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