Off to Quezon Province - Polilio Islands

Up until the last minute, I wasn't sure if we were going to Polilio Island or Infanta Quezon. Polilio takes 3 hours by land and another 2.5 hours by boat. I simply asked Ferd to take the helm while I cruise along. He decided to go the Polilio way. Our "roughing it" sojourn started in the town of Cainta where we took the jeepney ride across several town lines along zigzag roads by the mountainside of Laguna and Quezon Provinces.

Just like my demeanor at the OM Music Fest, I made a conscious decision to keep everything positive no matter what. Having done that, the long wait for late trips, the scorching temperature and overall ordeal of the trip in Spartan fashion were met with calm acceptance and resignation.

We missed the last boat ride from the town of Real so we stayed overnight in a cheap lodging place - P100/person/night (CAN $3) and downed some cheap Emperador Brandy.

Ferd and I whiled away the night debating about the current political situation. As a Canadian, I'm acutely aware that any misplaced comment I utter about the Philippine situation can and may be construed as "Pinoy bashing" by an ex-Pinoy who now thinks he's better than the rest. So it is with utmost reluctance and wary that I voiced my opinion/observation - the blatant disregard to the environment (pollution level is very high), the prevailing rate of crime against person and property, the ostentatious display of unexplained wealth by publicly elected government officials, etc.

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