Travel and dreaming

Summary

The website content reflects on the experience of traveling to Cebu, Philippines, likening it to a fleeting, dreamlike romance filled with beauty and secrets yet to be discovered.

Abstract

The author of the web content muses on the ethereal nature of travel, drawing a parallel between the transient experiences of visiting a place like Cebu and the ephemerality of dreams. The piece describes the profound connection one can feel with a location, akin to the complexities of love, where the desire to know and understand a place surpasses the urge to possess it. Cebu is portrayed as a place of convergence for explorers throughout history, giving rise to a rich tapestry of cultures. The narrative suggests that the Philippines, and Cebu in particular, holds a special place in the heart of Asia, with its allure lying in the undiscovered secrets and the simple, unconditional joy of belonging. The author emphasizes that true love, much like the oxygen we breathe, is about giving without expectation, and that the deepest desires are often for things we cannot see but innately need.

Opinions

Travel is compared to dreaming, with the understanding that the experience is temporary and the memories will fade over time.
The author equates the emotional connection to Cebu with the complexities of romantic love, suggesting a deep, emotional bond.
There is an appreciation for the cultural melting pot that has emerged in the Philippines due to historical exploration and trade.
The desire to know a place intimately is seen as more valuable than the desire to possess it, reflecting a philosophy of travel as a pursuit of knowledge and experience.
The author believes that love is rooted in a desire to understand, not to own, drawing a parallel with the way we cannot possess natural elements like the sea or the sky.
The piece conveys a sense of gratitude for the unseen and intangible aspects of a place that fulfill our innermost needs, much like the air we breathe sustains us without asking anything in return.

Meditations on Cebu

Oslob, Cebu, Philippines. Photo by Pablo Pereyra.

Traveling is sort of like dreaming. You know, almost certainly, you won’t be in that place again.

You admire the impossibility of the images that succeed in front of you. And after you wake up, the images, and faces you encountered fade slowly from your mind.

Most people, when they think about love, they think about the sensual love between a man and a woman. Most often, they think about desire.

And as for me, I keep on thinking about Cebu, like some people think about a lover they are unsure they will ever see again.

Like a lover whom you didn’t have enough time to get to know yet.

Like a lover whom you know, still has secrets inside. Secrets worth discovering, secrets worth knowing.

And you desire the intimacy of belonging to a place, were you suspect you would be happy.

The Philippines, seems to me, is the heart of Asia. The place were nations of explorers converged during centuries in their quest for discovery and trade. A kettle of races emerged, without them knowing they were emerging.

And as the dream flows, you struggle with awakening.

And love is desire. Because you desire to know, not to possess.

The same way as you cannot possess the Sea or the Sky.

The same way as the oxygen you breathe loves you, and doesn’t ask for anything in return after it fueled your body.

And you desire without knowing. But what you think you desire, you don’t know, because you cannot see it, but you need it.

Port of Cebu, Philippines. Photo by Pablo Pereyra

Meditations on a trip to Cebu Island, Philippines. August 2015.

Thank you for reading.

Travel and Dreaming

Meditations on Cebu