My morning started with a 5:20AM alarm. I got up, got showered and did some last minute packing. My driver was scheduled to pick me up at 6:45AM. The highway was empty and we made it to the airport by 7:30AM.
I found my flight on the board and went to check-in at counter number 12. As I was making my way there, I was walking beside an extremely long line that had a number of Filipinos in it. I was pretty sure that was where I was supposed to be but thought I’d best check.
Yep. That was the line to the Philippines. Apparently the entire island had the same idea. We do have a lot of Filipino workers in Taiwan and Chinese New Year is most likely the only time they get vacation each year. I didn’t think about that when choosing a destination.
I wondered how fast the line was going to move. I was near check-in counter 8. As people continued to line up behind me, everyone had a look of surprise and worry. The line moved fairly quickly but I was in it for a full hour before it was finally my time to see an agent. Check-in was quick and I had less than an hour until boarding time so I went to find a toilet, a coffee and some water and then my gate.
When I got to my gate, there was a notice stating that the gate had been changed so I booked it over to the new gate as it was five minutes before boarding time. When I got to the new gate it was showing a different flight. Huh?
I went to the waiting room to see if I could find someone to ask. There was no one around except for a few passengers. It was now past the boarding time and I was slightly panicked. Two foreigners were on their way down the stairs looking equally confused so I asked if they were looking for the Manila flight and sure enough they were. As we were deciding what to do, the sign changed showing our flight.
Our flight left late due to many planes going out at the start of the Chinese New Year holiday. The trip was only 2.5 hours though it took forever to get through immigration in Manila. I was in line for at least 45 minutes. I don't know why it was so slow because when it was my turn the officer didn’t ask me anything. He stamped my passport and sent me on my way.
I picked up my bag and went to the information desk to ask about phone cards and terminal four. I had booked two separate tickets as that seemed to be the best and cheapest way to see the Taal Volcano. Since I wasn’t doing that anymore, I had changed my flight time to connect with this flight.
I purchased a Globe 30G phone card for 2,000PHP (NT$1,200/CAN$52) and then went outside as I was told there was a shuttle bus that ran between the terminals for 20PHP. The bus involved everyone getting on and getting seats. Then the driver came through and handed everyone a ticket with the fare price. When he got to the back of the bus, where I was seated, and all the tickets had been handed out, he then asked everyone for 20PHP. This required him giving people change and if he didn’t have enough he told them to wait until more people paid and then he’d come back and give those who didn’t get change their change. It was quite the process and took a lot of time.
Finally, we were on our way but that didn’t mean the bus was moving. Traffic in Manila is insane. We drove at a snail’s pace for most of the ride. I stared out the window and smiled at all the activity. It was exciting to be in a place I’d last seen over a decade ago.
I had yet to eat and it was nearing 2:30PM. I was hoping to find a sit down restaurant at the new terminal but no such luck. It was very tiny. There was a place to buy water and they had a small Krispy Kreme stand. I bought two donuts for 120PHP. It wasn’t what I wanted to have for lunch but what a treat! I ate one and saved the other.
I had about 2.5 hours to wait for my next flight so I went through the second set of security into the passengers’ only area in hopes of finding food. The holding area was a huge room that was packed full of people. There were five gates at one end of the room and some tiny food stalls along the other. Most of it was sweets, including a Cinnabon counter. What?! It took everything I had not to buy one!
I ended up getting a small slice of pizza which cost 70PHP. I found a smaller room that had some seats and sat down and read. I also ate the other donut! Boarding time was at 4:45PM.
Around that time, I went to the bathroom and stood near the gates only to hear that our flight had been delayed to 7:00PM. Sigh. My tummy was grumbling so I wandered around again to assess the food situation. There were very few choices so I opted for another slice of pizza. I found a seat in the main room and waited among the crowds of people for any news. The flight had been pushed back to 7:20PM.
Around 6:50PM, it was finally time to board. This involved taking a bus to the plane but we were loaded on quickly. The flight was 1.5 hours and we arrived at 8:50PM. My backpack was one of the first ones out. I grabbed it and headed outside to find a taxi. They wanted a flat rate of 400PHP. (NT$240/CAN$10) This seemed a bit pricey, as I knew Alona Beach was eight minutes from the airport. I asked the motorcycle taxis but they were charging the same price. It was lightly raining so I opted for a taxi. Robbery.
I made it to my hotel, the Alona Hidden Dream Resort, and finally to my room. It was a cute room with a double bed and a bathroom. The resort had a pool and my plan was to do a whole lot of nothing over the days following.
I was starving and exhausted, most likely from lack of food. The resort has a Thai restaurant so I opted to take dinner at 9:15PM. I ordered some sweet potato leaves, a pork dish along with a cold beer. (PHP$425/NT$250/CAN$11) I ate and then retired to my room. I was finally able to access the Internet which is slow on the island. I took a shower and it was midnight when I finally turned out the light to get some sleep. So much for the Philippines being a quick commute!
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