asian hiatus

i flew into the philippines late friday night; from salt lake city, routed through minneapolis and tokyo. even at midnight in the capital city of manila there was crazy traffic and people everywhere; walking, eating, sleeping on the sidewalk. the car exhaust was overwhelming. the scenery from the airport to the hostel was a lively mixture of latin and tropical asian. i slept a few hours before scott flew in from bangkok early the following morning. it had been 6 months since we parted in thailand, on a trip through asia that we started last summer. we rode trains, boats, and planes from st. petersburg, russia to koh tao, thailand. last october i flew back to utah through oman and london, and scott kept exploring the eastern hemisphere: malaysia, singapore, india, nepal and plenty of time in thailand. the philippines is a first for both of us, and we love it; especially the people. everyone is so friendly. smiling. social. curious. polite. that seems to make a significant difference when traveling somewhere. food is also a major factor, and the filipinos do pretty well with that. they use a lot of strong spices in their dishes; seafood and meats in colorful sauces over rice. and they make just about everything: italian, cuban, korean, and it's easy to find a traditional american breakfast.