Asia Postscript

Tokyo-Osaka-Batangas-Manila-Hong Kong in 16 Days

Sometimes it feels so wrong but you know it's the right thing to do.

It was the worst possible time for me to take a trip being in the middle of finishing construction of Casa Montana Alegre and a 16 day absence wouldn't help. Also, major trip details like where to stay in Manila and a flight from there to Hong Kong did not get chosen until the night before I left. There were also too many connections with too many people in too many airports and train stations that I felt a connection was bound to be missed somewhere. How do you plan for that?

But I knew it was a trip I had to take, a real once-in-a-lifer, do it now or never have the opportunity again. With the exception of leaving my laptop at Narita Airport, everything worked out. Eventually even the lost laptop reappeared 10 days later.

This was not a trip about countries and cities. I'd been to Japan and Hong Kong before. This was a trip about people, my family's people.

On behalf of my sister and myself I would like to thank Emma Gutierrez for making this trip happen. From the beginning when she learned that I had a Philippine background, she wanted to introduce me to her homeland. This opportunity in particular, during the week-long celebrations of her graduating class, was especially rewarding. We got to meet and spend time with some of the people who were close to Emma during her time in the Philippines. This was an experience my sister and I will carry for the rest of our lives. Thank you Emma.