Living in China

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Coron

From Manila I took the 'banana boat' as they're called, to Coron. The boat was full of cargo: eggs, vegetables and a live cockerel. It was booked full and took only 24 hours going 7 knots. The beds were like ambulance stretchers but still it wasn't a bad ride.

After arriving in Coron, an Irish guy and I looked for places to get our open water diving certificate, and found one for 200 Euros. We started the day after. Diving here is amazing: there is so much coral and fish, and the water is 28 degrees. Today we had our second dive, and tomorrow we'll go to a shipwreck of a Japanese navy ship that sank after the Americans attacked it back in WWII. It looks like I'm going to spend New Year's eve here in Coron. It is a lovely little village surrounded by tropical islands and mountains, and the pace of life is several million times slower than in Manila.

Our boat, nice and crowded.

The cargo

A home-made tractor or something

Coron, this is the view from my hotel room

The Chinese cemetary in Manila. This place is pretty weird: the tombs here have airco, bathrooms and a kitchen.

Promotional photograph for Mike's Carwash

Some of the guys I've been hanging around with

Friday, December 21, 2007

Merry Christmas

Ik zit nu in Manila. Het is hier heerlijk warm (30 graden) Het verkeer in de stad is chaotisch, en door de luchtvervuiling is de blauwe lucht zelden zichtbaar. De cultuur hier is vol van Spaanse en Amerikaanse invloeden, wat best een absurde indruk geeft. Er zijn bv. op elke hoek van de straat hamburgers te koop, maar alle straatnamen zijn in het Spaans.

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Greetings from Manila. It seems that I'm going to have another Christmas with +30 degrees this year. After only 3 days here I am already amazed by the curious blend of culture here: American & Spanish food and architecture (hamburgers and Starbucks everywhere), but the Philippinos add their own local style to everything (see photos)

A Jeepney: a converted old US army Jeep. These monsters have space for 20 people, and function as buses in the city. Drivers add their own mirrors, lights and religious icons as they please.

I climbed an active volcano yesterday...

... Only to find this guy on the top. He is some sort of security guard, but he used his rifle mostly for target practice (...)

Taal Volcano

Friday, December 07, 2007

Chinglish poetry and some more photos

On a bill-board on Gulang Yu island I found some beautiful Chinglish:

"Feel Gulang Yu of the hundred years"

"Keep in mind the old drum wave island have local humanities special features most, is the main beauty spot that the island top and pushes to set up, have ever been ten thousand countries to rent boundary with 13 national consulate locateds. It accumulated to knot the whole buildings with beautiful western.

Keep in mind the old address that the old building is also 19 centuries "the German ecord foreign firm". Still have the foreigner paradise: foreign consulate; international club; western restaurant; the crow slice building; old music building' piano islander text; international building; ocean girl's bathroom; keep in mind the oldly be like; piano island transportation' German foreign firm; overseas Chinese's club building of office waits 15 greatest buildings, the display is several thousand history delicacies in your front.

Each delicacy has to relate for 19 centuries, the foreigner seizes the beautiful drum wave island island to print to record, establishing on the island international rent boundary, 13 consulates and work department bureau bully on our country people long few decades, most after drive islander the people drive out the whole history process of go abroad the door, the fulfils a hundred years mulberry, just having today the beautiful drum wave island.

It can take you to cross a timespace to return to for 19 centuries, letting you grasp and realizing personally, the emotional stirrings that is among them really can let you feel and don't waste a this trip."