Hex 11 line 1. My trip to Romblon Island in the Philippines

 My trip to Romblon Island in the Philippines

Traditional text:

 Hex 11 line 1.

When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Each according to his kind. Undertakings bring good fortune.

 

I had a backache and did not really want to travel, but it sounded fun, so I went. I was with my best friend, Kobe Ken, a veteran traveler who always found interesting people and places. We took a boat trip for about an hour and arrived at a little squalid harbor. It looked very rundown and poverty-stricken, with just old fishing boats moored erratically along the single key.

A short walk though, and my impression changes completely. There were strange little stalls where people gambled. Each had a brilliantly polished paraffin lamp that shone upon highly colored games, which I could not comprehend. There was a very attractive girl running each stall.

Walking further, we entered an impressive town square, all neatly paved and very clean. There were many people wandering around as it was a holiday. The reason for the wealth was that Romblon is an illegal gambling hub, and I guess the grubby harbor is to make the place look poor.

As the town was full, it was hard to find anywhere to sleep, but we got a bamboo shack with no beds and just a blanket each. We did not bother with much sleep. We met with some Filipinos Ken knew who invited us to their home. It was a lovely colonial-style place, and we sat around smoking and drinking happily. After that, we went dancing in the square until we were tired enough to sleep.

The next day, back home with my back, a lot worse, but some interesting and vivid memories

 

Hex 11. My trip to Austria and Hungary This was a very long time ago, and I forget the line.

Traditional text:

        THE JUDGMENT          PEACE. The small departs,        The great approaches. Good fortune. Success. This hexagram denotes a time in nature when heaven seems to be on earth. Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony. Then peace and blessing descend upon all living things. In the world of man, it is a time of social harmony; those in high places show favor to the lowly, and the lowly and inferior put an end to all feuds.

 

Not long after I wrote my first book on the I Ching I was contacted by a woman in Austria. She invited me to visit her where she lived in the country near Viena so I could show her some Ching secrets. I like travel, and a free place to stay makes a good start, so off I went.

Her place was nice enough, and she was OK, but we didn't really have much in common. The area where she lived was not so good. A huge forest of farmed pines packed tightly together covered low hills. There were gloomy tracks that snaked through an almost silent sea of trees.

There was a free-range chicken farm that was suffering because of a hunting ban on the huge black eagles that had proliferated and raided the farm constantly. The birds would often just eat the livers, which really pissed the farmer off.

After a few days, I thanked her for the hospitality and left. I went to Viena by train and heard Mozart playing in the town square. I am not usually a big fan, but with all the beautiful old buildings and happy people, it sounded great. I also swam in the Danube. Then another train to Budapest, another beautiful old city. I stayed in a Soviet-era guesthouse, which was grim, depressing, but cheap. I wandered around for a few days and found where to get good food and wine. then back to Viena for my plane home.