Green House, Sagada, Philippines
Boarded the bus to Baguio awaiting departure when I saw a ten year old child spitting blood and hyperventilating as another boy about the same age ran away. I watched as the boy on the losing end of the fight stood drooling blood and almost in shock. Before we pulled away, one of the shopkeepers handed him water to wash out his mouth. Then, a friend, carrying a bag full of recycled bottles gave him the remainder of his meat stick and even gave him a few pesos, probably all the pesos he had. The scene nearly moved me to tears.
My night in Baguio was unexpectedly pleasant. In my conversation with Rose, she stressed the importance of smiling, saying that I’ll start to look like an old man if I ever stop smiling. She taught me a few Tagalog words. The innkeeper Julia said I was like her son from another mother. She said, “You can earn money, but you can’t earn faith.”
Incredibly twisty turny bus ride to Sagada with a brazen driver who passed on blind curves without hesitation. A few of the other passengers became car sick.
Sagada does its best to control the natural landmarks, forcing tourists to pay 500 pesos to employ a guide to do the job that a few proper signs could do for eternity. A fine example of how a money-based economy leads to inefficient allocation of human resources and a vast number of frustrated backpackers.
Walked/Ran 28,512 steps today – 15.57 miles.
Went on a spelunking excursion (paid 500 pesos) swam inside a cave for the first time, walked to Bokong Waterfall – swam again, then walked north to Aguio – the farther north I walked, the more surprised locals were to see a foreigner. Several adorable conversations with smiling children, clearly excited to practice their English. Observed farmers laboring away on their rice fields.
For the amount of farming that goes on around here, I would expect the cuisine to be better. Nice dinner conversation with Barry, an Irish English teacher in Malaysia. He’s been in SE Asia since the age of 29. He said to visit Burma, Lake Toba and Medan in Indonesia, Nepal, and Yunan, China. He stressed how much I still need to learn about the real history, not just the history taught in the U.S. school system.
