USA Family

One really sad thing about the pandemic for us personally was that my family didn't get to come to our wedding. We just weren't prepared to put that aspect of our lives on hold as many have done. Love is, afterall, the main idea. So, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, we took a trip to the US so that my wife could meet the family.

On Sunday, the 15th of December, my dad picked us up in Seattle and took us over to his neck of the woods. There we went for a walk and then promptly passed out from the jetlag.

Over the next few days, we visited our investment properties, played games, cooked, and went out on the water. Even though Indra got to drive the big boat, I think she more enjoyed going out on the paddle boat and exploring the back areas of the end of the lake. Although, she also really liked sitting in the rowboat while I did all the work!

Now, despite Corona, or perhaps rather out of spite for the rules, we spent a lot of time with a lot of people. For us coming out of Europe, particularly Germany, this was a bit of a change of pace. But that's America! Everyone just does what they want. So, after going to a family Christmas party in my dad's area, we made our way over to Eastern Washington for a Christmas party at my brothers... where just about all of us got Corona. A friend of my sister-in-law wasn't feeling well, but came anyway - there were some feelings about that later on!

Our next stop was "hotel mama" - Indra's new favorite holiday resort! After a short stop to show Indra the farm where I grew up, we went to Puyallup for a few days of painting, riding motorcycles, sitting in the hot tub, and visiting with old friends.

And finally, on the way back to my dad's, we stopped by at my sister's for a visit and a massive, very yummy roast!

Back at my dad's it was our last evening in the states, so we went for a walk in Belfair State Park at what turned out to be the most beautiful time of day to do so!

ALL PHOTOS

Honeymoon Life

It's been said that a honeymoon doesn't have to end. I can't say I disagree. A friend once told me that the key is to "be slow to criticize and quick to forgive". This is definitely a good start. I think it's also pretty important to count your blessings or, as I do here, keep record of them.

Getting married was a wonderful experience, but it was also just the beginning. Since then we've been busy. We've moved into our apartment around the corner from where we got engaged, started new jobs, taken every opportunity to travel, and spent lots of time with friends and family.

On Sunday, July 26th, we got dressed up and went out with family for Pfannekuchen - a German pancake with lots of filling. Then, after a weekend in Gut Elim swimming in Siglansee, grilling and fighting with a little invader (see video), we joined the in-laws for a few days in a small dorf (town) called Oberkirchen.

We hiked up into the hills, cycled around the region, stopped to go "wassertreten" (walking in cold water) and to try the barfuß (barefoot) paths, went swimming in Hennesee, and ate at nice cafes and restaurants along the way. We also visited a really weird pyramid museum with ringtail cats and alien exhibits.

Needless to say, Indra's parents really know how to spoil us! Back in Düsseldorf, they also helped us a lot with getting our apartment set up. They brought lights for us to install (Germans take everything with them when they move out - even the kitchen!) and they helped us assemble various appliances and pieces of furniture.

We've also spent lots of time visiting friends. On Sunday, the 9th of August, we went to Leverkusen for a walk through the countryside with some local friends and ate at a Japanese buffet called Japanhaus. Considering that Düsseldorf is the Japanese capitol of Europe, it was certainly not necessary to go all the way to Leverkusen for Japanese food, especially non-authentic Japanese food, but, nevertheless, I really enjoyed it.

Over the following month we went on more bicycle trips, spent more time in Gut Elim, took a Flixbus to Frankfurt to visit for a couple days, and met friends in Aachen for a hike to the Dreiländereck or "border triangle" (where three countries meet) of Holland, Belgium and France. There I almost got run down by a crazy horse, and one of our party got lost in the woods, but we made it to the end and had dinner at a nice (authentic..?) Chinese buffet.

Finally, for the last week of November, my friend Garret came up from Munich for Thanksgiving and helped me prepare a semi-Thanksgiving feast, including a buckweat pumpkin pie... over about four hours. Not what either of us had in mind, but pretty worth it in the end. The next day we all went to Wuppertal, took a small hike, and rode the Schwebebahn (suspension railway).

ALL PHOTOS

The Big Day

In the final days before the "big day", everything was finally coming together. We got our authorization to get married in Fanø, picked up our rings and, with the help of the in-laws, got moved into our new apartment. Then, on Saturday, the 19th of July, we got up at 5:30 to start our 7+ hour journey up to Fanø, Denmark. But, as we were about to leave, we noticed that the shirt for my suit had changed color! After a minute of panic (the dry cleaners take several days to get anything done), we found another shirt that was actually in really good shape. Seven hours later we took a ferry to the island, checked into our beautiful B&B, and went for a walk through the local farmland.

The next day we had a really nice breakfast at Axel's Kitchen and went into town to check in at the Rathus or "town hall". There we met our photographer, Frederik Baun. Frederik was the best photographer we could have asked for. You could tell he really had a passion and wasn't just doing it for the money. 

After meeting Frederik, we took a drive along the beach, did some land sailing, and ended up at the Altstadt or "old town". The Altstadt was nice but, just as with most places during our stay, totally booked out. Even our breakfast at Axel's over by the B&B had to be reserved. So, we got something simple and went back to town to have dinner in Nordby. That night we also had no "proper" place to stay as the only accommodations not booked out for the next two nights were at a campground.

The next morning got off to a bit of a rough start. Indra had gone to bed with wet hair and had been freezing all night... and it had rained. Maybe that's why most people don't go camping before getting married. Anyway, we had another awesome breakfast at Axel's and went to the beach to get married! It was perfect. The sun was shining, the breeze was warm and the photographer was on his game. The photos really turned out great. 

The next day we did a bit of hiking on the island, took the ferry back to the mainland and, on the way to our Airbnb in Tønder, stopped in another well-known wedding destination, Ribe. 

In Ribe we serendipitously stumbled upon an amazing buffet that was just getting started. They had everything and it was all sooo good. After we ate our fill, we had a look around this beautiful town. Ribe, which is really an ideal wedding location in itself, wouldn't even have been on our radar had we not stayed at the campground (the second night was much better by the way - Indra got to do some stargazing). There we had visited with a couple who had lived in Ribe and they insisted that this town was a must-see. Well, they were right!

We spent the next couple of days in the Tønder Kommune walking, driving and biking around. We particularly enjoyed riding around the island of Rømø and eating at Vadehavscaféen - a cafe over back where we were staying. And just behind the cafe there's a nice walking path through fields with hay bales.

Finally, on the last day, we stopped in Hamburg on the way back to Düsseldorf to join a BBQ with some friends from church.

ALL PHOTOS

The Greatest Adventure

Most people like a good adventure and, until now, my definition of adventure was traveling around the world. It was only a day before my latest great journey that I found out that I was about to start a much different kind of adventure.

It was about a year before that I had met a fellow traveler named Indra. I had been living in Germany for about two years and she had just gotten back from living in Japan for about five years. We started talking and, long story short, we decided to get serious... only the decision came just as I was leaving on this 1.5 month journey! Well, we maintained contact during the trip and, after I got back, we started spending time together... despite some challenges.

At first, it was pretty much smooth sailing, but then the COVID restrictions started taking effect. This made it so that Indra no longer came to Düsseldorf on the weekends for the church meeting. It also meant waiting in line to go into stores that had limited supplies of food... and toilet paper. In any case, I now had more time to go visit Indra as my work was basically eliminated - no more in-person meetings. So, every weekend I got on my moped and rode for 1.5 hours to Bochum to spend time with her and her family eating, cycling and going on hikes together. 

My lack of work was, of course, a significant concern, though. I applied for online work, as did all teachers... but eventually just had to accept money from the government which, as was only later indicated, would have to be paid back. I guess this is why Germans don't like freelancers - our work can be taken from us at any time! To be clear, they mainly don't like to rent to us which was thankfully a problem that would soon be no more.

Indra also came to Düsseldorf for hikes on occasion and, during one of these excursions, I gave her a place-holder ring... the first of many. I had ordered several rings while waiting for the heirloom ring my mom had sent me from America, which took forever due to COVID. So, every week or so Indra and I would sort of "get engaged" again. This worked out well as Indra had never really owned rings before and now had a good collection to choose from!

After the first of these proposals, Indra and I visited the first apartment that we were able to get a Besichtigung or "visiting appointment" for. This was just around the corner from a really beautiful park/forest called Schlosspark Eller. There I gave her the ring and the very next week we signed the paperwork for the apartment.

It's worth mentioning that getting an apartment in Düsseldorf is not easy, let alone an amazing deal like ours. It's also not common that they call you up the next day to tell you that, out of all the applicants, you're their favorite... and, not only that, but they want to give you a 80 bucks off each month! Regular little surprises like this really encouraged us. Finally, on the 11th of May, we decided to make an appointment to get married at the Standesamt (like a courthouse but just for marriages) on the 27th of June!

Unfortunately, getting married in Germany during COVID is a nightmare, in particular if one of you isn't German. Our appointment to get married at the Standesamt in Bochum would have probably worked out as they were actually quite pleasant to deal with... but we weren't able to get all of our documents together before Indra moved to Düsseldorf. You see, you have to apply in the city where you reside. By the way, these documents for getting married are numerous. As an American I am required to provide a notarized copy of my passport (which they wouldn't do because of some reason related to COVID), an erweiterte Meldebescheinigung (documentation of my residence which is only valid for 14 days), a certified copy of my birth certificate with an international apostille (a special notarization which is done by the federal government and is only valid outside of the States) and a translation of said birth certificate done by a service from a list of officially recognized translators who also provide a Beglaubigung or "notarization", and an Ehefähigkeitszeugnis or "certificate of marriage"...

Well, I was actually able to get almost everything mentioned above... except the certificate of marriage. Because I don't live in Bavaria, where the laws would have permited me to do this at the Standesamt, I was supposed to go to the US Consulate to do my Eid or "oath" and sign a document stating that I didn't have a secret family back in the States. I also would then be required to do the Eid again at the Standesamt... Okay, I'm usually happy to play along with the funny bureaucracies of other countries (even that of Spain) but the problem was that the US Consulate was closed indefinitely due to COVID! Nevertheless, this is Germany, so you can't do anything, not even get married, if everything isn't done by the book - regardless of extenuating circumstances. 

Well, we tried to submit our documents anyway because the Oberlandsgericht (regional authority) said that they wouldn't even talk to us about our application until we had submitted what he had. So we had the Standesamt in Bochum transfer our documents to Düsseldorf, and I submitted the rest of what I had. But then Düsseldorf just sent everything back to us! You see, in Düsseldorf they won't accept your application unless it's complete... but the Oberlandsgericht won't discuss problems getting missing documents unless you submit what you have... a nice catch-22.

Thankfully, we had a plan B. If Deutschland wouldn't let us get married, maybe another country would! According to some local friends, Germany has been sending people to Denmark to get married for a long time. Back in the day, when the German authorities were apparently even more bureaucratic than today, they just told people to go to Denmark where you only need a passport and birth certificate to get married. Fortunately, even though they don't go out of their way to tell you this anymore, it's still the case. On the 11th of June, Indra and I applied online, paid 220 euros and were given permission to get married in Tønder, Denmark just three weeks later. Still slow by American standards, but satisfactory.

We had some COVID related hoops to jump through, though. For one, you have to have reservations for six nights in Denmark in order to be allowed to cross the border. The other thing was that Tønder had decided not to take any new appointments until October... three months later. But that's okay, because we actually found a better place to get married. Fanoe aka "Wedding Island" is just a bit further north from Tønder, has plenty of appointments and is very accommodating. The only problem was that we had to get our authorization transferred from Tønder to Fanø. This shouldn't have been a problem seeing as it's done digitally, and the decision had already been made on the 30th of June anyway, but it seems we weren't the only ones desperately trying to escape German bureaucracy. The Agency of Family Law, as they're called, was suddenly so busy that we couldn't get a hold of them. With only two weeks to go, our authorization being delayed made us a bit nervous...

ALL PHOTOS

A Nasty Surprise

My latest visit back to the States was somewhat bittersweet. It was lucky that I even could go back considering that COVID-19 was already bringing the world to a screeching halt. Still, it wasn't long after I got back that I discovered a very unpleasant situation - my renter had destroyed my property.



On the 7th of February, I arrived in Seattle. The jet lag hadn't quite hit, so I visited all my work friends back at Pierce College and tested my motorcycle, which actually ran much better than when I had last visited. Over the next couple days I also got in a hockey game with my old buddies Josh and Mike, visited the neighbors and then went to see my dad... which is when we saw the destruction.



We went to visit my property where it turns out my renter had not only abandoned my property, but had left it in a state of absolute chaos. He had packed garbage into every corner of the place... over a couple of years! Actually, he had gotten garbage service but only used it for a couple of months. After that he proceeded to fill up my shed with garbage and, when that was full, started stacking it behind. Then, after he managed to scam a neighbor out of a new trailer, he filled his old one with garbage.



We were going to need some heavy equipment. Fortunately, as always, my dad knew a guy. In exchange for helping him out with a nighmare situation of his own (a cement pour on a collapsing hillside under a public road...), we would then be able to borrow his truck, dump trailer and backhoe. We worked hard for a few days before finally getting the tools we needed in order to get back to work on my situation. We also had a bit of roofing to do on my other property.



Over the next few days we dumped 4.3 TONS of garbage at a cost of about $350 or so. We also burned loads of old rotten furniture, scrubbed off two years of neglect in the bathroom, ripped apart the old trailer, and sanitized everything by spraying it down with vinegar. It was stinky, backbreaking work (I actually hurt my back lifting and twisting...) but, in the end, it would pay off. The new renter wants to buy the place eventually and has made some great improvements already. So, that, along with a couple other nights visiting friends as well as my sister and nephews, resulted in the "nasty surprise" being thankfully a little less devastating.

ALL PHOTOS

Exploring the Philippines

I always say that low expectations make for the best experiences. Well, the second half of my adventure in the Philippines was no exception. I had no plan. Chu Sum had gone back to Hong Kong and, in a few days, I was scheduled to go join him. But then I had a thought - I'd been to Hong Kong a lot already, but I still hadn't done much in the Philippines. I really didn't need another two weeks of the big city. So, I rebooked my flight for ten days later and found a hostel in Angeles... but I still had no plan. At the hostel, I ended up meeting the Russians (Janko, Nikita and later Yana) who were all starting big motorcycle trips around Luzon. Nikita had found a place renting motorbikes for half of what I had been paying the last few days and he offered to give me a ride there the next morning. I still didn't know where I would go, or even if I felt like going anywhere. But then it hit me... I don't need a plan, I just need some friends who already have a plan.



Sure enough, Nikita liked the idea of having a backup rider along for the journey. The next day, the 23rd of January, we picked up our bikes and started the most intense ride I've ever been on.

Riding in the Philippines is no joke. The traffic is nightmarish and some of the roads aren't even roads. Although, depending on how you look at it, I was pretty lucky as Nikita had lived on Mindanao for six months at one point before that and knew how to handle himself on Filipino roads... I, on the other hand, was learning. Well, I've always been a fan of the whole "sink or swim" mentality, so this worked out really nicely.



Whenever you enter a town in the Philippines, there's one thing you'll notice immediately - the trikes. They're everywhere... and they're slow as molasses. Oh, and they spend all day driving around towns looking for customers. This, as you can imagine, creates an unholy amount of traffic. Cars can't get past them, so they line up - 10, 15, even 30+ cars in a row. If you're a careful rider, you wait in line. If you're a crazy Russian, you race around all the cars at 100 kph until you make it to the front, or have to force your way in between two cars to avoid getting into a head-on collision with oncoming traffic. We did this like it was our job. Every time we entered a town we rode like locals who are used to navigating the chaos, except the locals didn't even ride like us - we made most of them look like little old ladies. We didn't hesitate to weave in and out of miles and miles of traffic, passing other riders as if they were sitting still. And we did this because, in the Philippines, nobody stops you. It's a free-for-all, complete anarchy, the Wild West of road law... that is, there is no law.



Our first stop was actually to pick up Yana at her local friends' place. We had lunch with their family and then rode for a few hours through the mountains up to Baguio City on the way to San Juan. It was such a beautiful ride. Up in Baguio it got really cold and humid and then, as we bombed our way down the other side of the mountain, down to the coast, the temperature increased dramatically. I can't emphasize enough how amazing these roads were. As we descended it was like sliding down a twisting waterslide. The roads were super smooth and the ever-warming air temps made it feel like stepping into a warm spa.

We soon arrived in the surf town of San Juan, settled into our hotel rooms, and started mingling with the locals. Of course, we were tired and could only manage a couple hours of chit chat... one of the guys would have gone on all night if we hadn't called it quits.



On day two, we headed off to visit our first major point of interest - Tangadan Falls. This was the first time that we were told that we had to have a so-called guide in order to enter. Fortunately, these frauds don't have control over public roads. So, we continued riding along the most rolling road I've ever been on, up and down, all the way into the middle of the jungle. It was a great ride. We then followed a trail for about 20 minutes to a particularly stunning waterfall with a rather cold, but refreshing pool.

The swim was a perfect start to the day but, a little later, our luck ran out. As we were riding through Santiago, my engine popped and I lost power. I tried to honk at the others (Nikita was a motorcycle mechanic for years back in Russia, so he really could have helped), but my horn didn't work either! It seems I just can't catch a break with motorcycles as this wasn't the first time (NZ), the second time (NZ) the third time (USA), the fourth time (Spain), the fifth time (USA), the sixth time (Switzerland), or even the seventh time (Germany)... no, this was the eigth time a motorbike had broken down on me. It immediately occured to me that my holiday had come to a rather unfortunate end. Thankfully, like all the other times, it didn't take long to get help. At first, I thought someone would have to stop, as it didn't seem to be a very central location, but then I just started pushing. And just 200 meters later I came across a mechanic! By the time the others had noticed I was missing and turned around, these guys had already gotten busy. A few minutes and 300 pesos (about seven or eight bucks for labor, spark plug and new horn) later, we were back on our way! We found a reasonable hotel down the road in Candon where we had dinner and relaxed on the balcony for the evening.



The ride on day three was twice as long the the previous day, but it was totally worth it! We arrived at the Samaguing caves in Sagada where, again, they tried to force a guide on us... after we had already hiked down into the cave. We managed to sneak in while pretending we were part of yet another group, then just did our own thing once we got in there. The caves were pretty cool, but crowded with weekend travelers. It probably didn't help that Taal volcano had just erupted and wiped out tourism down south of Manila. That night we stayed in a really nice homestay where the owner prepared wonderful local meals for us. The next morning we left to see the Hanging Coffins of Sagada.



But, as you might have guessed, we had to get guide. I even asked what would happen if we just went in on our own (as that's how it used to be anyway according to online reviews), and they said that the police would come - of course, we later found out that his was likely just a lie to get us to hire their guides. They also wanted us to go back to town first and register, but we convinced our guide to do that for us after the visit. As expected, it was just a trail into a valley where some locals had hung a bunch of coffins on a cliff. Although, we were a bit surprised to hear that this is an ongoing practice that locals occasionally still observe. When a local elects to be "burried" in this way, a group of men will run in carrying the deceased on their shoulders, stick them up on the wall, and run out.



By about midmorning we were back on the road. On our way to our next major destination, Benaue, we stopped in a little town and bought some unbelievably delicious mangoes - another major item on any tourist to-do list in the Philippines. Finally, we arrived, took our photos, and hired a couple message therapists to come sort out our increasingly painful neck problems... the 6-10 hour rides were starting to take their toll.



On day four I was running low on cash - the only way to pay for anything in the Philippines - so I rode down to the town hall where they have the only functioning ATM in Benaue. As I rolled up, I noticed a big crowd standing in front of the town hall. As I got closer, I heard a voice over a loud speaker asking me to turn off my motorbike. I quickly realized that I had interrupted the mayor giving a speech to the townspeople! He resumed, but I could hear some surprised remarks as I snuck into the ATM booth directly behind him... Filipinos are friendly, though. So, I got nothing but smiles as I worked my way back to the bike and rode off. We then rode for another 6-7 hours to Tuguegarao... needless to say, the neck pains came back with a vengeance.



Day five we rode to Santa Ana, the northernmost point on Luzon, where we caught a boat to the tiny natural paradise island called Palaui. There we enjoyed a lobster lunch (included with our very affordable homestay) and went off looking for the local waterfall. As we followed the path, we came across a random registration booth. They stopped us and, big surprise, tried to force a guide on us... even when we told them that we were just going for a walk down the beach. We managed to get away, but they protested this quite a bit. As we made our way into the village, we ran into a young boy who, yeah, wanted to make sure we had a guide. I asked why and the boy lied about there being dangerous animals on the island - our host had told us otherwise. So, I got a little bit frustrated. I asked him if he needed a guide as well, but he had no answer to that. We weren't about to pay them just for the privilege of leaving our hut, so we just continued on our way. We crossed a swinging rope bridge, went through a rice paddy, and followed the trail until we arrived at the waterfall - no guide necessary!



It rained all night and, on day six, we waited half a day for it to stop before taking the boat back to the mainland. From Santa Ana we rode for several hours to Pagudpud - a famous surf spot. On the way we slipped around on muddy mountain roads and finally witnessed one of the 2.5 billion dogs here getting hit by a car. That'll likely be someones dinner tonight... yeah, really.



On day seven we went surfing and tried to go visit another waterfall, but the rains caused us to turn back. Surfing was good, though. We had intended to go kitesurfing, but that would have cost a fortune. Luckily, as there were no tourists around, we had our pick of surfing spots.



On day eight we went on the biggest ride yet! It was actually too long... about 12 hours or so. It didn't help that we took a two-hour detour into the mountains just for fun. It also didn't help that we got lost in the mountains on our way from the west coast to Tabuc. Some of these roads were just dirt, mud and, in some cases, pieces of wood that we had to ride across in order to avoid full-on lakes of muck - this stretch of total crap went on for literally 100 kilometers.

It got late, and really cold, but we managed to hunt down a cheap hotel in the middle of the night anyway. This was a small consolation. This and the earlier experience of coasting down mountains with the engines turned off - that was great!



On day nine we rode to another surf town called Baler - the tidiest place I've seen anywhere in the Philippines. We found a hostel, had dinner there, and then, the following day, we went to Mother Falls. I probably don't even have to say it at this point but, of course, they required us to hire a guide in order to walk over to the falls. At least we were able to get her to take some video of us playing in the water. Later that day we went surfing and got the "Baler Sports Message" AKA a physical beating - they are NOT gentle.



So riding to Baler was actually only possible for one reason - COVID-19. My flight to Hong Kong had been cancelled, and this turned out to be a really good thing! Had I gone to Hong Kong, I would have been stranded because my flight to the US was also cancelled! And even then, had I successfully flown from Hong Kong to the US, I would have been quarantined for my whole two-week visit... I wouldn't have even been able to visit my family!

Anyway, thanks to COVID-19, I now had a few more days in the Philippines. What's more, I wouldn't have to take busses through nightmare traffic in order to get back into Manila, because I was now flying out from Clark in Angeles! I'll tell ya, if you ever go to the Philippines, fly in and out of Clark! Manila will suck the life out of you and your schedule.



On day 11, we returned the bikes, had dinner, another message, and got a super deal on a hotel with a pool for just 250 pesos (5 bucks) each per night!

During the last few days, we went wakeboarding, got some good deals on souvenirs at Hypermarket, sat by the pool, and found my favorite food in the Philippines - Buko pie! The Buko shake is also pretty awesome. Both are surprisingly good considering that they're made from coconut and I usually hate coconut.



On the 6th of February, day 14, it was finally time to bring it all to and end. I flew to Incheon in South Korea, which is probably the nicest airport in the world, and slept there overnight (free beds!) before continuing my journey back to the states. There I expected to finally take a break but, as I would discover, taking a break was nothing but a pipe dream.

ALL PHOTOS

The Filipino Road Trip

On Saturday, the 18th of January, Chu Sum and I had made it - we finally had our own wheels and were ready to go explore the Philippines on our own! But, it was getting late which, as I learned, would make the ride from Angeles to Subic Bay a bit uncomfortable as the air was thick with insects. After about an hour or so, we arrived in Olongapo covered in tiny little dots... or at least I did - Chu Sum was a bit scheltered there on the back of the bike. We settled into our "pods" at Subic Bay Hostel & Dormitory then went out and got our first taste of restaurant quality Filipino food at a place called Coco Lime.



The food was a bit pricey, as would be the case with most places during the trip (at least compared to Vietnam), but that's what we get for getting recommendations from the hostel. Actually, even if we had managed to find a local-friendly place, they would probably have charged us more because we were tourists. In any case, the food was excellent.

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped by a live music event where a group was performing what were probably local hits based on the reaction of the audience. I suppose this was my first time being exposed to Filipino entertainment, which I would say is rather unique in that they regularly pepper their lines with English words. In fact, I eventually realized that everything is that way in the Philippines: commercials, recorded announcements, TV shows, etc. The English words sound so out of place, though, that you'd be forgiven for thinking that they'd simply forgotten the word in their own language.



On day one of our motorcycle journey we both had our first scuba diving experience. We got there in the morning for an hour of so of instruction before heading to a pool to do some training exercises. Then, that afternoon, we took a boat out and did the real thing! Scuba diving really is a lot of fun. I get it now why so many people are so passionate about it it. The feeling of breathing underwater alone is pretty awesome but, of course, the real treat is being able to navigate the depths without needing to resurface. I have to say, I'm really relieved that I didn't have any problems equalizing the pressure in my ears. I've had trouble with that before, but it turns out that you just have to go up a bit again if you feel pain and then, when you go to descend again, just equalize a bit more often. I also learned that you can adjust your boyancy by just controlling your breathing. Chu Sum had a bit of trouble with this because he relied too heavily on the boyancy control unit. As I discovered (and later confirmed with the pros), you just have to let the air out of your lungs and you sink like a rock!



On day two, we had problems. The bike was making weird noises, so we stopped by a local mechanic and he told us that the engine was going to seize. We called the owner, Alex, and he told us to ride it back to Angeles City. This actually worked out really well! It was slow going getting back to Angeles with the bike protesting anything over 60 kph but, upon our arrival, we were given a free upgrade! We actually would have gotten such a bike at the start, but we had arrived on the weekend. Now it was a weekday, so we got something that could take us to a much more interesting destination.



Alex didn't just upgrade our bike, but he gave us some good tips as well. He told us about some interesting routes we could take to get to a little-known place in the mountains with a free hot spring! So, we took the bike over to the local mall, grabbed a tent and some food, and drove off into the countryside. Our first obstacle was navigating a small neighborhood (or "barangay" aka "barrio" in Spanish) that gradually became more and more rural until the roads were no longer paved. Soon we exited the neighborhood onto sandy pathways that were rather difficult to ride on. Luckily we found a local to follow who rode much faster which, as I had expected, made the bike much more stable.



Eventually we came to the river, which we had to cross several times on the way to the pools. At one point we came to a fork that Alex had told us about. He had told us to go left, but our wannabe guide was insisting that we follow him to the right. So, we paid him (money is always expected even if you didn't actually ask for help) and, despite his objections, we continued to the left. Alex had explained that there are indeed hot pools to the right, but that they would charge us there. Sure enough, as we continued to the left, we came upon a bunch of very well-made hot pools with nobody charging entry. We set up camp, did a little BBQ and then went for a midnight dip in one of the best hot pools I've every been in.



On day three we decided to head back to where the first bike had broken down. There we had another go at our original destinations - Balanga City and Mariveles. We hit a couple snags along the way, though... not the least of which being that we got trapped in quicksand. Alex had warned us about riding in the river where the big construction machines were working. I just figured he meant to start looking for the exit, but no - he meant to get out of the water! Anyway, after a few minutes of panicking and beeping SOS with the horn, I managed to get some locals to come help pull the bike out. Not a moment too soon, though!



A few hours later we arrived in Balanga City and found our hostel. Balanga City is a center of tourism with historical buildings, a public market with interesting drinks and snacks, and really weird traffic issues. We got there and I wasn't sure if my GPS was working properly as the traffic was actually directed along a circular route that, unless you cut back through the middle of it, you ended up being coraled along an unending loop that just kept going around and around.



We spent the evening walking around getting food (Sissig!) and looking for a good message. A lot of the places we just couldn't find - one place was just a gas station - but, in the end, we found a pretty good one.

The next day was Chu Sum's last, so we headed down to Mariveles to check out the famous "Five Fingers" - a bunch of peninsulas with caves and beaches. Unfortunately, the road was blocked and, though we found a trail, we soon started running out of time and became demotivated. The views were nice, though.



Still, we did manage to find a cool little coastal barangay on the way back where we finally got to see some beaches. We even met some nice locals and a little kid who had a pet crab! We got back on the road, returned the bike in Angeles and took a trike to the bus station so Chu Sum could go back to Manila to catch his flight.

That night I went to a new hostel where I made some new friends from Russia named Janko and Nikita. Janko was riding around on a little scooter that he had rented in Manila (not an easy way to get around!) and Nikita had found a place that rented out full-sized motorcycles for half the price of the ones Chu Sum and I had rented. We talked a bit and agreed that he would take me there the next morning so that I could rent one as well and we could explore the Philippines together for the coming weeks! The real adventure was about to begin...

ALL PHOTOS