The Philippines Introduction

   Some of my Philippine friends will read these blogs about their home country, what I say to you is, please do not get offended if you read some things that may seem insulting. Traveling around your home country gave me a couple of different perspectives, one as a foreigner alone and one as a foreigner with a Philippine wife. As a traveler I learned to try to cover as much of the country as time permitted and learn as much as possible about the country's culture and people.

   The Philippines is a tropical country with a hot and humid climate; makes for delicious fruits and vegetables. The country also has the rainy season of which the typhoons cause the most worry and destruction. If you want to witness mother natures wondrous power then you can land on one of the thousands of islands that make up Philippines and try to survive a typhoon, earthquake, flood, or volcanic eruption.

   Within these thousands of islands surrounded by different seas there are beautiful beaches, some of the most beautiful that I have seen, particularly on the Visayan Islands. Many of the beaches are isolated with no tourists.....part of the reason may be the vast number of beaches available and the other part may be the lack of tourists. Unlike Thailand which is so popular with tourists the Philippines has a reputation for being dangerous. The National Peoples Army (NPA) live on many of the islands. This group formed to fight corruption of the Philippine government but they themselves extort money from locals, abduct foreigners for ransom and generally cause havoc for the peoples of the country. Muslim extremists live on the second largest island of Mindanao and they often tarnish the reputation of the Philippines when they detonate bombs.

  So this blog is not a history lesson but rather the start of a series on the Philippines which gives my own perspective on my experiences while there traveling (twice). As in many other developing countries the beauty can be breathe taking, the pollution in the cities unbearable. The people can be awesome friendly or dangerous and rude. You will see on further blogs what I encountered.

  By the way, my Philippine friends in Canada are awesome.........especially you Zeny

        Bicycle Trip Conclusion....Cold and Tired


   When I was alone on the bicycle for 12 hours a day, it give me so much time to think, or daydream. What struck me the most was the memory of old songs that came into thought, some I hadn't heard for so many years; others I could not get off my mind for the whole day. I had brought a walkman with me for music but I was always too tired to listen to music once I got inside the tent. Speaking of tired....I slept in some unusual places, mostly so I could stay out of the rain. I was in a barn, an abandoned truck, on a lawn chair, in a laundromat, an empty old house, in a culvert under a busy highway......
   During this trip I often seemed to be waiting for money to be sent to a post office (a loan by my parents) and a couple of times I had no money for food. One such time started on the day before  I left North Sydney, Nova Scotia on the 7 hour ferry to Port Aux.Basque, Newfoundland. I had little food but was happy with the scenery on the 200 km journey along the coast. By the time the ferry boat was loading I was so hungry (and broke), as the ship bounced in the rough waters of the Cabot Straight it might have been good that I had an empty stomach. Once I got off the ferry I asked at the tourist information where I could work off a meal and they sent me to the Salvation Army, they gave me a voucher for a breakfast. It would be 2 days before I would get to a branch of my mom's bank in Corner Brook, it was just over 200 kms. away.
   I went about 100 kms and the scenery was beautiful but the weather was not cooperating; the light rain turned to a heavy downpour, and the temperature was only 7 degrees. I ended up with a flat tire so I thought I may as well set up the tent, it was far too windy so I pulled my plastic over my body and hugged myself. I was on the bike early since I did not sleep, it was one of the most miserable nights since the start, more of those nights were to come. This next day was cold, rainy and windy, I seem to be handling it fine until I looked up and saw a sign that said "warning 200 km wind zone ahead", then I had an emotional breakdown. I started focusing on the negative things: my cramped legs from being huddled all night, the cold, the pain, and hunger. I was so close but yet so far (from Port Aux Basque to St Johns is about 1,000 kms.)
   I was so hungry that my whole body was shaking...with the cold and wet conditions I was getting weak, almost too weak to ride 100 kms. more to Corner Brook. I made it alive and ate/drank until I was so bloated...my mental state improved dramatically. I took the better part of the day to get the money and eat so I was only able to get 50 kms  east before I took up residence in Deer Lake Park. Although there was discomfort associated with the weather conditions the traffic was not too bad until I got east of Gander. Ever so slowly the traffic increased as I got closer to St Johns and I got back into being honked at, sand blasted, and blown off the road by trucks. I had about 4 days and nights where all of my belongings got (and stayed) soaked. Once I reached Clarenville I met Wayne and Janie Adams who were a blessing. I stayed over in their home, all of my possessions got dried by the wood stove, and she phoned the newspaper who sent a reporter over to interview me.
    The next night I woke up at 3am with my nose running, it was 5 degrees outside the tent, this did not matter as much as previous times because by days end I would be in St. Johns. I managed to get a stand by flight this same day from St Johns-Toronto, then I got on a Toronto-Edmonton flight; sat there from 3:30am-8:30 am, then I got a flight to Vancouver.
  In wrapping this up, I pointed out two of my mistakes in an earlier story (time of year and weight of bike with bags) but there were so many more mistakes that I made; it was a learning experience. Some things I would do differently, now that I have the wisdom. Despite my description in these blogs, maybe I am the only one who fully grasps the difficulty for me to ride 150-200 kms per day; against all the odds. These days this kind of trip would be easier for a cyclists safety, riding is much more the norm this many years later and governments have provided safer avenues for cyclists to travel.
   I did keep my cheap Norco bicycle, I melted the aluminum, crushed the steel and mounted it on wood, covering it with a coat of fibreglass. The trip is nothing but a memory...stored in a journal that nobody will read, accept my daughter maybe.

      Bicycle Trip Part 4....You Never Know Who You Will Meet


    I may have to post two more blogs to finish this bike story off, there is just so much to say about the trip and to cut off this story line too soon would not do the trip justice. So many pages in my journal describe scenery so I should mention what a beautiful country we live in. Many other pages written describe the misery of being tired and in pain; at times people asked me about riding sores and I did not go into detail with them but yes there were large riding sores. When one is approaching a large hill they must pedal as hard as they can in a high gear, once that gets tough you stand up pedaling, when that gets too tough you slam down on the seat and lower one gear....just to do it all over again; this is how a cyclist keeps momentum and climbs a hill. When I slammed down on the seat it was often on a riding sore; not pleasant.
  I had a dream (nightmare) one night about a truck, just before it hit me I woke up sweating. How I coped with the constant danger was to put a sad joke in my journal, sad because it was too real. "A couple is at home talking to their child who wants to go bike riding with her friend. The dad is insistent that he does not want her to go, when asked why he says, I do not want to risk having you passed by truckers like me." I often thought if I were a truck drivers son that he would find a way to either slow down, move over, or at least not lay on the horn as a warning to get off the road.....that was 1984 though, times have changed.
   On my way to Hamilton I took the Manitoulin Island route so I could see my sister, my mother and father ended up to be there and the first thing they said was something about my weight loss, I probably had about 5% body fat or less. My mother suggested that she give me a ride to Hamilton and I said I couldn't, after I was done with the visit I took the ferry off of Manitoulin and headed to Hamilton. Since this was supposed to be my main destination I stayed for a visit of 19 days. During that 19 days I put many kms on the bike, I guessed at least 1,000 - 1,500. My visit was great but I had unfinished business.....to get to St Johns.
   I look back on things now and realize how foolish I was to head towards Newfoundland on August the 20th.....I just never thought about the circumstances (cold). Just outside of Kingston, Ontario I was told that Steve Fonyo was running down the expressway, I was going to take highway 2 but I detoured and met up with him. Since he is from Vernon, BC we conversed about what he could expect out west. He had his police escort, winnibego's, and many people collecting donations, I felt that he did not seem very happy....he was in for a long haul.
   Jumping ahead..........,I met some hospitable people, like the Howe's who invited me to stay at their log home when they saw me sleeping in the laundromat....the nights were getting too cold. The next night I tossed and turned from the cold, I could not stand it, I basically stayed awake waiting for daylight. There are all kinds of noises in the forest, I even grabbed my knife on a couple of occasions. The New Brunswick province had terrible roads, I got 4 flat tires in one day, the roads were bumpy, it was windy, not a day to be cycling; the scenery was nice though. The 200 km day from Calais to east of Sussex was rewarding for the ride on the coast highway.
   I had a good mileage day with a twist, I wanted to reach Antigonish which was 220 kms from my starting point. It started to get dark and I saw a truck at a crossroads so I asked the guy how far the town was, or the nearest phone (I had to phone my parents to ask them to forward me some money). This guy and his friend were drinking and he asked me if I wanted to come to his place and use his phone, plus have dinner. I obliged and ended up at his place, his wife, who was very nice, asked me if I wanted a shower before we ate, I said okay. When I got out of the shower the guy said lets have a drink first, in the middle of his drink the guy changed so quickly. All of a sudden he asked me why he should help me out; why wasn't I working instead of peddling my ass off, he always worked but you lazy fucks.
   His wife looked embarrassed as I got up to leave, she apologized as her husband got more agitated. It was dark and had started to rain, I just wanted to get back to the highway and find a place to set up my tent. I was peddling backwards down  a hill when there was a loud snort, hoof sounds on the pavement; I saw the shadow of a moose just before it went crashing through the forest.
    First thing I thought of in the morning after my poor sleep was that even when I am sore all over, or if it is raining, or both, at least I had the beauty to let my mind wander.

     Bicycle Trip Part 3.....Digging Deep

     After my accident on the bike I was in a state of emotional confusion......great combination with all that pain. I could not imagine going back to Squamish after only making it to Grenfell, Saskatchewan. The 14th of July came early after not much sleep, I was to wake Darren and Pierre up before I left (they did not hit the road early) and they were to catch up after packing and eating breakfast, I never saw those two guys again. I awoke at about 3 am because my shoulder was very painful...sooooo, there was nothing to do but pack and leave. With my left arm in a sling I rode the first 100 kms in three and a half hours; I used the moonlight to see my route. There is always positive that can come from negative, that being cool temperatures and very little traffic. That first day I would lift my left arm up with the right and rest it on the handlebar or ride one handed. By days end I had rode 225 kms; I was very happy with the mileage, despite the one handed riding and the sun.
   Jumping ahead......I had a particularly tiring day around Upsala, Ontario. After 12 hours of riding I covered just over 200 kms.; the highway had taken over as the worst with the twisting/turning, bumps, holes, and trucks; 4 times I got forced into the gravel. I made it in one piece to Thunder Bay after 18 days of riding; it is here that I took a day off to visit friends. I did meet an array of people on this rather isolated bicycle trip: there was the policeman who was one of 8 running from Montreal-Vancouver, he had so many escorts and a couple of campers following him. I spent the part of a day with a guy named Andy who was slowing me down; he finally decided he did not want to go further so I moved on. A couple of days later I saw Andy waving and yelling out a pick-up truck window; he had told me that he would never take a ride.
   Thunder Bay was good for me (not just for the very supportive company) but because the night prior to arriving it had poured rain and ALL of my belongings were soaked. I left there all clean and dry which gave me new found determination. I will finish this part 3 with two chronological events that illustrate just how unpredictable travel can be, by any means.
  I was up on a ridge overlooking Nipigon Bay at the end of my day and wondering where I could pitch my tent when an older couple approached me, I thought to ask directions. They asked me where I was staying and when I said nowhere in particular they invited me to stay at their place.These people had a small cottage on their property at Kama Point that I could use for the night. The lady (Eileen) worried whether I would be comfortable enough. I was frustrated the next morning, I awoke and looked at the clock, IT WAS 10:15. I quickly wrote a thank you note and was just about to get on my bike when Eileen said "Oh Ian, you are going to stay for breakfast aren't you?" At 11:40 I finally got rolling and hit the big hill that awaited me. I pedaled until about 9 pm so that I could make up for lost time. Beautiful scenery along Lake Superior, and an incredibly nice couple.
   The next day I was up early and cycled many kms. to the nearest town to eat...this is what I generally did. I got a sandwich and drink from a shop and rode to the east of town where I found a park and recreation area. There was a school bus there with some young people around, I found a bleacher by the baseball diamond where I ate my food. I watched about 6 or 7 of these youths as they siphoned gas from the bus and were inhaling the fumes using bags. A couple of clean cut guys came over to ask me typical questions and they told me that they were berry pickers and the driver went down the street to use the phone; I guess since it was overcast they may not pick if the farmer said no. The behaviour of these gas sniffers got more ridiculous as they started to kick out the walls of the dug outs and light gas that after they poured it on the roof of the arena. It was time for me to get out of there but as I was leaving I saw 2 older men sitting in the bus. I rode over to the windows and asked them if they were used to this behaviour. I straddled the bike as we chatted and I noticed a couple of stones started bouncing off the bus and landing by my feet, then one hit my leg.
    I turned to the one young guy and said "if one of those stones hits me again I'll get off this bike and give you a shot in the head". Instantly all the high gas sniffers swarmed around and I got the sense quickly that I needed to get out of there. This was just in time, I peddled as quick as I could while they hurled rocks and yelled insults. These were good size rocks so I stood a good chance to get hurt badly, thank goodness I realized the danger. Some 15 minutes later I could hear yelling as the bus approached from behind, I tried to dodge all the spit and containers that flew out of the window. There was a celebratory roar as they passed, I stopped and wiped the phlegm off that made contact with me.

      Bicycle Trip Part 2.....Talk About Pain

    When I look at the many mistakes I made with this learning experience the two that really seem to have effected me the most were the weight in my 4 saddle bags and the date I started the trip. I filled the bags with items that I did not even use the whole trip (perhaps once or twice), most often the bicycle with the loaded saddle bags weighed about 90 pounds (over 40 kilo's). I left on July 1st which was the hot time of year for the west and middle of Canada and too late in the year for the far east (cold). If I would have repeated the trip (which came to mind) I would leave in early May and carry about 20 kilo's of supplies.
   In part 1 of this story I was crossing the plains, I have driven this territory in a car and it seemed very flat when in actuality there are gentle rolls of hills on the east side of Alberta and the west side of Saskatchewan. Just east of Swift Current I could see a haze...when it is very hot you can actually see mirages often.......while you hold out for a tree or some cows to moo at. This haze was different and I soon found out that this vision was millions of locusts (grasshoppers) crossing the plains and undoubtedly eating the farmers crops. A  few started to land on me and I swatted them off, then as I got deeper inside the swarm more than 20 of them were on me, I just kept trying to get them off while I pedaled; and kept my mouth closed, it was a bit creepy. Although I was not afraid I felt an urgency to get them off my arms, legs and the side of my face.
   My mileage started to pick up and in the next couple of days I was averaging 200 kms. per day, with about 12 hours of riding. I made sure that I did not stay in campgrounds because so many people, some who had seen me 3 times that day, wanted to ask questions and feed me when I was just so tired I wanted to pass out. About 90% of the time I just stayed somewhere close to the road so I could get an early start.
    I met two guys (Darren and Pierre) just outside of Moose Jaw who were going to Montreal and it was great to have some company on the lonely road. We rode single file and had the wind at our back so we were traveling at about 50 kms per hour. Trucks are in great numbers on the Trans-Canada highway, when they pass you the draft can push the bike or suck the bike under the wheels. A transport truck (a cyclists worst enemy) came up from behind and was so close that the wind drove my front wheel into the back wheel of Pierre's bike tangling up our saddle bags. The handle bars were hard to control and over them I went; I slid on my back for a distance and then rolled at least 5 times in the long grass before coming to a stop. I laid on the ground in both shock and agony. On first assessing the damage I took skin off my back and buttocks, had a swollen right knee with a 2 stitch cut, a 4 stitch cut on my right forearm and my shoulder was killing me (I landed on that first). Darren and Pierre flagged down a camper who took me and my beat up bike about 5kms down the road to the hospital at Grenfell.
  This small prairie town had a doctor (and his wife) whom they called from his house when a patient arrived at the small clinic. The pain was severe in my shoulder and after I was stitched up the doctor told me that I better take a few weeks off to let the swelling go down and the bruised bone heal up a bit. Darren fixed up my bike (wiring the bags to the racks), as I discovered I had left my sunglasses and a glove in the camper. I was so frustrated, in pain,angry at myself, and angry at the truck driver.....they often just laid on their horns (the signal to get off the road). What was I going to do in this predicament?...go home ?

      Bicycle Trip Part 1.......Learning Lessons Already

   In 1984 for reasons barely known to me, I got it in my head to travel by bicycle from Squamish, BC to Hamilton, Ontario. In 1984 there were not many people doing long hauls by bicycle; the cycling conditions on the roads were proof of this; the Trans-Canada was one lane each way. My journal is filled with belly aching content describing: pain, misery, sleepless nights, weather woes and near death experiences......some my own fault; seems many drivers were not prepared to share the road with a cyclist.
   North of Yale, BC was my first close call and that was supposed to be a learning experience for me. I was looking and admiring the mountains when I went off the skinny bit of pavement that laid on the right of the white line and ended up in the thick gravel. I was traveling a good speed so wandering into the gravel caused me to fish tail and lose control; After strong arming the bike I ended up in the middle of the lane. The good driver behind me was already on the break and did not bury me; I waved and thought to myself that I had better watch out or I would not make it out of BC.
   I was amazed how many people asked me if I took photo's on my bike trip; I usually said something like, "it takes so long riding up the Rockies that I have plenty of time to look around while I am standing/pumping on the pedals. Between Golden and Revelstoke there was an all you can eat restaurant where I: had 4 platefuls, 10 milks, 5 orange juice, and 3 bowls of fruit cocktail. Before I left Rogers Pass in the Rockies a couple in their camper home asked me if I wanted them to drive behind me while I went down the 8km stretch of road descending the pass. With my mind set at ease I used the middle of the lane to race through the 1 tunnel and 4 huts, screaming the whole way. At the bottom this man in the camper told me that I had reached speeds of 75 kms per hour. With 4 loaded saddle bags it is easy to keep speed, once you have attained the speed through a lot of power peddling.
    Close to the town of Field I had my head down while clipping along at a good speed; my eye was on my mirror and there was no traffic approaching. Since there was no traffic behind me I took my focus off of staying to the right of the white line. I just happened to look up in time to see a drivers look of shock as his truck was passing a car. He was so close to hitting me that the breeze/sandblast almost stopped me. I had to pull over, I was so shaken up; a self lecture followed and I was reminded that I could not take my attention off of riding safe.
   Once I got to Calgary I saw the end of the big mountains, I was happy to be averaging about 150 kms. per day. Once on the plains I provided entertainment for drivers who witnessed me riding through rain storms. Most every child in the cars laughed, smiled or pointed at me as the driver of their car had the wipers on high speed. I knew from my first week that I although I was putting myself through hell that I would want to make it to St.Johns Newfoundland......somehow !!
 

  Kangaroo Island, Australia........Amazing People and Wildlife

  One of the best aspects of traveling is meeting so many wonderful people who seem very obliged to share their generosity. I have met so many people who have provided me with aid, especially their time; that made my journey's a tremendous experience. I was at Ayer's Rock in the middle of Australia when I met this one particularly nice lady (Glen) at the Alice Springs Hostel. This new friend give me her address in case I visited Adelaide; I warned her that I would come by.......  After an excellent visit with these new friends (Glen, Max,  and their children) I set out for Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest island. Once the ferry landed on the island I went down some rocks to the water and found a cute little penguin hiding among the rocks.

                             

I met yet another great local couple (Fred + Dorothy) who called me over to their house from the road, they had a nice view of Penneshaw and the coast from their back deck.

                          

                           

After some conversation and a snack they offered to take me to a few places for stunning views like the sand dune Mt Thisby (highest point on the island), from where I could see the southern ocean and Pelican Lagoon. Once I descended the dune I saw so many Australian Pelicans, which I watched for a few minutes. Fred and Dorothy then took me to their friends house who feeds wallaby's.

                         


                         



I was amazed at the site of over 50 wallaby's who were very timid when the man made the dinner call. Some came quickly while others (with a baby in the pouch) stayed peeking out of the bush until they felt comfortable. It was an awesome experience to watch these marsupials getting fed in the winter season; this man had names for most all of them. That night I went to the church concert which showcased some local acts and a band from the mainland; it was a lot of fun and there was some great food afterwards.
   In the morning of the next day I went to Pelican Lagoon to get photo's of Blue Penguins and Australian Pelicans before I started to hitch hike to Seal Bay. After my first ride I walked about 8kms., only 4 cars went by. Kangaroo Island is desolate in the off season and although the local population is most welcoming to tourists, there are not many of it's citizens on the road. I walked and walked; since it was winter all the paddocks were green, and there were many different birds around; turned out that I covered about 20 kms. to get down south to Seal Bay.

                         


 When I arrived at the beach I was amazed again for the second time in 2 days. There were over 100 sea lions on the beach and not a person in sight.

                           

                            

                           

Seal Bay has one of the largest colonies of the Australian Sea Lion, there are approximately 500 of them........on this day so many laid out to bask in the sun. The pups are born every 18 months and suckle until the next baby is born. The adult females weigh about 150 kilo's and have silvery grey coats. Adult males weigh up to 400 kilo's and the coat for them darkens with age; the average sea lion lifespan is about 12 years.

                                 

I walked over to different bay and saw another 50 sea lions laying in the sand; it was unforgettable. Although I now live close to seals and sea lions I will never forget the hours of sitting beside, and walking among the sea lions at Seal Bay. I know how much it meant to me at the time because I wrote "FANTASTIC" in my journal. After about 5 kms of walking back from Seal Bay I was picked up by Barry and his two grandchildren, he ended up inviting me for dinner and then I took him to Fred and Dorothy's to introduce them.. I ended up sleeping over at Barry's place, which was excellent, so much better than the hostel. In the morning I walked about 10 kms to Fred's place, him and Dorothy took me to Antechamber Bay which had a beautiful beach. We then traveled around looking at lagoon's with many beautiful birds. I spent that last night at Barry's, I will not forget the hospitality of all those people I met out on the road, such as my friends in Adelaide and on those on Kangaroo Island. I was feeling very lucky and appreciative...........Kangaroo Island is a great place !!