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.

A Little Bit of Seoul - a 13-Hour Layover in South Korea

Let me get this straight - I leave America with the fond memory of Underbelly ramen still fresh in my mind, and my first meal in the sky above Asia is a just-add-water knock-off of one of my new favorite meals? I have to admit, though, after what passes for in-flight meals on domestic US flights, that Korean kup-o-noodle is pretty much luxurious. Call me crazy. Speaking of hospitality in the air, has anyone noticed the inverse propensity to achieve friendly service on a plane relative to the age of the flight attendants? Are these older ones just kind of over it? I mean, if I had to spend 10 hours with some of my past tables with nowhere to hide, I'd be pretty bitter too. Well, at least they get free flights.

Alright, the million dollar question was, "What would you do with a 13-hour layover in Seoul?" (Apparently, it's "Korea" rather than "South Korea," but I never got the memo.) I tried asking around for the bus to Pyongyang, but everyone just gave me odd looks. Well, I arrived at Incheon International Airport (more on them later) at 7:00 pm and my next flight wasn't until 8:00 am. If we recall the Miami layover, I just rented a car and slept in it, which worked out quite well. However, different circumstances require different measures, and I opted for the hotel and two train rides. I had a grand Gangnam-Style plan to take over (not literally) Seoul and enjoy from dusk 'til dawn (minus vampire strippers), which was literally all I had there. However, midnight in Seoul is 5 am yesterday in Maui. I barely left the hotel, which is to say I walked a block to get some fried chicken. I was dead-tired and too worried about getting an hour and a half to the airport by 6 am, when trains don't start running until 5:30. I asked all the Asians there I could to figure out that math problem, and even they couldn't solve it with any great probability of success. Long story short - I put it in God's hands. It turns out He put in a good word for me with the fine people at Incheon Int'l, and they fast-tracked me through ticketing and security (and the thousands of other travelers there that day who left on time to get to the airport), and I made it to my gate with time to spare! Thank you ICN; I'm glad I chose you over Pyongyang. In conclusion, the answer to my all important question was: fried chicken and a mediocre pilsner - that's what you do with a 13-hour layover in Seoul.

Still wonder why I travel alone?

Live Free and Die Hard - Old Friends and Beginning a World Journey

You know what they say about old friends... wait, what do they say? I feel like there is an old saying - something about tried and true... die hard... you know, Bruce Willis-type stuff. Well, I have come to know many friends in my day, and I always like to think we can all catch up right where we left off - some sort of unspoken continuum that transcends space and time. In many cases, I have found that to be true.

Fittingly so, I chose to start my world tour visiting two of those guys who fall into the category of Die Hard Friends. Two others are assisting me on the Walking Amadeus video project. With any luck, I will see a few more before I complete the circle.

Destination #1 - San Diego, California

San Diego is quite a wonderful place to be. There are many reasons, but temperature, beach, food, and craft beer are among the best... those, and my good friend Jeff lives there with his lovely Liz. We knew I wouldn't get any great stouts for, gosh, months (!) ...gulp, so we had a good couple days of exploring a few more from among the 100 or so local breweries. Of course, we had to make a trip to Underbelly for ramen just prior to my flight. Watch out, Asia; Underbelly sets the bar pretty high. I don't know if any of y'all know about ramen, but they sure do. Thanks, Jeff for the great send-off.

Destination #2 - Lahaina, Maui

I had to count, but I believe this was my eleventh time to the Hawaiian Islands. My dad took me the first seven times. He taught me that all you need is a cheap flight, a cheap hotel, and some food money, and you've got yourself a vacation. For better or worse, my dining budget has snowballed a bit since the days of KFC and bargain buffets. I won't mention how Tom and his friend made me smuggle out all of that buffet chicken in my backpack for beach snacks. Oh wait, I just did.

Anyway, I picked Lahaina, because I wanted to go visit my long-lost friend, Shaun. We were fast friends from his sixteenth birthday when he got to drive his Mustang to school, invited me out to lunch, and he had a Van Halen tape at the ready. Done. I say "long-lost," because since he moved to Maui in the late '90s, I think I've seen him twice. We haven't been that good about staying in touch, but it's great to know the offer still stands to just show up in West Maui, and I'll have a friend and a place to crash. We had a pleasant reunion, and it was fascinating to see him and his younger brother as dads now. Hopefully, it won't be as long until we meet again - found three more little kids who call me "Uncle!" I don't actually know how many people call me "Uncle Mark," but it seems like a lot these days.

Well, off to Asia!

San Bernardino, CA

Many things come to the minds of those in faraway places who learn that I am from California. Probably very few of those things are correct about San Bernardino. Nobody surfs. We don't talk like Spicoli. Our city is bankrupt, and a fair amount of its roughly 200,000 residents would claim to be "broke." Several years ago I was surprised to learn there was an actual term used disparagingly in reference to my people and those in neighboring cities of the "Inland Empire" - "909ers." I heard it on a television program and thought, "Really, they call us by our area code?" It's true - Orange County folk, LA... they are embarrassed to share the state with us. In fact, most people who can, do flee San Bernardino eventually.

However, just because I'm leaving, I have no interest in further compounding the list of ills of my city to join the degradation. One could even look at it as a failure - not being the part of a solution. There is crime, there's smog, there's poverty, and there's blight, yet I will still always have a fond recollection of my first 21 years of life (and then some) in this much maligned dysfunctional institution of a city. I could list the ordinary and extraordinary people who taught me, trained me, coached me, prayed with me, counseled me, and befriended me in this place, but it would be far too extensive and not very flashy. The truth is we took on race relations decades ago, and many of us learned how to live together. Nobody cares what religion you are or into what family you were born. We are all proud Californians, but our identities have little to do with Hollywood or a surfboard. We are uniquely proud that we are nestled in a valley with fantastic sunsets, year-round shorts weather, and short drives away from mountains, beaches, the desert, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Mexico, and several major airports and sporting events... and we have plenty of great Mexican food. Growing up in San Bernardino teaches that you are blessed, but certainly not entitled; you can be proud, without being arrogant; you have to be strong, but you will never be indestructible; you can aspire, and you can escape if you wish.

I imagine many of the same claims could be made for a lot of hometowns. We should all be so fortunate to have such a nest out of which to be kicked... even if we do our own kicking.

Walking Amadeus S01:E01 "Departures"

Episode 1 - Departures

Riverside and San Diego, USA; Lahaina, USA (2015)

First episode of a one-man trip around the world - leaving home in California back in April of 2015, Mark Porter starts his journey in the Inland Empire, on to San Diego, and off to Maui. This is an interactive project, in that viewers are encouraged to participate in the open-ended journey by suggesting routes of travel, destinations, challenges, visitations, etc by emailing walkingamadeus@gmail.com

The Theory of Everything That Matters

I tend to wonder about the people who claim to "love" science. Do they actually mean that they enjoy the fruits of other people's study of science, or are they active thinkers in facts, theories, experimentation and logic? Sometimes I feel that some are simply trying to politically aggravate the people who have an active faith in God. In any case, science is truly an abundantly useful and necessary human creation. However, the explanation of "everything" in a single elegant mathematical equation is certainly ambitious, yet perhaps foolhardy. I claim this not only as a Christian or a social scientist, but as a humble singular note in a symphony of millenia. Indeed, my Theory of Everything That Matters will serve us even better than the best explanation of the story of all existence based upon a stated starting point in the infinity of time - not as a repudiation of science or facts, but as a complement to what we already think we know as well as an alteration of perspective.

There are many certainties (pardon my audacity, Ben Franklin) in life. This is not to say that they are infinitely durable or constant, but for the period of time in which I am interested (now until the foreseeable future), consider the following as truths:

There is light, and there is dark. There is and always will be right now as well as the past. Actions are caused by other actions, and certain conclusions necessarily follow. Circumstances will occur that do not seem fair. As long as humans walk the earth there will be conflict, love, and conscience. We all are born, and we all will pass. Our planet is merely a small piece of creation, yet somehow our decisions matter and can affect the universe outside of ourselves. Balance is the result of more than one force interacting with each or one another. Change will always occur due to variables in the equation, yet many of these variables can be predicted to some degree of accuracy. Evil exists. Life has a profound tendency to persevere as well as destroy.

The phenomenon of everything is rather broad and reaches beyond what any human could possibly understand. Everything that matters is only relevant as long as there are thinking rational beings to whom such affects. For instance, some catastrophe could destroy all life on Earth tomorrow, leaving no one left to care if my theory is actually correct. Absent said catastrophe, it is fair to say that everything that matters is the aggregate of human choices in their natural world. We ought not conclude necessarily that everything happens for a reason, because that presupposes a very personal attachment to the outcome, when in actuality every event is part of a larger movement toward equilibrium. The enlightened human - whether through travel, study, or affairs of the heart - realizes that the world is so much bigger than oneself. Armstrong, Einstein, King, and Shakespeare all made discoveries that contributed to the enlightenment of the human race, and all were catalysts granting the opportunities for positive movements in the world.

Everything that matters is a direct result of action by variables that have a choice over the constants that can be measured by mathematical analysis. For instance, when a certain amount of rain falls, it loosens the ground which triggers the falling of a boulder via the force of gravity down the given trajectory of a hillside to crush a car traveling at a specific velocity on the road below; this can all be predicted and explained quite methodically. The active choice of another human to risk her life to rescue the driver of the car is a phenomenon that cannot be predicted assuredly. Therefore, everything that matters is born in the human mind and carried out with the human spirit - not as a scientific equation that logically progresses throughout millenia in Xs and Ys born in some "big bang" at the beginning of time. The actual big bang occurs every day in the synapses journeyed in our minds and the profound capacities of our hearts to have some immeasurable impact on the world. Furthermore, the very American (although assuredly not exclusively) belief in a Creator, rather than sheer happenstance or marriage to incontrovertible scientific proof, has an impact on our world - through human choices in morality and purpose - that should not be understated. Indeed, everything that matters lies not in what has been proven or can be predicted with certainty, but rather in the unforeseen actions by capricious and inspired creatures and all that we affect throughout the courses of our given lifetimes.