For a multitude of reasons, it is hard to sufficiently and succinctly "sum up" my trip to the Philippines. On February 12th, 2013 I traveled with a group of 9 friends whose backgrounds spanned 6 countries on a journey of a lifetime. Never in my life have I seen such a stark juxtaposition between organic beauty and manmade poverty. Moreover, never in my life have I felt like such a foreigner. However, I do not mean this in a negative sense that the connotation of the word "foreigner" often carries. I simply mean that I definitely stood out as being "different." But, to be honest, I've never felt more comfortable being different in my life. From the very beginning of the trip to the last goodbye to the stewardess when I landed in Hong Kong, the Filipino people treated me as if I were family- and that is something I will never forget.
For example, the day we arrived in Puerto Princesa on Palawan island, we were greeted by a tricycle driver named Jun. These tricycles are effectively motor bikes with an extension cab to hold a few other people (5 Filipino sized, or 3 Western size...we found out very quickly that there was a difference). Jun took us everywhere. He showed us his favorite spots- the most notable were a private beach in which my friends and I were literally the only ones there for about 5 hours, and he also showed us a very exclusive waterfall area that had some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. He cooked us lunch, helped us find the best spots for photos and dining- he was just an all around awesome guy, and it was a pleasure to meet him and spend a few days getting to know him. Jun's friendship and generosity was indicative of nearly every encounter I had with the Filipino people. Every interaction was greeted with warm smiles, a helping attitude, and a genuine and beautiful spirit to willing to help me and my friends enjoy the best Palawan had to offer. I cannot say enough about the locals, and I cannot wait to return.
As far as the scenery was concerned, I have few words that accurately describe it. One thing of which I am sure is this; I wish I had a better camera and a keen eye for photography to truly capture the landscape. I did my best with the iPhone, however, any technology would be hard pressed to fully capture and express the beautiful Palawan.
Although Palawan was full of rich scenery and stunning beaches, the natural wonders were often overshadowed by the extreme poverty in the region. It's hard to believe that such a place exists where people live on less than 5 USD per day and whose main tasks include finding food and water for them and their families. It's amazing really- how happy the people were. I'm not suggesting that all in poverty in the Philippines don't suffer through hard times, but, from what I could gather, there existed a general sense of peace on the island. No one was troubled by the constant bustle of western life. iPhones, facebook, or whether or not a hotel had a solid wifi connection were none of their concern. The locals simply enjoyed running their local meat markets, driving their trikes, or driving bankas on island tours around El Nido (the highlight area of my trip). They lived a simple life- and in many ways, I envied that. Their families, work, and enjoying the scenery and life in general seemed to be their priorities- and it definitely challenged me to take a step back and reevaluate why it is so hard for the Western way of life to just take a step back and relax once in awhile. Being a business student, I find myself, many times, consumed by constant stress of the "next step" of life. What grade do I need to get on this exam to make sure my GPA is solid for this interview which will lead to this job that will help me get into this grad school...the list goes on. While I am not necessarily saying it is bad to have a plan (God knows I do, and have for a long time), I am simply saying that life on Palawan challenged me to be open to detours.
For example, on our boat tour around El Nido, our engine broke down and we were stranded in the middle of the ocean for about 2 hours while waiting for a new boat to come. At this moment in time I had two options- complain and allow fear to cloud out rational judgement, or enjoy the moment and adjust to the curve ball of the situation and make the best of the new circumstances. And I am glad I chose the latter, because apart from a few jellyfish stings, I had one of the best times of my life swimming and diving off of the boat and enjoying the view of all of the surrounding island peaking just above the bluest water I have ever seen. Although I was a bit uneasy at first, I did my best to enjoy the scenery of the new moment, and I now realize that I could have wasted two hours being upset and missed out on one of the most exciting and beautiful parts of my adventure.
Life is no different, really. We make plans. We develop roadmaps. We establish general frameworks from which we make decisions. And these are all great things. Without any sort of structure, life is essentially chaos. However, when circumstances arise that challenge our plans, roadmaps, and frameworks, we as humans are faced with a decision. Do we adjust and adapt in order to enjoy the beauty of the new scenery in which we find ourselves, or do we dogmatically pursue a dead end, refusing to change and refusing to make the adjustments necessary to open our eyes to the beauty of the new scenery. If we choose the latter, we effectively miss the opportunity provided by the new circumstances.
All in all, Palawan was a fantastic trip. I will forever have memories of killing a poisonous snake, dining on the beach with locals, searching through local meat markets to find food with flies everywhere, having waves crash over our banka and feeling as if we were moments from capsizing, talking to our boat driver about his plans after college, rope swinging into ice cold river water with a waterfall view. Most of all, though, I will remember the kindness of the locals, and the challenge to adapt to the unexpected. This is why I chose to go to Palawan. This is what I learned.
