Ah Trini Travelogue Trinidad & Tobago's most travelled blogger through 99 countries. Create and Re-Engineer your life for travel.
Today was definitely an exercise in attrition. Getting to Banaue (pronounced banaaa-way) from Manila is a task itself. This trip can take between 8-12 hours depending on your mode of transport. If you looking for “how tos” in getting from Manila to Banaue – these are three links that explain the process and steps in logical detail – I would be duplicating existing content.
In today’s travel episode, I learned the following things
1. I cannot fit into Jeepneys and Tricycles.
Nothing needs to be said aside from the following pictures. These modes of transport are not made for anyone who is greater than 200lbs or larger than 5’6″ or not asian. If you don’t have all three of these checked off, then you’re not going to make it.
Compare my seating situation to the general ease that everyone else seems to have when using these modes of transportation first. It seems like a human traffic carnival … but I’ve confirmed that when someone gets hit on one of these things, they unfortunately stay hit.
2. I cannot drive, hence do not expect me to know how to change a tire or want to … ever!
This should be fairly common place knowledge with anyone that knows me. However, when you have a driver in Asia, they will try to do everything so that you wont be sweating for anything.
Case in point, the rental got a flat tire in Cabanatuan. It took about 3 hours to fix it, since the necessary part wasn’t in the SUV. Thankfully, my driver Hermes had this in control with a trike “cycler” who didn’t seem that busy.
3. People in Asia have no fear at all.
This is applies to Indians, Chinese and anyone who uses public transport in the Philippines. it is only in this part of the world, that you see the following
I wish I had this pervasive trust of transport but I just don’t. Too many years in Trinidad with hearing of drunk driving after a fete has made distrust any type of sharing like this. I also don’t think I’m physically able to get that close to another body without being in a relationship with them.
