I just spent an unsuccessful afternoon at the Indonesian Embassy trying to convince them to process my visa with the requirements for Canadian nationals, despite the fact that I am in Manila. I kept waving my Canadian passport around aimlessly; they kept saying “You are in Manila. You will be treated as a Filipino national.” [...]

On June 21st, I took the Atienza cargo ferry from El Nido to Coron Town. I took this ferry the last time I left El Nido, and while it was full of random cargo and lots of people, it wasn’t a disaster. This time, however, it was far less pleasant.

I walk around this country and often think of ways to express my love for it on this blog. It is hard to accurately synthesize what makes every day here a lesson in hilarity or, as a friend aptly noted a ‘carnival of lunacy’ in so many ways. With the patience of the unemployed, every day in the Philippines brings me something new to savour, and a new oddity to encounter. From relearning what air sirens mean, to watching a staunchly catholic country celebrate Miss Ladyboy Philippines 2009 to being swept along in the swirling current of daily life in a small town, this enigmatic country is full of contradictions and they are a pleasure to explore.

It seems necessary to devote a full blog post to my trip from Iloilo to Palawan, given how fundamentally different it was from the usual tricyle/bus/boat combo that has peppered my time in the Philippines thus far.

Off your typical backpacking circuit, arriving in Mongolia at dawn via Train 362 was shock to the system.

Dispatches from the longest border crossing of all time, from Siberia to Mongolia.

My flight from JFK to Moscow was an alcohol-soaked adventure that I will never forget.

Definitely the worst bus ride I’ve ever had, hot off the heels of a drunk driver in Uyuni. A tiring week!

Food poisoning from a llama empanada, optical illusions and a very drunk driver at Salar de Uyuni- quite an adventure in Bolivia!