17 to go!

Yep, time is marching on, and it's 17 weeks to go!


This is a jeepney, a really common form of transport in the Phillippines. This jeepney is pretty plain by standards; most are painted brightly all over, with all sorts of slogans, sayings and statements.

You can fit as many as 30 people in a jeepney (surprisingly), and forget about seatbelts.

Last time I went to the Philippines, it cost about 5 pesos to use a jeepney (about $AU 0.125) depending on how far you want to go, although I believe that now the fare has gone up due to rising oil prices. And how do you pay the driver? Simply pass your money along the bench seat toward the front.

Beware when you're stepping of the edge, often the drivers will start moving off before you're on the ground!