The never ending journey

I am on location today in Siargao, an island South of the Philippines known for great surfing. Getting there and getting out of there has turned out to be quite an ordeal. Starting at 4 in the morning, my companions (a photographer and a model) crept out of our cottage before the sun even came out, took a van ride for about 30 mins, followed by a ferry ride in an overloaded ferry (I was seriously afraid the boat with sink as the tiny ferry was definitely packed with more people it could legally contain), a multi-cab to the bus terminal,then a two hour wild van ride to make it in time to the airport where the three of us were chance passengers in the plane trip to Manila. We were eventually rewarded with seats on the flight. But getting to Manila meant exiting the arrivals gate only to enter the departure gate again to another flight to Bacolod.

It is a series of connections to get to where we are destined to go. And as I am about to sleep tonight, we have not yet arrived at our destination. I guess life is that way.

In the plane from Butuan to Manila, I sat next to a woman I had seen earlier in the week. We took the same plane from Manila to Butuan. Recognizing each other, we exchanged stories like old friends.... I guess that's how life's journey works out. You never really know who will journey with you. It could be a model, it could be a photographer, or even scummy men from the bus terminal trying to get a free ride in your van to the airport. Whether you like it or not, they may ride with you, hover behind your back, slow you down on the journey, or even be a friend a long the way. Regardless, you just have to make the journey happen.

Sometimes you stop to rest, to eat, to recharge. Today, we went on... and on. It was only at 5 in the afternoon as we boarded our flight from Manila to Bacolod, we realized we haven't had a meal all day. We survived on bottles of mineral water, gatorade, chips, and peanuts....

Perhaps, a journey never really ends....you never know where it will take you, who will travel with you and the adventure that it brings with it.

And as I am ready to collapse in my hotel bed in Bacolod, I can still dreamily smile for tomorrow continues this never ending journey.