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He left back home again yesterday….

There were times, many years, when I did not care a lot about him, he was just there. He’s my big little brother, some two years younger than me. We are very different, and you would not see that we are brother and sister at first glance – but take a second look, we can’t deny it. Also, many of our character traits seem to be diametrically opposed. As kids, we did not fight a lot, we just went out of our way. There is a Vietnamese proverb that says, that sisters and brothers are as close (and diverse) as hand and feet, and this probably describes our early relationship very well.

Growing older, having families of our own we have mostly been living hundreds of kilometers apart, and still do so today. But whenever we met, I more and more enjoyed spending time with him. I realized how hilariously funny he was, how easily he could get in contact with people – in a completely different way than I do, how witty he is, what an ingenious inventor and amusing narrator. It gives me an enormous comfort knowing him to be there, when it comes to family matters. We both know, that we will always support and can count on each other whatever will be.

It makes me crazy to see, when he is not well or in a difficult situation, but I know that he has completely different problem solving mechanisms than I have, which is why I cannot help him in a classical big-sister way, but can rather only ask questions and just be there if needed.

But there was a time last year, when I did my best to convince him to come over to South East Asia and spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve together at the end of a crazy year for him. He said Yes immediately, but I wanted to have dry ink under this committment and thus sent him two options for a tour around Palawan, telling him that we should book especially the TAO expedition rather sooner than later, if we really wanted to do it over Christmas. Good old hard selling: What do you prefer – option A or B? He decided for option A2.1 and I hit the “book it” button.

Axel was the first person to come visiting me from home 5 months after I had left Austria, and I was so much looking forward to see him! I picked him up from Busuanga airport, gave him a long long hug, and then we drove back into Coron town with a small scooter over quite bad roads, laughling like friends who have just reunited.

We had travelled to Edinburgh together with my parents for their 50^th wedding anniversary recently, so I knew that the next 3 weeks could work out  – and they did!

He had never been to Asia before, but was completely relaxed with everything (with the exception of cockroaches haha!). Often I smiled silently, because I so much saw our mum and dad in what we were doing – for instance when we were preparing a nice breakfast together, cutting fruits, cooking lunches or pimping up what was offered with delicacies we bought on the market. We both share the same passion for delicious and healthy food.

Like in our childhood, we also spent hours just next to each other, both doing our things. We often had the same comfort level and need to plan or just let things happen for the next days. It was great, having a companion with me to organize or check things without the need to align a lot. For the first time in many weeks, I could lean back and trust that someone had the key and a headlamp with him when I left home at sundown, or who would organize the transport for tomorrow without even asking. And I was also thankful when he carried the 4lt water bottle up the hill for us.

We had lots of time to talk, or also just watched the clouds playing their game in Port Barton, the waves splashing against the side booms of our boat, the rainforest passing by on long minibus rides. And we had a lot of time to enjoy Guyabano fruit shakes in Sabang, a great espresso on Salvacion junction, or the catch of the day on the beach. We were laughing our heads off when flushed crabs were sprinting over the beach nutty as fruitcake when they crossed the spotlight of our headlamps. 

We had 2 or 3, in the hindsight quite funny crashes – nobody knows better where your red alarm buttons are, the ones which make you burst in a second when they are being hit, than your brother or sister (except for your mum probably). We tested it, and it still works after all these years

One great advantage of travelling together, is that there is another person, who knows how to hold a camera – and in the case of my brother, this is absolutely so – meaning that there is also someone, who can capture these funny, embarrassing, beautiful moments, that I normally only capture in my heart. So here are some of them, if not mine, the credits and a big thanks go to Alexander Schricker.