Alright...I'm back on blogger because it allows me to link to friends who aren't on the same Blog-whatever I'm in, something Xanga or Multiply never let me do. (Well, it's probably possible or possibly probable but I never could figure out how.)

I've been travelling quite a bit for the last month. I'm now on my fourth continent in as many weeks. It's been fun, exciting, tiring, lonely, trying, educational, worrying, challenging, and inspiring. There are so many things I could write about, but today I want to focus on the little, unplanned, unexpected things that made my trip special. I started planning for this trip in December 2004. I've written emails, made calls, bought tickets, etc. But some of the best things that have happened are the unexpected, unplanned, sometimes little things that make such a significant impact. And here they are:

1.) Getting all those cool pics at Dubai with Paul - I was really planning on taking cool, silly pictures but to have Paul Pajo with me, and for him to come up with funny, silly, ideas too was really fun. For a detailed listing of all said pics, check out his shutterfly page. I don't know the link to it, but you can probably find it in his blog. Click on the link to the left, the one with his name of course. Clicking on any of the other names would result in you going to the respective person's blog. *END OF LINKS LESSON*

2.) Having the Muteena Family celebrate my birthday - It was my birthday last March 7. It didn't really feel like one because I wasn't with my family. But the people I was staying with in Dubai, bought me a cake, a gift, and even wrote me a card. I was so surprised! I'd never met any of them before, except Paul. I was really touched by everything they did.

3.) Running into Pastor Ferdie and Tito Banjo in Frankfurt - I had a 15 hour stop-over at the Frankfurt airport. What worse is, I didn't have a Schengen visa so I couldn't leave the airport. I was stuck there the whole time. It was my very own version of the Terminal. After just 2 hours, I was starting to crack so I started filming myself talking to the camera about the different features of the airport. Then I ran into Pastor Ferdie and Tito Banjo. They were on their way to Poland and they had a 12 hour stop-over. So we just hung out and talked most of the time. It was so much fun...much better than the alternative. You can't plan that sort of thing.

4.) Going to a game reserve in Durban, South Africa - I was already having a good time in Durban, when someone suggested I go to a game reserve. The next day, Fien from Nigeria and Nklibi from Sierra Leone (I think) took me to the Itala Game Reserve which was an hour's drive out of Durban. Neither of them had been there before, so it was an exciting experience for all of us. It was so much fun! We saw zebras, warthogs, rhinos, ostriches, impalas, hippos, blesboks, and many other animals that I only used to see on tv or in books. (Notice how the animals are listed in reverse alphabetical order. Wala lang.) We had a blast. There was this one time that Nklibi and I leaned out the windows to take pictures only to realize that the car had started swerving into the grass because Fien, who was driving, had stopped looking at the road and was looking out the windows too.

5.) The trip to Port Elizabeth - Port Elizabeth is another coastal city in South Africa, south and slightly west of Durban, and east of Cape Town. I wasn't really planning on stopping there at all, but the pastor in Durban suggested it and set it up with the people there to host me. So I flew to Port Elizabeth, where I met Jida and Eugene, two of the campus workers. They put me up in this beautiful bed and breakfast by the sea. It was just amazing! Afterwards, we had a quick prayer meeting at the beach with the sun setting. I got to speak to a number of their youth leaders and stuff; it was really fun. I also got to meet Lisa in Port Elizabeth. Many of my friends in Manila had met her and told me to look for her when I got to South Africa. I thought she would be in Cape Town, but I was wrong. But providentially, I still got to run into her at PE. Best of all, the church paid for my stay so I didn't pay for anything. It was like God was showing me that he could easily give me the best things without me worrying or even planning for it. By then, I had firmly decided to stop all my silly worrying and just trust Him.

6.) The moonlight in Cape Town - This isn't as big as any of the other stuff in this list. But I really like it when the moon is bright enough to make a shadows on the ground, and when there aren't other artificial lights around to ruin the effect. I was in Cape Town for a week and I stayed with Pastor Luther and his family. They let me stay in the servants quarters, which are in a different building, right next to the house. The full moon came out while I was there, and every night I'd cross from the kitchen to my room, I'd see my shadow on the ground. Several times, I'd stay out a bit longer to look up at it. It was really beautiful.

7.) Finding out that Angela's flat had wireless internet - For my last two nights in London, I stayed at my friend Angela Padilla's flat. She lives with this British couple, and they were kind enough to let me stay in their living room. Now, I had been looking for a wireless internet place in London that was free the whole time I was there. Most places I found made you pay, and I was already spending a lot on other stuff (like delicious crepes with Belgian chocolate and bananas! yum!), so I didn't want to do that. Then when I got to Angela's I found out that she had wireless internet! I was so happy I slept at 3 am the first night and 530 the next. hehehe

8.) Going to Covent Garden in London - I had a small list of things to look out for and visit in London, stuff like watch Les Miserables, see Big Ben, etc. But there were so many other things that I hadn't expected or planned to see, foremost of which was Covent Garden. Angela took me there one night, and it was just so amazing! That's where Henry Higgins met Eliza Dolittle for the first time in My Fair Lady. She was a flower girl, and Angela told me that Covent Garden used to be a flower market. I have a few pictures of it, and it looks like the set in the movie. (Or was it shot there? I dunno...) Anyway, it was really cool seeing it. If we'd stayed a bit longer, I would've started singing.

P.S. When I got to St. Louis, the family I'm staying with was watching My Fair Lady just as I got to their home. I immediately told them that I got to see the actual place where Eliza and Professor HIggins met. hehehe

9.) Getting Bumped Up to Business Class - I was late in getting to the airport, so I was the last person to check in for the flight. But this probably was a blessing in disguise (so thanks Angela. hehe) because they must've found out that there still were free business class seats, so I got bumped up to business class, which was a real blessing, coz it was a pretty long flight. It was so fun, being able to recline fully...stick your feet out...eat real food...etc. They really spoil you in busness class. And I loved every minute of it.

That's it. Of course, there are so many other things I did and experienced in my trip that were also very significant and meaningful. This is just a short list of the little, unplanned, unexpected things that made it extra special.