Changes In My Life

I've been off this blog for well over a year.  In the meantime, much has changed in my life.  

It is funny how things sometimes take a turn and a door opens....  

After India. What to Do?

After the Motorcycle Adventure in the Himalayas of Northern India, I rested for a month.  Caught up with client contacts, mowed the lawn, updated this blog with photos and commentary. Then I  contemplated what would come next?

During this pause during the summer of 2024 I contemplating where I much go for my next another exploration....    I had some interest in returning to western rural France.  Also, I thought of going to Northern Japan.   Both destinations had a number of aspects that attracted me. History is usually the big draw.  You can check out many of my bicycle tours HERE.

But there was one thing that held me back. The Prospect of Linguistic Isolation.  I have grown to hate going on longer  solo rides and then, at the end of the day, having no one to talk with. If not in Ireland or the UK, the route often would take me into countryside where no one spoke English.  So all I could do would be smile at people and receive smiles in return. Make some stumbling attempts at communication.   But with small hope for real interchange.  

The same sense of isolation comes with the long North American rides where I am "out there" in the wilderness or low population density areas.  I've gotten tired of being a lonely speck, crossing a beautiful but empty landscape.  In 2022 I did a 2250 miles ride from Boston Mass to Casper, WY. The next year, 2023, I did another 675 miles ride in the western USA.  No disasters. I just got sick of being alone for weeks and weeks.

In the past I've enjoyed Ireland especially. It possesses the best of beautiful, green countryside as well as plenty of friendly people to chat with.  I've been to the Emerald Island many times, both with a bicycle as well as with a rented automobile.  I love Ireland. But...

So where else to go?   

The Philippines

It came to me that instead of going to other Asian locations such as India, Korea or Japan, that The Philippines might be a new and Interesting Alternative.  It turns out that there are MANY English speaking people there.  Also, I've met many Filipino's in the USA. These people were often sweet and attractive people. I've been conscious of Filipino Nurses over the last 60+ years.  I remember them in hospitals when I was a kid (I had a few athletic injuries and one surgery in the 1960s).  They seemed little brown angels!

Investigation Begins:

What did I actually know about the Philippines?  Not Much!  So I started researching, primarily on line. On Youtube I found that these islands were a very popular destination for expats from the USA and other English-Speaking countries.  

The Philippines had been a colony of Spain for nearly 350 years. But after the Spanish American War, the USA came up with 'possessing' the Philippines and tried, for a while, to make it a colony.  After 30 years we, the Americans, realized that we were not really wanting a colony.  We stepped away from Cuba. My impression was that we were gradually turning to devolving the colonial relationship with the Philippines when World War II intervened!   

After retaking the Philippines in 1945 (terrible and bloody battles with casualties all round!), we  granted the country independence on July 4, 1946.  We retained some military bases thru various treaties.  The American presence continued, but gradually reduced.   

Anyway, I started watching LOT's of videos on YouTube. Many of them were originated by Expats from North America (USA and Canada) as well as Britain and Australia. Some were former American Military.    

South Seas Archipelago
6000+ Islands 

Suddenly:

I will not go into much personal detail here in a public forum.  But I will share that I ended up meeting a lady. "Wena".  She is in her early 50s and has been working overseas for nearly a quarter century (Taiwan for the 1st 7 years and the balance in Singapore.)  She grew up on coast of the western  Island of Negros ("Negros Occidental"). We met on a Filipino Dating Website named Christian Filipina (clickable)

This is a very good website and it does a good job and protecting both the men and women who use this site.   This is a good video where the Christian Filipina is explained HERE . 

Anyway, after a period of courtship (hundreds of hours of WhatsApp video), I traveled to Asia twice. Both times I went to Wena in person, first in Singapore in January 2025. I also spent 5 weeks in the central islands of the Philippines (the Visayas), exploring the islands on motorcycles..  I saw much of the tropical landscapes. Beaches, Volcanoes, Rice Terraces, Cities.

I returned  back to the Philippines and Negros in May. There I  spend two weeks with Wena (she was home on her annual holiday) as well as spent much time with her family.  Both visits went well and solidified our intentions.   Our plan is now to be married in mid 2026. We have applied for a Fiancée Visa for Wena and will wade thru the bureaucratic processes via the US State department.  Ultimately, there is a long wait for an interview.  We'll have to be patient.

Breakfast in Bacolod, The Capital of Negros Occidental

The New Adventure:

So, I am now on a New Adventure.  It is not going to be the same  physically challenging projects of the sort as I have pursued in the past 40 years (canoeing, mountaineering, bicycle touring) but rather an interpersonal adventure.  Wena and I may go paddling, hiking or bicycling together in the future.  But we won't be doing anything extreme.  Rather, it will be a gentler and sweeter sort of experience.

Life is full of challenges, work, risks and possibilities. I am optimistic and excited to find what will unfold. I look to share it with my Wife! After being single for nearly 40 years, this will be a big change for certain. It will be a big change for Wena after being single for most of her adult life.  But we'll manage.  

Our intentions are that for a part of each year (primarily winters), we'll live in the Philippines.  A south seas tropical life.  The balance of each year we'll reside in western Wisconsin.  

My intention is, from time-to-time, to add photos and commentary.  But for now, That's The Story!