Steel City Trek Asia: Luzon Typhoon & Volcano

It was very unusual heading out for the airport without Maj in my company. He has made his way back to Thailand to improve on his Thai boxing training as he wants to begin fighting when we get home. We have arranged to meet in Ko Phi Phi in Thailand at the beginning of August. So until then your stuck with ME!

I made the decision to continue traveling alone to the Philippines. I had no problems with my flight to Manila and met a lovely woman on the plane who insisted I call her 'Atay', which means older sister in Philipino. Starting a little family already. The bus to Manila took an extra 2 hours than normal (4 total) because of the horrible traffic in the center. After finding the local youth hostel I went for a bite and a quick blast on the net. My trip to the 7-11 showed me that security in this country is serious as the guard had a gun on his belt. At banks and other establishments some guards are at the doors with double barreled shotguns! Another intimidating thing about the Philippines are the unlimited number of 'Jeepneys' you see patrolling the streets. They are public transportation vehichles but look like something a gang would roll around in. My internet session was cut short by a full scale power cut, and it wasn't until my walk back to the hostel that I felt how windy it was. When I got back the receptionist told me that a typhoon was making its way through the capital! I have never witnessed wind strengths like that in my life. I found it funny the next morning when I went downstairs to find that a huge tree had been blown straight into the hostel, and I slept through it!

I could tell straight away that there was limited stuff to do in Manila so I didn't plan on hanging around. I went to see the José Rizal memorial statue (Philipinos answer to Ghandi) and the Intramuros area. Spain used to rule the Philippines from 1519 through 1898, and there is a lot of Spanish history remaining, including wide usage of the language. The Intramuros area in particular has a very European edge to it, with loads of churches and colonial style buildings dotted around.

I planned to meet Alejandro the gwizzly Argentine in the Palawan islands but becuase of the Typhoon all flights were pushed back and in turn, sold out. Instead I followed my original plan of heading to the Taal volcano. The journey there showed me how badly the storm had hit, with a number of broken trees and sign posts. The Taal volcano is located on its own small island known as a caldera. It is only a little thing compared to most, but it has taken many lives throughout the years, obliterating the local town of Tagaytay. After getting skanked on a return boat price across the lake (1300 pesos, nearly 20 pound!) I made my way up to the view point. I was getting harrassed for a guide, but then saw 3 tourists on horseback obviously heading for the same destination, so I followed them. Keeping up with horses is tough by the way. The view was incredible from the top, looking down into the crater. The crater here was full of water, which could be seen bubbling away in parts, and smoke was being released in certain areas too. It was a great view of the surrounding lake, which at that moment in time was being hit with a thunderstorm in the distance.

After getting the required pictures I made my way to the town of Talisay to jeepney it to Tanauan to bus it to Batangas to get the boat over to Mindoro island for Puerto Galera. Only problem was that I had missed the final boat - by three hours. I had the tough decision of either heading back to town and paying for an expensive hotel or stay in the ferry terminal overnight. I am confident you can guess on my final choice.