Manila, la noisy

November 14 2010
Manila, "la noisy"

Today marks the second week that Yanik and I have been in Manila. In the words of my Executive Director Anriette Esterhuysen, "Manila is hard work." Daily excisions on the metro, walks to the super market, and tourism leave us completely exhausted after as little as two hours - everything takes time; there are people everywhere; its so polluted; it's incredibly hot; but most of all….it's just so damn noisy!!! Today I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to the "sweet" sound of motorcycle motors. Everyone sounds like they have a Harley Davidson (you know, those retardedly loud ones?!), horns are exceedingly loud, traffic in general is loud; in the malls there are 5 different types of music blasting out of stores at any given time; rides and video games, Christmas music, and on top of that, people use noise makers to draw attention to their stands. I honestly think my ear drums have been damaged on account of so much noise - I've even noticed I speak louder to people after having being in a mall or being outside. And it;s not like I've been wanting to spend my time in malls…but it's so hot that it's a cool and air-conditioned break…but the main reason is that you need to pass through malls to get to various transit lines, and it seems there is a mega mall at every metro stop. It's ironic that not so long ago I was appreciating the silence near TonSai, Thailand, because Manila is quite possibly the noisiest city on the planet.

Needing to escape the cityscape, last weekend we headed to a crater lake within a crater lake. (what?? you ask). It's a biiiiiiig volcano that erupted and eroded and inside is another smaller volcano with a lake. We stayed at a dingy, rip-off hotel right on the lakeside, and set sail on the lake the following day to hike up the sweltering (we're talking 38 degrees plus 90% humidity -or more!- and exposed to the sun) amongst donkeys and other tourists riding the donkeys….so guess what we were stepping on the whole time up! The view from the top was beautiful though, as were many views during the hike. There is something truly magical about volcanos an the power they hold. Perhaps it's because despite their beauty they are so deadly, or perhaps it's just because they are so exotic to me as a Canadian; but there is a special energy to volcanos.

Tomorrow is also the big day - the day we go pick up our passports with our visas to India, inshaAllah. Tuesday we set off to Puerto Galera - FINALLY! It seems I;ve been craving the beach side for so long. Not only just the beach side, but also a feeling of "home", which so far has been a bit difficult to get, since we're not at our "final" destination (I know, I know, it's about the journey and all…), but I think staying put in a beautiful place for one month where I have the space to practice yoga and meditate; a place far from this noisy city; and a beautiful paradise will sooth my city-shot nerves! I can't wait to dive, and I can't wait to start meeting people, seeing beautiful landscape, and just be in an inspiring place.

Sawatdee ka

A word from Thailand before we leave it on our way to the Philippines.

It's been a long time since I've heard silence. Real silence. The kind of silence that is so rare, it's almost unsettling. Yanik and I went on a little hike yesterday, up into a carst mountain, which was really more like a scramble. We climbed up using our hands and feet in the red clay. Once we came up to a clearing, we came upon a clearing that made us feel like we were in pre-historic times....Hello Jurassic park! Everything was so vast, the trees so big, and the song of the cicada so loud! The rest was just silence. And I thought to myself, how sad. Silence is such a stranger to us now, that we don't even know what to do with it anymore. It truly is a limited resource and I read something about noise pollution a while back and the fact that there are hardly any truly silent places in the world anymore. It makes me wonder if there is any way to preserve it in an ever growing, changing and louder world. I would have stayed longer to just enjoy the silence but I almost felt like I shouldn't be there - like I was spoiling it somehow.

I'm currently in Ton Sai Thailand, after a hectic 4 days in Bangkok. The bustling city was fun for a while, but towards the end I felt agitated and saddened, and just wanted to leave. Yank has dubbed it "Bangkok, la maléfique". I suppose it's because there is something inherently sad in a place that attracts people based on their weaknesses: sex, drugs, alcohol, consumption (shopping, food, drinks, etc.). Needless to say we managed to enjoy ourselves... The city itself is much like what you'd expect from an Asian mega-city - stuffy, noisy, humid, and chaotic. So arriving to a tiny little paradise on the sea-side was a much-welcomed change. Everything is different. There are no cars (though I'm pretty sure I did see a truck!) and there is no pavement. I wake up to the sound of geckoes, birds, and monkeys. And it's refreshing. The travellers here are mostly climbers and people who are here to chill out. No old men with young thai girls; no gangs of 20-something-guys that want to go to a "ping pong" show; no one trying to sell you dreads, a pad thai or a fish foot massage (yes, a fish foot massage); no one constantly trying to sell you a tuk tuk ride with an obligatory stop in a jewellery shop or tailor (though I must say, I got a stellar pair of silk and wool pants, tailor made for very cheap!).

A three-hour delayed overnight bus ride later (ah developing countries….), a stop from one crooked mini van company to the next, and a boat ride later, we arrived in Ton Sai. It's pouring out now, and it has been for the past two hours or so, and that's also been relaxing. We're in our little cabana, working, listening to some music and the sound of rain, in the dark (there is no power in most places from 6 am to 6 pm) and I figured it was a good time to revive this poor excuse for a blog.

So, here's to bad blogs, the rainforest, cabanas and Thailand!