Hmmmm... where to begin?
Well, as most of you already know I went to Davao in January of this year. I am already quite enamoured with the Philippines and it's people, so for me it was kind of like a trip home 
My trip to Leyte in '99 was a real eye opening expirience, but nothing in comparison to my expiriences this time around.
I think many are so obsessed with finding a good wife, that they fail to really take everything in and enjoy the journey. I know I didn't with my first trip. This time I had a much better idea of what to expect, so I got to enjoy myself a LOT more! Of course the company was second to NONE! Maybe that had something to do with it 
LOL For those of you who haven't been, with the right guide, the Philippines can be paradise
I will back track a bit, for the newbies.
I met Gerlie in January of 2002 while I was in the midst of a very emotionally draining Annulment. We started out as friends--another path less travelled that cannot be rated highly enough!--and found that we not only had very similar goals in life, but--more importantly--that our personalities were remarkably complimentary to one another's. I won't bore anyone with the list of things that I treasure in her, but one of the things I treasure most is her sense of humor. She can not only keep up with me, but often cracks me up with her seemingly endless wit. She is as sweet as the day is long and quite guapa on top of all that. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! Gerlie's nieces and nephews think she is marrying him 
LOL But, I get ahead of myself...
We had originally planned to meet in July 2002, but the trip had to be postponed due to the untimely passing of my beloved mother. Her death came as a complete shock to everyone and left me feeling more alone than I have ever felt in my life! It was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I still find myself going through it to this very day. Gerlie has never wavered in her devotion to me and has been the guiding force in my recovery thus far. I am not someone who dwells on things, but my mother was someone whom I counted on a great deal and loved very deeply. We had a very healthy friendship and she was someone whom I just never thought wouldn't be a part of my life at some point. Especially not as early as she departed.
By the time I had the Estate settled and was in any kind of shape to travel abroad it was Thanksgiving. My family is wonderful and was quite clingy with Mom's passing and it being the first Holiday Season without her, so there was no way I could go before the Holidays, so we decided on January.
The trip there was an absolute pain. As well as everything went in '99, it went badly in January. I arrived in SF, to catch PAL, to Manila only to find that my flight was cancelled. PAL put me up in a decent Motel in San Mateo, with 100 other pissed off travellers and got me on the flight out the next morning, which had a layover in Hawaii. For the geographicly challenged, like myself, Hawaii is NOT on the way to Manila. With the Layover, during which we were not allowed to leave the plane, the flight took 16 frickin' hours! You think the normal 12 is bad? You have NO idea
Finally two and a half days after I left Detroit, I landed in Manila. My biggest worry was that Gerlie didn't get the messages I was sending through my friend Doug's email and via her mother's cell phone and that I would be alone in Manila Post-9/11. I had a lot on my mind, but was pretty freaked out by that. It turned out to be nothing
As I departed the new International Airport, which is quite modern and an oasis in comparison to the old Int'l Airport, there she stood. Smiling, waving, practically dragging her Aunt behind her LOL, she emerged from the teeming crowd to claim her package from America After a quick hug we got right down to business.
"Did you bring me Chocos?" She asked Tongue in cheek.
Chocos is her abbreviation for anything Chocolate.
"Yeah hon, in my bag..."
"With Almonds?" She asks with one eybrow raised.
"Yeah... with Almonds" I reply with a smile. "You want some now?"
"Oh NO..." covering her mouth to giggle. "I can wait until we get to the hotel, Honnnnnn"
By the time we got to the hotel, I was wrecked. The jet lag was really taking hold and I was feeling miserable. I know I took a shower, but to be perfectly honest I can't remember if we went to dinner or not that night. I know the three of us all showered, seperately--get your mind out of the gutter Dave --and sat and talked for a while. I called my Aunt and a concerned friend or two, to let them know my plane wasn't used as a missle and that I wasn't taken hostage as of yet. Gerlie and I talked, while her Aunt Bebing smiled a lot. Gerlie's English is very servicable, but her Aunt's wasn't quite as good. Gerlie would translate when I would crack a really good joke and then we would all laugh together.
Her Aunt was very nice, but it seemed like Gerlie was in charge. Auntie Bebing travelled with Gerlie to Manila to chaperone and was going to stay and find some work there after we left for Davao. She left to make some phone calls and visit a friend at some point. I was kind of delirious and fighting sleep. Soon enough I gave in.
This got a lot longer than I intended, but consider the author
I will write more later
And now the line so many have waited almost a year for...
The Chronicles WILL continue
Keep the Faith!
H
