Beating the odds

What are the chances of running into an old friend on the street? Not to bad if, let's say, you'd live in the same city. What are the chances to run into that friend when, let's say, you live in different countries? Less, for sure. What are the chances to run into a friend on a complete different continent from either of your home countries? Almost zero you'd say? Read on, I beat the odds!

Visiting Sabang, Mindoro I ran into my old friend Ernst from South Africa! For both of us, Sabang is more than 10,000 kilometers away from our home countries. I hadn't seen him in 8 years and obviously we hadn't kept each other updated about our whereabouts! Luckily he hasn't changed a bit for I changed my short red hair to a more natural color and pony tail length over the years.

Turns out, Ernst is visiting his brother who has been backpacking here in the Philippines for the past 4 months! We celebrated our reunion in good old South Africa style... drinking and chatting endlessly until 3am in the morning!

Interestingly enough, Ernst and I didn't reminisce too much about the good old times (although their are a lot of adventurous stories to reminisce about!) but rather on what's going on in our lives lately. It seemed we were starting off where we had left 8 years ago.

As small as the odds might seem to run into a good old friend on a different continent, it is obviously not impossible. After it was here in the Philippines where I (Eastern German) met the Love of My Life (American), I should be expecting the odds.