Manila Is Not Vanilla

Arrived in Manila after a flight from Bali to Singapore then onto the Philippines. Found out on the aircraft, in one of the magazines, that they were doing a new route from Bali to Manila direct! What a shitter. I don't half do things backwards in coming forwards ha ha.

I had arranged for my hotel to pick me up and sure enough they were waiting for me. The ride to the hotel was an adventure in itself to say the least. We hit 2 cars and I nearly ended up on the drivers lap! No seatbelts were in the minivan so I thought if I sat behind the driver he would get it first...as on that advert at home. Well, if he wasn't bothered about my safety then why should I be of his!

There were a few funny and surreal sights on the way. People were standing on a 4 lane carriageway waiting for buses. No bus stops and 5 lanes were into 4....crazy! There was a security guard riding a tricycle around the city selling non other than....ice creams hahaha! I also saw a sign advertising for staff for a new bar. Here is a mock up of what it said.....

**NEW BAR OPENING**

Staff Wanted....

* Manager  * Bar staff  * Models

* Good Looking Girls

(Blunt and to the point I suppose haha!)

I had been looking into doing a trip to Villa Escudero which is 2-3 hours south from the city and had an amazing restaurant in a waterfall. My mate Louise sent me a photo a few months back and it looked really good. After researching how to get there there were 2 options....get a private car for £60 or get the bus for £3. I wasn't going to pay that for a car so I was set on getting the bus.

A lot of these local buses have 'How's My Driving' on the back with a telephone number haha!!!!

I arranged with the transportation desk to take me to the bus stop the following day. That night, I couldn't rest. I was really nervous about doing this trip and this time, over-thinking things were a good thing. For instance, was I really going to do a 6 hour round trip just to see this restaurant?, what would I do when I got back to the bus station in Manila at dusk? And what if they ripped me off in a taxi and I didn't have enough money to pay?

The Waterfall Restaurant at Villa Escudero

At first I thought I was losing my nerve but I called down to reception and cancelled my car in the morning and checked online about the safety of Manila. Oh how right I was to cancel it! Being a westerner in Manila means you walk around with a £ sign on your head, let alone a single female westerner travelling by herself. Attacks and muggings are rife and not only with foreigners and gun laws are very very relaxed. Ruth had told me in the past about how unsafe Manila was and now being here alone I completely understood.

These nifty little things drive you around Manila. Probably held together  with sticky tape lol

So, the next day I just had a lie in and went down to the hotel restaurant for lunch. I was running out of cigarettes and asked reception if someone could go and buy some for me as I was afraid of going out on my own. She asked if I was alone and when I answered she immediately agreed to send the security guard for some for me, even though it was not hotel policy to do so. Just shows how bad it is eh?

So, here I am sat having lunch and planning on watching Law & Order in my empty dorm room for the rest of the day. I leave for Bacolod tomorrow to meet up with Leila. Quite excited!!

* Obviously all this pics are from online...since i've not been out lol. Well its boring without pictures haha x

30 Days in Bali

My next stop in Bali was Ubud. I loved it! The place I was staying 'Ketut's Place' was really nice. I had a room at the top which overlooked the rice fields. Each day you chose your breakfast, the time you wanted it and where you wanted it. I chose mostly to have it on my balcony, although I had to set my alarm to make sure I was up in time! I was only supposed to stay a week here but 2 weeks later I was still reluctant to leave. It was just so chilled out and the family who ran it would fall over themselves to look after you. Needless to say that in the second week, when I went to ask them a question, the first words out of their mouth was 'beer?' haha!

Breakfast on the balcony

Sunset...view from my room

Most days I just hung around the pool or went into town for a wonder. Not a lot of interesting things to tell you sorry. After a few days I started talking to a guy from Belgium and a guy from Hawaii (sounds exotic but trust me when I say he wasn't!). We hit it off....the Hawaiian guy and myself and, well, you know.....needs must sometimes lol! We also got talking to 2 Dutch girls who were lovely and went out for a few dinners.

Religious springs

Another temple

Rice terrace

One of the best days was when I went to the Wildlife park and got to hold an Orangutan! Since I wasn't going to Borneo now (because of the fighting there) I decided to go here instead.  I was happy to go after my pictures but my driver had never been there before so it was like having a kid with me.  He was so excited so we did the whole park and I turned into his photographer.

Fire & Dance show

At first, when my week was almost over, Ketut told me about the Balinese New Year happening on Sunday and Monday and what happens. This is why I decided to stay 3 more nights at first. New Year's Eve was the parade of the Og Og's. A massive event where each village made a monster to parade around Ubud then burn them to warn off evil spirits....(there big on black magic here).

An Og Og

No trucks here...just people carrying them and dipping under the power cables above....er Health & Safety??? lol

The parade was fun and the town was packed out. Brian, Bart and I grabbed some dinner and headed back, ready for the lock down. Yep thats right, on New Years Day the doors to the hotel are locked and no one, not even the locals, are allowed onto the streets. No business' are open and even the airport is closed! If you do venture out then you are fined heavily by the police. You even need a special note to go to the doctor with an emergency! Also, there was no cooking allowed after 7am and before 6pm so we were told to stock up with snacks a few days before, although, it wasn't like we were gonna starve so I didn't bother. I thought everyone would be at the pool and we could have a few drinks and play some games but no one was around, so I just sunbathed all day alone. At 6:30pm we all met in the restaurant to have our dinner...by candlelight. Yep another thing your not allowed....light. It was a good job that I had a torch on my phone or I would definitely fallen into the bloody pond on the way back to my room. The next day, Bart, Brian and the Dutch girls were leaving. I'd decided to stay on for 2 more nights.

When it came to leave I had decided to head for the north coast and the town of Lovina. My hotel was isolated with only the odd small shop nearby so I wasn't to happy not to be able to go for a wonder. I did do a trip just to get out one day but it was the same as the other's...temples, hot springs, rice fields, etc. The hotel was lovely though. Only 9 rooms and my bathroom was outside....with a bath tub. So, I got myself a bottle of wine, made bubbles from my shower gel, set up my music and reception helped me out with some candles. It was lush! Even sent some naughty pic's to Brian to show him what he was missing haha! He was in Lovina too (I thought he was in Amed so no, I didn't follow him!) and arranged to meet me for 'dinner' Monday night. Well, that never came off and I was a little pissed that he never even emailed me....until the next day. By then I was already on my way to Amed and he was gutted haha!

Trip to the turtles

Arrived in Amed, in another secluded part of town, but the hotel was AMAZING! It had an infinity pool and that and my room overlooked the sea. Again, I didn't do much, just relaxed, sunbathed and read books. Bliss.

Hot Spring

I had 3 nights left in Bali before my visa ran out so I decided to head back to civilisation and somewhere close to the airport. Sanur was my last place to stay before I headed off. Just having shops, bars and restaurants close by was a big plus but also my room had a TV. Its not really bothered me not having one but its great to be able to watch my Law & Orders' and a few films of an evening.

5am sunrise in Amed

My finances are running seriously low now and I don't know how much longer I can stay out here. I've been trying to mentally prepare for my trip home. It sounds like wasted energy but I need to do it. I need a plan of action to keep me busy so I don't fall back into the dreaded 'depression' when I get back to reality. I've been off my tablets since last October and i'm determined to stay off them. If I haven't needed them out here, alone in the middle of Asia with only myself as company most times, then I shouldn't need them when I get home.

As part of my plan, I've been looking at jobs available at home. I know i'm never going back to Thomas Cook that's for sure. I came across some in Manchester...Hotel Event Management. Sounds like fun and i've always been interested in running events since college. I know these will probably not be available when I get home but its a starting point. After 6 months out here I have finally found something that I want to do!!

Anyway, I'm off to the Philippines tomorrow. I'm hoping for 6 weeks but maybe only 3....we'll see. I'm meeting Ruth's friend out there called Leila so it'll good to see a familiar face at last.

Lifeguard Duty

I arrived in Bali after a 30 minute flight from Surabaya and sailed through customs and passport control.....because there wasn't one when arriving on a 'domestic' flight.  I was literally bent over and ass raped by the taxi driver..the git!  One of my biggest bug bares whilst travelling.  It appears that ALL the taxi drivers at airports and ports are in on it too.

My hotel was lovely.  The room was huge and so was my bed and most of all, I had a private bathroom YES!!!  No more waking up with stomach pains because I had to hold my farts in from the night before.  That night I just chilled, watch a film on my laptop (thanks bro) and ate some noodles I'd bought from the shop.

The next couple of days I just lounged around and spent the day by the pool.  I would say that I had a lovely lie in every morning but it seems that my room cleaner (I say this because it was a guy) decided my room was to be cleaned anywhere between the hours of 8:30am and 9am...the bugger.  Although I had to eventually get up and wrap some item of clothing round me (because I can sleep naked now too!) before he barged in, I often told him 'no thank you, not today' but I was already awake now!  Where is my 'Do Not Disturb' sign????

After a few days I decided to get off my ass and see some of the island.  The 'cheapest' way was to rent a car with a driver.  It was 450,000 rupiah (£32).  This is another bug bare....not being able to share costs with anyone.  We went to a few different temples, a coffee plantation (where I got to taste animal poo coffee), a monkey forest (where I held a mahoosive bat!) and Tanah Lot Temple.  The idea was to see Tanah Lot (a famous temple here) at sunset, however, once again the clouds had not dispersed all day so we headed back.  I really enjoyed the day.

'my wings are like a shield of steele'...haha Batfink

Tanah Lot Temple

On my last day in Legion I was just gonna pool it all day.  Thanks to my room cleaner, who was knocking on the door relentlessly as i'd left the key in it, I was up for 9am.  Breakfast then pool.  It was nice to see some eye candy in it for a change.  Three aussie guys propping up the swim up bar.  The one in the middle was hot AND he kept turning around to look at me (or in my direction anyway).  There was only an old couple next to me so he must have haha!  Every so often he left his mates and came and swam over to my end of the pool, took a breather (or had a closer look) and swam back.  I gave him a smile everytime.  At one point I was taking a dip and he'd swam over, again, on his own and stopped next to me.  I smiled and said hi which he returned.... then pissed off back to his mates and they buggered off for lunch!  Typical lol!

LOL! I wish this was the Aussie....hello my Hawaii 5 0

I was reading my kindle and laughing at the book I was into.  It was called 'Blood, Sweat and Tea'.  A blog (and now a book) by a paramedic on his day to day life at work as an ambulance driver.  I looked up for a second and saw a kid pissing about in the pool....or so I thought.  The pool here is quite deep in areas so much so I can't even stand up.  After reading chapter after chapter of medical emergencies, I was sure the boy was in trouble.  He kept bobbing up and down and calling to his younger sister (in Balinese).  A second or two later I decided to go in after him and swing for him later if he was messing around.  So, I jumped off my lounger and dived into the pool at top speed (didn't even know I could dive anymore as I'd not done it for years).

You see, now I know why Baywatch babes wear swimsuits and NOT bikinis....so they don't fall off when you dive in the save someone!!!  Yes people, my bottoms were round my knees and my top was round my waist!!!  So, at the same time I was swimming to get the boy (about 12 years old) I was frantically trying to pull up my bottoms and top.  When I'd grabbed him and pulled him to the side of the pool, in the shallow end, I was sure my left boob was still out!  It was then that another guy grabbed him and pulled him out leaving me to 'sort myself out'.  We sat him up as he was still breathing and fully aware, thank god.  After he calmed down and I was sure he was ok I swam off back to my lounger.  Once out, I realised my bikini top was upside down with the tag out.  I got back in the pool to turn it back around and then went back to my book.  A few minutes later the guy who helped me bought me a beer.  How nice.  Shame he was 50 odd and had a Balinese wife and a small child.  It was a good call though because I was shaking a little afterwards having realised what I had just done.

As for the parents.....there weren't any.  He was maybe the child of one of the staff here and him and his sister just wanted to use the pool today.  I don't know.

I'm going to thank the 'paramedic blog guy' who's book I was reading because I probably wouldn't have acted so fast.  Maybe I would have....I just don't know.

Living Life Dangerously...Mt Bromo

Not my pic...but this is what it should look like.  Bromo is on the left

I arrived in Surabaya really excited for my trip to Mount Bromo.  Just one of many active volcanoes in Indonesia.  I was told by passport control that I needed a visa and to go back upstairs to obtain one.  I had no local money on me so they had to escort me out of the arrivals hall to the ATM to get some.  When I finally got through passport control they asked me to accompany them....NOT AGAIN!!!!  It was ok though, all I got was 20 questions.  Here's how it went.....

''Where did you come from?''.......''Singapore, the flight that had just arrived!''

''How long did you stay there?''.......''3, no, 4 days...whoops''

''How long are you staying here?''.......''By here do you mean Surabaya or Indonesia on the whole?''

''What? How long you stay here?''.......''In Indonesia?''

''Yes''......''I don't know yet.''

''What?''.......''no more than 30 days because thats what my visa I just got says''

''You have been to Thailand?''......''well YES because your looking at the visa stamps in my passport'' (you fool!!!) (He was asking because I was there 6 weeks)

'What is your next destination?''......''Borneo''

''Where?''.......''Borneo''

''Where?''.....''.B.O.R.N.E.O''

''When?''....... ''I don't know?''

''Why? How long you stay here?''.......''Oh not this again! 2 weeks, i'm staying 2 weeks then leaving for Borneo''

''Where?''......''Bloody hell!'' 

After a few more questions he let me out of the airport.

I waited an hour for the guy to pick me up for my tour.  I was on and off the phone with the company and I was directing him so he could call his driver and tell him where I was...'Look, i'm the only white western girl in the entire airport. How can he not find me?!'

It took 4 hours to drive to Bromo.  By the time we arrived it was dark and we were 2329m above sea level.  Its safe to say I had my fair share of ear popping on the way up.  So much so that when I held my nose to pop my ears he kept asking if I had a cold and must have thought I was silent sneezing. 
When we stepped out of the car he pointed Mt Bromo out to me.  A few feet away was a huge crater and in the middle I could make out the shape of the volcano.  I shit myself!  I didn't think I would be staying THAT close the to bloody thing!

This is how close the hotel was!

After changing into my warm comfy's (because it was freezing up here) I had dinner and an early night.  I had to be up for 3:30am.  The room was nice on first view until I discovered I had no heating, the blanket was covered in mould and the bed sheets and pillows were stained.  Good job I had my own cover and pillowcase for times like this.  I went to bed fully clothed and after a 'baby wipe' wash the next morning, I headed out....in the same clothes haha!  What?!  It was freezing and they were my only warm clothes I had.

I woke at 3am (after a sleepless night of thinking the thing was gonna erupt) and headed for reception.  It was an hour, standing in the freezing cold and wind, before my driver turned up.  I got in his jeep and headed off.  The jeep kept stalling on the way and my first thought was 'we are never getting of the mountain in thing if Bromo decided to have a bellyache!'.

We parked up with a load more jeeps and started to climb the hill to view the sunrise.  I was never gonna make it so I paid for a horse to take me up.  So there I was on a hill trying to mount a horse when I realised I'd not ridden one since I was about 10 yrs old.  The next thing I know the bloody animal did a u-turn and I was sliding.  It was like slow motion...I slid down sideways saddle an all and eventually fell off the bleedin thing.  Luckily, because it was so slow I was a few inches off the ground but I landed on a stoney mountainside with a bang and cracked my coxis...OUCH!!!!!  After a few minutes I got up and he told me to get back on, after he'd tightened the saddle and agreed to hold me until I was steady.  I felt like a right numpty but I was never getting up that hill before the sun came up by walking.

Sorry...not a pretty picture.  My ass bruise from falling off the horse lol!

Ten minutes later we reached the view point.  By view I mean cloud.  Eddie (my guide) and I grabbed a coffee and waited.  As the sun came up, by that I mean, as the clouds got lighter, I realised we weren't going to see a sunrise so I suggested we make our way to the crater (which was planned for afterwards).  He asked me if I wanted to take the horse down and this was my response..''Bloody hell Eddie, if I can fall of a horse going up hill, what do you think my chances are going downhill?!''  So we walked.

The 'view'

Eerie eh?

Half an hour later we arrived in the giant crater, to head to the top of Mt Bromo.  He told me it was a steeper hill, 2km away and did I want a horse?.  NO I did not want a horse but I was never getting up there with out one.  So off I went.  The horse (which I managed to stay on this time) could only drop me as far as the 297 steps I had to climb to the crater.  It only took me 3 attempts to make it to the top which was good and when I arrived I saw it........more bloody cloud!!!  I was so disappointed but then I realised I'd just climbed an ACTIVE volcano and was standing on the crater.  I was meters away from the belly of this beast!  I felt better instantly as how many people can say they've done this!

Horse no.2

Yep...297 of them!

I didn't stay up there long as the wind was strong and not only was I scared of being blown into the thing, but  I also didn't fancy risking it in case a rumbling started.  I walked down and met Eddie (did he know something I didn't???) and went back to the hotel.  I gathered my stuff and had breakfast while I waited for the cloud to hopefully clear so I could get some good pictures before we left, and it did.

The crater.....somewhere down there

At the top

A lava river was once here...

Three hours later I was back at the airport and ready to hit Bali (by way of Tiger Airlines).  I just want to thank the child in front screaming blue murder at having her seatbelt on for the 'memorable' 30 minute flight.

You can see the steps if you look closely

What I should have seen on a clear day

BROMO FACTS
* The last eruption was 26th November 2010
* The eruption in 2004 killed 2 tourists and injured 17 whilst visiting the Bromo crater.

The eruption of 2004

* On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices of livestock to the mountain gods by throwing them into the caldera of the volcano.