The Longest Way Home Journal (aka point2point)The journal of a 33 year old guy traveling the world in search of home.tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-21:/blog/?domain=outcast{ts '2009-05-11 11:47:15'}TLWHhttps://tlwh.travellerspoint.com/img/travel-blog-feed.pngPoint2Point taking a breaktag:travellerspoint.com,2009-05-05:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=117&entryid=1602972009-05-11T11:47:15Z2009-05-11T11:47:15ZI'm now running a series of articles on my website The Longest Way Home about living on an island in the Philippines.
So the Point2Point blog here, is taking a little break. It was only every meant to be my online journal from Portugal to China. But in doing so developed into The Longest Way Home website.
For that I really want to give the folks at Traveller ...The Darker Side of Manila, Part 2tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-12-22:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=107&entryid=1425372009-04-21T12:06:13Z2009-04-21T11:40:38Z"Ba ... shunnng!"
I have no idea what it meant. But Lu was not happy and was warning some tiny, skinny scruffy man in a torn t-shirt to get away from her. Thinking he'd taken a liberty with her I stepped up behind him and shouldered a distance between them. A local stall woman placed a hand on his shoulder and then wagged a finger at him. He left without another word.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing. It's fine." Lu went into ...The Darker Side of Manila, Part 1tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-12-22:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=99&entryid=1333892009-04-08T14:52:20Z2009-04-08T14:52:20Z"You want cheap shorts and a fake cell phone?"
I looked at Lu and blinked. Cheap shorts were a must. The humidity was high like the heat, and since i could now wear them again. I wanted them. I cut her off before she mentioned anything about about going to a mall. Too expensive. And in truth, I really wanted to see what the real Manila was like. i'll never get tired of jeepney rides
We took a Jeepney and then ...Batad, the Real Rice Terrace Capital of the Philippines?tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-03-03:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=113&entryid=1455302009-03-28T14:12:58Z2009-03-28T14:12:58ZIt was a long argument, and Lu won. We would only be taking a day trip to Batad. I wanted to stay overnight, but she was all terraced out. We left early, on a jeepney, and then another until finally stopping off at the base of the trek. heading up
The trek was not so hard, we could have shortened it by paying an outrageous 200 pesos for a 15 minute lift to the top of the valley. [u][img=https://photo ...Exploring the Rice Terraces of The Philippines, Banauetag:travellerspoint.com,2009-03-03:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=109&entryid=1426722009-03-14T14:24:00Z2009-03-14T14:24:00ZBanaue is a small town that's featured in every guide book due to it's UNESCO world heritage approved - Philippine Rice Terraces. As much as these sites are interesting, the tourist influx lowers their appeal to me.
"How much?"
"1,500 pesos, per room."
After China, and Nepal I was having problems adjusting to high room prices in the Philippines. Even when sharing with Lu, I was still paying more. Wh ...Caving in Sagada, then we went a little deeper ...tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-02-23:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=108&entryid=1425612009-03-01T16:23:04Z2009-03-01T16:23:04Zmorning mist in sagadaThe morning mist lifted off the surrounding mountains to reveal the first of our beautiful Rice Terraces. The air was cooler than it should have been in the tropical Philippines. The sky was lined with thick cloud. In most places that would have been a bad omen. Or a least a shady day. For me it brought light relief as we walked down a gravel strewn road for a day of caving in Sa ...Trekking in Sagada, with Hanging Coffins and a Dead Touristtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-02-11:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=102&entryid=1373072009-02-23T23:14:09Z2009-02-17T16:03:19Z
It was the first time I was alone since arriving in the Philippines. After making sure Lu was okay at the hotel I was back at the coffins. I'd dodged a few of the guides again. Avoiding the pleas that it was impossible to locate them without a guide, and one chap telling me about the dangers involved.back at the coffins
I spent ...This journal is now available for the sight impairedtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-02-09:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=116&entryid=1493872009-02-10T23:01:03Z2009-02-10T19:38:18ZWhile this site is a hanging wall for my photography, a shelf for my stories and a desk for my journal I'd also like to make it more accessible for as many people as possible.
While in Africa I met many children and adults who loved to hear about the rest of the world. Story telling, images and events were a big thing. The same is true the world over.
I have also met people with reading or sight impairments ...From the past I learn ... & find inspiration for the futuretag:travellerspoint.com,2009-01-28:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=115&entryid=1474102009-02-01T16:06:40Z2009-02-01T16:06:40ZAs a follow up to my previous journal entry about now being over 4 years on the road in search of home; below is temple in lhasaan extract from the 2nd part of my experience of getting caught up in the Tibet Riots. I'm posting it here, now; as it's one of the events in the last year that had a profound effect on me. A positive one. At this stage life on the road in search of ...Four Years on the Road in Search of a Place Called Hometag:travellerspoint.com,2009-01-08:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=112&entryid=1446762009-01-14T15:48:44Z2009-01-12T16:32:38ZIf it wasn't for the website I probably wouldn't have written up a journal entry about being four years on the road now. I would have done what I did the last few years and just shuffled the idea into the darker area that is my subconscious and looked back at it from a rear view mirror perspective. time ticks on ...
But that little timer in the top right keeps ticking away reminding me ...
I got a one ...What's it like for Christmas in the Philippines?tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-12-25:/blog/?domain=tlwh&thisblog_entryid=110&entryid=1427002008-12-25T17:42:00Z2008-12-25T17:42:00ZJust a quick little update to Christmas festivities in the Philippines on Christmas Eve.
Near endless shiny sparkly lights and badly dressed Santa's aside. If anyone has ever been to the Philippines they might have noticed the numerous fireworks displays that seem to run every other week from one mall or another. No? Well most tourists are too busy on a beach or dare I say going to see hanging coffins to notice the Mall gathering points where most of ...The Hanging Coffins of Sagagatag:travellerspoint.com,2008-12-09:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=101&entryid=1372982008-12-11T02:08:04Z2008-12-10T16:25:46Z"We'll get lost otherwise!"
"I have a map!"
"So ..."
After the previous debacle of having to pay 20 pesos just to enter Sagada, I was now being asked to pay 200 for a guide to the hanging coffins. I looked at Lu and surrendered. We paid, and headed off down the main town road past a quaint churchon the way ....
I remembered what it was like as a 'seasoned' traveler vs local traveler. ...Great Modern Traveler update: Karl Bushby is in Troubletag:travellerspoint.com,2008-12-02:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=105&entryid=1398522008-12-03T17:27:46Z2008-12-03T16:30:46Zkarls blogNot so long ago I wrote an article for my Great Modern Travelers section about Karl Bushby. A man who in the late 90's set out to literally walk around the world. No canoes, human powered vehicles, nothing but two feet and two arms. It took him 6 years to walk from South America to Canada, an unbroken pat ...The Journey to Sagada, Prostitutes & Berries excluded ...tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-25:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=100&entryid=1366852008-11-26T18:46:47Z2008-11-26T16:28:40ZWe left Manila quite early on fairly nice bus. The open window was my air-con in the rising heat, as Lu sat on the other side of the window shivering. It was only open a crack, and still I sweated as I watched the hawkers outside.
I'd heard from other tourists about Filipino buses being terrible. But I didn't see it myself. Okay, it didn't have a TV, nor great suspension. But I also wasn't being kicked out in a ...Mudslides & Sunshine: via smstag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-20:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=104&entryid=1383572008-11-21T22:36:34Z2008-11-21T14:40:24ZJust sending this in via sms. The rain has been really heavy. Heard about a few mudslides in the north. Everything is fine though. Just rains for a few hours, then stops for the rest of the day. Not sure if the photo will appear but at least when its not raining some people can still sleep in the sun! Its also seriously difficult to send an sms from a bouncing bus!!!
...A date at the Mall of Asia, with not much juicetag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-12:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=98&entryid=1332792008-11-12T21:17:42Z2008-11-12T20:21:48ZMy newly introduced travel partner, Lu Lu, was beautiful. Names aside, the Philippines certainly do have beautiful girls. Lu worked in advertising, and was just about to start off in a new firm. She was all for traveling to the North. And I was glad I passed the first Filipino test of saying I like the Malls ...
jeepney to the mallVince was all for another Mall, so this time I was introduced to one ...The Filipino obsession with the shopping mall!tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-28:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=97&entryid=1332772008-11-07T15:27:26Z2008-10-29T14:09:31ZNow firmly settled in a nice little cockroach free hotel in Sucat, Manila, I started to venture out for the first time. Not such a good thing for my Filipino buddy Vince. I was hoping for more today. It was the capital, so I wasn't expecting my first Asian tropical rain forest or anything. Maybe a small island trip. Or, a cool local district with lots happening. Or even a local market! So where did Vince take me . ...Manila, I like it. The hotel, I hate it!tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-14:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=96&entryid=1319592008-11-06T10:43:53Z2008-10-16T20:16:40ZLike all good pre-departures people had filled my head with horror stories about Manila. Big, grid locked traffic, pollution, thieves, dirty and just about the worst place you would want to be. Strangely, like in so many countries, most of this came from Filipino's!
To make matters even more interesting the flight arrived at 4am. Immigration planted a free 21 day visa into my passport, and customs ushered me through without question. So far so good. Outside in the waiting ...What does an Overland Traveler do at an Airport?tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-30:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=95&entryid=1294312008-10-01T00:54:19Z2008-09-30T15:05:57ZShanghai airport, the first one I have seen since Europe. And what a desolate sterile place it is. At least at 6pm in the evening, nearly five hours before my first flight in a while. The place is deserted. Only me and some Beijing 2008 posters. The super fast train didn't live up to it's name in some complex way. It closes early meaning the ten minutes of 400km per hour got me here quickly, but now it was a ...From, email to journal, to blog, to website to journal againtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-15:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=94&entryid=1288272008-09-17T18:17:26Z2008-09-17T16:58:32ZWell it may have taken me a few years but finally I managed to stitch together a website for and of my travels.
One thing I noticed when traveling that always annoys and hinders me is the lack of personal internet access I can get in public computers. I have firefox on a stick. But it is constantly infected with viruses, and sometimes copies all my bookmarks to the public computer.
With the website I hope to try something new ...Point2Point - Finding Home Updatetag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-07:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=93&entryid=1265382008-09-07T16:34:15Z2008-09-07T16:28:19ZThis blog actually started as an online journal. I'd tried emailing myself updates, and even emailing friends asking them to keep a record. But neither worked out. Being in some "remoter" places meant at one time Hotmail deleted all my folders and journal entries for not logging in.
I kept a hand written diary, but there's a huge chunk missing, namely life and living in Nigeria, which is still in hardcopy format and I seriously don't have the time to write ...Great Modern Travelers, Part 10 - Expedition Equustag:travellerspoint.com,2008-08-27:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=92&entryid=1257882008-10-06T16:27:45Z2008-08-29T14:42:06ZWelcome to part ten and my final article on Great Modern Travelers. We've looked at those that have traveled a lot in this world. But who is out there embarking on a great travel trip at the moment that we can follow alongside? Well the good news is Expedition Equus is, the bad is it's just been delayed. But, that means there's still time to find out what it's all about.
Two girls traveling overland on horseback ...Great Modern Travelers, Part 9 - Kinga Choszcztag:travellerspoint.com,2008-08-20:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=91&entryid=1249102008-10-06T16:26:21Z2008-08-21T15:43:38ZWelcome to the 9th installment of my look at Great Modern Travelers. I have tried to steer clear of super great adventurers that are known the world over. Touching more on the lesser knowns out there. I was therefore a little surprised at not hearing about Polish born Kinga Choszcz aka Kinga Freespirit. She has after all hitchhiked around the world. After reading some more of what she had done, I learned a lot. And I think that's why a ...Great Modern Travelers, Part 8 - Jason Elliottag:travellerspoint.com,2008-08-07:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=89&entryid=1204602008-10-06T16:25:52Z2008-08-14T16:02:44ZWe've met some people that have conquered the globe in many different ways for many different reasons. There is another side to travel that is often overshadowed by trips of vast distances. That is traveling within one country for a prolonged period of time. Meet Jason Elliot. A Londoner who fell in love with Afghanistan, in both the good times and the bad.
At the young age of 19 Jason joined the mujaheddin in Afghanistan to fight alongside them. Some 10 ...Great Modern Travelers, Part 7 - Christina Rivera "Solbeam"tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-21:/blog/?domain=outcast&thisblog_entryid=88&entryid=1204192008-10-06T16:25:22Z2008-08-07T11:27:17ZWelcome to part 7 in my series of articles on great travelers of today.
Following from last weeks article on a great travel blog from a person that's not hit the 'main stream' I came across www.solbeam.com, a website that is a live journal documenting the travels of Sol aka Christina Rivera.
Have you ever come across that traveler who's out there searching for something? If like me you come across them and promptly turn the other way for fear of ...