#tubby graffiti

[tubby1]

USA Tour

My thoughts after travelling the United States extensively

INTRODUCTION-

I have been to the United States several times before this trip, but in 2023 and 2024 I really went in depth and reached some of the more rural areas, the ones not many tourists/non locals visit.

I am a graffiti writer/urban explorer, although not a traditional one. The 2 main things I do while I travel the US are 1- paint hidden areas under bridges/tunnels 2- walk around/skate around downtown areas. While most writers like to stay around the big cities, I prefer to visit the smaller towns/rural areas.

Because of these 2 activities I partake in, I visit a lot of random places that normally other people would not visit simply because they are generally just boring places to your average individual.

As well as this, I stand out as an obvious outsider, being non-white and having an Australian accent, it often strikes up conversation with the locals from the small towns.

While I am painting/seeking out hidden areas, I often run into homeless people/remnants of campsites in these places. I always try to be friendly and say hello to people, so sometimes I strike up conversations where people talk to me about their living situation and how they ended up there.

The main question I always get asked by people is “Why are you travelling here of all places?” My answer to this is the same as why I travel anywhere. I just enjoy being in new places, and seeing both the good and bad of the world. It’s important to see the bad to appreciate the good. 

And make no mistake, I am very grateful for the situation I was born in and the advantage I was given in life. After travelling to many different countries, I am aware of the advantage I was given simply because of where I was born.

My hometown of Sydney, Australia, as of 2023, was ranked as the 4th best city to live in the entire world. Not a single American city ranks highly on the list, and for good reason.

Ever since I was 16, I endeavoured to make a living online through internet marketing, at a time where the average joe making a living online wasn’t really heard of, compared to these days where there are plenty of kids who can make a living online doing something simple like streaming video games.

But make no mistake, I am also extremely grateful that I was able to waste many months online, making pennies before I was able to make a sustainable living. I had my parents supporting me and a safe place to live until then. If I was born in a less advantaged place, I could be already working in a sweatshop before I became a teenager, I could be in a war torn country fearing for my life daily, with no electricity, let alone access to the internet.

I will write more about the global situation and the geopolitical issues I have seen, but for now, the purpose of this write up is to write about the socio-economic issues I have observed in the United States.

The main points I will be covering are

How travelling from state to state feels like travelling from country to country

The deteriorating downtown areas in much of the rural US, while the corporations and strip malls(stroads) grow larger and larger.

How the homeless problem in the US differs from any other country I have been to

How many Americans I have spoken to from rural areas have not only no/warped understanding of how other countries are, they do not even know much about life in cities like NYC, Chicago etc besides only being a few hours drive away.

How Americans seem to become more fiercely political the more rural you go, and how they argue politics where it’s completely unrelated.

The large amount of propaganda Americans are subjected to, on the billboards/radio etc, and how it differs when you go from the city to the country.

How Americans accept a lot of things as ‘normal’, when it would not be considered normal in any other country

How the United States remains an economic superpower with a large influence over the world, especially via Hollywood TV/Films, but the vast majority of the US, is absolutely nothing like many people think, with so many people living in poverty.

Let's take into consideration 3 huge American corporations and how they impact the people and community. Amazon, Walmart and Dollar General.

Amazon

While Australia also has Amazon, it is nowhere near as widespread as it is in the US. No matter where I have been in America, I always see the Amazon delivery trucks as well as the Amazon boxes outside people’s houses and businesses. 

In Africa, if you want a cheap everyday item like a phone case, you go out and buy one from a vendor on the street.

In the US, if you want a phone case, you can order it off Amazon for a few dollars with free express shipping, free returns and it will be at your doorstep before you know it. 

Now while this is great if you want cheap items, you also need to think about how it is impossible for small businesses to compete with this giant. You cannot undercut Amazon, simply because you would not be making any profit. They even have their own shipping courier, which is unheard of in other countries. Because of how highly it is used and ranks in search results, some smaller businesses resort to selling their products on Amazon and giving them a cut of their profits.

I believe Amazon is a key reason why shopping malls in America are dying, as well as why so many stores in different downtown areas around the country remain abandoned/vacant.

Walmart 

Walmart is the all-encompassing megastore which is in every major town in the USA. These days you can go out to eat at Subway for lunch, go to the optometrist, go grocery shopping, go buy some childrens toys, go to the bank to get a loan, go buy some hardware and tools, get your car fixed, all in the same building known as Walmart. In Australia, I would have to go to several different stores, and spend several more hours running the same errands. However, convenience comes at a cost. Walmart is able to effectively put many different local places out of business, and not just the retail sector. One Walmart I visited even had a medical centre inside, although this is something I only saw once.

Also take into consideration this-

When Walmart moves into a small town and wipes out all the smaller businesses by undercutting prices, they also eliminate a large amount of jobs. So the people who were paying $5 instead of $10 for a meal, this can come full circle when they lose their job and end up working at Walmart and getting paid less.

Walmarts do not exist in downtown areas, they exist usually on something known as a stroad, an exit off the highway, and are usually located near fast food chains, and other big box corporate stores. They effectively remove business from the heart of the town and move it to this new car-centric area. The big chains band together, and this exit off the highway becomes the new epicentre and one stop shop, killing off the downtown area.

Dollar General

I underestimated the power of Dollar General until I really went deep and visited the very rural areas. This chain exists in towns so small that they do not have a Walmart. I have spoken to several people who do not even regularly go to the grocery store, instead they survive off fast food and the cheap processed food selection that Dollar General has.

This corporation is also responsible for ending a lot of smaller businesses.

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How Americans are fiercely political and divided

I have never been to a single other country on the globe where its citizens are so political, and this is observed every day when I was travelling throughout it. There are always huge flags, banners, bumper stickers, and signs everywhere. It is common when I strike up conversations with people that they start diverting and talking about politics when it has no relevance to the conversation. This phenomena can also be observed online, the amount of times I’ve seen Americans arguing about politics online in the comments of completely unrelated YouTube videos, among other things, is absurd. 

For many people, this truly is the most important part of their personality.

I do not have much interest in speaking about American politics, so I will not elaborate too much on this section. All I will say is that people should realise there are bigger issues to worry about, and the rich and powerful rely on this division of its citizens to pit them against each other.

While driving I would sometimes listen to the radio as well as observe billboards, which don’t really make sense to me. For example, I don’t quite understand why so many people are always discussing gay/trans rights, when, unless you belong to that demographic, it really should not affect your everyday life regardless how you feel about that topic.

I have noticed in poorer communities, people tend to be more politically inclined, compared to the city, and they think the political parties are the only thing which can save/deteriorate their town.

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Oblivious to the outside world

Most Americans I have met do not have too much knowledge of the outside world, and are shocked when I tell them about things in America which do not occur in other places. 

For example, going to a restaurant and paying the price of the food only rather than paying the ‘server’ is mind boggling to some. Going to the doctor/hospital and not showing any sort of ID or anything, just getting free treatment is something that doesn’t make sense to many Americans.

The prison system, the school system, the way Americans are all taxed, many just believe this to be the norm and can’t imagine anything else.

Americans are assigned a ‘social security number’ at birth and set to live, work and die.

Travelling state to state, or country to country?

Painting graffiti in different states feels like painting different countries. I paint mostly underneath bridges and tunnels. This requires me to park the van in a place that may be seen as unusual. In a very populous place like California, maybe no one bats an eyelid if they see someone park and then walk under a bridge with a backpack. In a very rural state like West Virginia, this could be quite the opposite. Several times I would park the van, and start walking, and people would come out of their houses to question me, to follow me secretly, to say I couldn’t park there (regardless of actual legality), etc…

I realised I had to try and be a lot more cautious in these more rural states if I was to avoid trouble, so I resorted to not ever parking near people’s houses and forgoing certain spots if I felt it was just too rural and my presence walking around would draw too much attention. What state/town I was in would drastically affect my attitude for graffiti/stickers. In a big city, I would generally feel comfortable walking/climbing around and painting/putting up stickers if I was visible by the public as I was usually quick about it. In the smaller towns I was far more cautious, as even just putting up stickers in front of pedestrians could cause some issues.

A place like NYC does reflect what I envisioned and exactly what I expected, from what I’ve seen on television/movies. I would see lots of people riding bikes around, commuting to work, lots of small corner stores, lots of people out and about, parks full, people playing basketball, whatever you normally see in a big city etc etc….

A place like rural West Virginia/Arkansas is completely different, you rarely see people walking around or outside, the downtown areas look completely abandoned, and if you see people hanging around downtown they are likely homeless. 

Another example I have to consider, is when I spent some time travelling through somewhere such as California, is most people I observed with relatively ‘normal looking’, but going to rural states, most people are obese as well as the amount of ‘morbidly obese’ is so high, it would be easy to guess if you are in an urban area or a rural area just by looking at the people walking around Walmart.

A person from NYC going to a rural town in upstate NY would be a culture shock despite being only a few hours drive away, and vice versa.

The lack of public restrooms, and why

There is a huge lack of public restrooms in the US, as well as the ones you see in places like parks are often just locked without any valid reason or signage. So much so that I generally don’t even try opening the door to most public restrooms I see, I just assume they will be locked.

The few public restrooms you see open are usually small with only one stall, very dirty, out of toilet paper etc…

In the cities, many businesses will have signs saying their restrooms are broken, not for customers or have a numerical lock on the door.

Now let's look at ‘rest areas’ on the interstate. I’m going to be honest here, these places are usually superb, very clean and very nice. While driving long distances, I often look forward to these places, to break up the drive, use the restroom, fill up my water bottles at the refill stations, and sometimes just sit and chill in a very clean, air conditioned area.

What’s the difference with the restrooms here and in the city? One caters to vehicular traffic and one caters to pedestrian traffic.

Skateboarding’s link to observing economic disparity.

One of my favorite ways to wander around a new city and explore is to ride my skateboard. While skateboarding is illegal on the sidewalks in many places, this is where I normally like to ride, and after riding through a few cities, there is something I have noticed.

In the poorer suburbs, the sidewalks are basically unrideable. I basically spend a lot of time just carrying my board as the sidewalk is full of cracks/weeds and completely unrideable.

In the wealthier suburbs, the sidewalks can be exceptional to ride. Smooth, wide and very well maintained.

It is the same city though. Just certain areas the city cares about, and certain areas they do not. 

The quality of sidewalks is not something that many people notice, but as a skateboarder, it is something I have observed everywhere I went. It is one small detail out of many.

Los Angeles - rich get rich, poor get poorer

I have always wanted to go to Los Angeles since I was a kid. It’s Hollywood, y’know? LA is a big place, and the areas within it are very different. I have wandered around the train tracks and LA rivers around downtown and it’s pretty lawless to say the least. Completely covered in trash, full of homeless, and some spots I did not paint because of the hostile people living there.

I remember a particular stretch of tracks downtown, walking through giant piles of stolen bikes being parted out, and seeing masked people rob a freight train as it parked up momentarily. I have observed chaotic scenes similar to this before in poorer countries, but it’s not really what tourists think of when they think of ‘Hollywood’.

Not too far of a drive away from this chaos, what do you have? The rich celebrities, the gated mansions and wealthy neighbourhoods of Beverly Hills, Calabasas etc… 

Conversations with homeless

Painting graffiti in America, I always run into homeless people. Sometimes they keep to themselves, sometimes they want to talk. 

Sometimes they ask me for money and I offer to buy them food instead. Most of the time they will decline, but something they will take me up on my offer so I strike up a conversation as I walk with them to the nearest food place/grocery store.

I ask where they are from and how they got into that situation. Some people say something simple like they lost their ID, and then had trouble acquiring a new one, and then their life gradually declined into homelessness. Many people had a bad childhood. Sometimes I meet people that enjoy living under a bridge. Sometimes I see families and children, just trying to survive and get through the winter… 

The fact that I paint graffiti and enjoy exploring lets me see the kind of places the homeless seek out. I am merely a traveller, a tourist passing through and painting something for fun. For them, that bridge covered in excrement and trash is their home… 

It is true that a lot of homelessness is associated with drugs/alcohol addiction. I have met many people who are obviously high and incoherent and other times I meet regular people though. I treat everyone the same, regardless of whether they appear to be wealthy or poor.

Some of the worst people I’ve met in life were the wealthy, entitled ones. Some of the kindest people I’ve met were the unhoused ones with next to nothing.

Some people are in that situation because of their own bad decisions. Some people were taken advantage of and dealt a bad hand in the game of life. Many people suffer from bad mental illnesses, and are left untreated and unhoused.

I remember these people I crossed paths with that I could not help. I remember being in a small town, saying hello to someone under a bridge and opting to start a friendly conversation before realising that they had schizophrenia. They started rambling to me and talking to people that were not there, and I listened to it all as I took my time to paint a piece. I normally paint quickly, but sometimes I opt to do a piece and paint longer if there are people who I feel are enjoying talking to me at the spot.

I remember reading discarded journals under bridges, of people writing about their lives. I remember people telling me about their goals and dreams, I remember the hope in their voices as they described where they wanted to get there in life, and I knew the chances of them achieving their dreams were next to nothing.

I remember meeting people who were living amongst a pile consisting of just random objects they collected of no use to them, they were obviously hoarding and had a mental illness.

Maybe when you have so little to your name and no one to support you, having a bunch of random items around you makes you feel okay.

No one chooses where they were born and what situation they were born in. We shouldn’t try and divide ourselves. We are all humans moulded from the same clay.

We laugh, we cry.

We get excited, we get angry.

We love, we grieve.

We are all one race, the human race.

[ronaldparlato]

The sheen of special status was quickly graffitied and marred once she left Woodson, so she didn't know what hit her once she sat in her cubicle at Marker Brothers. Betty was in a dull job, a fat girl with no romance, sold a bill of goods by her former proprietors of good.

[pghgraffiti]

[jwood719]

Railroading in West Virginia: CSX in Thurmond.

While in Thurmond on a July morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see quite of bit of rail road traffic through the little town, and more than just a coal drag on the main or a string of empty hoppers.

Rust and Spray Paint

Doin’ the Thurmond Shuffle.

Coming across the trestle was a long coal drag out of the valley headed by locomotive 374 that paused at the depot (allowing me a photo op whether they knew it or not), then moved on around the bend beyond town.  The two locomotives swapped tracks, then swapped ends of the car string, but rested for some time while mechanics from a local rail road shop did -- well they did something with one of the engines.  Meanwhile, other locomotives pulled that single tank car across and -- attached it to some other train?

From the other direction, a true, mixed freight-consist (headed by CSX 275) paused near the station for a few minutes before proceeding up the main line-tracks going north.

I don’t often see true, mixed-freight consists, and certainly few boxcars; the inter-modal trains with road trailers or shipping containers loaded on rail cars are more common today.

While Thurmond doesn’t see the rail action that it used to, the trackage that remains still allows for “doin’ the Thurmond Shuffle,” it seems: pausing and shifting cars and locomotives while consists are shaped up before taking the trains to points beyond the river valleys.

R. Jake Wood, 2021.

[sentimental-hero]

((Here he is! Tubby (Or Tubbs). A friendo (Riju) gave him that nickname after finding out how much he eats on a daily basis. She also braided his hair and he seemed to like it so he kept the hairstyle. It was on the day he visited and found her having her hair braided (bc girl time) and couldn’t stop staring. He doesn’t particularly talk much— only when he needs to really. And he barely speaks around Sidon seeing as Sharky here does most of the talking anyway— it’s pleasant to him. Tubbs is also a bit of a delinquent. He’s actually more of a bully to the monsters if anything: setting their homes on fire, blowing them up, burning them, graffitiing their homes with fire by writing his name with it, etc. But as the hero he has a reputation to uphold and so only behaves like this in private. He especially conditions himself around Sidon because he loves getting praised for all of his heroism. Despite all of this, he’s a sweet, softie who has a thing for animals and will sometimes be found feeding them if he’s having a snack.))

[unimonsterjohn]

The Hollywood Knights (1980, Floyd Mutrux) Following the blockbuster success of George Lucas' American Graffiti in 1973, a wave of nostalgia for the 1950s and '60s swept into cinemas and television sets. One of the last examples of this trend was 1980's The Hollywood Knights. The film takes place during Halloween night, 1965. A vintage 1950s high school car club, the Knights, is about to lose it's hangout, Tubby's Drive-in, which is about to be closed and torn down, to make way for an office building. They're determined to make their last night a memorable one. While critics charge (and not without merit) that this movie is nothing more than a cheap ripoff of American Graffiti, that ignores the genuinely great comedy that is this movie. Robert Wuhl, as the club's leader Newbomb Turk, is hilarious, perfectly capturing the sleazy, class-clown character, someone who sees 'mooning' as high art, and spiking a party's punchbowl by urinating into it as a fun prank. The film also features the big-screen debuts of Tony Dana and Michelle Pfeiffer, amid a largely unknown cast that manages quite well with the less-than-challenging script. Is the movie the classic that is American Graffiti? No, of course it's not. It is a cheap ripoff of a much better film. So are 90% of the movies that are released on an annual basis. That doesn't mean that it's a bad movie. In fact, it's a damn good one. Give it a try! #unimonstersmovieoftheday

[worldofartshop]

Terror Tubbies. . . . . #streetart #graffiti #artistic #arts #streetarteverywhere #streetartistry #streetartist #streetartphotography #streetartglobe #streetartlovers #streetartofficial #streetartandgraffiti #streetartnews #streetartberlin #streetarts #streetartists #streetartphoto #streetartfiles #streetartiseverywhere #streetartdaily #streetartworldwide

[toomanylovesongs]

Scenes from a Tubby Dog bathroom. • • • • • #yyc #tubbydog #graffiti #marker #bathroomgraffiti #thoughts #calgary (at Tubby Dog)

[tubby1]

Tubby Graffiti

What is tubby graffiti?

If you found this page, you may have searched for 'tubby graffiti 'tubby1 graffiti', and wondered about my tag or sticker. I created this page to show up on Google so there is less misinformation about me, and write more about the purpose of my tag.

I am a graffiti writer/urban explorer from Sydney, Australia. I primarily enjoy painting in 'hidden spots', like drainage tunnels and under bridges.

I got arrested several times within the span of a year or 2 for various charges of vandalism and trespassing. The last time I got arrested in Australia for vandalism, I was sentenced to do community service and I really didn't feel like doing much more graffiti in Sydney, because I kept getting caught.

But as it turns out, I am extremely thankful for the day I was arrested, because that day changed the course of my life forever.

My friend invited me to travel overseas with him, and I ended up travelling some of Asia and Europe with him. I didn't paint graffiti on these first trips or go anywhere off the beaten path, I just put up stickers and just enjoyed living happy and free, and doing as regular people do in their early twenties.

Later on another friend invited me to travel to India. This was my first time travelling to a 'non-touristy' place, and the catalyst for what made me want to drop everything and see the world as so much happened in just a couple weeks, and it ended up with us forgoing our flight to the party destination of Goa and instead going hiking in the Himalayas for 5 days and living among gypsies.

While it was great fun, I also saw huge amounts of poverty and visited the slums. This is really the first time I really saw things like that first hand.

When I returned to Australia, I realized that normal life would never quite feel the same. After getting restless, I ended up selling my car, getting rid of most of my belongings, packing what I needed into a duffel bag and setting off to see the world and write graffiti.

It started off as just fun and games. Backpacking through Asia and Europe, staying in hostels, meeting other travellers, while also writing graffiti and just enjoying life.

As I travelled more, I started seeing more and more in the way of poverty, crime, economic disparity, etc...

When you are painting graffiti in a country which doesn't really have a graffiti scene, it often strikes up conversations or even altercations.

I would always talk to people and they would always ask me 'what is the purpose of the graffiti.' I didn't really have an answer, I just said it was a fat, happy character.

I would eventually start painting countries which are advised as 'do not travel' places, and painting graffiti in these countries would start getting increasingly dangerous, and I would see the effects of war, meet refugees, meet many people just trying to survive in atrocious living conditions.

It would begin to feel distasteful, me just being a tourist, going to these places of extreme poverty with terrible living conditions to write graffiti for a couple days and move on to the next place.

Sitting at 94 countries at last count, I still have not completed even half when it comes to the goal of 'visiting every country in the world'.

About half of the countries left are in the African continent.

I have analysed the list and possibility of visiting every country in the world, and a large portion of what I have left to visit are countries which are considered extremely dangerous/in war/very bad political situations.

At the moment I am not travelling due to real life catching up with me and having a child.

I do not intend to visit all 197 anywhere in the near future, but I do intend to spend a few more months when I can travel again and eventually write a book about the complex social-economic and geopolitical issues which face our world.

My graffiti doesn't really benefit anyone, and is relatively pointless. All my stickers and tags will fade or get painted over, and in a while it will be as if I was never there.

If there is one thing I wish to leave behind, I wish to write and spread awareness about the world issues I have seen first hand. I want to share my views and write about the good and bad I have seen. Unless you see the bad, you can't really appreciate the good.

I'm from Sydney, Australia, a place which consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the world. I have a passport which allows me to travel to most countries without difficult visas/invitation letters. I come from a place of privilege which allows me to travel with ease.

No one chooses where they were born and I don't want to waste the advantage I was born with, so I will endeavour to write a book and tell the stories of what I've experienced and the things I've seen.

[thecaptainsdesk]

The Philippines is often overlooked by foreign travellers in favour of other Asian destinations, but there’s no better time to get to know this tropical archipelago.

With 7461* islands (at low tide!) and a feast of screensaver-perfect backdrops – from dreamy tropical beaches and smouldering volcanoes to mesmerising rice terraces and crumbling Spanish relics – the Philippines is one of south-east Asia’s most exotic getaways.

(*Yes, according to the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), following a report from the Philippine Islands Measurement Project, the number of islands recognized as Philippine property is actually larger than the 7,107 islands people were taught in school for decades. Some had just been missed due to a lack of technology, and others are relatively new islands that are the result of changing landforms.)

Yet to many travellers, this lush archipelago – anchored between the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean – remains an under-appreciated mystery; usually ignored in favour of its near-neighbours Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia (Bali), despite the efforts of Filipino tourism chiefs, whose slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”, and the new ad with world-famous travel blogger, Jack Ellis, “When you’re with Filipinos, you’re with family” graces billboards everywhere.

Palawan

So why take a punt on the Philippines? Aside from the fact that low-cost Filipino carrier Cebu Airlines has launched flights between the Philippines and other international destinations, taking on the national carrier Philippine Airlines, and the fact that you’re dealing with bargain, Bali-esque prices, what is there that appeals here?

How about gorgeous landscapes, a spellbinding cast of wildlife (both on land and under water), exuberant festivals, romantic hideaways and thrilling adventures, sumptuous seafood and rum-fuelled parties and the chance to mingle with some of the cheeriest people on earth.

And you’ll have no worries communicating with them. Alongside Tagalog (Filipino), English is the Philippines’ unofficial language (a legacy of the country’s strong American influence).

Compiling a maiden Filipino travel itinerary can be tricky (did I mention there were 7461 islands?).

So here are some ideas to get you started.

MANIC MANILA

Most travellers fly into Metro Manila, which, with its Bangkok-style traffic jams and its glaring chasms between the ostentatiously rich and the heart-wrenchingly poor, provides an in-your-face introduction to the Philippines. However, the Filipino capital is an absorbing and enthralling place to explore.

To familiarise yourself, join a walking tour with Carlos Celdran, an acclaimed guide who uses street theatre to trace Manila’s topsy-turvy history. His signature tour covers Intramuros – the photogenic, and fairly placid, old walled quarter founded by the Spanish colonialists in the early 16th century. (celdrantours.blogspot.com)

It was partially rebuilt after being flattened during World War II when the US and Japan fought for control of the city, then known as the pearl of the Orient. Another Celdran tour (Livin’ La Vida Imelda) explores the controversial life of Imelda Marcos, the shoe-loving wife of former President, Ferdinand Marcos. She was said to have owned 3000 pairs of shoes when she was the first lady.

Manila skyline at dusk

You can shop for nifty footwear, and other goodies, in the sleek airconditioned malls beloved by Manileños across the social spectrum (the fanciest are in Makati, a modern American-tinged enclave strewn with cosmopolitan hotels and restaurants). Don’t miss the sunset over Manila Bay; it’s the city’s traffic pollution that contributes to the startling orangey-red spectacle.

After dark, kick back with drinks on a trendy rooftop bar such as Skye (skye.ph) or try your luck at Manila’s new $1.3 billion Solaire casino (solaireresort.com). You could also partake in the national obsession: singing. Karaoke bars are everywhere; some are family-friendly, others not so, dripping in neon and sleaze, rife with sex tourists and ladies, and lady-boys, of the night.

THE BIG ISLAND – LUZON

Classic Filipino Jeepney

Manila sprawls at the centre of the Philippines’ largest island.

A touch smaller than Cuba, Luzon could easily eat up the visa-free allowance that many passport holders are given upon entering the country.

After the smog, heat and bustle of Manila, it’s bliss to ascend into the cooler Cordillera, a pine-forested chain of mountains sheltering laid-back towns like Sagada, a faintly mystical, hippy hideaway, and Baguio, a hill station established by the American military, who forced Spain out of the Philippines in 1898.

Baguio Botanical Gardens

The Cordillera hides waterfalls, sacred caves with entombed mummies and museums that depict the customs of ancient headhunters.

But the main pull is the UNESCO World Heritage-listed rice terraces skirting the small towns of Banaue and Batad.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Dating back to the days before Christ, these magnificent amphitheatres — hewn with hand, mud and stone by the Ifugao people (one of several tribes still living in the region) — are edged by invigorating hiking trails. Travellers can do bamboo and nipa hut home-stays in Batad, where the worst of the noise pollution comes from crowing roosters and playful children.

A little sister gets a lift

Further north, the Philippines’ best-preserved Spanish town, Vigan, has cobblestone streets, Mediterranean mansions, sturdy Catholic churches that were built to withstand earthquakes; one form of disastrous natural phenomena that the Philippines is vulnerable to and vibrant festivals like January’s Vigan Town Fiesta – it’s a blaze of colour, music and processions.

Horse-drawn carriage in Vigan

You can tour Vigan in a calesa, a two-wheeled horse carriage that is just one of the country’s eye-catching (and often hair-raising) modes of transport. Most prevalent is the jeepney. A Philippines classic, the ex-US Army jeeps-cum-minibuses daubed in technicolour graffiti spawning messages of love, politics and religion. Similar designs cover tricycles, the Filipino rickshaws that are basically motorbikes with bolted-on sidecars.

Swimming with the Butanding

In South Luzon, you can swim with giant butanding (whale sharks) off the coast of Donsol, and see smoking Mount Mayon (a perfect cone volcano blooming from rice fields). Volcanoes loom either side of Manila. Day-trippers scale Mount Pinatubo, which last erupted in 1991, and Taal, which emerges, rather magically, out of a lake.

Left: Taal, Right: Mt. Pinatubo(top) Mt. Mayon(bottom)

BORACAY BLISS

Choosing the Philippines’ most beautiful beach is nigh-on impossible; there are so many. The most hyped is Boracay Island’s White Beach, a luscious, four-kilometre lick of powdery sand, edged by giant, lurching coconut palms and stroked by gentle azure waters crawling with paraws (traditional sailing boats).

Boracay's white sand beaches

Though Boracay is paradise to many Filipinos (and Americans, South Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese, who comprise the bulk of the international tourists), some complain that it’s become too developed.

Compared to Thailand’s Patong and Bali’s Kuta, however, Boracay is still pretty laidback. And as you enjoy a seafood platter — grilled squid, octopus, shrimps and snapper – with a chilled San Miguel beer, while watching the sun melt into the sea, sending the sky into a frenzy of pinks and oranges, White Beach doesn’t seem such a bad place to linger.

SEE CEBU

Less frenetic than Manila, Cebu is the Philippines’ second major gateway. Its international airport is on Mactan Island, where Iberian explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his end at the hands of tribal leader Lapu-Lapu in 1521.

Magellan Shrine (back), Lapu-Lapu Shrine (front)

A 20-minute taxi ride away, Cebu City boasts the country’s oldest street and church, a ruined Spanish fort, and renowned eateries, like Zubuchon, where globetrotting celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain feasted on lechon (spit-roasted suckling pig). His verdict? “Best pig ever!”

Pinoy lechon, roasting over hot coals

While not as famous as Thai or Vietnamese food, Filipino cuisine is extremely varied and flavoursome.

Touted as the national dish, adobo is a vinegary, garlicky dish that comes in beef, pork and chicken variations, with rice. It’s served everywhere, from upscale bistros to boisterous street markets where families and friends munch and socialise around plastic tables and chairs.

Adobong Manok chaka kanin

Balut (half-developed duck embryo) is among the more offbeat culinary options. A favourite Filipino dessert is halo-halo, a revitalising concoction of milky crushed ice, fresh fruit (like mango, banana and papaya) and ice-cream.

Balut (left),  Halo-Halo (right)

I could go on and on about the delights of Filipino cuisine, but I think I’ll leave that for another time…

The hub of the Visayan archipelago, Cebu is the launchpad for ferries and catamarans to myriad tempting islands, best explored on a motorbike or bicycle. Gems include Siquijor which is famed for its witches and shamans and the bucolic Bohol, which is on the road to recovery after suffering back-to-back jolts in late 2013. A devastating 7.2 earthquake was followed three weeks later by Typhoon Haiyan (or Yolanda, as it was known in the Philippines).

Although some of Bohol’s centuries-old churches were reduced to rubble, its iconic, tubby Chocolate Hills are still largely intact.

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

These 100-metre high mounds turn brown in the dry season between March and May (but are a luxuriant green for most of the year).

Another Bohol highlight is the tarsier. You can glimpse these cute, wide-eyed creatures — some of the planet’s tiniest primates — in the trees of Bohol’s Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary.

Bohol Tarsiers

BEST OF THE REST

Like Borneo, Palawan conjures up a sense of the far-flung and unexplored. Its languid provincial capital, Puerto Princesa, is just an hour’s flight from Manila, but oozes Eden-esque qualities.

One of the few pockets of civilisation, El Nido is a traveller-friendly town surrounded by hulking limestone cliffs, pristine beaches and sparkling emerald lagoons. Hop in a bangka (an outrigger vessel) or kayak and imbibe scenery that resembles Phi Phi in Thailand, only with a fraction of the tourists. North of Palawan, the Calamian Islands are believed to have inspired Alex Garland to write The Beach.

Strolling along the beach in El Nido, Palawan

Calamian includes the hallowed wreck-dive spot of Coron, where more than a dozen Japanese ships were sunk during World War II. Coral-rich reefs teeming with tropical fish, turtles, sharks and dugongs, pepper Filipino waters, with world-class dive sites off Panglao Island, south of Bohol, Apo Island, off Negros, and Puerto Galera, Mindoro.

In the Philippines’ deep south, hardcore surfers tackle the “Cloud Nine” break off Siargao Island, while adventure-seekers are drawn to Camiguin, a pear-shaped island with seven volcanoes. Both are near Mindanao, the country’s second largest island.

Currently, Mindanao is out-of-bounds to tourists due to a proclamation of Martial Law by Philippine President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, initiated to counter the pro-ISIS Maute terrorist group, who recently took a hold in Marawi City. Troops are currently active in the region, although the rest of the country is as safe as ever.

MORE INFORMATION

It’s More Fun In The Philippines

Department of Tourism, Philippines

TEN ESSENTIAL PHILIPPINES EXPERIENCES

Sip Tanduay rum and coke, a San Miguel or a fresh fruit juice while soaking up a Boracay sunset.

Filipinos are rarely more gleeful than during karaoke sessions. Go on, join in.

3. Hike through and marvel at the ancient rice terraces lording over Banaue and Batad.

Rub shoulders with a cocktail of humanity in a jeepney.

Ogle awe-inspiring wildlife, whether it be tarsiers on land or butanding under water.

Indulge your inner mall rat and relax the purse strings in Manila’s glut of shopping centres.

Navigate turquoise Filipino seas in a ferry, kayak or bangka (outrigger boat).

Enjoy a taste of the local street foods, including barbecued isaw, kwek-kwek, and fish balls.

You’ll be offered hundreds of massages on your Filipino holiday. Accept one (at least).

Stumble across your own empty, postcard-perfect tropical beach.

Fish balls, squid balls, kwek-kwek, and kikiam, favoured street foods of Filipinos

Secret’s out: Asia’s most overlooked paradise The Philippines is often overlooked by foreign travellers in favour of other Asian destinations, but there's no better time to get to know this tropical archipelago.