Part 2 The Return

[Colsie]

Travelling back to the Philippines involves a number of challenges when added together can best be described as an ordeal. 

Travelling cattle class on a budget airline (Scoot) from Perth, Western Australia sets the daunting reality of a 24hr journey I finished today. 

The first challenge of getting to the airport on time would be the easiest of the journey. Both myself and my loved bike would travel to Tacloban City via Singapore and Manila. 

Before being allowed to fly I had to provide, passport, vaccination certificate, one health pass and the itinerary of my onward ticket (rented ticket). In return I was given my boarding pass for the Perth-Singapore leg and the Singapore-Manila leg. 

That challenge and dispensing with immigration and security, hardly registered a blip on the stress levels. Watching the plane which arrived on time wait and wait on the tarmac, pushing its late departure time further into the connecting flight time allowance become more stressful. In the end, my plane arrived in Singapore 40 mins late, but meant I still had about 30mins to dash across Changi to catch the Manila flight, that left at about 1am and getting to Manila at about 4:30am.. 5 mins early... Upon arriving and disembarking at Manila, the first queue was for the one pass check, then immigation both went fairly easy. By 5am I was waiting for my bike box to turn up at the the carousel...Well on time to dart over to T3 to connect with my 8am Tacloban flight... By 6am it became obvious that my bike hadn't made the connection and was still in Singapore, the Scoot girl promised to deliver on to my address in Eastern Samar tomorrow... I filled the forms out, tired and now short of time, I headed to T3 only to be met with huge queues of people trying to get past xray machines and into the building, it would have taken about an hour just to get into the building, but with the help of a kind security gaurd I was able to get through... 

I caught the Tacloban flight which was nearly an hour late and arrived in Tacloban, secured a tricycle and 15 minutes later I was sat perspiring in the back of a white van for 30 minutes before it began it's 2.5hr drive on the last leg of my 24hr journey home... 

The ordeal was completed and hopefully I will be reunited with my bicycle and other luggage as promised

 

[JJReyes]

I sometimes wonder why anyone would go on a short overseas holiday that requires air travel.  It takes one whole day to get to your destination.  There is so much down time with airlines requiring earlier and earlier check-in (their convenience).  As retirees, we consider 30 days as the minimum stay.  Planning for the Philippines, the allocation is five months.  From Los Angeles, the shortest flight time is about 14 hours on Philippines Airlines.  Asiana Airlines through Korea is about 20 hours.  You can also fly through the Middle East on Qatar and Turkish that will take 36 hours.  The prices are cheap, but no thanks.

[OnMyWay]

56 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

I sometimes wonder why anyone would go on a short overseas holiday that requires air travel. 

I think it is the over SEAS part that gets most people to fly.  I think only Snowy could swim it.

 

[Jake]

Wow, that's an ordeal from hell Colsie!  You finally arrive at your destination, only to ride shoulder to shoulder in a sweaty passenger van, steaming with great anxiety about your personal items would ever be return to you.  Yeah, I would be getting drunk on cheap Tanduay before I go insane.  I would rather be passed out on that final leg home.  Best of luck Colsie.  I feel your pain.  

[hk blues]

16 hours ago, JJReyes said:

I sometimes wonder why anyone would go on a short overseas holiday that requires air travel.  It takes one whole day to get to your destination.  There is so much down time with airlines requiring earlier and earlier check-in (their convenience).  As retirees, we consider 30 days as the minimum stay.  Planning for the Philippines, the allocation is five months.  From Los Angeles, the shortest flight time is about 14 hours on Philippines Airlines.  Asiana Airlines through Korea is about 20 hours.  You can also fly through the Middle East on Qatar and Turkish that will take 36 hours.  The prices are cheap, but no thanks.

The luxury of time and money open up many opportunities that not everyone can enjoy.

[Colsie]

20 hours ago, JJReyes said:

I sometimes wonder why anyone would go on a short overseas holiday that requires air travel.  It takes one whole day to get to your destination.  There is so much down time with airlines requiring earlier and earlier check-in (their convenience).  As retirees, we consider 30 days as the minimum stay.  Planning for the Philippines, the allocation is five months.  From Los Angeles, the shortest flight time is about 14 hours on Philippines Airlines.  Asiana Airlines through Korea is about 20 hours.  You can also fly through the Middle East on Qatar and Turkish that will take 36 hours.  The prices are cheap, but no thanks.

I guess none of us like to be away from our loved one for so long. 

We haven't been apart a single day in the last 7 years but this short trip was needed to sort out my bank and restart the tourist extentions. I also took the opportunity to visit my son (hadn't seen him for 11yrs) in Australia for a few days and meet my grand kids for the first time. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Colsie

[Colsie]

18 hours ago, Jake said:

Wow, that's an ordeal from hell Colsie!  You finally arrive at your destination, only to ride shoulder to shoulder in a sweaty passenger van, steaming with great anxiety about your personal items would ever be return to you.  Yeah, I would be getting drunk on cheap Tanduay before I go insane.  I would rather be passed out on that final leg home.  Best of luck Colsie.  I feel your pain.  

I can't find the contact for Scoot airlines that I reported the missing baggage to in terminal 1 carousel...they haven't tried to contact me... so my anguish continues... 

I think of the things I could/should have done, but blury eyed at 5:30am and needing to change terminals ASAP to catch my flight home I didn't. 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Colsie