The couple who met on Boracay's beach

In October 2012, Mae Edilyn Lumba Fortuna took a break from her hectic Manila life for a getaway on the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines.

Accompanied by her friend Ivy, Fortuna enjoyed lively nights of dancing and relaxed days basking on the breathtaking White Beach of Boracay.

One particular morning, Ivy wasn’t in the mood for a swim, but Fortuna couldn’t resist the lure of the serene, glassy waters stretching before her.

“The sea is so calm, no waves, just a perfect blue,” Fortuna recalls in her conversation with Dinogo Travel today.

After a refreshing dip in the water, Fortuna strolled back onto the beach – “Halle Berry-style, from James Bond,” as she describes it – and noticed Ivy chatting with an intriguing stranger.

As Mae walked closer, the man introduced himself as Jon Takagi, an American physical therapist from Seattle, on his first visit to the Philippines.

“Ivy is very outgoing; she started the conversation with me,” Takagi recalls.

One of the reasons Takagi picked Boracay as his travel destination was its lively atmosphere – traveling solo, he was eager to meet other explorers.

The two women appeared to be approachable and fun, so when Ivy invited him to join them on a sunset boat ride that evening, Takagi gladly accepted.

That evening, as the sky painted itself in shades of red, Fortuna, Takagi, and Ivy conversed about their personal stories and travel experiences.

Afterwards, the group went out dancing together. It was an unforgettable night, and even though Fortuna and Ivy were leaving for Manila the next day, they exchanged contact info with Takagi, vowing to stay connected on Facebook.

Ivy wasn’t romantically interested in Takagi, Fortuna clarifies – her friend was simply outgoing and enjoyed meeting new people.

As for Fortuna, she had a great time with Takagi and thought he was good-looking.

“He had abs,” she says now, laughing. “We were like, ‘Oh, he’s cute.’”

Still, she wasn’t thinking about romance at the time, she just thought he was a fun person to meet.

As for Takagi, he was immediately intrigued by Fortuna the moment he saw her walking along the beach.

“Everyone likes to say, ‘It was love at first sight.’ But for me, it wasn’t love right away. It was more like instant curiosity,” he shares with Dinogo Travel today.

Takagi was hoping to return to explore more of the Philippines and perhaps bump into Fortuna again.

A second encounter

In the months that followed, Takagi and Fortuna kept in touch through Facebook.

Fortuna kept expecting the messages to stop, but she always looked forward to hearing from the American she had met on the beach.

“I asked Ivy, ‘Why does this guy keep reaching out to us?’ And she said, ‘Just keep talking to him. Who knows, maybe we’ll visit Seattle someday and have a friend there,’” Fortuna recalls.

About six months later, in March 2013, Takagi made his way back to the Philippines. His first stop was the island of Coron, part of the beautiful Calamian Islands to the southwest of Manila, where he planned to meet up with Fortuna and Ivy, then head back to Boracay.

Fortuna was thrilled, but she could only join for the first part of the trip – her family is Catholic, and Takagi’s visit coincided with Holy Week.

The three friends had a wonderful time reconnecting amidst the breathtaking beauty of Coron, relishing beach walks, swimming, and snorkeling together.

One evening, the group went island hopping, sharing the cost of a boat with two other American travelers.

It was near the end of that day that things began to change between Fortuna and Takagi, and she sensed that their friendly connection might be developing into something more.

“One of the guys kept lingering around me,” Fortuna recalls.

Takagi stepped in and wrapped his arm around her. They sat together for a while, bathed in the soft light of the moon.

Mae was taken by surprise – but delighted – by this unexpected moment.

Back on land, the group went to a bar. Fortuna and Takagi shared a dance and kissed for the first time.

Ivy was thrilled for her friends and eager to set off on her own adventures, so Fortuna and Takagi explored Coron together.

The couple spent hours strolling along the beach, exchanging stories about their love for travel. Takagi had recently spent months in Thailand on a sabbatical, while Fortuna had traveled the globe as a flight attendant for five years and had also worked with Holland America Cruise Line.

When she met Takagi, Fortuna was teaching Travel Management, Cultural Tourism, and Ecotourism at the University of Santo Tomas.

They both had a passion for dancing and were food lovers, with Takagi eager to sample Filipino cuisine for the first time. There was a notable age gap – Fortuna was in her late 20s and Takagi in his 40s – but they found common ground on many things.

The two connected over a shared passion for social causes and a strong desire to make a positive impact on the world.

“She’s very forward-thinking… as a teacher, she’s dedicated to helping others,” Takagi shares.

“One of the things that drew me to her was her constant consideration for others and her focus on larger, meaningful issues.”

As Easter weekend approached, Fortuna had to part ways with Takagi and Ivy, heading back home.

Back at her mother’s house in Manila, Fortuna couldn’t stop thinking about Takagi.

“I was supposed to pray and spend time with my mom, but I sneaked away,” she admits.

Fortuna booked the last flight to Boracay without telling Takagi. She surprised him by showing up unexpectedly and knocking on his hotel room door hours later.

“That was the moment I knew,” Takagi reflects. “That’s when our relationship really began.”

Long-distance

In the months that followed, Takagi and Fortuna began a long-distance relationship, staying connected through email and Skype.

“We’d watch The Walking Dead together, but on Skype. We’d synchronize and say ‘On three, hit play’,” Fortuna laughs.

“We made it work, and the key was that we always had something to look forward to,” Takagi shares.

At one point, the couple journeyed to the Filipino island of Bohol to see the famous Chocolate Hills, followed by a trip to Oslob to swim with the majestic whale sharks.

By the end of 2013, Takagi and Fortuna traveled to El Nido in Palawan, renowned for its stunning white sandy beaches.

As their relationship grew deeper, Takagi visited Fortuna’s family in the Philippines, while she connected with his loved ones over Skype.

The two began making plans for Fortuna to visit Jon in the US during the spring of 2014.

The trip wasn't meant to be a permanent relocation, but the couple wanted to see if Fortuna could envision a future in the US with Takagi. Since she already had a US tourist visa from her flight attendant days, she could stay for a while to explore the idea.

As Takagi notes, having traveled extensively together, they'd already experienced what it was like to live together in hotel rooms during their trips.

However, this wasn't a vacation, so things felt a bit different—especially since Takagi worked during the week, while Fortuna didn't.

With Takagi at work, she spent her days in his apartment, feeling somewhat adrift.

“It felt like my life was on pause,” she reflects.

When the couple made the decision to make their move permanent, and Fortuna applied for an immigrant visa, she was able to start working and gradually felt more settled in the US. It also helped that she had her beloved dog, Heidi, by her side.

Married life

Although Takagi had planned to propose to Fortuna, she wasn’t one to wait around for him to get the timing right.

Fortuna didn’t mince words with Jon. “I asked him straight out if he was going to marry me, because I have a life waiting for me in Manila, including a teaching job at the University,” she recalls.

In September 2014, the couple tied the knot in a small civil ceremony at a Seattle courthouse.

A few years down the line, they held a grand church wedding celebration in Manila.

Relocating to the US and leaving her family behind in the Philippines was no easy decision for Fortuna.

However, she says her family loves Takagi and supported her move. Thankfully, Fortuna’s mother had long forgiven him for being the reason her daughter had left the family that Easter.

Fortuna and Takagi’s adventures continued as they traveled far and wide. They returned to the Philippines to visit Fortuna’s family and enjoy some scuba diving – both are now PADI certified – and explored various corners of the US, from Maui’s stunning beaches to hiking through the majestic Grand Canyon.

The couple also visited Minidoka in Idaho, a historic site where Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.

Takagi, being Japanese American, was deeply moved, and Fortuna was shocked and saddened to learn about this dark chapter in US history.

Today, Fortuna draws a parallel between the racial discrimination against Asian Americans and the attacks that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Given the recent surge in racism and violence against Asian Americans, I hope our story will show people that we are no different from anyone else,” says Fortuna.

“Like everyone else, we too are entitled to pursue happiness in America, regardless of our race or color.”

Family moments

For Fortuna and Takagi, creating a better future for their child is a priority – in November 2020, their son Joseph was born.

It was a journey to get there, in more ways than one.

Joseph was conceived through IVF. And when the Covid-19 pandemic reached Seattle, Fortuna was pregnant while Takagi was working at a hospital.

It was a challenging time, and the couple also struggled with being unable to visit Fortuna’s family in the Philippines.

The last few months have been filled with happiness as Fortuna and Takagi welcomed Joseph into their lives and began their new journey as a family of three.

The couple plans to visit the Philippines in January 2022 for a long-awaited family reunion. Their ultimate goal is to retire there.

For now, they’re staying where they are, but they’re eager to pass on their love for adventure to Joseph.

After all, it was their shared passion for travel that brought them together in the beginning.

“You open yourself up to new experiences and connections,” says Takagi. “I believe it was fate.”

“How many people can say they met their partner on the beach?” reflects Fortuna. “When I think about it, our story truly is incredible.”