Day 754 – Small town life

With pops in the driving seat the 5 of us headed out for the 1 and a half hour drive to see Made and the family again. On the way we stopped of at a beautiful black sand beach, just add variety to the beaches we're experiences on our Balinese getaway!

Our arrival in Gianjar was overshadowed by the death of Made's uncle, but ever the welcoming family, we were treated to cold drinks before we left mumbles to have a financial chat with the parents. In the meantime the rest of us were shown around Gianjar by Putu – the eldest daughter of Made and Niluh. It was great fun submerging ourselves in a non-touristy market and enjoying the colours that caught our eyes from all directions: fruit and veges in one corner, bright flowers in another, and then all the temple clothing and offerings one needs to led the Hindu life that most Balinese follow.

The only hiccup in the market adventure was the disappearance of Rita – not really a problem but for 12 year old tour guide Putu it was a major disaster, until our missing person was re-found!

Back at the house Niluh had once again cooked up a total traditional feast for us, and then afterwards Made showed us around the kitchen and educated us on the process of making ceremonial cooked chicken. This is Niluh's part time business, and the day after tomorrow she had an order of 25 chickens to cook – all on wood fires and a clay oven. Made continued the education by showing an interested Adam how to carry 50 litres of water to the cows each morning, and having a good laugh as Adam attempted to be a Balinese waterboy. Depsite our own personal detour on route to Gianjar to a black sand beach, Made insisted on showing us new bungalow developments at the water's edge, just in case we were interested in buying some Bali land! The beach was lovely, and watching the families collecting shellfish at the tideline was enjoyable.

From here we decided to take a drive through nearby Ubud – a thriving arts town full of rice fields and galleries. The drive took us through upmarket areas along one road and then in the blink of an eye into rundown streets where kids flew kites amongst the green foliage.

Unfortunatly we didn't know where on earth we were going and managed to get ourselves quite lost – but we had a great time looking around the things we did find before getting the car in gear and heading towards out beachside home.

When we got home we found a message from our friends Sean and Wendy who we met in Thailand and caught up with in Malaysia. They are now in Bali so we met up for dinner and a great catch up on all their adventures through Indonesia over the last 2 months.

Adlibing family and friends.

Day 753 – Slow start

This morning we managed to sleep in and then chillax the morning away by reading on our porch while frangipanis fluttered down from the trees that fill the courtyard of our wonderful losmen (homestay/guesthouse). We were so lucky to get this room, as we came just as someone checked out and we leave the day before the next booking – otherwise the whole place is booked up for months!

We wandered down the street and decided to have lunch on our own as we haven't had much time as just the original adlibers in the last few months, and then joined mumbles and pops on their balcony for some more chats, drinks and snacks.

In the evening we went for a wander to find somewhere for dinner, and the manager of Goodys convinced us to dine at his Italian/Greek place by giving us 10% off the bill – woohoo!!

Unfortunately we couldn't find a phone to call Mindy on her birthday but we did squeeze in an email: Happy Birthday Big Sis!!!

Adlibing an even slower end.

Day 752 – A good ol' day of doing nothing much!

We're loving the Bali holiday life so much at the moment! It really seems like we're on holiday mode, just taking our time and chilling out! We spent the morning at our wonderful guesthouse, then managed to wile away the afternoon hours eating, swimming and hanging out with mumbles and pops. Suprisingly enough we had another delicious meal for dinner, with great company!

Adlibing the Bali life!

Day 751 - Surfing

Around 10am, quite a nice hour to be heading out, we wandered down to the beach with our neighbour's surfboard in hand. While Liv stood on the sidelines Adam attempted to ride waves for the first time in about 3 years. After an eternity of getting smashed by waves on his way out beyond the breakers, Liv ended up missing Adam standing up and riding the very first wave he paddled for!! Not to worry though, there were plenty more after that, and soon Adam was riding in exhausted after less than 2 hours in the water. Adam strutted on the walk back home, blending in with everyone else with a board under their arms, and finally met up with Liv at the JK pool. The hours by the pool drifted away while the sun gently dried us between dips in the water. In the afternoon Adam and Pops headed to a bar to watch the All Blacks play Italy – as most tourists in Bali seem to be Australian is wasn't surprising that they were the only 2 in the whole bar! At least they got their drinks quickly, and Adam's first All Blacks game in 2 years was a victory!

In the meantime Liv and mumbles were off walking the streets in search of a bargain, ending up at the supermarket for a stock up on snacks to go with the drinks that occupy most of our peaceful evenings on the balcony.

The Adlibers took mumbles and pops out for a cheapy dinner at the place Adam dined alone at yesterday – although the ambience isn't quite the same, the local Balinese food was excellent!

Adlibing it like a surfer.

Day 750 - Birthday bliss

Even though Liv's birthday isn't for another 4 weeks, she got truly spoilt today in advance! First off, Carly treated her to a 2 hour massage and body scrub – which mum and dad couldn't resist partaking in! It was 2 hours full of blissful pampering that an exhausted traveller's body was well in need of!

In the meantime Adam was waiting to see if our hotel neighbour would return from his morning's surfing in time for Adam to hit the waves, but it was not to be … hopefully tomorrow!
For lunch, the girls went out for lunch by the beach, while Adam had a cheap meal and then some beers at the JK with Pops.

With Carly's departure time looming, the day's schedule only allowed for an hour of pool time – which the girls filled with practising roly-polys in the water! The last item on Carly's must-do list was to return to the jewellry shop from yesterday and get some more beautiful pieces – and it was here that Liv was treated to birthday present number 2, with mumbles buying her 2 lovely pairs of earings!!

For dinner we ate at yet another beachside restaurant – we're getting used to these fancy restaurants where the food is presented as amazing as it tastes.

Just before 9pm Liv and mumbles took a taxi to the airport with Carly to say our last goodbyes until we can catch up again in NZ – which hopefully won't be too far away! The boys happily occupied the balcony with beers in hand – seeing an end to another day in the Balinese paradise.

Adlibing an advanced birthday.

Day 749 - Pools and jewels

Our bodies are getting into the swing of being on holiday, so by the time we finished breakfast it was well into the heat of the mid morning, with only one solution: the JK swimming pool!! And here it was that we spent the next few hours in and out of the refreshing water!

Just before lunch time we went out shopping with Carly, where poor Adam got stuck in jewellery shop after jewellery shop while the girls window shopped to their hearts desires! There was no consolation in the lunch stop, as the restaurant let down our taste buds.

After more time at the pool and hanging out with Mumbles and Pops, we wandered out to the beach (a very draining 15m away) to enjoy watching the sun disappear for another day.

After a great meal with Made for Kim and Russell's last night, Liv set off for another night at Carly's hotel for some much needed sister time, before Carl heads back to Auckland tomorrow night.

Adlibing jewellery.

Day 748 – An unfinished giant

As Liv had a sleepover at Carly's hotel last night, Adam met the girls for brekky by the pool, before we wandered over to the JK to meet the rest of the gang!

From there we jumped in a car, with Russell as driver and Pops as navigator, and headed out for the GWK – a cultural centre with a supposedly huge statue of Garuda and Wishnu. Mumbles, Pops, Kim and Russell came here about 4 years ago when the statue was still in the process of being built and wanted to see the final product – however it seems that since then nothing's been done and the statue is just the same!!The vision is that the final product will soar 150m into the sky with a wingspan of over 60m! Obviously this vision isn't going to be realised any time soon!! Oh well, it was a nice drive out there, and after navigator Pops took us on a wrong road, we ended up with great views out over the ocean and the volcano looming in the distance.

On the way home we popped into Jimbaran Bay, a quiet beach with blue water and golden sand that's home to a fishing fleet that was gently bobbing in the swell.

We soaked in some rays with our feet submerged in the soft sand and gazed over the waters towards our home at Legian beach.

Once we returned home we went straight to the JK for some time by the pool. Even though the temperature in Bali is much better than the furnace of Malaysia, there's nothing like diving into the clean and clear waters of a swimming pool before lazing on a deck chair and reading the afternoon away. In the evening Carly and Rita helped us order some tailor-made suits – a process that can do anyone's head in: choose the tailor, choose the fabric, choose the style (from an 80s magazine) and then negotiate the price!!! Then walk away with fingers crossed that it'll all work out ok!
We then spent the rest of the night eating great food with our family – something we haven't had until this week, and a clear example of life's simple pleasures.

Adlibing it before it's done.

Day 747 – Living the hard life

If we didn't have flights already booked that would take us away from this island dream, it's quite likely we'd easily lose ourselves in today's daily routine. A lazy morning at the pool with mum and dad, lunch at a streetside restaurant with Carly, then shopping at the many small shops along the streets, an afternoon at the pool, and finally dinner overlooking the ocean while the waves sing their song. Not too much to complain about, and definitely a holiday period unlike our last 2 years of travelling!

Adlibing it on holiday.

Day 746 - Sneaking into the pool

Before checking out of our fancy room, we found a cheap one around the corner, then hung around until checkout to use the pool - we had to take advantage of it while we had it!!!It doesn't really matter that our new cheap place doesn't have a pool, because we just headed over to the JK where were found mumbles and pops by the pool, with chairs and towels already reserved for us! Thanks Jayakarta!!!

We managed to wile away the morning and early afternoon by the pool, before Carly and Jody arrived, and we decided to change scenes and go out for lunch at Batu Belig beach about 4km away. The taxi ride there took us past typical Balinese shops and the odd temple squeezed in amongst it all! We had a great meal with the waves striking the beach and providing the background music, and since we're on holiday and have time up our sleeves, we walked the 4km back along the beach. As we ate up the sandy distance we tried to avoid walking on the mini crab villages dotted out of the sand - it's really cool to see: the crabs make tiny little balls of sand as they dig their holes deeper, and as the sand balls roll on the surface they create neat little patterns. We made it back to the JK in time for the sunset, which was amazing!It was almost like we got treated to 2 sunsets, as it reflected in the thin layer of water still lazing on the flat sand. It was really cool to see everyone (locals and tourists) out and about, making the most of the cool evening - football games with mixed local/tourist teams, tennis, running, and even a father out teaching his sons karate and stretches. After some refreshing ales and chips on the balcony we went out for dinner down the road. Even though the men asked for their food spicy, it came out pretty mild and had to be spiced up with bowls of freshly chopped chillies - Adam learnt the hard way that you shouldn't touch your face after handling these red-hot chillies!! We figure that other tourists come in asking for spicy food, but can't actually handle it, which is why the meals came out mild - little do they know that these guys love their chillies!!

The people staying in the fancy JK (ie mumbles, pops, Kim and Russell) were keen to check out the rooms of the budget travellers, and then we all settled in for the night.

Adlibing it along the beach.

Day 745 - Visiting the Bali family

This morning all 9 of us (mum, dad, Carly and friend Jody, family friends Kim and Russell and the 3 of us) all met at mum's hotel (the Jayakarta - from here on known as the JK) where we jumped into 2 cars and taxi drivers Pops and Russell negotiated their way through the streets of Bali. Mumbles was in charge of navigation and did a great job - only taking one wrong turn. Not that we minded - it just meant we got to see more of this beautiful island.

Along the way we picked up Nahoko, the Porters' Japanese daughter, and her friend Miko - and then we were 11!!

After about 2 hours in the car we made it to Gianyar, a small village only 30km away from where we are staying - why it took so long can be explained by the terrible traffic, but it was a lovely ride along the coast with the blue sea on one side and the green rice fields on the other.
When we arrived at Made's family home, we were greeted by all his family of brothers, sisters, (and their partners), mums, dads, and uncle and aunties - and then of course all the kids!!! All in all there were about 30 of them, so with the 11 of us it was a real party!

Made and his wife Niluh had gone to a lot of effort to make the day special for everyone - they spent the day yesterday shopping at the markets for food, and then today preparing the feast of traditional foods. In the 2 years we've been travelling there have been only a few occasions where we have had the honour to join in with a real local family and see how life really goes on outside of the tourist towns.

Liv's parents along with Kim and Russell have been supporting Made's family for about 10 years now, and it's truly rewarding to see how the family has benefited. Although the money isn't much, and Made and Niluh both work extremely hard, the little bit extra guarantees an education for the 2 girls, and helps out with the house and farm. One of the special parts of the day was looking into Made's mum's eyes, a lady who speaks no English, and seeing the pure gratitude, hidden behind tears she was too proud to shed.
After a few gifts (including a bag full of second hand clothes from NZ) were given to the family, Made surprised us all with gifts made in the local woodcarving village where we works. We enjoyed cold drinks before being led on a group excursion into the rice fields to see the 3 cows the family owns. Along the way we really saw how Made's eldest daughter had grown - taking care of her younger sister Gemma Olivia. After wandering the palm-shaded fields, where farmers buzzed about their work, and learning all about looking after cows, we returned to the Bali-NZ compound for the feast and an afternoon of fun. The meat-eaters had the privilege of trying Niluh's ceremonial chicken - a rare treat!! But everyone's taste-buds were on overdrive as flavours from all the meals made a dish at a restaurant look like a microwave meal!!

We jumped in the cars for a visit to the wood gallery where Made works, where we got to see the artists outside creating their masterpieces.

It wasn't until 5pm that we started heading home - and we got amazing views of one of Bali's volcanoes surrounded by a halo of cloud.

The journey home resulted in a tiki-tour of Kuta, as we lost each other, but we eventually made it back to the JK for some well deserved beers (or "refreshing ales" as the men like to say!).

Much later in the evening we went out for a light meal - still stuffed from the family feast, and in doing so appreciated Niluh's food 10 times over.

Adlibing the Bali-NZ family.

Day 744 - Flying to family

Our morning was spent in preparation for our afternoon flight to Bali - we spent some time on the internet and stocked up on food supplies for the flight (as you don't get food on Air Asia unless you pay for it).

Once at the airport we settled in for an extended wait, as our plane was delayed - the first time in 2 years and the only time we had people waiting for us at the other end!!! The flight went really quickly, we even got to see the sun set from the sky, and soon we were whizzing through customs and into the arms of Mumbles and Pops!

It was wonderful to see Made and Putu - the father and daughter of the Balinese family the Porters met years ago in Bali. We grabbed some wheels and headed to the hotel that Mumbles and Pops booked for us - not only did this mean we didn't have to search for a room, but also that we got a beautiful place with a pool - nothing we could have afforded ourselves! And we were confident we wouldn't walk away with bedbugs here!!

The evening was spent in fast forwarded chatter as the family caught up on a year gone by - the last time we saw Mumbles and Pops was on their visit to China a year ago. Even though we chat regularly on the internet, nothing compares to face-to-face conversation and laughter, as the evening was just amazing.

Before heading out for a meal, the night got even better by Carly's arrival - 2 out of 3 sisters isn't bad!!

Even though it was midnight by the time we got home, we couldn't resist testing the waters of our first ever pool on our 2 year travels! Unfortunately it was freezing, so it was off to bed to sleep in a real bed, and await another day of family fun.

Adlibing it to the Porters.

Day 743 - Into Islam

With only 2 days in KL we want to see as much as possible, so we set off early this morning for another day of sightseeing, though our feet were still cursing us after yesterday! Our first port of call was the Old Kuala Lumpur train station (built in 1911), where we basically had the entire station to ourselves - not too many trains run from this beautiful, Moorish- and Mogul - style station anymore. The glistening dome of the National Mosque soon drew us towards it, and even though we couldn't enter we could appreciate its modern, geometrical designs from the outside. If it had been any other day we would have been able to enter for a look, but today is Friday - the most sacred day for Muslims.

At the mosque we could see the turquoise dome of the Islamic Arts Museum, and skipped across the road to leave the heat of the day in our wake. After 2 hours in this glorious museum we were forced to leave or else freeze to death - on the way out we glanced at the thermostat. It was a chilly 25 degrees!!! We're not sure how we're going to handle the NZ winter if we find we're freezing at 25!

It was really cool checking out all the exhibits at the Museum. The main exhibition on at the moment is a photographic display from a British photographer who captures Muslim life throughout the world, allowing the rest of us a glimpse we might not have otherwise.

The architecture exhibit really caught our eye as it had photos and models of famous Islamic buildings from all round the world - and we'd been to 4 of them: from China, Kazakhstan, India and Malaysia.

As we wandered the streets we were constantly reminded that we are in a predominantly Muslim country, with women in all walks of life wearing the headscarf with pride. As the drizzle arrived we relaxed in our room, and then set off to explore the many tea shops around China Town - picking up our favourite Jasmine Pearl tea from home!

We stuffed our faces with roti canai once again, in fact we'd still eat roti if we weren't even hungry! This provided the much needed energy to battle the claustrophobia markets on the other side of the road that we missed out last night!! And we emerged with bags in hands and made a beeline for our hotel to give our tired feet a rest!
When darkness came we were drawn like moths to the light of the sparkling Petronas Towers. Looking up from the ground, we found them much more dazzling by night, than the views they gave us from the skybridge during the day. Adlibing the twinkling towers.

Day 742 - High above KL

Alarm issues meant that our early morning wake-up was harder to deal with than anticipated, but after years on the road our bodies have become used to waking up and starting the day of touring. We made it to the Pertronas Twin Towers still early enough to get in line for the limited free tickets available each day and headed up to the 41st floor where the footbridge joining the two towers lies. Although the buildings are 82 stories high, making up 452m, we were at 170m and got great views out over the city - although the pollution and glass meant there wasn't a crystal clear view. With our high altitude sight-seeing completed for the day we headed back to the hustle and bustle of China town for some cheap roti and coffee for breakfast. As KL is a compact city, and most of its sights being close together, we made a vague plan of where to go and what to see.

Our feet first delivered us to the Dataran Merdeka - puportedly the worlds tallest flagpole, flying the Malaysian flag high and proud. This area was surrounded by some gorgeous buildings housing the History Museum and National Gallery, but both were closed.

From here we went to check out the Masjid Jamek (Friday Mosque) - a small Mosque surrounded by palm trees and glowing pink in the hazy sky. Unfortunately it was prayer time, and as we're not Muslim we couldn't go in for a look, but we got great views of it from across the river. We went for a stroll through Little India, where it seemed that the only things for sale were headscarves by the millions, rip-off dvds, and of course lots of curries!

We made our way to the cricket ground, where we entered the gorgeous St Marys Cathedral, where its small size seemed out of place in modern KL where everything else is towering above. We then walked past the Royal Selangor Club where Hash House Harriers began, but now it's just a home for KL's elite.

On our way back to China Town we zigged zagged through the streets checking out the rainbow colours of the shop-houses, adding much needed colour to the steel skyscrapers that dominate here. These old buildings from the early 1900s retain some of KL's heritage, most of which has been lost to the growing modernity.

We visited a few Chinese temples, where giant spiral incense hovered overhead and as they burned the wishes of the faithful floated into the sky. Finally, on our walk back to the hotel we passed through the streets markets, full of fresh fruit like these spiky delights - our favourite rambutans. Tonight we spent hours wandering through the lively night market in the centre of China Town, though that was only enough time to see one side of the jam-packed market street. We'll have to do the other side tomorrow ...

Adlibing the sights of KL.

Day 741 - F L Y 2 K L

We've been in the Philippines for almost 2 weeks now, and have loved it thoroughly. We've especially loved the honest people, that is until today (our last day in the country) when we tried to get a jeepney to the airport a few kilometres away. We got a hassle free jeep to a junction where plenty of public jeeps displaying signs for the airport were waiting - however everyone we spoke to told us they didn't go to the airport and we needed a "special" jeep just for the 3 of us, of course at a much higher price. We ignored everyone and just jumped on a public jeep and waited to see how much other people paid - it turned out to be 9 each, verses the 70 each it would have cost for a private one!! We got dropped off right at the terminal, but it was such a shame that on our last day here we had to experience something we are more used to dealing with in the rest of South East Asia.

On the flight Adam's boarding pass held the sequence number 36, which saw him victoriously grasp his Air Asia souvenir as the winner of a lucky draw contest!!

Soon we were bouncing along the runway, as we returned to the Malaysian mainland. With roti canai calling our names we bolted for the skybus and headed straight to China Town in central KL, to find a room and some good Malaysian food.

In the evening we walked around the famous Petaling Market, where we can buy everything we could buy in China, but more expensive! If you're in the market for fake designer goods, this market could be a lot of fun!

Adlibing prizes.

Day 740 - Back to dodgy Dau

With our flight to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, we decided we'd better sleep closer to the airport rather than risk missing our flight. So, we headed back to Dau, where we spent our first night in the Philippines almost 2 weeks ago. In a country that boasts 7,107 islands, its funny to think we only saw 1!!

As we got on the bus all passengers were given a free English Newspaper - it was so cool to see everyone reading - with a 99% English literacy rate here it's not unusual to see people reading in English. As an illustration of the panic H1N1 flu has created in the world, The front page was devoted to the disease - something else to bear in mind as we continue our travels.

On the bus we were treated to a Hollywood movie (the first we've seen in months!!) and then as we are now back in a town that rents rooms by the hour spent the next 5 hours with our bags in order to get a cheaper rate!! All we did was go between fast food outlets and browse the supermarket!

We tried to find a public phone that makes international phonecalls to wish Dee Dee a happy birthday, but there are none at all!!! Sorry Dee, we were thinking of you - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We'll celebrate it in a month!

Adlibing a room by the hour.

Day 739 - Shopping heaven!

We joyfully departed our hideous room and did the reversal of our walk-jeep-bus journey of 2 days previously. The only down side was that we had to stand for the 1 and a half hour bus ride into Manila!

We quickly returned to the nice hotel room in Manila where we had a shower that actually made us feel cleaner, instead of dirtier like at the last place!

As the rain threatened to flood the streets we took shelter in the nearby Robinsons Mall, which ended up with nearly 5 hours of shopping luxury - well for the female members of the adlibing crew anyway!! With prices like NZ$30 for an original pair of levi jeans, and NZ$30 for a Lee shirt, how could we resist?!!! The result was a few kilos of extra weight for our bags!!

Another benefit of huge malls like this is that they are full of fast food joints - this seems like the only diet of choice for most Filipinos, it sure is the only food we can afford here in Manila. Seems like a surefire recipe for creating a population of diabetics ... We weren't complaining though, with our $3 pizza and pasta set!

Adlibing it with even fuller bags!

Day 738 - A steaming volcano

Today we jumped in a boat and headed out to the main crater of Taal Volcano. It was an enjoyable ride as we closed in on this deadly volcano - most of this area was only brought to existence in the devastating eruptions in 1911. At the island, despite the oppressive heat, we decided to walk to the top of the crater instead of hiring a horse. The hour long walk through volcanic rock and sand was sticky but enjoyable - it was fun to see the lake that surrounds the crater grow in size the higher we walked. We met a group of young girls along the way, trying to sell water to the wary travellers - they were so bubbly and full of life, we had an enjoyable 10 minutes relaxing in the sun with them.

At the top we were mesmerized by the glistening green crater lake but were not so keen to go for a dip in the smoldering sulphuric waters that have left the rim of the lake a poisonous looking yellow.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch while taking in the 360 degree views, and then went for a walk around part of the rim, where we got views down over Taal lake and the fishing villages that line its edges.

On the boat ride back we convinced the driver the stop in the middle and allow us to plunge into the green waters of Taal Lake - though we were slightly skeptical of its level of cleanliness!!

Just as we jumped back in the boat we hit the rain, but we were already wet so it didn't really matter!

Back at our hotel we re-entered our room with a look of despair - the accommodation standards in the Philippines has been shockingly low, especially on our budget! Though this is really our only complaint about the Philippines, as we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here.

For dinner we dined on a picnic of steamed rice, fresh tomatoes, and canned chickpeas/tuna while watching kids fishing from a nearby wharf as the sun set over the lake, and battled with the mosquitoes - the winner was clearly of the winged variety!

Adlibing a volcano.

Day 737 - Between feet and motors

Today we spent the majority of our time skipping between slow and fast forms of transportation. Lugging our packs around while using footpower was considerably more difficult than dumping them in a jeepney. We walked from our hotel and jumped on a jeep that battled peak hour Manila traffic and eventually dropped us at an intersection where we walked in search of a bus. Our bus repeated the intersection drop-off and soon we were walking in search of another jeep that drove us to Talisay. In Talisay we walk some more before jamming the 3 of us into a tricycle for the journey 3km out of town. It was at this stage that our day really started going downhill as we began the search for the best of the bad accommodation available here!

Accommodation sorted we attempted to find a restaurant only to be told there weren't any, and that we'd have to make do with the street vendors selling fried chicken and eggs.

The only real positive aspect of our day was that we're perched right on the edge of Taal Lake - which is home to Taal Volcano, one of the worlds smallest and deadliest. The volcano has 47 craters and 35 volcanic cones - the most stunning is Binitiang Malaki, which we had amazing view of from our hotel.Adlibing it to Lake Taal.

Day 736 - Making it to Manila .... late

After freezing our butts off last night, we finally rolled into Manila 3 hours late this morning. On the bus we met Jon and Lisa from Denmark, who'd been to Manila before and led us on a cheap journey to the street with cheap hotels. We checked into the cheapest room (basically a cupboard), while the others went for nicer rooms across the street.

We met up with Rita, Jon and Lisa for a walk through Rizal Park, where hundreds of people were enjoying their Independence Day by lazing in the shade of the trees. From here we made our way to Intramuros, the old Spanish area of town. Along the way we passed many mobile street vendors - their merchandise balanced on their bicycles. We passed under the arched gateway off the walled town, and set off to explore some of its delights. We saw a contrast of sights ranging from graffiti street art on the remaining walls of destroyed buildings, to the gloriously rebuilt Manila Cathedral. At the Cathedral we were dazzled by the colours of the stained glass windows and taken back by the immense size of the beautiful building. We had to talk in whispers to avoid our voices echoing down the long hall.

Still within the walls of the city we went to Fort Santiago - originally from the 16th Century, the fort has endured a lifetime of defence against all nationalities who have invaded its walls: Chinese, Dutch, British, American, and Japanese. The fort (and in fact all of Intramuros) was destroyed by bombs from WWII.

From the walls of the fort we got a great view out over the river and China Town that lies on the other side. Its cool to see the new-aged towers of Manila blooming in the distance, while we stand within the walls of the past. With China Town calling we set off on foot across the river and into the madness. Here the contrast between rich and poor and old and new really showed through: beggars and their naked kids line the streets that Mercedes cars race down, slum-like houses sit shadowed by the concrete and glass apartment blocks of the upper-class. We loved walking the market streets, though our short little Adliber was easily lost in the chaos!On our wanders we passed a cute little girl sitting in her doorway (photo coming ...), absolutely lost in the world the words of the book had created.

After leaving the innocence of this girl, we walked straight into the middle of a peaceful march where protesters carried flames high and flags with pride. The participants loved seeing us, and were more than happy to play up for the camera!!As we made our way back home night began to arrive - the dodgy, seedy feel of Manila engulfed us. It seemed like every second door we passed was full of prostitutes or aggressive street kids, leaving us with the feeling that we needed to hang on tight to our stuff and get inside as quick as possible.

When we returned to the hotel it looked like our night was going to finish on a positive note, as a trio of bongo drummers were banging up a storm in the hotel cafe. However as we settled in for our much deserved sleep, an itchy feeling took over, and soon Adam was engaged in a battle for a refund so we could leave our bed-bug infested cupboard behind and check into the hotel we should have forked out the few extra dollars for in the first place!

Adlibing vibrant Manila.