Locations

Friday, February 25, 2011

From Manila to volcanoes, Philippines

When there are 7000 islands to be discovered, there is no desire to get stuck in the capital of Philippines, Manila, for too long. Even though it has an interesting history, Manila used to be the Pearl Of the Orient, until Shanghai or Singapore or Hong Kong started to use this name (one at a time or all at the same time).
Puzzling day and night life with street bars still going full speed at 4 in the morning.

After a brief investigation of the old city Intramuros, Chinatown and evening streets the time was to move towards the volcanoes.

First stop in Cagayan De Oro on Mindanao Island with a purpose to get boat trip to tiny volcano island Camiguin.







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Old streets of Manila








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Intramuros, the old part of Manila. Manila's unique architecture influenced by early settlers and traders from different corners of the world got a heavy hit during WWII bombings.








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In the jungle paradise, the Cagayan De Oro Airport on Mindano Island. Planes lining up in front of the building, so that people can wonder relaxedly to the terminal, which had a baggage conveyor (on the picture) and then already at the other side into the jungle. Not the place for aircons, long walkways and duty free shops.





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The Volcano island Camiguin. Somewhere in the clouds the great Hibok-Hibok volcano itself. It didn't reveal itself during the week.

Camiguin is a small island between Mindanao and Bohol islands. To get a circle around the island is about 60km, just suitable for a motorbike trip. Or to be honest full day goes for 35 kilometres and the last 25 will go in dark looking the ray made by the front light. On the way: small fishing villages, a cemetery that sunk into the sea after one of the volcano eruptions, fishermen, hot springs, cold springs, rooster fights if travelling on Sunday... and of course many happy people who all want to say Hello.





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Fix the Fixers! All Fixers watch out in Camiguin! Mambajao, the capital of Camiguin.








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At the rooster fight. Fighter and its owner, The Sunday rooster fighting.







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Getting the cutting blade








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The Rooster Fight arena, bets are made, loud shouting...






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The fight, inside the cage fighters and a referee, The owners are locked into small cages. The fight itself is rather short, in first rounds roosters jump together and after some jumping fall down from exhaustion. Then referee has to pick both up, get roosters' peaks together and drop them on the ground, this gets roosters active and they jump one or two times and fall down again. Later on referee has to put them together by peaks after every attack jump.

Some fights were quicker, in one fight one of the roosters managed to cut with the blade other rooster's wing and this finished the fight in few seconds.







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This rooster didn't win.






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As Camiguin island is volcanic island all its beaches are coverd with black sand, with one exception of a small strech of white sand in south corner of the island.
If wanting to get this good experience of blue water and white sand have to take a boat to a small sand bar called White Island, some 10 minutes by a boat.
On the island there is an administrative building (left side on the photo) collecting visiting fee. And then it is possible to walk around, go swimming-snorkelling or watch the mysterious dark Camiguin island with its Hibok-Hibok volcano in clouds.






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Leaving the island. The guest house garden had turned into a pool due to monsoon rains. Hopes are high.






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Not leaving the island. The monsoon had stopped all boat traffic, only navigation was happening on the streets of island's main town Mambajao. Though still with wheeled vehicles. Locals were mentioning about a typhoon hitting the island in upcoming days.







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Three-wheeler cutting the waves.






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Floods

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Jeepney, Philippines

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Every country is as crazy as the craziest designers/architects/engineers it has. Manila got the mouth wide open seeing the creation of Jeepney - an old US army Jeep cut in 2 and then welded back together with 4-5m extension in the middle, making it look like a long dachshund (taksi) dog on wheels. And after that the body painting, all kind of slogans, and of course at the top of the cabin the name of the beauty in big letters, all of it hand painted - true master pieces!

These Jeepneys are operating in Manila and rest of the Philippines as regular wave down & hop on-off buses. This is not the place to talk about EURO IV, EURO V etc. emission norms for engine, there is a always a big puff of black smoke going up when these boys race of from the traffic light.




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First day in Manila the main cultural sightings were Jeepneys, getting us to the street crossings to grasp all of the new type of industrial art.







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Looking the map of Philippines, the destination of this trip was almost to the center of the 7000 islands of Philippines.
From Manila flying to Cagayan de Oro on Mindanao Island. From there to volcanic Camiguin Island. When the monsoon was defeated further to Bohol Island, that turned out to be so relaxing that Negros island got taken out from the travel plan.