the moment!). The other thing we could see from the overpass was that as the crowds began to disperse (and when I say crowds...we are talking tens of thousands for sure - more than 3 million visitors come to Baguio during festival month)...the whole dispersement was very orderly and when everyone was gone...there was not a piece of garbage to be seen!  The pulis confirmed that it is against the law to litter here and although they didn't tell us what the penalty we're pretty sure it must be public hanging or something equally as deterring!

LOL...Lynda just came back from the 7-11 that is right beside our hotel and she bought dinner so I guess it's a little more than 50 cents after all.  Tonight we're having a vodka mudshake (yummy and our first drink since we left Canada!), a bag of salt and pepper chips, and some microwaveable chicharon (a first for both of us!)

Vodka mudshake is calling me so I will sign off for today....till next time,
L & L

P.s.
Plans for upcoming travel partially confirmed as of 5 minutes ago!  Tomorrow we have confirmed Mr. Noel Rio to pick us up (cuz taxis are too difficult to find because all of them are full!) from downtown after the parade.  He said anyone on the street who has a cell phone will be happy to phone him for us.  (His cell number is 0906-365-5477 in case any of you are in Baguio and want a guide for the day.). From downtown we will visit three sites we want to see while we're in Baguio.  And...as luck would have it Mr Rio has a friend who would be happy to drive us in a private van to Benaue (rice terraces) and Sagada (hanging coffins) and then on to Manila.  (total cost for this private Sagada/Benaue/Manila trip will be 21,000 pesos or a little more than $300 each so totally doable). I am 99% certain that there will be no blogging on those days as they will be looooonnnnnggggg!  The van from here will leave early in the morning of the 29th en route to Sagada which will take about 7 or 8 hours where we'll stop long enough to see the coffins and get a taste of that part of the region.  From there we'll continue directly to Benaue where we'll stay overnight and then tour the terraces the next morning.  That same day we'll leave Benaue en route to Manila (I think that will be March 1st) and that is all that we know for now.  My guess is that we'll get him to drop us off at the Remington Hotel again as it is so close to the airport and since they have a complimentary shuttle...we'll have no excuse not to catch another flight to one of the other islands.  I think we're going to be a little bit ahead of the rough plan we had when we left home so who knows....we might be able to fit another island in there before heading to Palawan.  :)

...on the road again... :)

February 26, 2016

OMG!  Spa last night was amazing and I can tell you that 2 1/2 hours of non-stop massage was enough to do me in for the night!  Lynda enjoyed the "full meal deal" and mine focused on low back and my injured knee.  Honestly, I have to say that I think it actually helped my knee a little and regardless it was well worth the $17! :)

Yesterday was a very lazy day.  Our hotel was so full and we knew (because they told us) they'd had 95 for breakfast the day before so this day was even more than that.  The reason that we know it was more is because they booked us into the 9-11 a.m. breakfast shift.  Every other morning breakfast service runs from 6-9.  It was just as well that we had a late breakfast as it meant that we could just roll over and go back to sleep in preparation for our upcoming travel day.  So we just poked around the hotel sticking our nose into rooms that were being cleaned and now we know why there was so much noise coming from one of them!  There were 10 beds in that one room!  It seems to be the way things are done here....everybody and their brother piles into one room. (The hotels charge per person when you have more than two in a room). When it was time to head in the direction of the spa...we just took our time and wandered down the pedestrian street shopping and stopping to visit along the way.  During this meandering trek we also learned that there is a 6 pm curfew for having tables on the street...that is....you can't have table and chairs set up outside your business until after 6 pm.  I guess it makes sense as the street is packed full of people and horses pulling those carts that we won't mention ever again. :)

After our spa was finished at 8 pm...Bert was there, ever vigilant, waiting to take us back to our hotel.  What a treat it has been to have someone we could count on like that!  It reminded us both of our first trek around Mexico when we met Jesus in Toluca and spent the next three days being toured by him.  This time though Bert's English was very good...Jesus didn't have a word of it!

This morning our bus to Baguio left Vigan at 3:00 a.m. so Bert was waiting for us at our hotel front door at 2:30.  He assured us that he'd had to get up with his 3 month old baby at 2 anyway and that now his wife was nursing so he was happy to come out to pick us up for this final drive to the bus station.  We caught the Partus line bus and the cost was 314 pesos each (less than $10) for the 5 hour trip.  I knew we'd be going into the mountains but....jeez....that was one long and wild ride.  Much of it felt like being stuck on a bad ride at the carnival that lasted for hours and hours and hours!  The winding and hilly roads (when I say winding I really mean hairpin turn after hairpin turn) were further complicated by the fact that my legs were absolutely awful. (I suffer from restless leg syndrome for any who are wondering what's wrong with my legs). I feel bad for Lynda as she had to sit beside me for the entire journey and I just keep jiggling around...I can't sit still. :(. Oh yes...and I guess I should also include a note about the fact that what you might think is a full bus isn't a full bus at all!  In fact there is an entire other section that is called the aisle and that section can be filled with a selection of upside down 5 gallon buckets that double as seats for the extra dozen or so people that need a ride.  Oh yes...and then there is the fact that the Filipino people are not very large so you put Lynda and I on a seat made for two much smaller folk...what you end up with is either a recliner lever or an arm rest jammed into something I won't even put into writing...I'll just let your imagination do the work.  And another thing...remember how I said that I loved the open windows on the buses in Pagudpud and Laoag?  Well....this bus didn't have open windows...it had air conditioning that was either all on or all off.  Grrrrrr.......  But....there has to be a silver lining right?  Hmmmmm....I know....it was just like being in the gym for 5 hours of non-stop crunches and weight training because ever stop/start/turn/brake/twist/shake was just like another circuit.  Jeez....I gotta stop doing this 0 to 100 thing.....I do nothing and then I do the equivalent of a 5 hour workout!

Baguio is much cooler.  Where it was 30'ish and humid in Vigan, it was about 15 when we arrived here this morning.  The high takes it up into the low 20's but that is about it and then it will cool down to 13 or 14 again in the evening.  This city (pop just over 300,000) is a bustling metropolis and it has the pollution to go along with the abundance of traffic.  Traffic isn't really even what it is...it is non-stop...it is like all the vehicles are stuck together in a train that has no end.  There are an endless supply of jeepneys and I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad to report that we haven't seen a tricycle since we arrived here!  There are plenty of taxi's though and so that will be our mode of transport for our stay.

We arrived at our hotel (Cosmopolitan Hotel) way ahead of check in (like 6 hours ahead!) but they had our room ready and signed us in right away.  We were both so happy to see our beds and could hardly wait to get the other half of the night's sleep we'd missed while getting here.  Our room here is AMAZING and kind of makes up for the bus ride from hell (which is what I'm calling it - truth be told it's not that bad of a trip...it was just me who had the problem).  We have a massive room with 2 queen beds, table and chairs, a small sitting area, a huge bathroom and shower and....we are at the end of the hall so there is no traffic passing by us and we have another sitting area in the hallway just outside our room.  As well, in the hallway outside our room there is a viewpoint that boasts some of the best city views there are.

After a short rest we located the Lonely Planet Guidebook's top rated restaurant for the town and discovered that it was within walking distance so....we were off to the Cafe by the Ruins where we supped on freshly baked breads, spreads (pate and cheese), and an amazing salad and tofu with peanut sauce instead of salad dressing.  The place lived up to its reputation and I'm guessing we'll see it again during our time here.

The restaurant has another location on the other side of the downtown from where we are and it advertises tables to view the street dance and the flower parade tomorrow and the next day.  We were all booked in for a table both days until we discovered that there is no way we can get there short of walking and it is too far - especially when you don't know where you're going and through the throngs of people that will be in the way.

Speaking of throngs of people...we've been warned several times to be careful with our bags here as so many of the criminal element come to town to take advantage of the masses of tourists.  Our hotel has a safe in the office so we're both planning to leave our valuables right here where we know they'll be safe regardless of anything that might happen while we're out amidst the masses.

Walking to and from the cafe this afternoon we passed by a couple of schools and as kids almost always do....many of them wanted to say hello and practice a little English with the only two people who look like us that we've seen since we arrived here.  There were two other caucasians on the bus with us (from Sweden) but they left town the minute we arrived.  They'd made arrangements for a van to take them immediately on to Banaue (rice terraces) which is at least 7 more hours in a vehicle.  I am 100% certain there is no way I could have gotten back into any vehicle right after getting out of that bus!

Hmmmm....it is just after 6 pm and although I know that's pretty early....bed is starting to look awfully attractive again. LOL. So...till next time,
L & L

February 24th photos

River cruise views

Goats along the river

Fish farms along river

Fisherman/farmer at work.

Now that is one tangled fishing net! 

Dogs doing what dogs do at riverside. 

Chickens doing what chickens do along the riverside. 

Fisherman/farmer at work 

There is another guy at the back of the boat working the motor.  This guys job is to turn us around etc. 

A master artisan! 

How they don't catch their toes under the other foot pedal I don't know! 

Did you know that inside the banana flower there are these little stamen like things that you can trim up and cook?  Me neither! 

Shopping. :) 

Playing in schoolyard.

Kids in the school yard showing off for the camera 

Lynda making friends

BBQ pork - a Filipino favourite - delish!

The most popular fish - tilapia 

Green papaya salad - yummy! 

Need to charge your cell phone while you have lunch? 

Corn cobs drying in the side yard.

February 24, 2016

Jeez...I've been so good about keeping up with the blog this past week!  Motivation is twofold....1) I know there are several of you travelling vicariously with us and and 2) I know that if I miss a day I will miss sooooo much good stuff!  Tomorrow is planned for a day of R & R and then it's a day of travel to Baguio so this might be the last post for a couple of days.

So today will begin with a quick look back toward last night when Lynda and I strolled across the street, through the park and into the plaza where the dancing fountain show was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.  What a great show!  It lasts 1/2 hour and takes place every night of the week with 2 shows on Friday and Saturday evenings.  There are hundreds of people in attendance for the event and I can see why....it was kind of magical.  Each of the songs were a very different style from the others and the lights and the water "danced" in time to the music.  One of the songs was the theme from the movie Frozen and honestly it kind of felt like we were in a winter wonderland in spite of the fact that the temps were still in the high 20's.  While seated and waiting for the show to begin, George (seated near us) struck up conversation and in short order  got around to the question that has become very routine since our arrival here.  "Where are your husbands?" asked George.  Now before you go getting all giggly on us....George was not coming on to us.  That question is a serious one here and when I say "divorced" it doesn't go over well in this part of the world.  Lynda is fine as being widowed seems to be okay.  I just do my best to divert the topic and move on which in this case worked and our focus was back on the show that was about to begin.  For those of you who've been to Vegas...the Bellagio has nothing on Vigan!  In fact this pool and the number/size of the fountains may even be a little larger.  Very impressive!!!

Today was another great one with Bert (our trike driver) leading the charge.  He was here to pick us up as promised at 9:00 a.m., to report that he'd gone home and told his wife "he'd made dinner and brought home the bacon" to which she replied, "that's great so let's get ready to rumble"...which in the Philippines means to just dig in with your hands and get eating.  It was fun to learn more about this culture and it's lovely people and then we were off.

We're loving this little trike now....it's like we've been riding on/in one forever.  Can you even believe I just said that?!  Ever since I've been riding on the back I feel like a new woman and the fact that there are no helmets here is kind of a bonus cuz I do love the wind. :). Here's what it looks like...I toss my purse onto the seat Lynda will be sitting on by reaching through the sidecar opening by the bike.  Then I get my head out from under the canopy, lean back a little, hold on to the roof of the trike, psych myself up just enough so I believe I'll be able to get my leg up and over the back of the bike, hold my breath, close my eyes, and go for it!  Amazingly...it works every time and when I open my eyes my leg is up and over the bike and I'm able to duck back under the canopy, hoist one cheek up onto the bike seat, find a foot peg for both my feet so I can adjust my seat then reach my right arm up and under the opening into the sidecar so I can slide back and make room for Bert in front of me.  My final move is to take my right foot off the peg and get it up onto the padded shelf that is at the bottom of the opening into the sidecar.  By then Lynda has wiggled her way into the car and Bert is ready to hop on, start the engine, and we're off....wahoo!

First stop today was a river cruise.  What a treat and the bonus was that Lynda qualified for the senior discount so our entrance fee was a total of 170 pesos instead of the 200 we though it was going to be. (seniors are 60 here so I am just months away from paying $2 instead of $3 for this 45 minute river cruise too!). The cruise was really interesting.  First they took us to see an endless number of square "fish farms" lining the shore (in the water).  Fish farmers put about 2000 fish fry into their "farm" to begin the process.  When the fish grow to about 1/2 size they reduce the number in their farm to about 500 and put the other 1500 into 3 other "farms".  When they reach about 3/4 size the number in each farm is reduced again to about 200 and that is how it stays till they are full size and ready for harvest.  These farms typically produce tilapia or milk fish (two very popular fish here).  As we cruised we also saw people's homes, fish farmers mending their nets and tending their stock in the water, goats, and chickens running along the river banks.  As well, the main attraction for the river cruise was the signs and statues that described and explained event from the time of colonization by the Spanish as the river we were on played a significant role at that time.

As we shared our appreciation for the cruise and he saw how much we'd enjoyed it Bert asked if we'd like to "go on a sea plane too".  Excitedly we asked him how far away it was and how far it went.  He replied with "not far away and that it didn't go too far"...sort of "from here to there" as he pointed a ways away.  That just didn't seem to make sense to either of us and so we asked him again..."how long is the ride"?  He replied, "not too long".  We asked "what water it landed in"?  He responded that "it just kind of goes over the water" and I think that is when we both realized that something was being lost in translation so we went back to the beginning for clarification.  That is when we learned that "sea plane" said with a Philippine accent translates to "zip line".  All three of us had a great laugh and we decided that no...we probably should skip that one as we didn't want to do anything that would replicate our experience with the calisa (horse and buggy).  We had visions that this time we'd be underwater for most of the "zip" as my hunch is that the line is made for Filipino size people.

Another stop we made today was at a factory that makes chichacorn and chichapop.  Both of these are the Philippine version of popcorn.  We picked up a bag of garlic chichacorn and a bag of chichapop which is made by a different method.  Both are made from the dried kernels off cobs of bright yellow corn that has lay in the heat of the sun on the ground for two weeks.  From that dried state the kernels are rubbed/twisted off the cobs and then those kernels are soaked in water, fried and flavoured.  I'd say the chichacorn is kind of like corn nuts only not nearly as hard.  Both are yummy - but then I like corn. :)

At one point today as we were buzzing along on our trike...there was a calisa right in front of us so I had a really good view of that little horse's hooves under the carriage.  I don't know if I can even describe just how tiny they are!  The horses ankles are sooooo thin and fragile looking but there they are hauling around those great big buggies!  The hooves (which are shod) can't be more than 2 1/2 inches at their widest point.....it is like they are the hooves of a newborn baby horse!

Lunch was at Grandpa's today and was once again AMAZING!  We had a selection of dishes to share.  Most items on the menu here are for 2-3 people so it is typical to share at every meal.  We had tilapia (fish), BBQ pork skewers (my new favourite), green papaya salad, pasta carbonara, and the obligatory rice to top it all off.  There was also a side of something Bert called spinach with the tilapia and that is absolutely my favourite thing from today!  It is a type of green that grows in the water.  It is actually kind of like a reed with a hollow centre.  It is then lightly pickled to become the perfect blend of healthy vegetable with a sweet and sour overtone....I absolutely loved it!

This afternoon we visited another local artisan.  This time it was a weaving co-op.  We learned about the process and sadly...this like many other craftsmen around the world is a dying art.  None of the young people really want to learn the craft and so.....as the artisans die the craft dies with them.  That was the same with the potter we visited yesterday....he is the only potter at that factory and when he is gone there is no one to replace him.  At the weaving co-op I found a couple of little purchases and then decided I'd like to mail them to myself rather than carry them with me for the rest of our time here.  The post office trip was an adventure in itself.  Initially we ended up at the courier service and that was going to cost me more than 3000 PHP (about $100) which was more than I wanted to pay and seemed a little like overkill for what I was mailing.  Next stop was the post office and this time it was going to be just under 2000 PHP so still a little expensive but much better than the courier service!  In the end...the story was worth every penny of the postage.  Initially the girl at the weaving co-op had wrapped the package up for me with plastic bags and about a roll of packing tape.  When I got to the courier service they had to open the package so all the packing the girl had done was for naught.  The courier put the stuff I was sending home into one of their bags and then when it was decided that I wouldn't courier it the parcel had to be wrapped all over again!  The post office required that it be repackaged and taped so you couldn't see the courier envelope.  Bert ran to a store where he was given a couple of plastic bags for free.  Then he ran to another store to purchase a roll of packing tape.  Then I sat in the post office and wrapped and taped till almost the entire parcel was covered.  I borrowed a felt pen from the postal worker and wrote my name and address on the parcel for delivery in approximately 3 weeks.  I handed the parcel over to the worker and she asked for my packing tape as there were a few bits of the plastic bag showing through and she wanted the whole thing covered entirely with tape!  I wish now that I would have taken a photo of the parcel before I mailed it - it was hilarious!  I am certain it will give some postal workers along the way a chuckle or two. :). Hopefully it will make it home about the same I do!

Both Lynda and I have decided to move here....so much so that we actually took out memberships at the spa this afternoon.  Membership included a complimentary relaxation massage (1 hr) and also gets us 1/2 off on all other services which we plan to avail ourselves of tomorrow.  The relaxation massage was brilliant and I'm certain we'll both sleep like babies tonight. Tomorrow evening we've both booked ourselves in for a 2 1/2 hour special so when Bert picks us up tomorrow at 8 p.m. my hunch is that he may have to roll us out the spa door and onto the trike to get us back to the hotel!

Enough for today....till next time,
L & L

February 23, 2016

Not sure that today's adventure will have you in stitches the way yesterday's did but....we're working on it!

Kicked off the day with a hot water shower and as simple as that may sound...when you haven't had one in a few days....it's a big deal!  Breakfast at our hotel (included) was a delicious start to the day.  We both had local Ilocanos fare - Lynda's was Vigan Longanisa (a local sausage), an egg, and a cup of rice.  Mine was Beef Tapa (little pieces of fried cow or possibly caribao (more about what a caribao is later), an egg, and a cup of rice.

At exactly 9:00 Berto was at our front lobby and our tour was underway.  Lynda and I had already discussed and decided that I should try the back of the bike rather than scraping myself up getting in and out of the little sidecar opening.  Berto was game for the change and voila I was perched atop the back of his bike with my right foot inside the sidecar (as Lynda had deduced as the best position the night before).  It was so much easier to get on and off vs in and out - I was a happy camper!  The hidden bonus of all of this tricycle business is that it sure is an incentive to lose a couple of pounds and build a little muscle at the same time!  Hard to do when you're headed out on a day of touring where there is food calling to you at every corner!

Berto was an amazing host for our day and by the time we were done in and ready for a rest (3:00 p.m.) we had visited two museums (one of which used to be the provincial prison), one church and bell tower (with 120 steps up and same number down!), a pottery studio (more on this later), and an amazing restaurant (for lunch) that features only local dishes.  The restaurant is called the Hidden Garden and has won awards for it's Ilocanos fare as well as it's unique setting.  It's name represents it well...it is a veritable maze of gardens, nooks, and crannies.  There are wishing wells, benches set up for photo opps, cages full of colourful birds, and tiny little water features to capture your imagination.  On top of all of that...it boasts a bathroom that is so beautiful we were compelled to take photos of it!  Loose natural black stones covered the floor, rustic bamboo mats covered the walls, and a one way mirror offered a view from the toilet that rivalled any reflective garden I've ever seen.  It truly was one of a kind!  Our lunch consisted of Poqui Poqui (an eggplant and onion dish) and a rice noodle dish with little pieces of fried pork.  Of course there was the accompanying bowl of rice and all of it was delicious.  We managed to talk Berto into joining us and the total bill for three people with enough leftovers for Berto to take home to his family for dinner (including fresh coconut and pineapple shakes for Lynda and I) was just under $20.

Back to the bell tower for a little background.... The Catholic church that it is adjacent to is one of the oldest in the region (built in the 1500's).  Lots of damage during WWII but all except a small section were repaired and the church is still in regular use today.  The part of the church that was left in ruins from wartime is identified as a separate little outdoor chapel and it actually was my favourite part of the place.  The bell tower has done double duty as bell tower ringing in births, deaths, and other special occasions and the regions lookout during military times as well.  It is set atop a hill to start with and then when you consider that there are 120 steps higher than the top of the hill...it has a pretty good view!  Another tidbit for you is the the tower (and pretty much every old building it sounds like) is made of thin handmade clay bricks and the mortar is made from egg whites, molasses, lime, and sand.  How did they ever figure that recipe out?!  Everything is still standing strong so I guess they knew what they were doing.

The museums were interesting and the one that used to be the provincial prison has been completely redone to house some very famous paintings that depict the conflict during the Spanish occupation.  There were a few cells left in tact and from what we could see....there was no way anyone would ever be able to saw through those bars but....the cells were actually very very large and given that they had doors that opened onto windows into the courtyard....they didn't look half bad (not that I want to find out what it might be like to stay in a Philippine prison!). On that topic....here is a little bit of trivia for you..... You can't get your drivers license till you're 18 here.  At that time you can get a learners permit for 6 months after which time you can get your drivers license.  But....if you get caught driving before you're 18 you have an automatic 3 days in jail and a 10,000 peso fine AND....you can NEVER get your drivers license.  Needless to say....no one drives prior to 18!  Unless you're on a major highway no one is allowed to wear a helmet as helmets provide anonymity for criminals.  Vigan is wonderfully clean and feels very safe even though there are no stop signs or directional signs.  It is respectful drivers behaving very courteously with right of ways and overall I guess you could say it is organized chaos.  Although....Lynda is thinking she might like to challenge the drivers license and then I'm not so sure the chaos would be organized any longer. LOL

The pottery studio was a highlight for both Lynda and I as it was soooo interesting and like nothing either of us had ever seen before.  We entered the darkened building that was actually more like a warehouse...it was huge!  We picked our way across the dirt floor that was strewn with planks of wood and wound our way between piles of pots in all stages of doneness.  (WCB would have a heyday here!) As we drew deeper into the darkened building we began to see something that looked kind of like a tunnel that was 1/2 above ground and 1/2 below ground.  It ran much of the length of the building and as it turns out it was the kiln.  Hundreds (maybe even thousands) of pots and bricks were placed in there to await the next firing which would last for at least two full days and then another two days would have to pass before anyone would be able to enter the kiln to begin to retrieve the fired pots.  I cannot begin to describe the size of this operation....it is massive....and....there is just one man who is the potter that throws all the pots on a big old kick wheel.  He told us that he throws 50 posts per day and we watched him go from one pot to the next the whole time we were there.  As well, he can throw a pot (approximately a foot high) in three pulls and from there it is just a little shaping to get the perfect form.  Truly an artisan!  Remember I said I'd tell you more about the caribao...well....this is where that part of the story comes in.  Caribao are what I would call a water buffalo or an ox.  We got to see a caribao at this pottery studio as it too has a job there.  It's job is to mix the clay, sand, and water that the potter will use to make the pots and bricks.  When I first heard this I assumed the oxen would be attached to a yoke and walk around in circles mixing the big vat of stuff with some kind of wheel etc....but no.....it is nothing like that.  This caribao actually climbs down into the massive vat of muck and uses his feet and legs to do the mixing!  One of the men who work there lead him around to ensure he gets into all the corners but can you imagine?!  That caribao actually climbs into that pit that is about 12 feet in diameter and supposedly loves every minute of it!  I love travelling and seeing/learning new things!

The pottery studio is actually where I'm going to give you your chuckle for today too.  I'd like you all to take a minute to recall that most famous scene from the movie Ghost that involves a pottery wheel and two people.  You guessed it...Lynda climbed in behind that artisan and played Demi to his Patrick.  I thought the potter was going to pee his pants he was laughing so hard!!!  There were a few other visitors who had come into the building by that time and they too had a good giggle from the show.  I'm pretty sure that Berto was wondering just what he'd gotten himself into by that time!

Speaking of Berto....what a nice young man he is.  Everything is "yes ma'am" or "no ma'am" and I'm positive that if either of us asked him to jump off a bridge for us he would do it.  He has a wife and two kids.  His daughter is 9 and his son is 3 months old.  He used to be a travelling salesman but one year ago he was able to get his tricycle and now he can run his business from home.  We learned that a permit to operate a trike in Vigan costs 800 pesos/year but if you get your permit across the bridge (just outside the city centre) it is only 400 PHP/yr.  From what it sounds like you can operate from either place regardless of where you get your permit so...I cannot think why anyone would get there permit within Vigan limits.  When he dropped us off this afternoon at 3:00 he was totally prepared to come back to pick us up again at 7:00 p.m. to take us across the street to the Plaza to watch the fountain and light show.  I'm not sure if he was relieved or disappointed when we gave him the night off and assured him that we could make it across the street ourselves.

Lynda has just returned with mugs of 3 in 1 in hand....it is our new 'go to' pick me up.  LOL. So....until later.....

L & L

February 23rd photos

Hanging on and not letting go but loving it!

Our motto.

Hanging around in the Hidden Garden restaurant waiting for lunch.

Traditional Ilocanos dishes...trust me they taste way better than they look!

The view from the ladies toilet.  Best one I've seen since that outdoor one in the Serengetti last year.

One type of wishing well at the Hidden Garden restaurant.

Handing around with a new friend in front of the National Museum (formerly a provincial prison)

You can see just how large the opening to the kiln is here...the kiln is several meters long and this is just one end of it...there is another main opening that is like a mirror image about 30 feet away.  From the look of it workers were building a connecting section between the two openings.  Not sure how they will access it easily once they do that but...there were little tiny "doorways" at intervals along the "tunnel/kiln". 

A working carabou

The pit of mud that the carabou works in.  It is about 12 feet in diameter.

Potter at work.  He throws 50 of these a day. 

Potters assistant is the guy in the orange shorts.  His job is to prepare the clay for the wheel as well as kick the wheel till the potter gets his pot opened up.  They had quite a system and it was easy to see that they've done it once or twice before. LOL

Lynda playing Demi to the potters Patrick.  That potter was laughing so hard he could hardly keep his clay under control.  I'm thinking it might be the first time in a very long time that one of his pots might have uneven walls. LOL!

Outdoor chapel that is the part of this church (built in 1500's). This section was damaged during WWII and they've left it that way. 

Interesting angle of the bell tower that doubled as lookout during wartime.  120 steps up and the same number down!

Top of the tower looking through the top of the bell.

Making the climb, about 1/2 way up at this point.  Steepest bit still to come.  No pics from that part though as it was more of a ladder so had to hold on tight! 

February 22nd photos