The Philippines: the last major stage in our Asian adventure. This archipelago of 7,000 islands is an ideal destination for saying a gentle goodbye to the continent, for while the country is geographically in Asia, it’s culturally quite separate. An explosive mix of Asian, European and American cultures give it a unique flavour. Filipinos are predominantly Catholic, as a result of the occupation by the Spanish that lasted for several centuries, and much of the population considers English to be their second language. It’s not difficult to travel in this “Americanised” country, especially as the people are astonishingly kind – and with an amazing zest for life! It’s easy to meet people without being restricted to the polite exchange of courtesies, and the beauty and variety of landscapes is an embarrassment of riches for the unprepared visitor. So, which island should we begin with?

Naturally, we begin our stay in Manila, the capital, a megacity of more than 11 million inhabitants. This is where we will have our first microfinance meeting, soon after our arrival, with the microfinance institution (MFI) Proximity Funding Philippines Foundation (PFPF).

The next interview will be in the Negros islands, in the south of the country. We’re still uncertain at this stage about a third interview in Manila. This is quite awkward, as we can’t take the risk of travelling around the island of Manila – Luzon – by bicycle without a response from this hypothetical third MFI. Microfinance is the top priority for the Finance Tout Terrain Project, and missing an interview because we’re on the road without access to the internet would be a serious error. After waiting in Manila for a few days – in the fairly dodgy neighbourhood of Malate – without receiving any real news, we decide to head to Banaue, in the Ifugao region. You’ve no doubt already seen photos of Banaue, without being able to put a name to it. This isolated little village in Northern Luzon is surrounded by the most beautiful rice paddy fields in the world. Yes, the most beautiful! We’ve seen many, many paddy fields in the last 5 months – but these ones literally leave us breathless. We decide to take a 2-day, physically demanding hike with a Filipino guide who answers to the charming name of Helmert.

Paths through tropical forests; threading our way though terraced rice paddies more than 2,000 years old, built in stacks hundreds of meters high; impromptu swims in rivers and waterfalls; crossing small, almost vertically constructed hill villages, where the wooden houses, domestic animals and the Ifugao people themselves create an undeniable charm … everything goes so quickly that we can hardly appreciate our good luck in being able to experience this adventure. We even get to listen to a night-time performance by a children’s choir – just for the three of us! – in Cambulo, the little village where we spend the night. When it’s our turn to sing, we find it hard to compete.

The “tradition” is that visitors provide tobacco for the adults and candy for the children. The children got the better end of the deal! As for the tobacco … it had fallen off a cliff without anyone noticing. This didn’t prevent us from getting on well with the Ifugao, who spent the evening talking and singing … country music and folk rock! Listening to them play Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Neil Young in such a traditional environment goes a long way towards shaking up our preconceived ideas.
An unforgettable experience!

After this hike and just before leaving for the Negros islands for our interview, we make a stop at Sagada, a hard-to-reach mountain village – we ride on the roof of a jeepney, the local bus.

There, we spend the afternoon … in a natural cave. We make our way through a maze of stones, through huge, dark bat-infested caverns and flooded tunnels where the water level reaches the chest – it’s quite an adventure, but not for the claustrophobic. Our hunger for thrills now satisfied, we head back to Manila to catch our flight to the Negros islands – still no news from the infamous third MFI. Sometimes you have to know when to give up.

Fortunately, our visit to the MFI Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) is one of the most interesting and the most fun that we’ve had. The town of Bacolod, however, isn’t particularly interesting. We spend two days on the Negros islands, then head back to Manila’s urban sprawl to catch our next flight.

This will take us away from the Asia that we’ve enjoyed so much, and which has been such a wonderful place to begin our journey. Now, with no regrets, we’re headed for New Zealand!