Day 98. Sagada, Philippines. Tired eyes, sore bums.

Wend warned me there'd be days like these.

The morning started promisingly enough, as we hiked in glorious sunshine across a mountain ridge to the pick-up point for our Jeepney back to Banaue, where we were to take a bus north to Sagada.

And it was lovely. We passed through several more sets of rice terraces, the birds were singing and everything was just tickety-boo.

Then the problems started.

We were told there'd been a landslide overnight and the track to Banaue was impassable. So a Jeepney took us as far as the rockfall which we clambered over to Jeepney #2 to complete the journey. At this point we were still having fun, and me, Jenny and the Germans decided to ride the Jeepney Philippino style; sitting on the roof.

Jeepney #2 dropped us at 11.30am. Great, we thought, our connecting bus to Sagada doesn't leave until 1pm, giving us plenty of time for a bite to eat with our new friends.

Except the bus left at 12.30.

"It was full sir, when it's full, it leaves"

Oh joy. "And the next one?"

"Tomorrow. To go today, you take Jeepney at 3pm to Bontoc, then another to Sagada"

Which is what we tried to do. But Jeepney #3 arrived at Bontoc 20 minutes after Jeepney #4 had departed. This of course was highly convenient for the driver of Jeepney #3, who knew he had us by the short and curlies.

"I take you all the way. Give you discount"

Yeah, right.

So we ended up paying 8 quid each. Which I suppose in the greater scheme of things, isn't going to blow a gaping hole in the international monetary fund. Still bloody annoying though.

Towards the end of our marathon journey the Jeepney pulled over to pick up half a dozen ladies who'd been working in the fields. Average age: 153. Height: 5'1". Number of teeth: 4. They'd probably been out since dawn and were returning at sunset - and I don't even want to guess how much they'd earned for their 12 hour shift - yet they were laughing and carrying on like a gaggle of young lasses heading into the Bigg Market on a Friday night.

Me and Wend looked at each other and smiled. The tribulations of our sticky day on the road had just been put into some perspective.