And thats a wrap

I guess I won't really miss the tricycles–
they aren't built for Westerners!

Today is April 7. I am sitting in Ninoy Aquino Airport with an hour to go before boarding. So today I have a wonderful 23 hours of flying to look forward to. Manila > Tokyo > Newark > Boston. And then the good old bus ride from Boston to Portland plus the drive to Avon. Yup, we are talking almost 30 hours of traveling. BRING IT. My mind is racing so I figure I may as well stop putting off writing this "reflection post." I don't want to write it because I know it signifies the end. I just read my first post that I wrote for this blog. Oh how funny. I remember I only decided to write that because I was waiting for an episode of Bachelor Pad (great show don't judge) to finish downloading. I thought, well better start the blog. I had no idea that in the months to follow I would find such comfort and joy in turning to my blog to write about my experience and day. I think blogging has made me appreciate and pay more attention to cultural details. So thank you for reading and for all your positive comments. If I didn't know anyone was reading I probably wouldn't have been such a diligent blogger– I know I got a little bit lazy while in the Philippines but at least it was still a weekly occurrence.

There have obviously been some highs and lows of the trip– lets tackle the lows first. Getting mugged first off. That sucked. But I learned a lot from it and am now way more cautious with all my belongings. Just ask Hannah about my money belt...
Another low was saying goodbye to all my study abroad friends in Vietnam. That was a really sad time– I remember thinking, wow April is so far away. I won't be with a group of Americans my age until April. I am not even halfway there. I didn't realize how close I had grown with all my study abroad friends until I had to say goodbye to them.
I guess I went through a low around February– there was a week long period where I was in a funk. I had hoped that after a month in Baler I would have been accepted by the community and treated like everyone else, but I was still getting lots of stares, being asked awkward questions, and feeling uncomfortable in certain situations. That was also a time when there were armed robberies in Baler (yeah I didn't tell you that because I didn't want to freak you out MOM). But like all funks, it passed.
And of course, a low is leaving the Philippines right now. It seems very surreal that I am sitting in the airport about to jet off to America. It is a strange feeling.

This photo always makes me smile. I love my friends!

The highs: I think topping it all are the new friends I've made. I love that I have so many connections in Vietnam and the Philippines. One of the most amazing experiences was living with my Vietnamese homestay family, and then moving in with a group of Filipinas. How many people get to have that experience? I have grown so close with my four housemates (the fifth moved out in late February). Saying goodbye to them was really very hard. But I think that we will meet again, either in the states or when I come back to the Philippines to see even more beautiful places. And I need to come back sooner than later so I can keep working on my surfing– which by the way, I can do now completely on my own. My surfing goal= accomplished. Another high is the amount I have learned in the past seven months. Even though I haven't been in school I have learned so much about Southeast Asia's rich history. Prior to my travels I had no idea that it was a region filled with so much turmoil, invasion, and colonization. Finally, besides learning about this region I have learned a lot about myself as a person. That sounds super cliche and I am well aware of that, but it is true. You try living by yourself in a foreign country for three months and tell me that you don't learn a lot about what you can and can't deal with.

The difference between living in a country versus simply traveling is the degree to which one must learn and understand the way of life. If only traveling, it is easy to avoid complete immersion in the culture and lifestyle because in a few short weeks a tourist will return to the comfort of their home. While living in a foreign country it is imperative to adapt your lifestyle in an attempt to assimilate with the surrounding environment, regardless if altercations appear bizarre, alien, or push a comfort zone. Successful assimilation is rewarded in the form of cultural manifestation; at least, that has been my experience in the past seven months in Vietnam and the Philippines. I have learned to embrace cultures and have grasped that just because something is different doesn’t mean it is wrong. I have continuously gained a more accepting, flexible and laid back attitude and perspective on the way I live my life. 

My housemates and I posing for pictures on the bridge outside
our house. This is Amac's, our "on call" tricycle driver, tricycle.
And sadly no, I actually didn't get to drive it.

 I know going to America is going to be a big shock. I am sure I will continue some of my Filipino habits, saying next next Saturday when I am talking about the Saturday two weeks in advance, saying April seven instead of April seventh, eat with a spoon clutched in my right hand, and wave people over with my palm facing the ground. I'm also probably going to think that everyone in the U.S is really rude. Filipinos are literally the nicest people in the world, so considerate and friendly. When I was checking in today at the airport the woman at customs said, "Your birthday is coming up soon (21 next week hehehe), advance happy birthday!" Last year on my birthday I spent a good chunk of it applying for my new passport, and no customs official ever said anything. Filipinos just want to make you feel happy and good. They say nice little things to cheer up your day. Why can't everyone be like that!?

I cannot explain how much I love Southeast Asia, and I know that someday, preferably sooner than later, I will return for an even longer period of time. I want to work and live here. I really do– that is how much I love this region. There are so many countries that I have yet to explore and hopefully my future jobs, studies, or research will help bring me there.

Can you read that? It says LOVE U. That's how I feel about the Philippines, my
friends, and Southeast Asia in general. (btw I am the "E")

When people find out that I have been gone for seven months, they always ask me what I have missed the most while traveling. I always answer my friends and family, because it is the truth. If I could uproot you all and move you to SEA I would never ever go back to America. But I know I can't do that. It is weird, but being away from certain people for seven months has made our relationship grow stronger. But no more time apart– I can't wait to jump on top of you all and smother you with Filipino love. So after I answer friends and family I am always asked what food I miss the most, what is the first thing I want to eat when I get back. To be honest, I don't really miss American food. Too much bread, not enough rice. Seriously, it is going to be my goal to eat rice once a day while in America. I don't miss cheese, I don't miss peanut butter, I don't really miss cookies or cakes. I thought I missed bagels but I don't. I guess the only food I really truly miss is Mexican food. Is there a Chipotle in Logan International? If there is, get me a burrito stat. And there is one more thing that I miss, not food related: As sad as this is, I also very badly missed my cellphone. Is it bad that I have dreams about turning it on? That and putting on a pair of jeans– note to self: never travel without jeans again.

So this is the last blog post. In three short weeks I am headed off to Bolivia for two months to work in libraries in rural communities surrounding Sucre. I am not sure if I will blog yet, but if I do I will be sure to put the link somewhere on this site. I can't use this blog because lets be real, Bolivians do not eat noodles at breakfast.

Sagada's famous hanging coffins

Thursday morning Kathleen and I bid farewell to Christin who was headed off to Baguio and we went and checked out the hanging coffins. These are two hundred year old coffins that are suspended on the limestone cliffs surrounding Sagada. This is a traditional way of burying the deceased– some people even still do it!

After the trip to the coffins we walked around Sagada a bit, did a little shopping, ate some yummy peanut snacks, and then started making our way back to Manila via jeepney to Banaue and then the wonderful overnight bus to Manila. I brought Kathleen back to the apartment I stay in so she could have a place to hang out until catching her bus to Legazpi to go hike some volcano. I am only a little bit jealous (a lot). All in all, my last little side trip was incredible– I am so glad I chose to go to Banaue and Sagada instead of going to another beach. I was debating to do this or go swim with whale sharks... that would have been cool too but then I wouldn't have met this guy:

Who needs a tour guide when we had this
fluffy guy with us!?! He followed us around
while we were checking out the hanging coffins.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle

I don't really look genuinely
happy, do I?

Sagada adventure #2 didn't quite top the cave connection (that set the bar pretty high), but it was still a fantastic (and fantastically long) day. I don't even know what the name of the mountains that we went up and over were. All I know is that we walked from 7:30 until 5:30. Terrain wise, it wasn't a difficult hike– there were a few steep parts but generally speaking it was rolly. What made it so gosh darn hard was the condition of the trail. And the obstacles in the trail.

First, there were the holes. I don't even know how it is possible, but there are just these huge holes all around the trail. Christin was a big fan of them and fell pretty far down one– our guide kind of freaked out and after that he was so scared every time he heard one of us stumble. Besides the holes along the trail, the trail itself sometimes just disappeared like in this here picture:

Yeah, that is a pretty steep drop off. I don't really know what would have happened if we fell.

Okay, so after the holes there were the leeches. Yup, leeches. The blood sucking annelid worm. How lovely. Christin had never heard of a leech before and she was freaking out when we explained what they were. Again, our guide thought this was hilarious. We literally had to check Christin for leeches every minute. Thankfully, she only got one leech. And by that point we were all pretty tired so she didn't even freak out and just let me pick it off her. Kathleen got six leeches. And guess how many I got? Just guess. Eleven. What does that tell you? Americans are the sweetest. It is all that good old American pie I guess.

That is my leg. With a leech. Those scratches... well keep
on reading for the dirty deets on those.

Besides the leeches attacking us, we had to worry about the plants. I have never seen so many thorny plants in my life. It looks like I got in a fight with a baby tiger. My legs are so scratched up. Even my arms. All of our legs look terrible– we got a couple comments on them in the following days. Battle wounds. 

Okay, some more complaining: The trail was really slippery because we were in the jungle and it tends to hold water. Making our way down was seemingly impossible to do without ending up on our butts a few times. I don't think I have ever used my butt that much while hiking. Christin and I were pretty goofy at some points and just couldn't stop laughing every time we fell.

We used the trees to help us out. Here, Christin
was a little reluctant to let go. Literally, we pulled
them as far as they could stretch before reaching
for a new one.

Finally, at hour number seven of eight it started to downpour. We were all tired at that point. I was ready to be done with the hike. It wasn't like I wasn't enjoying it, I was, but I just wouldn't have minded if right at that moment a helicopter came and landed next to me and offered to airlift me back to the hostel. I probably would have accepted that. I know I am complaining right now, but I was probably the most upbeat during the hike. I used the wonderful line, "We'll get there when we get there," many a times when someone asked how much longer. I also sang that song from some Christmas movie, the one that goes put one foot in front of the other. falala. Some ice wizard sings it I think. But what do I know since I haven't had a real Christmas since December 2010.

SO: these little obstacles aside it was truly a marvelous day. The views were amazing and the flora along the way was well worth a few scratches and leeches.

Literally in the jungle.

The cave connection

After I returned from my Batad trip I took a quick icy shower (no hot water in my hostel, which was unfortunate considering that Banaue is chilly. Actually, fleeces are necessary) and ran back upstairs to get a plate of steaming hot rice to warm me up. Right when I sat down another girl came into the restaurant and sat at the table adjacent to mine. I did the great one liner that I learned in Cambodia, "Are you also traveling by yourself?" And it was history from there. Kathleen is a 23 year-old Canadian who is teaching English in Thailand for what will total two years. We hit it off instantly. I convinced her to come to Sagada with me, so the next morning we took a van together chatting the whole entire way. When we arrived in Sagada we went to the tourist information center where, believe it or not, we met another girl traveling by herself. Christin is a 22 year old from Germany but she is working in Hong Kong right now for a internship abroad type thing– it is required for her major. Christin told us about the hostel she was staying at, so we went and checked it out and lucky for us, there was a double available. So Kathleen and I just ended up sharing a room together. The three of us spent the next two and half days doing everything together.

Christin, Kathleen, and I. The German, Canadian, and American.

Can we just pause and realize what a coincidence it was that three girls, all around the same age, all traveling by themselves, and all living in Southeast Asia bumped into each other in this tiny town. I have never before met any other young girl traveling by herself. So to meet two within twelve hours of each other was kind of a big deal. I know this may sound really cheesy, but it made me so proud of everything I have done in the past seven months– it felt so cool that I was on the same level as these girls. We shared our experiences of living and working, not simply touring, in SEA, comparing and contrasting the cultures that we all have come to know so well in our respective host countries. After being with Kathleen and Christin I had a moment of understanding– going to Vietnam and then taking the semester off was the best thing I could possibly be doing in this time of my life.

After Kathleen and I had dropped our bags off in our room we met Christin for lunch before heading

this is blurry, but it shows the sort of drops
we had to make. The bright light is the lantern
Jordan carried to lead the way.

off to Sagada adventure #1: spelunking in Lumiang and Sumaging caves. This was by far one of the most difficult but incredible things I have ever done in my entire life. None of us realized how challenging it was going to be. In the middle of the cave I announced that I couldn't believe they didn't make us sign a liability waiver. I am not lying when I say if you take one wrong step you can fall to your death. Or seriously hurt yourself. We had to pull ourselves up ropes, slide along cliff edges, wedge our bodies into what seemed like impossibly too small holes and slowly lower ourselves down, and take some pretty incredible leaps of faith. We also had to crawl all over our guide, Jordan (who thought we were the most ridiculous group of girls ever). We literally had to step on his shoulders in order to get up and over certain rocks. It was unbelievable. All three of us commented on our sore arms the following day. What we did was called the cave connection because we started in one cave, Lumiang, and ended up in Sumaging cave– the most famous cave in Sagada. This route is considered extremely difficult, and not a lot of people get to do it, or can do it. Most of them just take the shortcut right to Sumaging. We all felt pretty accomplished when we learned that we were some of the few tourists that are able to successfully navigate it. It took us four hours to make our way through the cave– you better believe I was pretty relieved when I saw the first ray of sunlight! This was my favorite day of my Sagada-Banaue trip and possibly the favorite adventure of the past seven months. Honestly, it was unbelievable.

This was not a posed picture. Here I am lowering myself down
into an eight or nine foot hole.

There were also lots of waterways we had to pass.
Some were as deep as my upper thighs.

check out the bare feet– better for gripping. We all ditched
our shoes!

Preparing to propel down the rope.

umm yeah, a lot of that is bat poop

Beautiful Batad

View from Banaaue viewpoint

Day number two started off bright and early. Especially bright– the sun was shining which made me oh so happy! The first stop of the day was at Banaue Viewpoint, what the locals consider to be the best place to take in a panoramic view of the Banaue rice terraces. I must say, I agree. It is so incredibly stunning. The pictures don't really do much justice because they don't capture the depth of the terraces– truly they are the most beautiful creations in the world. I had a conversation with one of the girls I was traveling with, and we were talking about how we can't imagine anything else being more beautiful than these rice terraces. She brought up an interesting point, asking me if I can imagine that we are seeing the most beautiful sight in the world at such a young age. Is that sad, or is that a good thing? I think it is both. But who knows, maybe someday I will find something that I think is even more beautiful than rice terraces.

Banaue Viewpoint

At Banaue Viewpoint I also had my first interaction with the Ifugao people. These old folks sit at the Viewpoint and wait for tourists to come and take pictures of them for money. I really didn't want to take any photos because I feel as though it is exploiting their culture. But my guide pushed me to do so, and I am not going to lie... I couldn't resist. And I figured it was a win-win because I get a picture and they get money... thoughts anyone?



After Banaue Viewpoint I had an even bumpier tricycle ride than the day before to get to Batad. This is one of the most famous places in the Philippines, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guess what I have to say about it– yup, incredible, beautiful, jaw dropping, magnificent... how many more synonyms do I need to use? I found Batad more beautiful than Hapao, but this may just be because the weather. My guide and I went on another three hour trek, including a trip down to Tappia waterfall. The descent was very steep– and it wasn't a natural slope but stairs. This made going back up quite the workout, my calves felt it the next day. But good news everyone: at the end of my trip my tour guide said this was the first time that he ever had anyone who could actually hike. Hallelujah. Seven months in Southeast Asia and I can say that I am in better shape than most other tourists.

This was after the walk up the stairs, hence the nice glisten
and glow all over the body. (girls don't sweat duh)

What is it about rice terraces that makes me so awestruck? I think I am drawn to them because they weren't built for aesthetic purposes, but to make use of the land in the most efficient way possible in order to make a living and survive. Whereas temples, churches, and other impressive buildings are usually dedicated to someone or something i.e- a greater power, rice terraces are made for the people, by the people. What makes them more inspiring and impressive than say the Underground River, mountains, and rain forests, is that the terraces are man made; it shows how driven, clever, and resourceful humans are. I honestly think I could spend months on end living in Banaue surrounded by the vibrant green terraces rolling over the hillsides and never lose any of my amazement and appreciation for them.

Batad

A new favorite place in the world.

This morning I arrived in Manila for my last full day in the Philippines. The past week I was traveling in Banaue and Sagada, and I must say: it was the most amazing five days. I honestly cannot imagine ending my seven month Southeast Asia trip in a better way. I have a new favorite place in the world– Sa Pa has been pushed to number three, and I don't know if Banaue or Sagada is first or second, perhaps they can share spot number one. Literally, the most beautiful and jaw dropping views I have ever seen. Besides the sights, I had the best experience traveling and met two other girls traveling solo, and we all joined up to explore together.

Shall I start in Banaue? I took a night bus from Manila to Banaue on Saturday night. The night bus claimed to take nine hours to reach Banaue. That was false advertising for sure. It also wasn't really a "night bus"– it was a regular bus that ran at night. Actually, now that I have written that I realize that I was imagining a sleeper bus because it was at night. But nowhere did I read sleeper bus. Note to all, (mainly me) night bus does not equal sleeper bus. It didn't help that I was in the very last row, the bench that stretches across the entire width of the bus to fit five people. And the guy next to me, well he had no problem sleeping on the bus– probably because my shoulder was incredibly comfortable and he enjoyed the extra leg room he gained by invading "my space." Yes, even though the bus ride was almost a week ago, I'm still ranting about it. That was how miserable I felt stepping off the bus. But then, I saw this:

and all frustration melted away. Welcome to Banaue. I found a cheap hostel, met a cool tour guide, planned out my next two days, haggled a bit over prices, and then I boarded a tricycle and spent the next hour and half going up and over beautiful mountains on bumpy dirt roads that had me bouncing all over the seat. When the tricycle came to a complete stop I knew we had reached Hapao, home to stone walled rice terraces created in 650 AD. Holy smokes, they are old. I can't even explain how incredible it was to trek through these terraces for a couple hours. My guide explained a lot about the terraces, how rice is grown, and the culture surrounding the rice fields. He said that Hapao is his personal favorite in the whole region. It was a bit unfortunate that when I was there it was raining, overcast, and the fog was pretty thick, but it was still incredible. Here are some fun facts about the rice terraces:
1) Usually a family will maintain and harvest about two layers of rice terraces.
2) Most workers start at the age of seven and retire from the terraces at... wait for it... the age of eighty. Oh my gosh, talk about a lifetime of hard work.
3) The bushy, red flowers that are seen in the terraces are called dongla and they are used to scare off birds and animals but also to mark the boundaries of different family's plots.
4) Farmers put tilapia, small fish, in the rice terraces and when they harvest the rice they will also harvest the fish. They aren't only reaping in the carbs from the rice fields, but the omega 3 as well!
5) There are two types of snails that are in the terraces. The apple snail is bad and eats the rice and the other snail... lets just call it the good snail, is good (hence the name) and eats bugs. Also, these snails are supposedly pretty tasty.

The trek through the fields led us to a natural hot springs where I took a quick dip. Of course, this meant that I walked around for the rest of the day looking like I had peed my pants, but I think it was worth it.

In the house! Check out all the carvings.

The last stop was at an Ifugao house. The Ifugao are the indigenous people of the Banaue region. Their houses are one room dwellings. What is really cool though is there is no foundation, the houses are on stilts and can be picked up and moved to a new location. It is sweet. The room is used for sleeping and eating, whereas all other activities take place underneath the house. Ifugaos are famous for their wood carvings, and the houses were full of them. Every time I turned around I would notice a new one. And one last fun fact about Ifugao houses: the one I visited had skulls of Japanese soldiers on the outside of the house which was pretty creepy.

Goodbye, Baler.

Yesterday at 4:30 in the morning I boarded a bus and left Baler for good. It seems surreal. I experienced the same feelings when I left Vietnam. If you remember right before I left Vietnam for real, I traveled to  Thailand and Cambodia and so when I left Vietnam to come to the Philippines it didn't really seem like I was leaving for good. It felt like I was just going on another side trip and would shortly return. Since I just left Baler only a few weeks ago to travel with Hannah, I feel like I am doing the same thing again, and in a few short weeks I will be right back there. I know that isn't the case but that is how it feels. I guess I fully haven't accepted and don't understand that I am not going to be back in Baler, with my friends, in my home, anytime soon. It will probably hit me next week when I am at the airport. So no sentimental post right now, maybe in a few days I will know exactly what I want to say about leaving Baler. For now lets just leave it at this: I have grown to love Baler, however hesitantly, it doesn't matter. It will always have a piece of my heart.

Downtown Baler. Photo credit: Hannah

I go back to the U.S in exactly one week. So for the next few days I will be traveling in Banaue and Sagada, beautiful rice terraces in Northern Luzon. I am going to be by myself– I am excited to do some independent traveling again. Hopefully it won't be too crazy with Filipino tourists, it is Holy Week, so everyone is on vacation. I will be back in Manila on Thursday or Friday. Until then :)