You can take a person out of a place, but how do you take the place out of a person? This morning, I am sitting on a chair in front of my desk in a room in a house in a city that is in a country I call home. But where am I, really? My … More Postcards from San Diego
If there was a place that I never thought I would get to visit, it would be Basilan. And yet I have been there twice now. Both times, I arrived with trepidation – never have I feared a place so much to lose sleep in the days leading up to my departure (at a certain … More The Yakan Weavers of Basilan
We were arguing in the middle of the street. My younger brother, Mark, loomed over me and fixed me with a withering stare. I looked at him with incredulity. Dani, our 10-year-old sister shifted nervously between us and tried to referee. “You should stop fighting,” she pleaded. I ignored her appeal. “I brought you all … More Trouble in Hong Kong (A short travel story)
Pat was sick. She was in bed, bleary-eyed and feverish, close to tears due to a general feeling of crappiness and helplessness. “I can’t go out today,” she said on our third day in the island. “I’m just going to stay in the hostel.” She did just that, while Monica and I ventured out into … More Recovering from El Nido
What does it mean to be lucky? On my first trip up Pulag, luck was finding two friends last-minute to join me on the trek with a random group of people. Luck was having strong brakes that prevented our jeepney from falling off a ridge. Luck was having a raincoat. It was having an emergency … More Luck at the Playground of the Gods
