By Joel B. Belinan
Traveling is one of the best teachers, so they say. I was once a traveler during my younger years. I started traveling abroad at the age of 20 in 1990 as part of my being a missionary, rather, a social worker for the Ananda Marga Yoga organization. It was not just going to another country to work but was actually hopping from one country to another, equipped with just some instructions from our Manila office. My very first travel by plane was to Singapore in August of 1990. It was just 3 hours and 25 minutes via Philippine Airlines. The cost of the ticket was about US$400 Manila-Singapore-Manila. Yes, it was more expensive that time as there were no budget airlines. If am not mistaken, it was after the SARS epidemic in 2003 when people were afraid to travel that budget airlines came into being.
It was on that first flight to Singapore that I learned my first lesson. Upon arrival at the Changi International Airport and after passing through immigration, I felt nervous. I immediately took an airport taxi to the address given to me. The meter registered Singapore $27. The taxi driver was very efficient. After seeing the address, he brought me right away to our Wilkinson Road office, only to be told that my quarters would not be there but at the Changi area very near the airport. After around 20 minutes, my foster brother who is now the owner of Cosmic Farm in Beckel, La Trinidad- Rogel Marsan– came to bring me to our quarters. We took the bus and in less than 15 minutes we arrived there. After getting settled and refreshed, I wondered how it was so efficient to travel there as compared to how it was in Manila where moving from one place to another was a big hassle. And the difference between the Changi Airport and our Manila International Airport was like heaven and earth. My mistake was having immediately taken a taxi instead of waiting for Rogel Marsan and so I needlessly spent Singapore $27 which was a big amount for someone from the third world. Had I waited for Marsan, we would have taken the bus that cost only 60 cents.
Singapore, even 30 years ago was like 50 years ahead of us in terms of technology. But it was easy to adjust to for South East Asian people like us. The best adjustment was of course following laws and rules when going around. As early as 30 years ago, Singapore was considered one of the cleanest and most orderly country in the world. An Igorot Filipino like me looked almost the same with most other people there. It is when they speak Singlish when the difference in accent becomes so obvious.
After two weeks of getting accustomed with the processes related to the purpose of my going there, I had to go to Johore Bahru, the state of Malaysia closest to Singapore. In fact Singapore was once a part of Malaysia before it got its independence. What separated them was just a bridge of not more than 200 meters. I had to go to Johore Bahru as a way to renew my 14-day visa so I timed my travel at around 11:00 PM so that my passport will be marked “exit” (from Singapore) before 12:00 midnight. Per instruction I would just spend some time window shopping at the 24-hour shopping center there and then board a bus back to Singapore. However, when I was about to clear the Singapore immigration at the border on my way back, I uttered unnecessary remarks that irked the immigration officer. When he asked why I was going back to Singapore immediately, I said, “Why are you asking, I have enough money to spend?” Due to my arrogance, I was sent back to Johore Bahru. When I contacted our office, they advised me to go to our office there and then to our farm and relax for two or three days, which I did. The lesson? No unnecessary or arrogant remarks to the authorities. We never know what would pique them. By the way, Malaysia and its people are easier to go along with. We are all of the Malay stock, remember?
My first flight to India came in October, 1990, and that was the real Mc-Coy when it came to culture shock. I have had some experiences with Indians because many of our monks in Manila were Indians, but those were nothing. Arriving at the Delhi International Airport I first smelled the stench right inside the airport. And it was really difficult to understand how their airport officials talked, save for the one manning the paging system. The same stench inside the airport was even stronger outside which I found out to be the norm in all urban areas there. I knew that many areas in Metro Manila smelled like garbage or sewer but not other areas in the country.
The Indian taxi was quite interesting. It was heavily built but most noticeable was its horn placed outside near the side mirror. Arriving at a designated hotel as instructed, it was midnight hence I could not see the city. The following morning I saw one of the best sights I have ever seen in my life. Looking through the window of my room at the 32nd floor, the view was like those ancient Muslim cities in the movies without the slum areas. It was the ancient Mogul-inspired architecture of New Delhi. The skyline was really different from that of any other Southeast Asian city.
While I was already acquainted with Indian food not only in Singapore but even in Manila, it was still a treat eating the real Indian food. And for a vegetarian like me, India was paradise. I could find such sentient food anywhere unlike in Manila or in the whole country for that matter. Yeah, you might like to ask me how I dealt with the spicy-hot food. Fortunately, I love spicy food, but one could request for mildly spiced items.
The clothes of people—the colorful saris and the semi-formal shirts of men– were constant reminders I was in India. Some of their starkly unique features were the marks on their foreheads, adult and young, male or female. These indicated if they were single or married, and their stations or status in life.
Among the ancient buildings there was the Palika Bazaar. It looked like a one story building but when you entered it, it was actually 16 stories going down. For more than a thousand years, it had slowly been buried without being destroyed by sand storms that were common in the area before. (More next week) **
