I loved the journey to Kalibo. A 14 seater mini bus with 16 people on it. About 3 hours or so it took. We had a beer while we sussed out the best mode of transport. We decided to be luxurious and take a coach. I notice a sign that reads "please wear your seat belt at all times" as I sit on a seat that isn't even nailed down properly and surprise surprise, has no seat belt.
We're enroute towards a little place called Illoillo, they spell it differently everywhere so I'm not gonna panic on the spelling of it. We're on the road possibly 10 hours so far and we arrive at roughly 9pm in the middle of nowhere. I spot a jeepney and I act on my initial thoughts of "ahhh sure why not?" and we jump onto this strange old army jeep with Bob Marley paraphanalia everywhere playing Lionel Richie and it's 8 pesos to travel. I'm immediately in love with it, regardless where he's going. B has the Lonley Planet guide out and has earmarked a possible location for us. It's 5 minutes away, grand.
25 minutes later we arrive (We're on Philippino time remember) and book in for a night, as this place is just a stop over. The place is reminiscent of an Austin Powers film, for those of you who don't know Austin Powers, you were obviously born in the 60's, so it looked like your room as a child. We read up on the place. We're told: Not the safest place in the world to wandering around if you don't know your way about.
Wandering aimlessly is my middle name so we take off into the middle of nowhere circa 10:30pm and find a chicken shop selling the infamous Red Horse. Cashback!
We're playing 2 person TAGAY! and I have to admit was one of the funniest nights I have ever had. From B's bad jokes, to me locking myself in the jacks (toilets for the international readers) filled with vomit, to be oggled by Phillies who couldn't believe the amount we were putting away and still laughing.
We were probably spiked. Yeah, definitely spiked. Or else the chicken done the damage.
We're booking in for another night the following morning as Robin (I'm Batman) is down with the first of her serious "tired and emotional" episodes of the trip. Damn Chicken.
Illoillo is a one trick town it seems so we're off to a place called Bacolod now, it's a bus and a ferry away, but we can do it all in 2 hours apparently. We hail a taxi to the bus terminus. On the way to it , we see our bus, heading the opposite way. Our driver thinks he's an extra in one of the "Bourne" films and spins around chasing him at full speed the wrong way down the road, beeping and trying to pull in front of him. Eventually, he's successful and the bus stops. I give him 100 pesos (1.75 in real money) and jump the bus to take us to the ferry. He just gets into his car, cool as fuck and drives off. Hero.
Ferry is your standard ferry, if you were a prisoner going to Alcatraz. Think about it for a minute....
That's exactly what it was like.
We get off in Bacolod, and there's supposed to be a "thousand faces festival" on the day we arrive, it's the reason we're there, but can't see a thing, so we head for the local SM to review the situation. There we meet John and Virgie. 2 Heroes who helped us big time through our travels round Bacca. John's an Englishman who knows the Gallagher brothers and has married Virgie and lives there now. He offers to lift us to a nice place to stay. Better than Bacolod, I would be happy with anything seen as the last place I was chasing a cockroach around with 2 Lonley Planet guides "Shoooo-ing" it.
I don't want to rush the next bit so I'm going to leave it for tomorrows edition as it deserves the justice of it's own spot.
Instead I'll leave you with this gem;
B: You're going all the way where?
Me: Athens
B: Why are you going all the way to Italy?
Me: ehh, Athens is in Greece you know?
B: Yeah but Greece is in Italy......
*Thumbleweed..*
Me: *Headslap*
I'll see yiz when I get glasses!
No comments:
Post a Comment