Before I had gotten that call on Good Friday,April 22nd I had been seriously considering taking a holiday.Now,usually,a"holiday"
for me involves a couple of months nodding off by the Lake in Cambodia.However,Cambodia isn't what it used to be.My love affair with the country began at the very end of the Khmer Rouge Era.In those days you could buy a great Chinese AK for 50 US,noone cared what you did.Though there was nothing there but cannabis the pharmacies were overflowing with morphine thanks to witless Western NGOs and so it was my kind of place.I have a penchant for places on the cusp of anarchy,hence my current home.
As the adage maintains,nothing lasts forever.The country is aspiring to be Thailand,and Thailand sucks.They have finally gone over the edge and enacted strict drug laws.Though enforcement is non-existent,eventually they won't be so desperate for the Dollar and then it is all over for Western Drug Tourism there.The death knell is on its way.
Fortunately I have licit sources for my substance of choice and so my flirtation with Drug Tourism is merely for a change of scenery.Therefore I have begun looking for an alternative destination where drugs will not be a factor.I think that I may just have found THAT special place.
The northern most province of the Philippines is Batanes.Composed of 10 tiny ("tiny"as in 3km wide and 9km long for the largest) islands,only 3 of which are inhabited,it sits just 100km off of Taiwan proper.The winter temprature can go as low as 7 Degrees Celsius (about 42 F) which is amazing for the Philippines.
Even better?It is dead centre in the Typhoon Belt.I love rain and large storms.The only thing better than a Tropical Storm are Mid-Strength Hurricane/Typhoon is a blizzard!Unlike the flimsy homes one sees all over the Philippines (like the photo I included in the entry"Photos of the Landslide in Pantukan") the homes in Batanes are constructed of large rocks,with walls 3 meters thick.It is EXACTLY my kind of place.
Travel to the province is iffy at best.There ARE infrequent ferries but the usual manner is by plane.These planes are incredibly old with props,and in inclement weather-which is perhaps 80% of the time-all air travel to the province is suspended.
The native tribe is the Ivatan whose language is close to Chinese.Though Catholic it was forced upon them by the Spanish and so they have very secretive yet culturally rich traditions.
20km away lies an island that belongs to Taiwan,Orchard Island.The tribe there,the Yami,are related to the Ivatan but are still Animists.The Japanese controlled Taiwan until WWII and made Orchard Island a human zoo.They forbade the Yami from travelling even to Batanes and at the same time forbade anyone from going to the island.Japanese Anthropologists studied the tribe and that was the extent of the interaction with outsiders.So,with my interests being what they are I am sure to find the area very interesting.
There are a few hotels in Batanes,even an incredibly expencive resort.I plan on doing a homestay though for about 45 US a month including 2 meals a day.Travel is about 140 US tound trip out of Manila by air.Take a few boxes of morphine and a few blister packs of oxycone for a change of pace and off I go.
I'm considering taking Joysa but I fear she would go bonkers by day 4.We will see...Ill include some photos in my next post.
Also,Betanes shouldn't be confused with another Filipino locale,"Batances."
for me involves a couple of months nodding off by the Lake in Cambodia.However,Cambodia isn't what it used to be.My love affair with the country began at the very end of the Khmer Rouge Era.In those days you could buy a great Chinese AK for 50 US,noone cared what you did.Though there was nothing there but cannabis the pharmacies were overflowing with morphine thanks to witless Western NGOs and so it was my kind of place.I have a penchant for places on the cusp of anarchy,hence my current home.
As the adage maintains,nothing lasts forever.The country is aspiring to be Thailand,and Thailand sucks.They have finally gone over the edge and enacted strict drug laws.Though enforcement is non-existent,eventually they won't be so desperate for the Dollar and then it is all over for Western Drug Tourism there.The death knell is on its way.
Fortunately I have licit sources for my substance of choice and so my flirtation with Drug Tourism is merely for a change of scenery.Therefore I have begun looking for an alternative destination where drugs will not be a factor.I think that I may just have found THAT special place.
The northern most province of the Philippines is Batanes.Composed of 10 tiny ("tiny"as in 3km wide and 9km long for the largest) islands,only 3 of which are inhabited,it sits just 100km off of Taiwan proper.The winter temprature can go as low as 7 Degrees Celsius (about 42 F) which is amazing for the Philippines.
Even better?It is dead centre in the Typhoon Belt.I love rain and large storms.The only thing better than a Tropical Storm are Mid-Strength Hurricane/Typhoon is a blizzard!Unlike the flimsy homes one sees all over the Philippines (like the photo I included in the entry"Photos of the Landslide in Pantukan") the homes in Batanes are constructed of large rocks,with walls 3 meters thick.It is EXACTLY my kind of place.
Travel to the province is iffy at best.There ARE infrequent ferries but the usual manner is by plane.These planes are incredibly old with props,and in inclement weather-which is perhaps 80% of the time-all air travel to the province is suspended.
The native tribe is the Ivatan whose language is close to Chinese.Though Catholic it was forced upon them by the Spanish and so they have very secretive yet culturally rich traditions.
20km away lies an island that belongs to Taiwan,Orchard Island.The tribe there,the Yami,are related to the Ivatan but are still Animists.The Japanese controlled Taiwan until WWII and made Orchard Island a human zoo.They forbade the Yami from travelling even to Batanes and at the same time forbade anyone from going to the island.Japanese Anthropologists studied the tribe and that was the extent of the interaction with outsiders.So,with my interests being what they are I am sure to find the area very interesting.
There are a few hotels in Batanes,even an incredibly expencive resort.I plan on doing a homestay though for about 45 US a month including 2 meals a day.Travel is about 140 US tound trip out of Manila by air.Take a few boxes of morphine and a few blister packs of oxycone for a change of pace and off I go.
I'm considering taking Joysa but I fear she would go bonkers by day 4.We will see...Ill include some photos in my next post.
Also,Betanes shouldn't be confused with another Filipino locale,"Batances."