Author’s Note: This is a series of selected highlights from two years (1986-88) of budget backpacker travel through 15 countries and a half-dozen US States – hosted all along the way by national and local YMCAs – from the Pacific Islands to selected Asian countries including: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan – and the USA.

Once again, the Mielke brothers would tempt doom and strike off together for more fun-filled adventures. This time, we met up in the flea-bitten but affordable traveler flophouses of Hong Kong, where we took day trips around the city, to the outlying islands, and over to Macau.

Entering China, we proceeded to Guangzhao City and sailed up the Pearl River to Zhaoqing Prefecture, a spectacularly scenic part of southern China’s Guangdong Province, where we rented bikes and cycled through rice fields spiked with tall limestone “karst” mountains – each topped with a tiny temple.

Popular with Chinese tourists, the dramatic landscape around Xhaoqing is reminiscent of the world famous and heavily touristed Guilin Prefecture, but more laid back and less crowded.

But all of this had to wait until after my release from a three-day stay in hospital. Having just arrived from the States, Dave got a shock when he was handed a note at the hostel saying that I was in hospital — but with no details about my condition, so he set about finding his way there.

I had slipped in the shower and developed a nasty infection in my lower leg. But compared to my tiny box-like room at the high-rise Chung King Mansions — well known as nearly the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong, popular with backpackers with names like “Moonbeam”, the well-used sheets alive and itchy with the creepy sensation of minute critters crawling all over your body, and notorious for drugs and other criminal activities — my spacious four-bed shared room at Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital was a deluxe and luxurious penthouse.

Complete with three good meals, color TV, round the clock diligent nursing care, a beautiful view of the harbor from my window, and excellent medical treatment that brought my infection under control within a few days.

And at about $3 US dollars per day (even as a foreigner) for my in-patient stay, it was a far better deal than even the cheapest rooms at Chung King Mansions, and I was sad to eventually be discharged from the hospital and return to my tiny roach-motel room.

Hong Kong was like a huge, space-age Disney World – but in real life! A spectacularly beautiful, fast-paced city – you practically had to run to keep up with the masses of rushing pedestrians – and with a great harbor, night lights, and efficient public transport. Like a giant computerized machine all programmed to run smoothly — but expensive.

I met with staff members at three YMCA centers – two choice locations on the Kowloon mainland, including the headquarters of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, and a spectacular high-rise accommodation on Hong Kong Island.  As elsewhere in the region, it was apparent that the early Christian missionaries had done well — managing to acquire some of the choicest pieces of real estate for the YMCA.

The lure of more unexplored territories took us on to Macau by hydrofoil across the channel to the oldest European settlement in the East — leased to Portugal as a trading post in 1557, then handed back over to China in 1999, and now a hugely popular casino and gambling center. And with over half a million people living in a area of just 30.5 sq kms (about 12 sq miles), it is the most densely populated region in the world. It was intriguing to imagine this place 150 years ago with clipper ships and the early traders as described in James Clavell’s novel “Tai Pan.”

Armed with a simple phrasebook, we crossed the border from Hong Kong into China’s Guangdong Province, and made our way up the Pearl River packed in with an overnight boatload of students – stretched out in open, box-like structures that separated our sleeping quarters.

At the time (1987), all foreign visitors to China were required to use Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) issued by the Bank of China. Only certain, special “Friendship Stores” and specifically designated hotels could accept FECs, which restricted where foreign visitors in China could stay and shop.

Of course, this created a huge black market. Foreigners, fed up with the limited options available with their FECs, wanted to have the local currency to use in regular Chinese restaurants and shops. The Chinese too, wanted FECs so that they could buy the “luxury” goods — like Johnnie Walker Red Label and Marlboro cigarettes.

So, at the Chinese border I exchanged a $20 US dollar traveler’s check for the FECs and then promptly traded them on the street for a huge pile of small, torn and grimy bills known as ‘The Peoples Money’ or Renminbi. 

Riding local buses through open countryside past steep, limestone mountains and the surrounding rice fields, we toured the area for 10 days, staying in magnificent old 1930’s era hotels, eating a wide variety of local food – not always sure what it was, and guzzling an assortment of excellent local beers –- all for about $15 US dollars.

When we arrived at the Hong Kong border, I was informed that the Renminbi could not be taken out of the country.

And I happily exchanged my remaining scraps of torn and grimy “People’s Money” for about $5 US dollars equivalent in Hong Kong dollars. Clearly the best deal yet for budget traveling – and a very pleasant experience overall!

Stay tuned for Asia-Pacific Tour: Taiwan, Korea and Japan – coming soon!

You can read more about Jim’s backstory,  here and here.

Author’s Note: This is a series of selected highlights from two years (1986-88) of budget backpacker travel through 15 countries and a half-dozen US States – hosted all along the way by national and local YMCAs – from the Pacific Islands to selected Asian countries including: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan – and the USA.

A real back-to-the-Pacific feeling. After spending so many months in mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines was a welcome blend of Asia and the Pacific. Excellent sea food, crystal clear water for swimming, spectacular tropical island scenery and of course, beautiful women everywhere.

Considerable American influence was evident in the ‘popular culture’ slang terms and fast-food lifestyle, and some unique local traditions, like the favorite snack ‘balut’ (an 18-day-old developing duck embryo cooked in the shell) were a bit hard to take. But I was quite content to take the ‘good’ with the ‘bad’, and clearly had no complaints!

After our adventures in Hong Kong, Macau and China (stay tuned for these stories — coming soon!) my brother Dave and I were more than ready to return to these paradise islands and sparkling seas for a much needed rest. Like Samoa in Polynesia, Phi Phi Island and Krabi in Thailand, Tioman Island in Malaysia, the Spice Islands of Indonesia, and so many other tropical gems – utterly magical with the cheerful exuberance of the rural people, especially the kids – all bright smiles and laughter, the easy, relaxed movement of the island women, tiny bamboo houses nestled in the greenest fields of ripe rice along quiet dirt roads, or tucked away against the lush, forested hillsides.

The 1986 “People Power Revolution” had been largely confined to Manila, and we passed a military tank downtown. But otherwise, all was calm again, and we weren’t aware of armed conflict anywhere outside of the capital.

From Manila, Dave and I headed south to our favorite island getaway — Boracay — arriving in time to bask in the soothing, late afternoon breezes moving through the coconut groves and tall stands of grass as shadows lengthened along the wide, empty beach; sunlight streaming across the shimmering sea.

It had been well over a year since I left Samoa to hit the road with just a backpack, and I was tired of traveling. Digging deep for the energy to continue, I began dreaming of a long-term job somewhere that might lessen the pain of so many difficult departures. The strong breezes of the lingering typhoon would soon be ending — as would Dave’s holiday. But not so the adventures! Boracay had been the perfect refuge for weary travelers, and Jessie joined us on the island for a few more days together before Dave’s departure.

Indeed, it was really tough when the time came for Jessie and me to leave Boracay — and those morning swims along the wide, empty stretches of beach to Jonah’s Café for their delicious thick, banana-peanut-chocolate shakes.

The fantastic tropical island beauty was so peaceful and relaxing in the coolness of the breezy coconut groves. Waking up in our cottage by the sea — with freshly baked bread, boiled eggs and coconuts delivered to our door each morning. A fresh fish from the nightly catch, grilled and served with a salad for less than a dollar, and a full schedule of cross-island walks to quiet, white sandy bays, snorkeling in the clear waters. Then lounging in the hammock as the late afternoon sunlight turned everything to gold. With a guitar and some freshly tapped tuba (local palm wine tapped from coconut buds) we waited for the stars to light up the balmy night sky.

Compared to Boracay, the bustling metropolis of Iloilo City on Panay Island was a bit of a shock. So, after our meetings with the YMCA, Jessie and I left on a ferry to Bacolod City on Negros Island and then toughed out 10 hours by bus to Dumaguete (Jessie’s university town), where we caught a boat to Cebu Island. From the Cebu City YMCA, we toured the Talasay City YMCA’s “Rural Community Development Project” before heading to Moalboal and Pescadores Island for more fantastic (and really cheap!) world-class scuba diving.

Eventually, we caught a ferry to Tagbilaran Port on Bohol Island, and settled into our breezy cottage at the nearly deserted Alona Beach on Panglao Island, where we indulged in more swimming, eating, sleeping, guitar picking and tuba sipping in this island paradise.

A second typhoon to the north of us left a trail of rain and cold weather in its wake. On several occasions the tempest rolled in at night with a fury that threatened to blow our bamboo cottage down. But it held firm, and in the morning, the sea was warm and a welcome refuge as I fought off a certain turbulence in my brain.

It was hard to see Dave go — even as he was set adrift on yet another broken-down outrigger, and once again nearly missed his plane. And soon I would be leaving as well — for the time being anyway — off to the YMCAs in Taiwan, Korea and Japan. This was really killing me – but eventually Jessie and I dragged ourselves from our cozy beach bungalow and boarded a dangerously overloaded passenger ship to Manila.

Parting was so difficult, and the time had just flown by. But my visa was finished, and the Traveling Road Show was rolling on! I was so utterly filled up with all of this intense living — it hurt with each new experience, each new friend — because it was always just a matter of time before we would part. Alas — the same old traveling syndrome.

Stay tuned for Asia-Pacific Tour: Hong Kong, Macau and China – coming soon!

You can read more about Jim’s backstory,  here and here.

Author’s Note: This is a series of selected highlights from two years (1986-88) of budget backpacker travel through 15 countries and a half-dozen US States – hosted all along the way by national and local YMCAs – from the Pacific Islands to selected Asian countries including: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan – and the USA.

“Hey Joe!” “Hey Boss!” Why does everybody think my name is Joe? A naturally beautiful country with a pleasant Asia-Pacific mix, the Philippines is loaded with friendly, fun-loving and talented people — especially the musicians, who are truly amazing — and most major hotels have a live band. English is widely spoken as well, so it was easy to connect with the people and the place, even if it didn’t feel quite as different or “exotic” as some of the other Asian countries I had visited.

“God Help Us” was emblazoned across the windshield of our overloaded ‘Jeepney’ – and for good reason – as we thundered along Manila’s chaotic, choking streets of the hot, dirty, smelly, crowded madhouse of the capital city. Somehow, these WWII era Jeeps left by the Americans are still kept running after all these years, and serve as public transport throughout the country.

But after 500 years of Spanish rule and a further 100 years under the Americans, the culture seemed hopelessly buried beneath Catholicism and the most annoying aspects of American culture. Despite all this, I soon realized it would be easy to stay for awhile.

After a warm welcome at the YMCA in Manila, which supports youth programs in the city and community development in the countryside, I headed to the Baguio YMCA in the northern part of Luzon province, and then survived a death-defying bus ride – speeding around blind curves along a high, narrow strip of gravel masquerading as a road – certain we would plunge to our deaths at any moment.

So, I set off into the cool, rain-washed air in the pine forested mountains of Segada and trekked for three days through beautiful green rain forest, rugged mountains and along 2000-year old hand-carved massive curving rice terraces reaching to the sky in the province of Banaue.

Staying with the indigenous Ifugao people, I was led through a huge cave where we waded across ice-cold cascades and used ropes to guide us through the dark, narrow crawl spaces. As the warm tropical rains subsided, the village women used brooms to swat swarms of mayflies drifting lazily skyward to add to our evening meal.

On Palawan Island, also known as “the last frontier” of the Philippines, roadside stalls sold hand towels (probably my most important purchase of the entire trip!) to wrap around our heads and faces to help ward off the clouds of thick, choking dust as our WWII vintage ‘Jeepney’ set off from the provincial capital Puerto Princessa.

Barreling wildly along the dusty, rutted tracks, we roared through jungle-clad mountains, past tiny village hamlets and fields of ripe rice skirted by sheer limestone cliffs, then out to wild, deserted white-sandy beaches and finally to the scenic port of El Nido, famous for its extraordinary natural beauty and diverse ecosystem.

Back in the capital, tanks rolled into Makati — Manila’s central business district — for the 1986 “People Power” uprising. Suddenly, shops closed and even the shotgun-wielding bank guards fled the scene — as we did — catching the last flight out of Manila before the airport closed. Traveling with Jessie, a local nursing student, we headed south for a month of island hopping through spectacular coastal mountains and braved wild, stormy crossings in dangerously overloaded ferryboats and broken-down outriggers to pristine island gems throughout the Visayas – the tightly packed scattering of nearly 7000 islands between Luzon to the north and Mindanao in the south.

Traveling by bus and boat to Mindoro Island, we gave Puerto Galera a miss, and continued instead to the much quieter Talipanan Beach, where we enjoyed some hiking in the mountains and snorkeling in the crystal clear waters teeming with colorful reef life.

Clinging to the roof of another overloaded ‘Jeepney’ we hurtled through the coastal mountains south of Calapan and then boarded a bus to the sea port of Roxas, where, in the midst of a rising typhoon in the fading late afternoon light, we set off for a hair-raising ride on a grossly overloaded outrigger. Tossed wildly about in the dark, raging seas, the laboring vessel threatened to disappear into each successive ocean swell. But we somehow managed to make it safely to Tablas Island and on to the fantastic tropical island beauty of Boracay.

Yielding to the sea’s calming, surge — warm and gentle, almost therapeutic — and yet a thrilling source of excitement in it’s vast power and mystery. It was wonderful to get strong and healthy again, exchanging friendly smiles and hellos with everybody – indulging in the pleasurable exhaustion from saying hello to everyone in Asia.

But my two-month visa was nearly finished, and I was eager to see my brother Dave who would be meeting me in Hong Kong for more adventures awaiting us there. I also had meetings scheduled at the regional offices of the Asia Alliance of YMCAs, which are located in Hong Kong.

So, after a brief drift at sea in a broken-down outrigger pump-boat, Jessie and I eventually reached Tablas Island and boarded a Jeepney for another spectacular drive through the countryside. A plane brought us back to Manila, where I boarded my flight to Hong Kong — and once again, it was killing me to leave. But it was comforting to know that soon I would be returning to this warm and welcoming tropical island paradise.

Stay tuned for Asia-Pacific Tour: The Philippines (Part Two)– coming soon!

You can read more about Jim’s backstory,  here and here.