Erich has a coffee before we leave Coron.
I had to wake up early today to catch a 8 AM shuttle ride with Erich and Sara to the airport in Basuanga. The van we packed into was of course overcrowded Filipino style. If you ask a Filipino how many people they can fit into a car they’ll say “always one more.” A goofy outspoken guy in our car who was almost annoying turned out to be the manager of the airport in Basuanga. Well, I guess we won’t be late to our flight.
At the airport we passed through security which was simply a guard casually checking the contents of people’s bags. The security check was a joke because the guard didn’t check everything of mine but then again it was a small airport with low traffic. I checked in my dive bag and hiking backpack which was 15 kilos overweight. These overweight charges are costing me a lot; when I get back I’m going to have to re-evaluate all my stuff and throw some things out.
Sara and I have a coffee with Erich but on the other side of the table.
Waiting to board our plane.
We had plenty of time before our flight was boarding so Sara, Erich and I walked next door to a small family owned snack stand. There we got some coffee and drank it on what felt like their living room table. About 10 minutes later, a lady tells us the plane is boarding soon. We walked pass security—no check this time—to a waiting area. The plane we boarded was a small twin prop plane that seats about 150 people. The flight was easy and comfortable lasting no more than an hour.
Scenic islands around Palawan.
After landing at Manila airport and getting our bags, we all had plenty of time before our next flights out. Sara’s flight to the Netherlands was scheduled to leave around the same time as mine—around 3:30 PM. Erich’s flight to Austria wasn’t scheduled until early the next morning so he planned on spending the night in Manila. We were all hungry and decided to eat lunch at a cafeteria type place serving expensive Chinese food. For some reason, we had to pass our luggage through security which was a pain for me because I have two large bags, a heavy day pack, and my laptop bag. Additionally, we had to leave a passport to get a visitor pass.
Traveling heavy—60 kilos: 1 full set of dive gear, 1 hiking bag of clothes and misc, 1 day pack with camera equipment, batteries, and chargers, and 1 Macbook Pro.
I ate too much; the Chinese food was good and tasty and my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach. We hung around the cafeteria a little bit but felt the urge for some coffee. By around 1 PM, we went out of the building and hung around outside drinking coffee while sitting on our bags. Sara and I needed to get cash to pay for any silly airport fees and other things so we found an ATM nearby.
Last moment before Sara leaves for the Netherlands. =(
By 2:45 PM, I said my goodbyes to Erich and Sara; it was sad to see them go. I’ve gotten to know both really well traveling around Palawan and living in Alona Beach. It’s nice to meet so many different people from around the world but the only problem is that they’re traveling so you only get to know them for a relatively short amount of time. Hopefully I can save enough money and have some time to visit them in Europe.
Your standard issued flight.
My flight to Tagbilaran was uneventful. I drank coffee and had a overly sweet chocolate mocha cupcake in the plane. After I landed in Tagbilaran, I hired a tricycle for 250 pesos to Doljo. After the driver dropped me off, he wanted more money because the house was farther than he thought. I refused to give him more money because he agreed on a rate and I usually pay too much because I’m horrible at bargaining.
My landlord opened the gate to her complex with her helper Cheryl and her two dogs Bella and Rambo. It was good to see familiar faces. The dogs didn’t bark or attack me which I guess meant they still remembered me. I was afraid to see how dirty my house was but also excited to see what has changed. My house was cleaner than when I first moved into it; my landlord and her helper cleaned it before I came. After sitting down and relaxing a little bit, I finally realized that the house I’m in is my home; it’s a place that’s familiarly comfortable to me that gave me that sense of being “home sick” when I was away. It was good to be home.
I unpacked a little bit to let my dive gear dry and to let my bags air out. I watched some TV and had a relaxing lazy evening. Wilhe, my landlord, was unusually nice to me and gave me a loaf of bread, some instant noodles, eggs, and butter. She even cleaned some of my clothes that I left behind before because she said it started smelling bad. I ate the instant noodles for dinner. I wanted to visit Alona Beach to see my friends there and see what’s changed but I didn’t have my motorbike and was lazy to find a driver. Enough for a day I guess. Sleep.
- jason
No comments:
Post a Comment