I am at the free Yahoo internet station in Narita terminal 2, for my 3 hour stopover. Japan, I love you!
My last day in Manila was every aspect of my trip rolled into one: bureaucratic hell to the point of comedy (e.g. 3 hours to mail a parcel to myself), friendly chatty people, a relaxed dinner of mediocre greasy food while stretched out on a restaurant's rattan couch on the seawall overlooking Manila Bay while Independence Day fireworks explode overhead in the finally just-hot air. Some chats with friendly people, endless hawkers. Some live bands strung along the baywalk, mostly cover bands but also some baklas (lady-boys) who are watched appreciatively by many families with children. And up to get to the airport for 6 am.
Not enough time to get anywhere, so I'm mostly milling about Narita airport trying to see how much Japanese I can remember from my crash course. I'm doing okay, asking people a bunch of unnecessary questions just to try it out.
Vancouver-Tokyo-Manila-Naga, Naga-Manila-Tokyo-Vancouver. I have a sense of going in reverse on this trip, like I should be walking backwards, just more quickly than when I walked forwards. And when I get home, I'll have undone all my steps, and be right back where I started. Maybe like I never left, except I'll see all I have done on my trip as if it were still ahead of me, but on a route that I can't take, like in a painting. I'm not sure where this feeling of disconnection from experience comes from. Or whatever. Whatever.
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2 comments:
Aaah! I could have gone to Narita to entertain you! Anyway, I hope your "2 months in Asia" narrative stays alive and gets exciting as you retell. I hope one day I can participate in the co-construction (of the first two minutes?!) of it if I get a chance to do the opposite: Narita-Vancouver-Dunno.
Have a safe trip back!
Jeff, I realize this makes me a bad friend, but I just now managed to catch up on all the posts I missed.
Thank you for keeping this beautiful blog! I loved your descriptions of the people you met, the places you experienced, and your inner dialogue throughout. I feel like I got to take the trip too, though without actually suffering the heat or getting to savor the dishes.
I trust you made it home safe and sound.
xo
teen
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