The One with the Peripatetic Heart

1975. In the Queen City of the South. On an island surrounded by 7,106 other islands floating merrily in the South Pacific.

I was delivered into human existence in a place considered beautiful for its abundant natural wonders, and economically strategic for its geographic location. That setting would make one think there would be no need or reason to leave.

The island is Cebu. The city -- the Queen -- also bears the same name. On the country's map, it is located at the center of the Philippine Islands. This is perhaps the reason why this island province is called "The Heart of the Philippines".

I was born in the Heart.

Then I moved.

As a five-year-old.

I remember very little about that relocation; that very first one. What comes to me when I think about it was being on a boat, heading to one of the multitudinous islands in the archipelago. Upon arriving at our destination, I recall my family and I settling into the one half of a two-storey duplex with a beach for a backyard.

Some of the more vivid memories from this move include recollections of moving into other houses in different districts of the city. The drudgery of having to pack, move and then unpack in a new house -- which we did several times in the five years we stayed on this new island -- readily comes to mind. But so does the memory of the excitement of being able to live in a new environment; the challenge of getting myself acquainted with new people; the anticipation of finding new routes to old destinations.

I discovered my itinerant inclination.

Then I moved. Again.

As a ten-year-old.

This transition was etched in my mind because of the first plane ride I took  to get to yet another island. The direction this time was deeper south into the archipelago; toward the biggest island of the bunch. I remember volunteering to my father the observation I made from the window seat of the plane: "This place is so mountainous." Curiosity for this new city -- and for this fresh start -- was piqued.

I spent my early teens in yet another new place;  a new city; a new neighborhood; a new school. I spent a lot of those years exploring on foot: walking home from school on several occasions; walking around the gated communities we lived in; walking around the city gallivanting. My feet took me places, while my eyes enjoyed the sights. There was a cooperation formed. A bond if you will. Neither got bored doing what they did. So kept doing it together. For years to come.

A love for wandering manifested.

Then I moved. Again.

This time back to the Heart.

As a fifteen-year-old.

Ten years away from my place of birth made me long to get to know the Queen more -- a longing not quelled even by the memorable vacations spent there in years past. I can still replay in my mind the moment of our return to Cebu; the morning when my family and I were approaching the seaport on yet another boat, headed to yet another island, to avail of yet another fresh start. It was, for me, a commencement of another adventure.

Once the family settled into the first of the many houses we would live in, I then took the time to intentionally roam through the city streets of Cebu to become intimately acquainted with its twists and turns, its short cuts and detours, and its glitz and grit. I learned street names. I learned public transportation routes. I learned the scenic paths. I learned to breathe in and breathe out the laid back atmosphere.

Years later, after familiarity between the city and I set in,  I turned my sights on the other towns on the island. I expanded the extent of my explorations as my peripatetic heart kept growing.

And grow it did.

However, I remained on this island.

For twenty-three years.

I stayed.

I waited.

All the while trying to sustain the Wanderer by finding new places to visit and explore.

A yen for international itineraries was ignited.

Then a door opened.

As a thirty-eight-year-old.

The world was opened up for me and to me. My heart became restive at the prospect of being able to see the environment of other nations, get myself acquainted with foreign people, take pathways I've never trod before, and get to destinations I've only dreamed of.

In one go, I set foot on three countries. In another, I walked on six. Including my country of birth, it's been twelve nations explored. At each turn, my love for traveling and enjoying countries and cities has been fortified and intensified.

As a forty-two-year-old.

I will continue to move.

Forward.

Onward.

Whenever a door opens, my feet will walk through it and tread the path of the Wanderer. Wherever that path leads, my eyes will keep rejoicing and recording the sight yonder.

I was born in the Heart of the Philippines with an itinerant heart. It beats louder and faster now.

I'm ready for more.

I'm ready to go.

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By the way, according to Wikipedia, Cebu Province is nicknamed "The Gateway to a Thousand Journeys"!