The bus journey up to Baguio takes around 6 hours and after some initial dramas of 'no seatbelt?' and 'no headrests!' It was plain sailing. Nat was up front with Dan G regaling her with tales and stories. It was amazing to watch him as I consider him the Al Pacino of the Philippines - don't ask he just looks, sounds and acts like Pacino in say Scarface... No? Ok it's just me then lol! He's a genuinely lovely guy and a hoot to be around. The rest of us set about blogging or sleeping. Sleep in the Philippines is grabbed as and when and we are all now adept at sleeping with lolling heads!
The journey passed uneventfully for me. Mainly because I slept for mat of it! I was awake for Amy photographing Nat with her mouth wide open snoring with Dan G with his arm around the back of the chair! You had to be there buy the sight was hilarious, all at Natalie's expense I'm afraid.
It was not until we hit the mountain region of Baguio that I started to sit up and take note. The scenery had started to give way to jagged rising buttresses of rock with cascading water glowing swiftly down through its v shaped river channels. The rivers were low but the sight of huge rocks, trees and other detritus gave the promise of how powerful the water is here in rainy season. They were in a word breath taking and as we climbed ever higher up the steep, narrow road which clung to the hill side, the views just kept getting better. I had my camera out desperately trying to get a landscape shot but we were turning and moving to quickly. I was about to give up just as we were reaching the turn at a particularly impressive viewpoint over a huge vista of mountains when strange whining noises came from the engine. We all perked up and looked at each other. Mario our cast driver who had been belting the shuttle bus up the mountain at warp 10 suddenly looked slightly panicked and we were ordered to shut off the aircon! Too little to late tho and with a final whine a d bang, the radiator burst and Mario coasted the bus to a stop right on the corner I wanted us to stop at! Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I jumped out of the bus and wandered to the edge of the road and snapped away. The rest of the team followed whilst Dan and Mario set to work looking at the bus. Where we broke down couldn't have been better picked as there was a shop selling food and also conveniently tables and chairs! What are the odds eh? Richard and Amy settled down at a lovely solid wood table with matching chairs whilst I grabbed some pics with Kate and Nat. All was going well until I watched in disbelief a car overtake seven others as it approached our blind turn. As it reached the hairpin still in the lane for traffic travelling down (narrow road - think horseshoe pass etc) an HGV rounded the turn coming down and was forced to swerve out. This led it to drive straight at us sat on the wall above the 600' plunge into the valley below. This was enough for us to go join Amy and Richard and I gabbed some crisis from the shop and pulled out the sandwiches sealed in 'Reynolds' sandwich bags made by Marby herself and offered then around. Natalie was desperately trying to befriend a young 6 y o local boy who was sat with another lad aged maybe 14 who was sorting beans. It was commented that we we're interrupting him in his counting but to be honest I don't think he was paying us ant attention but progress with the younger boy who I shall name Duncan just because I can, was made when I suggested Natalie offer him the packs of biscuits we had in our little picnic hamper! Duncan happily took the biscuits and then spent time playing with them like cards with Natalie trying to mime to him that he should eat them and Richard commenting that he didn't think that Duncan looked like a Ritz cracker kind of man! All this musing had happily distracted us from our broken down plight and the sight of Mario pouring water into the engine and it pouring out of the shattered radiator beneath was actually amusing. It is amazing how quickly you can just accept things in the Philippines as had this been back at home we would've been much more stressed. Maybe it was the rarified mountain air but it really didn't concern me and I just found the whole bizarre situation of breaking down at a shop with table and chairs, food and breath taking views just amusing.
A plan was hatched by Dan G and as soon as the Australians had been safely dropped off, their vehicle was sent to collect us. We abandoned our worldly goods, well apart from Richard who had sense to get his and put it in the 4x4 and all clambered inside. Don't fear now, it was three in the front and four in the rear. An interetsing journey in the city was had with Natalie sitting in the footwell of the car, three up front and four in the rear. I had my legs crushed into shapes that they were not ever designed to go into and Amy and Kate were getting all up close and personal! It was an interesting journey from the point of view that our new driver didn't appear to know how to get back to the Diner that he had just come from and true to form some real quality Filipino driving was observed which included a U turn on a busy main road, the wrong way around road abouts and driving left past the one way keep right sign. The essence of driving in the Philippines is basically to take any rules in any given driving situation and too do pretty much what the heck you like!
After a bizarre journey we eventaully arrived at the 50's diner. This was a very much authentic classic American diner and is common in this part of the world. The back story to Baguia is that it was a favourite haunt for Americans in the Philippines due to its cooler climate. This is reflected in the architecture, culture and style in the city. The back story to this particularly diner is that is has been around since the 50's and is a genuine American diner and has been run and managed by the same Chinese family for the whole time! After some gangnam style filming on the high chrome swivel chairs and a strawberry smoothy it was off to Camp John Hey and our destination, Forest Lodge. This is a posh, swanky US golf course meets county club affair and on arrival we new it was going to be good. The place was divine inside and after bouncing on our double beds and admiring the size, quality and luxery of the rooms, we realised that we were still part from our luggage which was still somewhere down the mountains. As a result much filming was the order of the afternoon so that we would have sufficient material for our Gangnam tribute video. Much to the amusement of the staff who kept catching us mid film shot, we spent time holding up the lifts, walking with style and panache down corridors and other things that you will clearly see in the film. Our only saving grace was that they hadbooked us 'children' into a wing that was still undergoing room fitting and we had the run of the place pretty much!
After our luggage arrived it was a quick change and then a relaxed meal in the city. It was the first time that I was asked what I wanted to order and so I passed over my selection. True to form, what appeared was not what I ordered and many many dishes were put down in what is the traditional Filipino hospitality of 'death by many dishes!' Basog Na Acol later (I'm full) and it was back to the rooms and some beers were bought along the way. May and I then worked solidly on the fim until the early hours with Natalie and Richard pitching in (until Richard flaked) as we need to get this done as our big presentation is up in 2 days and we haven't got the film nor the presentation ready! Nothing like a bit of pressure to focus the mind!
District Conference 2013 starts properly tomorrow and it promises to be the 'Discon' it has been billed as. Nervous, excited and exhausted - I fall into bed.
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