Prologue

I have a travel diary that Eddie Knight gave to me back in 2002. On the first page I wrote (in somewhat incorrect Spanish):

“January 9, 2003: Today I received my passport. It’s the symbol of total freedom: I can travel anywhere in the world, with the wind at my back and the ground at my feet. I can buy a ticket and go to Spain, to Canada, to Ethiopia, to Russia, to Switzerland, to France, to Ireland or England. With this liberty I can come and go anywhere I please. My only concern is that I won’t have enough money, and that I’ll have to wait years and years before the moment arrives in which I can go to the most beautiful country in the world: Spain.”

Luckily for me, I was in Spain that summer, but my worry about funds was valid: I was running pretty low by my fifth week there. This is a theme that seems to repeat itself in all of my travels . . .

This travel diary has been with me not only in Spain, but also in Bolivia, Mexico (twice), Japan, and most recently, the Philippines. I only have 18 pages left. I wonder what words will fill its pages . . .

***

Chris and I decided to go to the Philippines just a few weeks before winter break. We bought our tickets (Tokyo-Taipei-Manila), and, with the invaluable help of his parents in the U.S. and his relatives in Manila, planned our two-week itinerary and booked hotels. Granted, a lot of our planning was last minute and involved several 4:00 a.m. calls across the globe, but we finally got it all sorted out. We would spend four days in Manila, four days in Boracay, four days in Cebu, taking several day trips throughout, and fly back to Tokyo from Manila after this 13-day adventure. Unfortunately, the best laid plans and all that, things didn't go quite as we planned.

***

“Remember,” Mark told us both on separate occasions before our trip. “If you get sick of each other, just say, ‘I need to have a few minutes,’ and get away from each other. Don’t bottle it in and keep being mad.”

This was dubbed “The Mark Brophy Moment.” 

It's excellent advice for anyone traveling together for an extended amount of time. Luckily for Chris and I, we only needed it twice. ("I need my Mark Brophy!!!") And strangely enough, instead of never wanting to hang out again after spending 1/24th of a year together, we have been able to come out even better friends than before. 

Here begins my Philippines tale.