*Cough* *Hack* *Gag* *Cough* Hack*, boy the pollution is a vile part of everyday life here. So much so that locals walking around town often cover their mouths and noses with masks, like the ones dentists wear when they're grinding away at your teeth. Other people just carry around rags and hold them to their mouths in an attempt to filter out some of the thick, black exhaust that seems to be pouring out of every vehicle. Most of the vehicles on the road are the ubiquitous Filipino jeepneys (side note: I don't why its spelled "jeepney", everyone here just calls them "jeeps"). Literally, when these lumbering public transport vehicles (picture a standard jeep crossed with a bus) chug up the hill, it looks like someone attached a fog machine under the rear bumper. Except the fog coming out of this machine is black and toxic. On the flip side, they are a very cheap and handy way to get around this city. By cheap I mean about P8 - P10, depending on the distance. That's roughly 20 cents. And by handy I mean they cram as many people in as possible, drive like a bat out of hell, and don't stop unless someone yells "Para!". Also, the head room and leg room are seriously lacking. Jeepneys are cramped even for the average diminutive statured Filipinos. I can't help but get my big legs in the way of everyone and I have to hunch over as if I'm eating breakfast in a dog house.
Speaking of the traffic, as if the pollution it causes isn't bad enough, the erratic driving of nearly everyone would be enough to make even the most daring daredevil nervous when crossing the road. I wouldn't even dream of driving on these roads. There seem to be no rules. There may be laws on the books, but nobody follows them. Yesterday I saw something truly frightening. I was walking down the sidewalk. Jeepneys, cars, motorcycles, trucks, you name it, were veering this way and that. Honking, swerving, punching the gas and slamming the breaks. I look up just in time to see an old woman walking my way, crossing where a side street intersected the street we were both walking along. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a white SUV come racing down the side street. Things started happening in slow motion. The old woman was oblivious to the SUV. The SUV driver didn't see the woman until it was almost too late. He hit the brakes hard and went sliding into the intersection, contacting the woman with what I would call an "aggressive nudge". If the driver hadn't stood on the breaks when he did that frail old woman would have been sent flying into the busy street. Scary.
Earlier in the day I rode a jeepney up to a park on the outskirts of town which had amazing views of the mountains. The place was named Mines View Park, although there was no signs of any mines in the area. I guess I shouldn't say I rode a jeepney to the park, though. Rather I should say I boarded a jeepney headed to the vicinity of the park, after about 15 minutes panicked thinking we'd passed the park, deboarded the jeepney far too early, had to walk the rest of the way, got lost, consulted the map, got frustrated with the map, asked for directions, was given confusing directions, gave up, headed back to town, then stumbled upon the park accidentally. All and all a fairly normal adventure for me. I got my first photo at Mines View Park. A very nice Filipino woman, accompanying a friendly Australian man, took a photo of me (with my disposable camera) with the valley and mountains in the background. Now I just need to use up the camera to get the pictures developed. When will they invent disposable digital cameras so I can upload photos right away?
I've also been meeting more Westerners. I met Simon, the Canadian guy. Fred, the Frenchman. Mardel and Mark from Alaska. And today four Australian women came stomping down the hall of the hostel. It's nice to have a normal flowing conversation in English. For a while there the only English conversations I was having were with myself, in my head. That's not healthy.
Tomorrow I'm departing Baguio and headed for Vigan, where Spanish colonial architecture await. Then back to Baguio and north to the world famous rice terraces and mummies. Sweet as!
I hope everyone is doing well in other parts of the world. Take care!
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