British traveler Jon Howe recalls his experience dating a fellow long-term adventurer, Filipino Kach Medina. What was supposed to be a two-week visit for them has since turned into almost two years together. Back in and for about 10 years before, I was living in the UK, studying architecture and working 9-to-5s in different architectural practices. There had to be more to life than walking into the same building every day, seeing the same people and doing pretty much the same things over and over again.
The day we met. Luang Prabang, Laos. All photos provided by Kach Medina or Jon Howe. I decided it was time for a serious change in my life, so I saved for a year, sold my car and anything else that could be sold, bought a one-way ticket and left the UK with nothing but my backpack. It was whilst travelling through Laos by motorbike with my best friend that I stumbled across this young Filipino backpacker. I instantly felt she was different from all of the girls I met while backpacking, and we hit it off straight away.
Although we went our separate ways shortly after, we kept in touch. After two months, Kach came to visit me in Hanoi for two weeks, where I had set myself up as an English teacher. Well, two weeks has since turned into almost two years, 7 countries, many random jobs and countless stories to tell! Whilst I traveled quite a bit as a child, with my parents working in Africa, when you travel as an adult you see things differently and it changes you — sometimes in very subtle ways, sometimes more obviously.
READ: 10 Commandments for your next travels. Being from the United Kingdom, you inevitably become accustomed to Western ways and of course in turn, Western women.
Open arms. Open doors. A person? At my door? How strange! Not only that, but quite literally out of nowhere, there will appear enough food to feed a small village for a week. Read her work: Choose your career or go travel? Why not both? Why I'm proud of my Philippine passport. Filipino breakfast — Adobo — Lots of meat, marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic…with rice!
