...its almost 5 am and Im waiting for the girls to wake up so that we can take the cab to the busstation and then the bus to the CLARK AIRPORT in Angeles close to MANILA.
Past 8 days were almost all this kind...we arrived...took a bus...got off...took a hostel...took a tricycle...took a jeepney...took a bus :)) never slept that long in my life...everytime I got into a bus I felt asleep..even in the tricycles hahaha...that was fun..I felt asleep while the ride...and woke up few min after arriving back in our hostel in banaue hahaa...so fun..when I opened my eyes the tricycle was surrounded by 10 or more guys looking and laughing at me :))))
So we arrived 8 days ago in Manila low bugdet Airport Clark and took directly a nightbus from Baguio to Banaue - was quit a long exhausting ride! But we survived. We got there around 7am I think - found a "nice" place to stay for very good price and after resting for 1 hour we took our first trip in the Phillippines. We went to Bantan / it was an exhausting Hiking-Trip of 6 hours. We went to the rice fields and then I went down with the guide to a waterfall...the girls decided not to go...but I don't know why I was very enthusiastic of hiking :) maybe because I didn't think about the way back...cuz this was just struggling then :)))) but proud to say: I made it! I think it was more or less 30 km walk - but very steep! The rice fields we have been to are btw one of UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE PLACES...if u go there u will understand why! So impressive...this giant terraresses made by humans almost 2000 years ago. Actually they were discovered very late in 1995 - I think by americans. Why so late? Maybe because its really at the end of nowhere without road connections - in the mountains! After this exhausting trip we - especially me - needed a rest so we went early to bed - was not really hard work cuz at 9 in Banaue everything is closed and the day is done :)

The day after we took a jeepney to Sagada - to the northern part of luzon. Great feeling to ride

ON the jeepney . Was bit scary - but great tough! U may can imagine that the roads there are not the best ones...so the ride was a rollercoaster feeling :)) We met 3 nice filipinos - working for the government in the women empowerment department..so nice guys like all filipinos we met in the north :) great folk...so lovely, kind, friendly, open and honest :) In Sagada we continued our exhausting hiking-trip :) The first day we went to the caves. In the past they used the caves for the coffins - this was the last rest place. You still can see the coffins - some of them are older then 200 years! the last one was brought in the 80s I think. The caves were beautiful, but scary

as well. It was not always a easy walk down. You have to pass big stones, rock formations and struggle through very small holes :) But then u get the a place with water terrasses...impressive!!! its like the underworld version of pamukkale...great!!! We then went to the rice fields again and theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen to a beautiful waterfall. There were only kids - and I have to admit that i was really jeaulous - they have a playground like this to grew up on. Thats amazing. How used they were - wow...each of them was jumping in and swimming and climbing on the rocks...even the youngest ones :) great! The water was freezing btw !! but the kids enjoyed :)

After this trip it was time to leave :(( I really loved Sagada. The silence, the good air, the friendly lovely people...such a lovely peaceful place! amazing. BuuuuuuuuuuT after Sagada we arrived in

VIGAN - the northest destination of our trip. Sagada was lovely...but Vigan - undescribable. Such a authentic, so romantic, so lovely great place! As usual we had no rezervation for a hotel - so we just got off the bus and had a look in the city without having a plan. but we were lucky - we met a filipina and she took us to a hotel she stayed before. GREAT one!! Infront our hotel there was this nice restaurant called "dos meal restaurant"...healthy food - but more interesting great staff :) they invited us for having some drinks afterwards - was really fun. The next day they organized a birthdaycake for me and balloons...I didn't expected so much regard from foreign people. Great. I think those people were the main factor of our trip. We really met filipinos and talk to them - asked them a lot. It was not a touristic trip to some

lovely places, to the nice beaches - no we really went to the people. And I m really happy about...cuz all the people we met were so nice, so kind. The women from the restaurant cried when I left and said goodbye and gave her a hug - thats so incredible!! And it was so honest. ah!

Our next intention was to go to the hundred islands. we were told that the trip by bus will last at least 4 hours. But after 4 hours we were still not there. We kept on asking..and always got the answer "almost there, almost there" :)) then 10 hours were gone and we were still not there...so we decided to stay in the bus and go driectly to manila. I was bit afraid of Manila cuz we heard so

many bad stories about this city. When we did a little citytour on us own...I didn't like the city at all. I couldn't live there. We took a carresa (carriage) for a trip and this turned out to be a nightmare. The driver seemed to be very nice - but at the end he was a psycho - turning mad for money. He wanted to charge us 2500 pesos for a ride which is worth max. 400 pesos. We refused to pay and then he got angry. He refused to let us go before we pay. And threaten us. Veronika managed to get off and then he really got mad and wanted to drive away with zaynab and me in the cab. wow...I was so scared. I start screeming at him and gave him some money

and told him that we don't have more. after I got off - I continued screeming on him like "thats not nice - not fair" hahaha I think he really don't care about that :)))) But the moment when he

grabbed my hand and refused to let us get off the cab - I was sooooooooo scared - I hated Manila :)))) But then we went to Oldtown - and there we went to a lovely place called Barbara's...helped

us to calm down. It was not the money - it was his madnes which drove me crazy. I can live with being overcharged but being threatened is really not what I expected. But 1 single bad experience in 9 days - is a good quote for such a huge country - so therefore I don't mind. AT the end we even enjoyed this crowded dirty city manila. I think Philippines is my N* 1 trip of all trips so far and very hard to outbid :)