Philippines are a land where the sky seems closer, where during the day we feel we can move the sun or pick clouds with our fingers and where we could detour the Milky Way at night. In a land, we could call the dusty pearl of south-eastern Asia, where nature lovers and lovers of culture, rest, and fun at paradise beaches, lovers of cuisine and adrenalin freaks can find what they want. Life there is nice, peaceful and above all simple. You get the feeling that less people have, more love surrounds them. It’s an interesting fact that this land of mystery and friendly people usually doesn’t get much recognition among travellers, even if it is among biggest jewels of south-eastern Asia. Despite the poverty stricken population these are among the friendliest nations of the world.
The paradise of lonely island and chaotic life of Manila
After landing in Manila you will be breathless. It’s due to the heat and high humidity which makes it even feel even hotter.
Modern buildings of the eleven million metropolis, shopping centres with well-known brand names, markets with fakes of everything you desire, and great poverty with simple shelters, smell of road kill, rotten fruit and vegetables at the market… The electric wires don’t give you much confidence, for it seems each house is connected directly to the power plant. Sick dogs running around, children of the street and homeless adults begging for help, begging to survive, due to poverty there is also a lot of children prostitution, which you can even see for yourself (if you’re lucky – or unlucky – enough). There are around 400.000 people involved in the prostitution in the city, some 20% are children. You can often spot an older foreigner with a young local girl. At first I was very disappointed with the impression I got from the capital, so I ran to the hotel to get some of their cheap but tasty beer and loved to leave the chaotic city next morning.
Many people think of lazing under palm trees on a remote island all to yourself, when thinking of Philippines. That’s what we wanted – our own island. Landing on a stretched, slightly remote island of Palawanu, scarcely populated, not well developed and thus not housing many tourists, we arrived – after a long drive on bad roads – to our paradise in the place called El Nido.
Waking up in the morning in a hotel room with a view of the turquoise see, coconut palm trees, lonely peaks covered in green stretching to the sky, sandy beaches … your dreams have come true. Just a short ride in their strange narrow, with bamboo enforced boats, among green hills peeking out of the sea, many holding fantastic white sand beaches; you arrive to a place where the locals prepare you a genuine Philippine gourmet meal. Under the sea surface you see coral reefs, which are unlike any other in the world, for they hose 488 different species of corals out of the 500 known in the world.
Chocolate hills and strange animal inhabitants of the Island of Bohol
Definitely worth a visit are the chocolate hills of the island Bohol. They stretch across a large area and if you climb any of them you’ll see the rest for as long as the view stretches out. The hills were here even before they rose out of the sea. They used to be coral reef, which raised over the water surface and got covered by grass, which becomes typically brown in the drought period, thus giving the hills the name – chocolate hills.
But the biggest attraction of the island aren’t the hills. It’s the little monkeys held in cages by local people. They are only as big as a man’s palm and are the smallest living primates in the world – known as tarsier and are an endangered species. The animals seem like cartoon characters and are only active at night. During the day they are still on top of a tree and watches you with the large eyes. The very opposite to these cute little animals is the six metre long python who also resides on the island and who’s keeper is a transvestite. They are a true tourist attraction, not being sure, which one is the greater – the humongous snake, calm in its cage or the keeper making jokes about himself. But getting a photo with the snake that could snap you like a twig, is really a terrifying experience, but full of adrenalin. The snake was caught on the island, proving they get as big in the nature.
The eighth wonder of the world
The rice terraces of Banaue, also part of the UNESCO world heritage list, push the mind to rethink the bounderies of possible. On the varied terrain of the northern and largest Philippine island the members of the Iguago tribe made terraces from the rocky terrain some 2000 years ago and irrigated it by changing the flow of the river to give water to their rice fields. These terraces are considered one of the greatest masterpieces of human making. People are still growing rice here, which gets a high price on the market, due to extremely harsh conditions in which it is grown. The step terraces give it a look of endlessness and it’s been calculated that their combined length would take us half the way around the globe.
»Circus« vehicles for travel
That’s one way of describing the jeepneye. These are something like a taxi or a mini-bus, which can carry even up to 30 people. They don’t only ride inside, but also on the rooftop and for those, who still can’t get on, there are holds for arms and feet on the exterior, to hang on to. There are only two people sitting by the driver and everybody helps the driver collect the fair. They got the idea for the jeepneye from the US army, which used them during the WWII. IT’s still among the most popular vehicles in Philippines today. All drivers drive around with a speed we could not imagine, from busses to tricycles and vehicles we’d not let on the road, they are swishing pass. The jeepneyev drivers are also proud of the look of their wheels, so they draw, write and add all sorts of additions to their vehicle making it ready to be a circus attraction.
As all things come to an end, so does such a great journey concludes too fast. But memories remain, which are unlike any other, different, special, unforgettable and with a yearning in the mouth – “what I wouldn’t do to be on one of those remote Palawana islands right now…”
