Juan of a Kind Stories: People & Perspectives
Our travels need not always be about the places we go to, nor even of ourselves and how fun it was for us.
Every stranger we meet, a friend you make, your small talk with the tricycle driver can already be a story in itself. These encounters can happen in a simple town restaurant to a solace place like a church.
Tales from these chance meetings are what a group of travel photographers and storytellers are chronicling through Juan of a Kind Stories, (www.facebook.com/JuanOfAKindStories).
Juan of a Kind Stories
A project of Cebu Pacific Air, this online initiative showcases snippets of people’s lives from different corners of the globe, celebrating travel, connections, differences in culture, and the candid encounters with people one can meet in one’s journeys. From the heartwarming to the humorous, each anecdote captures the aspirations, quirks and passions of people from various backgrounds.
Among the participating storytellers for Juan of a Kind Stories is travel photojournalist Lester Ledesma, who has been writing about and photographing Asia for over 14 years.
“I like that Juan of a Kind Stories focuses on people and not the places. Travel is always more fulfilling if you meet somebody along the way,” said Lester. “This project gives our readers the experience of meeting someone from another place.”
Another storyteller, Aaron Articulo traveled to three Southeast Asian countries and 10 provinces in the Philippines the past few months, and met people from all walks of life, gender, race, religion, and social class.
He shared, “It has made me realize that at the end of the day, we are all truly equal—we are human beings, with the same desires, same aspirations, and the same dignity.”
Places, People, Perspectives
Capturing unique stories through photos and videos, while traveling, is nothing new for Lester and Aaron. But Juan of a Kind Stories remains an exciting and fascinating project for both because of the variety of subjects they meet.
Lester counted Peter Chua of Malaysia among his favorite subjects for Juan of a Kind Stories. “I was peeking into the window of a closed magic shop in Johor when a man—Peter—called out to me from a cafe. It turned out that he owned the store and was a famous magician in the city,” Lester shared.
His new friend regaled him with magic tricks right at the café and even invited him into his shop. “I filmed him performing the first trick he ever learned,” said Lester. “For a famous magician to give you a private show for one – man, that was quite an experience!”
Meanwhile, Aaron said that one of his most inspiring Juan of a Kind Stories was that of Trio, an 11-year-old professional surfer from Bali. “The boy came from a broken family and ran away from home at a young age. He starved for a few days on the streets, until a good Samaritan fed, clothed and adopted him, even though the man had his own children,” he shared.
Aaron added that Trio’s newfound father turned out to be a surf instructor in Kuta Beach. “When Trio was ‘old enough,’ he brought him to the beach and taught him how to surf. In a few months’ time, the boy became a professional surfer, won pro-level surfing competitions, and now teaches at their mini-surf school in Kuta Beach. It’s like Trio found new life at the beach,” Aaron recounted.
Lester and Aaron join other storytellers Ferdz Decena, Hub Pacheco and Jojo Pensica in discovering the wonderful stories of people from around the world. Visit their official Facebook Page and Instagram pages (@JuanOfAKindStories) for more information.
