Teleportation Exists

Well almost..........our 11:55 pm flight later today from Taipei (via Vancouver) is slated to arrive home at 11:40 pm on the same day. Work needs to be done on eliminating that 15 minute gap before bringing this time travel concept to market but I'm all for it, especially when they figure out a way to prevent double-digit hour flights.

When we last left you, we were in Hualien, Taiwan. Before leaving, we made a second trip into the scenic Taroko Gorge NP, taking on a few more short walks along trails. The steepness of the canyon walls enables semi-regular rock slides and the frequency of spotting "Do Not Linger" signs along the trails is a constant reminder. In fact one of the trails we walked was closed half way through due to a recent slide so we took a few more 'quick' pictures and headed back. The sights still made it a worthwhile use of our time.

We hiked up to the Xiangde Temple and the more elevated Tianfeng Pagoda while we were in Tainxing. This little village was nestled into the canyon floor near the west end of the Taroko Gorge.

Back in Hualien for our final night, we walked over to the Dongdamen Night Market again. We spotted a stall selling hot pot meals with a sit down area behind, and being a favourite meal of ours we couldn't resist. Multiple propane burners at each table allowed the patrons to cook their meals at their desired pace.

From Hualien we rode the comfortable two hour TRA train back to Taipei, our final stop on this two month journey. We started our Taiwan time there several weeks ago but this return visit allowed for additional time to explore the northern part of the country on day trips. We signed up for a shuttle tour on the first day, allowing us to see 4 different spots that public transportation would have been too time consuming to facilitate otherwise in one day. Yehliu Geological Park, renowned for it's unique hoodoo-like formations, and the Shifen Waterfall......nicknamed "Little Niagara Falls" but more like a miniature version at 40 x 20 metres, were our first two stops. Shifen town was next, popular for lantern launches and we followed the trend writing our own wishes on a lantern we purchased and then watching it ascend towards the sky and drift away in the wind. The final stop was in the mountainside village of Jiufen where hundreds of steep steps were required to navigate between the two main stall streets. Our reward was finding a good restaurant with a great village view from our table on a balcony, with the clouds below rolling in and out. On our second day we rode the MRT train for one hour to the final stop at Tamsui, a small fishing town near the north-west corner of the country. We took a short ferry trip, visited a fort and walked along their lovely waterfront promenade, stopping for lunch at a posh seaside restaurant, sitting under a large banyan tree, metres from the water. It was a relaxing way to complete our travel in Taiwan which was much appreciated by the locals. Tourism volume in Taiwan during the past 2 weeks has been down by more than 50% due to Coronavirus keeping the Chinese tourists at home. Precautions were taken with temperature checks at most entry points in places, even busy shopping centres, so we went about our business as usual although we found ourselves washing our hands much more frequently.

Another new world destination (for us) has come to an end but this one will be especially remembered for our first overseas Christmas away from home with our whole family together. We had a wonderful two weeks together in Cambodia but I doubt we could have kept that same pace up for the past 6 weeks.

This was one of the natural sandstone formations created by sea waves and erosion at Yehliu Geological Park, an hour north of Taipei. This particular one was known as the Princess Head but it also looks like a cobra about to strike. There were hundreds of similar formations in the Geopark making it seem like we were walking on Mars.

Here we are in Shifen about to release our lantern (already lit inside) before the next train came along. Our group guide explained the lanterns fly in the air for about 20 minutes before burning out. When I asked about the environmental impact he told us the locals are incented financially by the government to retrieve the remains which the winds blow in the same general direction. However, upon leaving the small town we did notice some lantern remains caught high up in trees which may take some time to be recovered.

The Shifen Waterfall ('Little Niagara Falls'), which happens to be the broadest waterfall in Taiwan. At 40 metres wide and 20 metres tall, it pales in comparison to Niagara Falls. If only the locals could see the real deal.

Walking along the stalls of the Old Street #2 in Jiufen. Together with Old Street #1, about 100 steps below on the mountainside, they seemed to be the only two relatively flat alleys in the town.

The popular A-mei Tea House in Jiufen. It looks familiar to the one used in the animated picture Spirited Away adding to it's mystique. Everyone else was taking a picture so we followed suit and discovered the details later.

Lover's Bridge in Tamsui, near Fisherman's Wharf. It was officially opened on Valentine's Day in 2003, hence the name. We walked slowly together over the bridge which I'm sure will guarantee us another 38 years of happiness.

We came across this cool looking apartment building when walking near Fisherman's Wharf in Tamsui. Unique architectural designs like this were spotted in other Taiwanese cities.

After walking around picturesque Tamsui we found a lovely restaurant beside the waterfront. We had a late lunch there and enjoyed the beautiful view sitting on a comfortable sofa. A couple of very large banyan trees provided shade on a warm day.

After lunch in Tamsui we wandered along their Old Street. We were too full to order any more food so we just enjoyed the scene and smells......except when we walked by the Stinky Tofu stalls, one of the very few items we did not try in any of the markets.

Love the Life You Live. Live the Life you Love (Bob Marley)

Our final day at Sun Moon Lake was just as rewarding as the first few days. It started with a visit to the Xuanzang Temple (named after a famous Buddhist monk), followed by a 750 metre stair climb to the Ci'en Pagoda where from the top of the 43 metre high pagoda there was a scenic view of the entire Sun Moon Lake area. After walking back down we caught a bus to the east side of the lake and the spectacular Wenwu Temple complex, nestled half way up a steep slope. Built in 1938 when Japan decided to build a dam for power (that would have flooded two lower temples), and rebuilt in 1969, it featured 3 halls that were built in the manner of high ranking temples on several different levels. The lake view from the top was very scenic. We spent our last night once again at the Night Market, marking 4 consecutive evenings eating delicious street food.

The Xuanzang Temple, a short bus ride from our Sun Moon Lake stay in Ita Thao. The temple was named after a famous Buddhist monk who in the early 600's travelled to India to better understand the varying Buddhist beliefs and came back 20 years later a much wiser man. Some of his relics were kept on the 2nd floor.

A view of Sun Moon Lake and it's defining island in the middle, taken from above the temple.

The Ci'en Pagoda, a 750 metre mostly stair climb from the Xuanzang Temple. Former leader Chiang Kai-Shek had the pagoda built in memory of mother. Perhaps my children will do something similar for me one day.

The Wenwu Temple on the east side of Sun Moon Lake. There were two more levels beyond what is visible, with equally impressive buildings. There were vermilion stone tigers on each side of the entrance guarding the complex.

A 2 hour bus ride took us back to the west coast and the city of Taichung where we spent 2 nights. Our highlight there was the kick-off of the 2 week long Taiwan Lantern Festival which was held in Taichung this year. On Opening Night, the first full moon of the lunar calendar, we headed to the main festival area at the north end of the city which covered an area of almost 100 acres. We spent over 4 hours at the enormous site and discovered the next day that we only saw two thirds of the exhibits. There were themes for each of the many different sections with an ongoing contest rewarding the judges top picks. The light bulb lit, craft art lanterns, depicting animals, cartoon characters and scenes, were quite entertaining, and became even more so as the skies darkened, brightening the lanterns even more. The main stage area with music and dance groups performing all evening, was very crowded so we didn't spend as much time there. The festival will certainly be one of our favourite Taiwan experiences.

Picture taken at the Painted Animation Lane in Taichung. The lane way was filled with close to one hundred murals like this one. I had trouble locating this spot but an older Taiwan lady pointed me in the right direction after I pretended I was painting on a wall. Language knows no barriers.

My sweetheart, pleased as punch, when I took her to the famous Miyahara Ice Cream store in Taichung. By the time we arrived, late in the morning, there was already a significant line-up outside the door along the sidewalk. A lunch stop was not required that particular day.

One of the displays in the Animation section of the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival. The yellow dots that are visible on the characters are actually the light bulbs inside for brightness. When darkness arrived two hours later they were less visible and the lanterns appeared much brighter.

Japanese animation (Anime) is very big in Taiwan and can be seen throughout the country in murals, fashion and even TV shows. The Lantern Festival feeds off of the popularity. 

A lantern temple in the Religious Harmony section. The electrical bill for the 2 week festival must be massive.

This was as close as we could get, and wanted to get, to the main stage at the Lantern Festival. Nearby, there was a magnificent Tree of Light display, with a coloured light sequence that changed with the music. I captured a short video that turned out well.

From Taichung we took two trains, via Taipei at the north end of the island, to reach Hualien on the opposite side of the country, While the shortest distance would have been to cross the island, the Central Mountain Range which goes from the north to the south has limited traffic accessibility and the efficient train system made it a much quicker trip to circumvent the higher elevation. Our main reason for heading here was the popular Taroko Gorge National Park, and it did not disappoint. The NP is a one hour bus ride north of the city so we opted for a full day tour with a well reviewed, small tour size company. Together with 4 other tourists, we spent the day in awe of the steep and narrow, white marble stone gorge. Our guide led us on 3 relatively easy trails (Shakadang, Swallow Grotto and Tunnel of 9 Turns), across two suspension bridges, a steep climb to a 'wishing bell' tower, a couple of temples, and a bridal veil waterfall. Along the way we also stopped into a former aboriginal village where we learned about tribal life and sampled food they ate. It was a great day and we plan to bus it to the gorge once again tomorrow on our own to visit some additional trails and sights further into the NP.

The last 10 days have been a good run, leading up to the finish of our two month trip but we still have a short time left with another intriguing venture planned to the north end of the country.

The Taroko Gorge near Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan. This is the dry season so the water levels are low at this point. The bright, clear water, framed by the white marble rock made for mesmerizing views. The ongoing dialogue between rock and water continues.

The gorge walls at some points were carved out to allow the only road to pass through. In other spots, tunnels were used.

This picture was taken at the Tunnel of 9 Turns Trail. A tunnel replaced the former road which was damaged in an earthquake.....Taiwan has many of them......which now allows visitors to walk the 700 metre trail without having to worry about traffic. The other trails we walked were along actual walking paths used by the aboriginal tribes centuries ago. Descendants set up a couple of stalls and sold some of their crafts along one of the paths.

生活很好 - Life is Good (wherever you are)

As we started moving further up the west coast of Taiwan, our first stop was in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city. We had a fun time walking around Lotus Pond at the north end of the city, an artificial lake with a lovely walking path and pagodas, temples and shrines all the way around. There was an entertaining street market on one side of the pond that we wandered through. Our primary destination was the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, where if you walked into the dragon's mouth and exited via the Tiger's mouth, your bad luck would be turned into good luck...........hopefully we executed the directions properly! The following day we were drawn to the spectacular Fo Guang Shan Temple complex. A no charge facility, we spent several hours there and still didn't get to see everything. Our attention was immediately drawn to the giant bronze Buddha sitting atop the museum.....the tallest sitting Buddha statue in the world apparently. The walkway there was flanked by many pagodas and beyond the informative museum, we took in an acrobatic theatre show and a 3D movie. On the way out we tripped over a small parade originating from the monastery area higher up which we unfortunately ran out of time to explore. The busy Ruifeng Night Market filled our appetite later that evening.

Our next stop was in Tainan, Taiwan's oldest city and it's first capital city. It is a city filled with colourful temples and shrines. At almost every temple we observed locals purchasing paper money (joss) and then slowly tossing the money into a kiln or fireplace to appease the ghost gods who would then bring good fortune and wealth to their family or businesses. If only it was that easy. In any event the local authorities have determined that the burning of several hundred thousand tons of paper every year across Taiwan, is actually harmful to the air quality. However, in spite of several alternative actions, including virtual and collective burning, the tradition lives on. We felt we didn't need any more good fortune after confirming we performed the Dragon - Tiger Pagoda ritual in the correct order, so we held on to our real money. Upon further thought, instead of trying to save the planet we might have been better off to bank more karma since you never know when you might need it. The following day we walked around the historic Anping old city area, near the coast. We checked out the Old Fort (formerly Fort Zeelandia built by the Dutch in 1630) and the Treehouse, a late 19th century mercantile warehouse that has been over-run by ever-expanding Banyon trees.

From Tainan we took a combination train - bus - boat trip to Sun Moon Lake where we now reside in Ita Thao, across the lake from the busier town of Shuishe. Ita Thao has a wonderful Night Market with good street food that has stolen our attention for the first two nights, and likely more. Boneless chicken wings filled with rice and vegetables, wild boar sausage and scallion (green onion pancake rolled up and filled with pork) have been our favourites. The majestic lake has nice hiking trails, both along the lakeside and up into the hills and mountains, which we have embraced. The Shuishe Great Mountain Trail was the biggest challenge. I made it up one thousand stairs before coming to the loop branch and heading back satisfied with a 4 km workout, rather than continuing on to the 2,000 metre mountain top which was listed as an 8 hour return trip. Today we used an all-day boat pass to explore the area around the Shuishe side of the lake (another lakeside trail) along with the Xuanguang Temple which required a short hill walk from the pier. A bit further beyond the temple we were rewarded with a geocache. Tomorrow we will get back to some more hiking trails taking us up to temples and pagodas with enticing lake views. The following day we will make our way back to the coast and the city of Taichung.

Walking around Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, one of the first eye candy temples we came across was the Yuandi Temple. The enormous statue of the High Heavenly Xuan God stood at the end of a bridge extending out into Lotus Pond.

The popular Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond. It wasn't difficult to get the proper sequence correct since everyone we saw was entering through the dragon's mouth and exiting from the Tiger's mouth. We are so fortunate to have even more good luck coming our way.

Near the entrance to the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung. The Fo Guang Shan movement has fully embraced modernism, making it a very open and welcoming religious facility.

The bronze sitting Buddha statue above the museum rose to 108 metres. Inside the museum we took in an acrobatic theatre show that rivaled some Cirque de Soleil performances we have seen in the past. The temporary exhibit in front (New Year's friendly rat) had a wish tree inside, now holding our personal thoughts....along with a few thousand others.

This picture was taken inside the Wanfu Temple in Tainan. There were beautiful temples like this one on almost every street we walked along. This particular temple was built during the Ming dynasty (1646-1683) and is now a city-designated historic site.

The Anping Kaitai Matsu Temple, near former Fort Zeelandia (1630) and built shortly after. It is one of the largest temple complexes in Tainan and had a very spacious square in front of it.

Taken from inside the Anping Treehouse. This former late 19th century mercantile building was abandoned after WWII and the banyon trees went to work and swallowed the former warehouse. The fusion of nature and a man-made structure reminded us of the Ta Prohm temple in Angkor Wat.

The Shuishe waterfront at Sun Moon Lake. The boats in the forefront were shuttle ferries, taking mostly tourists but also locals to 3 other piers stationed around the majestic lake that was surrounded by mountains. We spent 4 nights across the lake in the smaller, less touristy town of Ita Thao, which had a fabulous Night Market for foodies.

While walking along the Lakeside Trail from Ita Thao we came across a couple of Cherry trees just starting their blossom season. It is a bit early but we are hoping to see more developed blossoms before we leave this country.

After climbing 100 or so stairs at the start of the Shuishe Great Mountain Trail, my hiking partner suddenly stopped. I tried to point out that we were on the right track but her response was not printable. Shortly after that I handed over the key to our room and had to continue on my own.

Walking around Ita Thao a produce truck appeared with its loudspeaker announcing its arrival to the nearby shops so that they could replenish their supplies.

The tiny island of Lalu in the middle of Sun Moon Lake. Apparently from above, the lake appears to be divided by the island into a round sun lake on one side and a crescent moon lake on the other side, which is how the lake got it's name. Tomorrow we will hike up to the Ci'en Pagoda which is supposed to have one of the best views of Sun Moon Lake. We will take our imagination with us.

A Journey is Like a Marriage.....

......the certain way to be wrong is to think you control it (John Steinbeck).

Our introduction to Taiwan has gone very well. We flew into Taipei from the Philippines and were very impressed with the capital city, which is located at the north end of the island country. It is very clean with an excellent Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system throughout the city, including a line to the international airport. It is well used and has resulted in fewer vehicles on the roads making life more pleasant when walking around. There are lovely parks spread around the city making for nice rest stops while wandering about. Highlights for us included the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (tribute to a former leader), the view from Taipei 101 (world's tallest building until 2010), the National Palace Museum (artifacts from China) and a short climb to the top of Elephant Mountain (city views). The winter temperatures are in the low 20's but we seem to be in the tiny minority wearing shorts and short-sleeves, while the locals have sweaters or coats on. Another interesting thing we discovered.......Taipei and other cities have a free bi-monthly lottery where all you have to do is drop off your sales receipts in special boxes throughout the city. It was introduced by the government to encourage legal tax reporting by providing consumers with an incentive to shop at stores that legally report their sales. It seems like a brilliant idea. We have been leaving our receipts with the people who clean our rooms and we get big smiles every time we do.

Following Taipei, we had planned to travel to the scenic Taroko Gorge area, near Hualien along the east coast, and to then continue our trip in a clockwise direction around the island. However, Chinese New Year....nightly fireworks everywhere we have been.....has brought a lot of Asian tourists to the country and every train to Hualien that we tried to book for several days (10-15 trains each day) was already sold out. Being flexible travellers, we opted for the high speed train that took us to Kaohsiung (358 km's in 1.5 hours including 4 stops along the way), near the south end of the country, and then took an express bus from there to Kenting NP at the very south end. We will now work our way slowly back up the west side of the island and travel to Hualien near the end of our time here. And remember, if Plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters!

In Kenting we stayed at a lovely B&B, run by a lively, non-English speaking hostess and her family. It was only a 2 minute walk to the main street but far enough removed to block the noise from the large crowds attending the entertaining Night Market which stretched for 2 km's along Kenting Street every evening. We walked along different sections every night.....which was necessary to get anywhere in Kenting.....and observed new unusual offerings each time. Beyond some basics we have come to know (squid on a stick, pork belly, fried quail eggs, bubble tea) there were others like deep-fried milk, smelly tofu and some additional ones we did not even want to ask about. Everything we tried was good though, with no ill effects later, so that was encouragement to continue with the local offerings. The Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium turned out to be an excellent side trip. It was well laid out directionally with some interactive displays, underwater tunnels (where sleepovers were allowed), and scheduled demonstrations through the day. They even tested everyone's temperature at the entrance (forehead scan) in an attempt to detect any potential coronavirus suspects. We spent a nice day at Little Bay Beach, renting lounge chairs and relaxing. Another day we made our way to Eloubi Park and it's famous, well-protected lighthouse (surviving several attacks) which was located at the southernmost point in Taiwan. The craggy shore rocks reflected the coral reef that used to exist when sea levels were higher.

Today we took the express bus back to Kaohsiung where we will spend 2 days before heading further north along the coast.

Entrance to the impressive Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park. Each side of the park hosted the National Theatre and Concert Hall, with the Memorial Hall in view at the back.

A closer view of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, built for the popular, former leader of Taiwan. The top of the hall housed a massive bronze statue of the President, where a Changing of the Guards took place very hour, with a Museum below where we learned about the history of Taiwan and it's 'liberal' leader.

This was one of the amazing artifacts within the National Palace Museum. Carved from one piece of ivory.....I know, they shouldn't be killing animals for their horns......there were 13 more balls inside of this one,as it was explained listening to our helpful audio-phones. Many of these Chinese artifacts were sent over to Taiwan for safety during the Chinese - Japan wars (which later merged into WWII)., where they are now permanently preserved.

The peaceful Zhishan Garden next to the National Palace Museum, where we wandered through after spending time in the museum.

The 508 metre tall Taipei 101, taken from a viewpoint on Elephant Mountain (that most of us would call a hill, especially when buildings in clear view are taller!). There were 600 steps on the trail to the top, with benches placed along the way for those that needed to stop for a rest.

I took this picture from the outdoor Observation Deck on the 91st floor. The Guinness World Record breaking fastest passenger elevator made it up to the 89th floor indoor Observation Deck in 37 seconds on our trip. The cabin is pressurized to avoid motion sickness during the ride. The skyscraper also claims to be earthquake proof by utilizing a massive internal damper (visible for visitors) that controls swaying.....but my better half didn't want to stick around long enough to test the theory. Later on, we found out that 34% of Taiwan's smog blows in from China.....not much they can do about that.

The Little Bay Beach in Kenting near the southern end of Taiwan. We found a quieter spot further down the beach where we secured one of the few loungers that were available (for those that wanted to spend some extra money!).

Walking through one of several underwater tunnels at the Aquarium. 

There was a separate building, named Waters of the World, which featured marine life from other places in the world. We happened to be there at feeding time and noticed a second person tracking the penguins to make sure they were all eating their fair share and remaining healthy. It brought back good memories for us from our Antarctica trip.

Some very colourful jellyfish, quite different from the translucent ones we have encountered.

The Kenting Night Market which takes over the outside lanes for temporary stalls and people traffic every evening. The small town of 30,000 people came alive at night with tourists from all the neighbouring towns joining in on the action.

Squid on a stick. Your order was cooked on the BBQ and then cut into small bite-size pieces which were then put into a paper cup for consumption while continuing with your walk along the street. I will try this before we leave the coast but that evening I opted for Scallops on a Stick which were large, tender and delicious.

One Beat, One Love, One World

While we left Kalibo feeling unfulfilled by the portion of the Ati-Atihan Festival that we attended, our next Philippine stop in Cebu delivered the goods with the wind-up of the Sinulog Festival. Both festivals celebrated Santo Nino (baby Jesus)......reflecting a "miracle inducing" Santo Nino gift that Ferdinand Magellan presented to the King and his wife when he arrived in 1521......but Cebu City took it to another level. We were around for the final 5 days of Sinulog and there were events scheduled every day and night, usually capped off with fireworks. The 2020 theme, "One Beat, One Love, One World" is a vision we should all strive for. Sunday was the final day of the festival, featuring the Grand Parade and it started at 9 am and didn't finish until 10 pm.....13 hours! It was supposed to finish at 7 pm but the Philippines president, Duterte, flew in this year for the parade, causing a 3 hour delay when his plane was late arriving but not before the roadway security had already been established for him, which halted the parade as well. No one seemed that disturbed with the delay but perhaps that is why he decided on arrival to announce that he would find the money to fund a much needed metro train system for the bumper to bumper traffic. Fortunately for us, we paid for shaded seats at the grandstand so that we could watch both the parade and the 24 dance groups from many Philippine islands who put on a colourful, costumed dance performance that was being judged for prize money. We lasted until 4 pm, catching 21 of the dance groups, and fortuitously missed the 3 hour delay which started shortly after.......which we found out about the next day! We weren't as lucky however, finding a quick route back to our hotel, 2 km's away. We tried many different streets away from the parade route but they were all congested with festival street parties and people trying to get  to the parade or away from it. Apparently there were over 2 million people in the streets on Sunday, almost 3 times the actual population. We not only had to weave our way through the massive crowds but also to be on the lookout for the face and arm paint that was freely being shared amongst the party participants. It was all fun though and we managed to escape with only a few minor 'tattoos', even though we received a few playful looks along the way.

The festival turned out to be the highlight of our time in the Philippines. "Lechon", roasted suckling pig, became a favourite dinner order for us as well. We decided to skip our final planned stop in Manila and head directly to Taiwan instead. Tagatay and a visit to the Taal Volcano were on our to-do list but with the forecast that an additional eruption was imminent we thought it best to stay away from the area completely since even parts of Manila were affected by the initial ash fall. We are now safe and sound in Taipei........at least for the time being........Chinese New Year celebrations are under way and Jan. 25th will bring us into the Year of the Rat.

After arriving in Cebu City, I wandered around trying to get my legs moving again and came across this Taoist temple at the top of  a hill overlooking the city. The Caretaker told me it was called the Heavenly Temple of Charity. It was equally beautiful inside.

On my way back from the Heavenly Temple along a different route, I stumbled over La Vie Parisienne. It looked interesting so I decided to pop in and purchase some French pastry to take back to my sweetheart. When I discovered their wine cellar inside I also purchased a couple of nice bottles of French wine, some camembert cheese and a baguette which became our meal for the evening.

The finalists for the Sinulog Idol contest were performing one evening so we took in the show. The  evening started with them showing off their dance moves as a group. The judges were tougher than we expected on the individual performances when they were singing but everyone was on-side for the eventual winner.

Sinulog events were held every night in several locations, including this one. The Fuente Osmena Circle was in the centre of a very large traffic circle not far from our hotel. The Idol contest was held on the stage here and there were lots of food and drink stalls there as well. Traffic was re-routed in the evenings so that people could get off the island safely.

This is a Jeepney, the most common form of public transportation in Cebu, with the route listed on the side. Pocahontas wanted no part of it so one day while out on my own I decided to give it a go. With traffic moving very slowly at many points it was pretty much a jump in, jump off experience at a cost of 8 pesos (20 cents) which got passed through the crowd to the driver. The one I was on was crowded like this one but at least I found a seat and didn't have to stand on the rear bumper or sit on the roof like I observed a few other times.

Several hundred thousand worshippers participated in the mid-week foot procession of the 'original' Santo Nino statue that Ferdinand Magellan presented as a gift to the King's wife when she was baptized into the Catholic religion (which he had introduced shortly after his arrival in Cebu). The artifact, recognized for its miraculous healing powers, was encased in bulletproof glass and protected by tight security.

The puppeteers came up on stage together to show off their moves in front of the judges and the large grandstand crowd. They were quite entertaining with well designed costumes.

We were quite surprised to see this float come through, especially when we only saw one other country outside the Philippines (Australia) participating. Niagara College sponsored the float so they must do some student recruiting over here.

One of the many colourful dance contingents we watched. Several professional photographers attempted to climb up on the makeshift platform at the front of the grandstand to get the perfect shot but every time they tried the grandstand observers behind them vocally let them know they were not welcome to stay there.

The festival also recognizes the indigenous groups that inhabited the island before the Spanish arrived. Many of the dance performances involved some of the tribe becoming very ill or dying, only to be brought back to life with the appearance of the Queen holding the Santo Nino statue over their bodies.

This float's message was all about saving our oceans. The floats and other parade groups were ushered through in between the stage performances by the dance groups, who also walked the entire parade route.

One of the final dance groups we saw perform and really enjoyed. We learned later that this contingent won several awards for their efforts. The monetary awards were not large enough to make their participation a sound financial investment, it was purely for their love of the festival and its meaning.