Goodbye, Philippines. Part 2/2 (sort of)

Well, first things first. So, in the previous post where I said that I was coming to the end of pictures from the Philippines... "end" might not have been the right word. Apparently I'm just very disorganized, and I do in fact have more photos--just not from the Sagada portion of the trip.

So I was right, and I was wrong. Mostly wrong. But... whatever.

Moving on...

My father, pretty much anywhere we go, likes to do martial arts, practice poi, or do high kicks with his shirt off. Obviously he wasn't partaking in the last-named hobby of his, or I don't think there would have been such a laid-back group of kids hanging around and watching. I like this picture a lot. I don't really know why, other than the expressions on their faces and the seeming contentment in their youth. Simpler times.

 

This day was sad and beautiful. It was dawn, just slightly down the mountain, still above the clouds, and it was our day of departure back to Manila. It's pretty amazing--seeing dawn and the sky from above the clouds.

On our way out of the mountains, we were delayed because of a landslide from the day before. Improper machinery (but probably the nearest available to get the road fixed) and helping hands filled rock and dirt into the breach. Onlookers stood at the cliff face, which guarded passing vehicles with about a foot tall cement ledge--if it had any railing at all.

For a good leg of the trip, I rode down in the bed of a pickup truck. The air was chill, fresh, and occasionally laced with diesel from the passing trucks and buses carrying vegetables, people, and other what have you's. Aside from the occasional drifting around a corner mixed with heart attack, that trip back into to Manila, doing nothing but staring out into the sky, staring through the trees... I think the more I try to say about it, the less accurate the whole thing becomes.

Anyway, that's it. It was fun, it was beautiful, it was peaceful. If you ever have the opportunity to hop in a car, head to an unfamiliar destination, and meet good people and eat some new, good food--go for it.

2009 was a pretty crazy year.