Clearly I’m failing at maintaining
my blog. It’s been about a month and I can’t honestly say that I’ve been too
busy to share an update. In fact I fill many of my days with movies and
downloaded television as Shanghai is limiting to those without school, a job or
income. With that said, I think it’s about time to share what I’ve been up to.
And why not write as I sit in seat 76L from Shanghai to Beijing? In just over
an hour I will meet my dad and my sister Martha!! Plus, I’ll take any excuse to
focus my eyes away from the ghastly pollution to which I’m currently
contributing.
For now, I’ll do my best to catch
you up on some adventures.
Hong Kong: This four-day jaunt was enough to add Hong Kong to the
“would live there,” list of places. I can’t tell you how long that list is but
San Francisco is way ahead of the rest. Hong Kong also got a little bit of a
boost by being the first place I visited after two months of the cold, gray,
crowded cacophony of Shanghai.
Still, blue water, clear skies and
rolling green hills will get me any time. I never would have guessed that
hiking would fill nearly two full days, but Hong Kong offers gorgeous natural
views that rival the famous skyline. Traveling with four UNC MBAs and a fellow
Rosser, I managed to have a few adventures. Some of those adventures were
fueled by our over-exuberance at Hong Kong duty free. Tired of overpriced
Shanghai drinks, three of us each bought a bottle of scotch. Night one found
our crew pre-gaming for a pub-crawl and my waking up alone in our Air Bnb
apartment. I had our one key while not having either of the local sim cards.
Leaving the crowd at 3am and getting a bit lost on the way home, I still
arrived first. An hour-long nap on the front stoop wasn’t enough so I went to
bed. I woke up in a panic a few hours later to a still-empty apartment and some
panic-stricken emails.
We were all reunited a few hours
later with smiles, stories and piece-meal memories…
Uh-oh it’s meal time and the
massive man next to me is really getting into the beef noodles. I’ll close up
shop and be back momentarily…
…In closing my laptop, I allowed my
entire meal tray to slide between my armrest and the wall. After a little go-go
gadget arm, I got to enjoy listening to my neighbor burp, slurp, snort and
cough his way through lunch.
I’ll have to let some pictures sum
up the rest of Hong Kong. There was a lot of walking, eating and on-street
drinking enjoyed. Sadly, my departure may have been the most eventful part of
the Hong Kong travel leg. On two hours sleep, I arrived for an 8am flight.
Despite my confirmation code, my flight was not on the books and as it turned
out, would not have been honored anyway. In order to fly to the Philippines,
one must also have a departure ticket. With my Philippine disappearance act
foiled, my hung-over, exhausted self had to navigate budget airline websites on
spotty smartphone wifi. Many wasted dollars and hours later, I arrived in
Manila in my jeans, fake vans and t-shirt (I didn’t anticipate Manila when
packing a suitcase in January Ann Arbor).
Philippines: Roughly $15 got me shorts, sandals, sunglasses and two
meals (I snagged a free hostel shower) as I waited for our final companion.
Finally, with our four remaining travelers (myself and the three UNC dudes),
reunited, it was time to keep moving. Rather than waste time and money on
lodging, we hopped on an overnight bus to Banaue and the rice terraces.
We arrived the following morning
and after a quick breakfast, our trek began. Sharing a jeepney with six other
travelers, we got a few kilometers before delays began. Narrow roads, mud and
heavy jeepneys gave us an extra hour to chat and enjoy the scenery before
reaching the start of our hike. My quadriceps did not know what I was getting
into.
The hike started with 432 stairs
downward. We continued downward for another hour or two, meandering through
mind-bogglingly beautiful rice terraces to our oasis, frigid water at the base
of a 40-meter waterfall. 90-degree heat, equatorial humidity, fake vans and
polyester shorts (already torn in the crotch) make a cold swim feel REALLY
nice. As I’m sure many of you have realized, a long downhill hike in oppressive
heat makes for a much slower return. The ascent was filled with wobbly legs and
blank stares as we trudged along. Some fellow travelers sported shower shoes,
sweat pants or blue jeans, making my counterfeit outfit seem wise. Needless to
say, the final 432 stairs were absolutely torturous. Dehydrated and exhausted,
I was greeted by a coconut seller with $1 electrolyte-rich goodness. An hour
jeepney ride, a rushed shower and 20 agonizing stairs later and the four of us
were back on an overnight bus to Manila. Though the budget traveler in me
always prefers to combine travel with lodging, this was pushing it. My seat
partner and I were each at least 20% wider than our respective seats and my
knees jabbed painfully into the metal seat in front of me. Still, with a shirt
tied around my face, I managed to sleep much of the way to Manila.
