We took a Florida bus from Banaue and pulled into the capital 10 hours later. We were in the mountains for 7 days so we must have gotten used to the cold, right? Well, not when you're on board Florida - apparently they only believe in switching the air-con off or at full blast, nothing in between. I froze, for the first time in a long time, the previous one on the way to Deqin in the Himalayas. The bus aside, the capital was really err... a huge mess with capital M E S S - exhaust-stained buildings, a gazillion vagabonds, rubbish, broken sewer, flowing gunk they call rivers, and F***ed-up attitude. Oh and I figured you'd probably be healthier if you smoke cos inhaling the putrid concoction of fumes they call air would cut back your life span by at least 10 years, and that's if you're on the lawns of Rizal Park. Ok, we only did 8 hours of Manila today and our perceptions may be skewed but hey, first impression counts! And let me tell you about their new Terminal 3. We were there to catch our Cebu Pacific flight to Taipei and desperately needed to draw cash from an ATM to pay for airport taxes. There were none that accepted international cards. I had to travel a good 40min out to the nearest barangay (being Baclaran) and back in sweltering Pinoy sun just to get P2500. Thank god we were at the airport early.
The flight departed on time but we were in deep turbulence for much of the journey as the plane traversed the height of a typhoon over the East China Sea. We arrived safely and unlike Manila, Taipei is much much much better. We've only been here for 4 hours and we loved it to bits already. I mean, what's there not to like? Good transportation network, good-looking people, well-dressed youngsters, well-lined streets, handsome buildings, and brilliant amenities. It sort of reminded us of the glory of Kunming, only on a much larger scale. We can't wait to explore the city tomorrow, starting with local breakfast and then some trekking at Yangmingshan Nature Park.
Well, lucky for us, Iim finally ready to upload some photos of our Luzon Loop so far (the past 11 days) so here's a sneak peek! The rest will be uploaded on Facebook when I get back, or when I have the mood and time here:
A stretch of North Luzon near Vigan
Vigan's Mestizo District
Metropolitan Baguio
Hanging coffins at Echo Valley, Sagada
Native Kankanays at Demang, Sagada
Gorgeous Bomod-ok Falls, Sagada
Room view of the Alimit River rapids of Banaue
The 'Amphitheatre' - Batad
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