The joys and fears of unplanned traveler

View from hotel balcony in Banaue

i arrived in the mountain village of Banaue, Philippines, this morning at 5am off an overnight bus from Manila. It was very dark, mist was falling, the streets were slick, and my backpack weighed about 30 pounds. I did not have a hotel reservation. 

I had been to this beautiful place for but a single day back in October of 2012. I was enchanted by it then and vowed to return when I could spend more time, do some longer hikes, and experience less cloudy weather that would allow me to view the rice terraces more fully.

So I am back. This is only my third full day of a three month backpacking tip in SE Asia. After a couple weeks here, I fly to Ho Chi Minh City to attend my son's wedding reception with his bride's family. In early January, my friend who is flying over to attend the wedding and I will spend some time hiking in northern Vietnam near the China border. After that it will be wandering Thailand and perhaps Cambodia for bit and back to the Philippines, this time to the southern islands where I have never been. Home to a hoped-for early spring at the very end of February.

My leisurely trip in the last two days had included a walk in Manila to Rizal Park, around the walls of Intramuros, a visit to Ft Santiago, and an hour studying the collections of indigenous crafts at the National Museum of the Philippine People. I also took a very wet boat ride to hike the Taal Volcano, south of Manila. And I managed to find the time to visit a giant shopping mall to get a local SIM card for my phone. My bus for Banaue left at 9 last evening and I had to help my driver find the bus station using GoogleMaps. (Manila traffic is a hot mess.)

Between jet lag and the bus ride, I've not gotten much sleep - not good for a guy who really likes his 8 hours every night. The heat and humidity has done anything for my appetite either. My eyesight has not fully recovered from retinal surgery last month, making depth perception challenging at times.

Arriving in a small town in a foriegn country without a hotel reservation is not my usual style of travel. I am a planner and early booker of tickets and tours. I had to be since my vacation time during my working years was limited. With three months and only a wedding and a booked tour for the Vietnam hike, my time is my own so now I can experiment.

Unscheduled travel has its advantages and disadvantages I am already learning. I get nervous about not being sure I have a hotel at night or a bus ticket to the next town. So far I am still in the limited time mindset as you can tell from the list of things I've done on this trip so far. I find I need to do, do, do. So while I love not having to rush about, pick the top three feature of local area, spend hours on the Internet making reservation, I also worry that some night I will be sleeping in a park in the rain when all the hotels are full of planners.

So today and at least every few days I will deliberately set aside the bulk of my hours to writing, reading, relaxing, and napping. Not my style but I am hoping I will get accustomed to the slower pace. It will be a challenge.

Oh, by 6am this morning I was checked into the top rated hotel in Banaue according to the Rough Guide to the Philippines - Uyami's Green View Lodge. It's a whole $19 a night for a plain but private en suite room. It's now 8:30 and I've had a nap, breakfast, and chatted with fellow travelers from France, Israel, and Canada. A kind man showed me how to find the hotel in the dark and the hotel clerk let me check in early. The Philippinos respect and honor the elderly. One advantage of old age that goes much beyong the senior discount at Dennys. But then I have always been treated with kindness here.