In Good Company - Leaving Makati, Philippines

I don't know why, but I am always astonished at the hospitality and friendliness of strangers when I travel. Maybe it is because I grew up in a place that had no tourists, or maybe because I have spent time in places that have an open disdain for them. Of course, nowhere you go is perfectly safe and welcomes the foreigner (that I have witnessed so far) all the time. I have definitely had plenty of locals around the world try to take advantage of my being in a strange place - like the pork vendor in Prague, the fake cop in Vienna, the taxi driver in... well, everywhere. However - and maybe it's just having an open mind and a desire to get to know the people who live around the world instead of just their landmarks and photo ops - there are plenty of people in many lands who will share their world with you and treat a stranger as a friend. I have seen it in Italy, Colombia, England, Peru, Turkey, Hawaii, Japan... wow, pretty much everywhere, and now in the Philippines.

If there is one thing this new travel video project has taught me, it's that meeting these unique and fascinating people all over the world and taking part in these experiences are moments - not unlike life - that are usually just recorded by the mind and never actually revisited. This came to me at a birthday party the other day - at home, we have the luxury of taking moments for granted because of the possibility (and in some cases, probability) of repeating something similar at some point in the future; when abroad, there is a good chance you have just created a one-time-only memory, hostage to the performance of your brain and victim to time. Certainly, moments and people come and go - some stick around longer than others - wherever you are, but like they say, "take a picture; it'll last you longer."

There is no mystery here. Life, and everything in it are temporary, everybody knows that. Traveling gives you unique experiences, no kidding. Good people help strangers, stop the press! It's just something to think about.

Thanks, Makati.

H & J Sports Bar

Connection in Manila - My Introduction to the Philippines

I didn't actually plan to be here.

The original plan was to connect here in Manila to a regional flight south. That was before they closed the next airport for repairs for a few weeks - the airport for the one non-negotiable destination of the trip (so far). However, we here at JMP Travel have contingency plans for such instances. This particular plan is called "Winging It."

Manila Skyline

It turns out, Manila is not a bad place to spend a couple of weeks - not that I had any prior opinion about the place. I've actually spent all of my time here in the city of Makati, which is part of Metro-Manila; in fact, I have the view of the Manila skyscrapers in front of me as I write, perched on my fourth-floor rooftop. In the case of most other major cities of the world, I probably would have made my way in to explore by now, but I've been content, for some reason, to just take in all that is Makati. By most measures, from what I have seen, this is not a particularly charming place. The traffic is loud and seemingly omnipresent. The air is, at best, borderline carcinogenic. The river looks like landfill runoff and reeks of it too (and children swim in it). The weather has been oppressively hot and humid. However, I'm having a pretty good time!

The good news is that there is plenty to keep me entertained. If you know me, you know that this is, in part, a culinary adventure, and there is a whole world of foods to try here - all within walking distance. I like that I can walk around the corner, and there is a guy cutting open young coconuts for my refreshment for about a quarter (USD).  Beers are cheap. You can get a street food meal that usually involves some sort of mystery. I went to a 400 year-old church for Mothers Day and was the tallest guy there. There is a gigantic mall just about a mile down the road that has anything you could want. Best of all, I found a sports pub a block away that shows live international soccer matches as well as NBA Playoffs and has the friendliest staff, some of whom I now call friends (they're open until 8:00 am, which I have tested just once and I blame it on American basketball). The moral of the story here is that if you plan for things not going according to plans, sometimes that is when the best discoveries are made.

Sisig

Walking Amadeus S01:E02 "Connections"

Episode 2 - Connections

Makati Manila, Philippines (2015)

One-man journey around the world makes connections in Seoul and Manila
to find an unexpected extra two weeks in the latter - intro to the
Philippines and a world travel lesson to remember.