Hot, Loud and Smelly

Four days later and I'm still in Manila, but leaving tonight (thankfully).

It's not a great city. It's loud, hot, smelly and expensive (compared to the rest of the country). There isn't even a huge amount worth seeing, so four days is quite a long time to be here. That said, I've still had a great time, even if I have been here too long. This is mainly due to the people I've met at the guesthouse I'm staying at. The guesthouse itself has a nice balcony area which is perfect for a few drinks in the evening and sharing stories with other travellers about where we've been and where we'd like to go. People from all over seem to make a stop here, everywhere from America and the UK to China, Taiwan, Australia, the

Netherlands and Israel. It's been good but I am glad that I'm moving on to a nicer, quieter part of the country.

I didn't do a lot on the first night here, I just checked in to my (very spartan) room and went out to find a bite to eat. Afterwards I came back to the guesthouse for a few beers before having my first experience of trying to sleep in Manila (earplugs are a godsend). It does quieten down a bit in the middle of the night but there

seems to always be something happening out on the street (everything from singing at 6:30am to late night parties or traffic jams). You get used to it though (mostly).

On Saturday I went for a walk and headed up to Rizal Park which is named after a hero of the country who was a doctor and a revolutionary who ended up being imprisoned and executed for disagreeing with the government. This was followed by a ride in a horse and cart around Intramuros (the old Spanish walled city

) and a look in the cathedral and a museum before heading back to where I was staying. That evening there was free food and drink at the guesthouse! A great chance to get to know some of the other people staying before trying out a bit of the Manila nightlife!

The next day I headed out with some people I'd met the night before and we wandered the city for a bit, heading back to Intramuros (which is shockingly quiet on a Sunday) and taking in Fort Santiago where Rizal was imprisoned.

Other than that I haven't done a huge amount apart from relax and get to know people, and I'm really looking forward to getting out of the city and experiencing a more interesting side of the country. Tonight I'm off on an 8-9 hour bus journey (which is apparently FREEZING) into the Cordillera to see the countryside and do a bit of hiking and exploring. I still haven't planned very far ahead and am considering extending my stay in the Philippines by another week or so to allow me to properly enjoy the north before heading out to one of the islands (most likely Palawan, which is supposed to be spectacular), but I have a whole bus journey ahead in which to make that decision.