Friday, April 29, 2011

RICHARD DREYFUSS' FAVORITE GAS STATION?

OK, this is a bit of a test of your pop culture savviness? Do you get it? Ba ha.

This photo taken upon arrival in Yangshuo China at 10:00 pm

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

SALUTE TO MANNERS...



This is self explanatory I think :-). This was within 20 meters of a toilet.

(Location: Dragon Backbone Terraces, Guilin, Guanxi, China)

HIDE AND SEEK IS FUN NO MATTER YOUR AGE

April 27, 2011 - this was taken at the start of the trek of the "Dragon's Backbone Terrace" near Guilin China.

Not often you get ancient stone carvings to hide behind.

KFC DELIVERS!


What more do you need in life?

(Location: Guilin, Guanxi, China)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

WELCOME TO CHINA. WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR NEON BRIGHT, EXTRA BRIGHT, OR INSANE-TACULAR!?


This is low key traffic toll both on the way to Chengdu after flying in from Shenzhen.

(Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China)

Monday, April 25, 2011

MATH IN AN ELEVATOR


Not every elevator goes to every floor, so you better pay attention (there will be a test)

(Location: Mirador Mansions, Hong Kong, China)

HONG KONG HOTEL ROOM



25 US per night and the room is as big as the bed. What a hoot!

Sumptuous breakfast just for me! (room 2)

Six delicately arranged pure white bread toast-ettes, one "orange" beverage, a plop of jam and lump of margarine... A complete breakfast!



HONG KONG HEADACHE... MSG is bad!

I think that won ton soup I had for breakfast might have had its share of Mono Sodium Glutamate. Used for flavour, but famous for giving whopping headaches. I have a one now... no fun. I hope I can avoid MSG for the rest of the China trip.

MORE RICE TERRACE PHOTOS



"Trekking the Banaue Rice Terraces" is a great addition to any bucket list.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

BROCCOLI BATHROOM

I am in Hong Kong in a room so small that you have to get on the bed to close the door. It is as big as the bed! Toilet here too but it reeks like old Broccoli! Gross. If you are unfamiliar with this smell I encourage you to find some so you too can relive this classy hotel experience.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?


To become dinner! This was is a creative way to cook chicken.... Hey is that your van by the way?

(Location: Manila, Philippines)

SPELUNKING!


This cave in Sagada was just amazing! Just like any other at first, but once it got to the wet part (where you remove your shoes to squirm through well tunnels, it got really amazing! I just loved it!

Friday, April 22, 2011

CRUCIFICTION ANYONE?

Just back from the "Crucifiction Festival" north of Manila. Great fun for the whole family. Watch people get nailed to crosses while eating your ice cream and buying "Sponge Bob" balloons. Really.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO BE CRUCIFIED? LINE UP.

Yep, they really nail them to crosses on Good Friday in San Fernando Pampagna. Their is also a parade of men doing some self flagellation. If you want to you can stop at places where other people will swat you, whip you or brush your back with a broken glass brush (see photos!) Thousands of spectators watch and eat ice cream and buy souvenir Spongebob SquarePants balloons. Every word is true.

(Location: San Fernando Pampangna, Philippines)








Thursday, April 21, 2011

LIKE EGGS? MAYBE NOT AFTER THIS


Most everyone LOVES BALUT in the Philippines. They are eggs that have been boiled just 5 days before hatching. That means you get to eat feathers, claws, eyes, beak and all the other exciting bits. Seriously everyone loves them. Wait till you hear in the show what happened when I ate one.

(Location: Road back to Manila from Sagada, Philippines)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

SUPER SPELUNKING!


I have been in lots of caves, but this one was really amazing! Wait till you see the video of us navigating through tiny openings in the water filled cave. Just trippy. I loved it and am darn lucky I didn't wreck all my gear!

(Location: Sagada, Mountain Region, Philippines)

WOULD I LIKE A WOOD BIKE? WOULD I EVER!


Shot from the roof of a Jeepney, but I met these boys the day before. They use these scooters (with brake) to bring wood down the hill.

(Location: Sagada, Mountain Region, Philippines)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

2 DAY WALK IN RICE PATTIES IN BANAUE PHILIPPINES

This should go on your bucket list. GREAT place to walk. Spectacular, but you need a good sense of balance...

Sunday, April 17, 2011

28 HOUR BUS RIDE WHEN YOU ARE SICK SUCKS...

Left Legaspi yesterday at 6:30 pm and arrived in Banaue at 8:30 pm. I am not only exhausted, I am really sick. on the mend a bit now, but the first 16 hours were horrendous. I ate a BALUT (because I had to for the show) and didnt expect it would almost kill me ;-). What is a BALUT... well that is a 25 day old egg... only 4 days from hatching and then the cook it and eat it. Little beak, eyes, claws, feathers and all... Guess I should have known

Friday, April 15, 2011

DIVING WITH WHALE SHARKS



This 18 M long Whale Shark is a smaller one. Largest one I heard of here was 36 M. They are harmless and feed on plankton that cloud the sea here. This taken from video.

(Location: Donsol, Bicol, Philippines)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

MOUNT MAYON VOLCANO














It might not look too tough and it is only 2400 m, but... one went to hospital, one got sunstroke, one ripped arms and hands up quite a bit and we were all totally exhausted.

Monday, April 11, 2011

I was served dinner by a man named Dong Dong

What more need be said. You know it is going to be great food when Dong Dong serves it up. The Restaurant was called "Fort Wally" which is equally inviting!!

(On the 7 hour bus trip from El Nido Back to Puerto Princessa.

Thank goodness for air con.

Fans are fine, but it is hot and sticky here, so the a/c in this room is welcome! Now have to foray out into the hot wet air for dinner. Will I lose more weight than I consume on the 30 min walk there? Stay tuned ;-)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Taj Mahal is in the Philippines...

with just a minor mispelling.

CHICKEN...


Well Chicken Intestines. Same thing... Pretty much?

EL NIDO BEACHES. SUPER WOW

The big vertical rock in the middle of the image is the climb I did that I posted a couple days ago.



The water is the same temperature as the air here.

Your going to pay for that Slurpee... right?


Security gaurds are outside of every business in Manila it seems.

Banks have three security... two outside (one to search your bag, one to open door) and one inside to bolt door seconds before and after you get in.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Good candy?

This was the best jackfruit and purple yam candy I have ever had! ;-)



Friday, April 8, 2011

El Nido cliff climb...



Amazing view after a challenging climb. Class 4 scrambling in the heat.

Menu item today...

I could have ordered a "hand job pizza" today in palawan, philippines. Did I miss a great meal I wonder?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

So, a priest and a giraffe go into an airport....

Oh... Uh.... Nevermind I guess that joke would have bombed...



WHERE IS MY PHONE... COOL LOCATOR


My friend Paul showed me how a computer program can locate my phone (and hopefully me) anywhere in the world. It is working rather well and keeping my somewhat worried Mom at ease in being able to see the exact street intersection I am at at almost any given moment. She even followed my for a few seconds as the plane TOOK OFF in Vancouver. Very cool. She saw me on the runway... then advancing down the tarmac... then suddenly gone as signal was lost at altitude. Really impressive software. With the map of Manila here the only thing you cannot tell is how crazy big this city is! I am a waaayyyyy smaller dot that the blue one you see there!

The program is me.com and it is free. You can pay for a bigger version that does more (or get it free for 60 days like I am doing).

Sunday, April 3, 2011

ARRIVED IN MANILA

Arrived at around 1 pm or so and it was 30 degrees or 85 F. I must have looked like I was dressed for winter with long pants and boots.

Hot and sticky but a welcome feeling that brings back great memories of tropical asia :-)

I hope I can eat my own weight in Mangos while I am here!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

SLEEPING IN A SECRET CORNER OF THE BEIJING AIRPORT

You are not supposed to do this, but with just about 8 hours till my 7 am departure to Philippines, I thought it made more sense to hunker down in the airport. This is supposed to be adventure anyway right? This is in the shopping mall area right by a children's store. No one bothered me... not even night cleaners. How lucky.

I got to use the wifi in the morning too. Nice :-)


My accommodations on the floor of the hong kong airport

Not so fancy this time. Like sleeping on concrete floor of a shopping mall!



MY "ROOM" ON THE PLANE

I love flying on points! Here are my accommodations on the plane to Beijing. Yahoo ( sent from hong kong since Beijing disallows blogging)



Test from beijing... Will china let me blog? ;-)