The famous rice terraces.
I’ve had a bit of stomach distress the past few days, but feel great today. Movin’ on a couple of hours to Banaue, Ifugao.
Month: December 2011
fearmongering Iran
After almost 9yrs the USA has finally officially left Iraq. The Iraq that had nothing to do with 9/11. The Iraq that had no weapons of mass destruction.
George W. Bush was a blunderer as well as a decider. Iraq was his greatest blunder.
What’s next?
… The Republicans that started the War — Neo-cons like Dick Cheney, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — as well as the major Republican Presidential candidates — have all spoken out against the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. They have made clear that they would never have signed the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government that set up a time-table for withdrawal, had they not intended to change it.
Obama’s Republican opponent, John McCain, has been particularly outspoken in his opposition. McCain, after all, once said that he had no objection to American troops remaining in Iraq for a hundred years. …
Republicans and FOX News will certain jump on the clear and present danger of Iran — filling the power vacuum.
Really?
The stars designate American military bases.
Iraq was a huge waste of time, resources and energy. History will confirm.
Will the USA ever be able to repay the $.8 to $3 trillion they spent on the war?
I doubt it.
Hot Water Beach, New Zealand
Longs made it to one of the hottest attractions.
details on their blog – New Zealand Day 7: Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove
President Newt? … give me a break
I’d rather see Donald Trump as President.
beggar children of Boracay
Not far off life in the street myself, I’ve long been a student of the art and science of begging.
I’ve seen some good ones. Especially in India.
My philosophy on how to deal with beggars is posted here.
On the world famous resort of Boracay, Philippines you’ll meet many kids like this.
They wear torn, dirty and hilariously over-sized t-shirts. It works for me.
See more of Dennis Lee’s photos and find out what happened when he gave a mother enough money for food for a week.
These cute, tiny ragamuffins are the best beggars I’ve seen since the Chicklet girls (PHOTO) of Mexico.
A Chicklet girl, going restaurant to restaurant, might earn more than a Mexican police officer.
Randor has a Boracay blog. On one post he mentions that a beggar can easily earn more than a chambermaid at your resort ($.18/hr).
Before you hand that little guy a dollar, think on how that makes YOUR personal employees feel. Instead leave that dollar for your hotel staff (under your pillow) when you check-out. Give the little guy an orange.
Don’t reflexively go all Holier than thou, like this guy — Boracay Native Child Turned Beggar due to Island Invasion — ask the locals what’s really happening with the beggars in front of their shops. They know.
It’s more complicated than it first appears.
In Manila I stayed at a 5 Star hotel for a week. On Saturdays a vehicle pulls up and delivers a row of pitiful looking mothers with tiny babies. It’s business. You have to wonder how much of the money they collect the ladies get to keep.
I saw the same exact same mothers & babies on Sudder street, Calcutta.
The baby is not necessarily the child of the mothers. They mix and match to get the best donations.
how to swim like a dolphin
Inventor (French Jet Ski Champion) Franky Zapata explains how. He calls it the “Flyboard”.
It gets pretty technical after 2min 40sec.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (French)
$9000
(via Get Outdoors)
you need a virtual body
If you want to model for H&M, you need a body exactly like these young ladies.
Exactly.
The bodies of most of the models H&M features on its website are computer-generated and “completely virtual,” the company has admitted.
H&M designs a body that can better display clothes made for humans than humans can, then “dresses” it by drawing on its clothes, and digitally pastes on the heads of real women …
(via Kottke)
Boracay – a review
Lonely planet, as they often do, nailed it:
Beautiful Boricay manages to meet, exceed or defy expectations. It rarely disappoints.
That’s surprising since this is likely the single most touristy destination on all of Philippines 7100 tropical islands.
A beach holiday is low on my personal priority list. But the 5 nights flew by. Very relaxing.
Once or twice a day I ran the beach. Mid-day I went exploring. It’s a small island. I covered most of it.
I recommend Boracay if ever you get the chance to visit. Solo, no go. Bring a date or come with a group.
It’s definitely good for kids. A safe beach.
Considerations:
• you still need barter for everything on the beach
• touts and hawkers are annoying
• quality of most goods/services is low
• there’s no reliable tourist information
• there are no hostels here — a shame since it was first “discovered” by backpackers
• motorized roadways are Hellish
Recommendations:
• 99% of tourists stick to White Beach. If you leave that strip, even to either end of the Beach, life improves.
• if you are looking to save Pesos, the best value White Beach accommodation is in a quiet dead end alley near Station 3. The top pick is Dave’s Straw Hat Inn. Recommended by Lonely Planet, it’s usually full. Prices are now up to $35 / night or more. Others nearby are almost as good and half the price.
• I stayed in the ($19 including breakfast) fan rooms at Orchid Inn. If you come with 2-3 people, better are the upscale Orchid Inn Private Villas (3ys old). Compare others against that option. Prices vary wildly. Barter.
• I did finally see dormitory beds for about $8.
• Hundreds of restaurants on the beach did not impress me. The only one I can recommend is the German hangout, Kurts.
Be careful with the famed buffets. Food often sits long, under-heated. The famed Mongolian barbecues are better.
• Dana would like Boracay — Starbucks is here.
Stay out of the ocean. Fish pee in it. ☺ … I have no idea what all those happy people are doing out in sailboats.
The two activities I was willing to pay money for did not seem to be open during my stay:
• Ariel’s Point
• Ride the Zorb (not actually affiliated with the original Zorb, New Zealand)
More of my photos:
• White Beach
• Bulabog Beach
• Boracay random
related:
• 10 Commandments on the Beach
• Lonely Planet – Boracay – Fantasy vs. Reality
en route to Sagada
One of the great backpacker hangouts in the world.
Sagada is famous for its “hanging coffins”. This is a traditional way of burying people that is still utilized. Not anyone is qualified to be buried this way; one had to, among other things, be married and have grandchildren.
Popular activities include trekking, exploring both caves and waterfalls, spelunking, bonfires, picnics, rappelling …
… a 12hr bus ride is the easiest way to get there.
Occupy Capitalism
I’m naturally sympathetic to popular uprisings … the Tea Party and Occupy _______, for example.
Nothing ever improves unless people get passionate.
On the other hand, both those movements have been mostly irrational and incoherent. Especially Occupy.
Occupy what?
Here’s the first list of complaints I can understand:
• a failure to price public goods (clean air, water, etc.) effectively
• high levels of inequality
• “the provision and distribution of medical care”
• undervaluing of “the welfare of unborn generations”
• financial crises
Those are from Economist Kenneth Rogoff.
Rogoff, not surprisingly, feels that free market Capitalism is the best solution for each:
… I am often asked if the recent global financial crisis marks the beginning of the end of modern capitalism. It is a curious question, because it seems to presume that there is a viable replacement waiting in the wings. The truth of the matter is that, for now at least, the only serious alternatives to today’s dominant Anglo-American paradigm are other forms of capitalism. …
Government regulatory reform is needed, not any experiment with Communism.
Why are the USA, Iceland, Ireland, Greece and Italy — to name a few — so much worse off than their economic neighbours?
That’s the question.
(via Freakonomics)
Rick McCharles 