Philippine Travel Logs - Day 1

Brandi dropped me off at the airport at 5 pm Saturday July 10th. I was in for 20+ hours of flying....thank goodness she told me to wear yoga pants. I was not as scared to fly this time. Airports are fairly easy to navigate. Most have English, which is nice but unexpected. I feel for travelers in our country that don't know English. Of course getting out of Twin was easy, SLC even easier. I smoked two cigs there because I had a feeling Vancouver BC was not about to have smoking areas. Canadians are not big on smokers eh. I asked the customs attendant if they had any, and was looked at like I was bat-turd crazy. For living so close to Canada, I have never been there. Got to tell you the Vancouver airport has to be my lease favorite, but I will reserve judgement till I experience Houston's. It was a pretty airport, lots of dangling glass walkways. That were empty. I mean empty. I was the only person in that airport for like 20 minutes. I was beginning to wonder if I was lost and somewhere I shouldn't be when the nice guy in the gray glass box waved and said Bonjour. Vancouver is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, but unexpectedly humid. I didn't think i would be being so far north, but it was in the 70s and my palms were wet. I was dreading the flight to the Philippines. 14 hours on a plane I expected to to speak only Tagalog. Shockingly, they used English only, until we landed when they used both English and Tagalog. I was not ticketed for the flight and was a little concerned. The loudspeaker system in Vancouver was about as useful as the empty walkways....I couldn't hear anything. I strained to hear but since the actual gates were behind glass doors and walls I was sitting on the floor in the main gate hallway with 200 Filipinos. They like to talk....loud and fast so I could not hear my name when they called it 7 times. Finally I grabbed an airport employee when they were leaving the gate. She asked for my name and said "We have been looking for you!" Really? TURN UP THE VOLUME. I hear very well, my firends tell me I whisper when I talk and am always telling others they are talking too loud...there is nothing wrong with my hearing. Took them 10 minutes to ticket me. When i got to my seat a nice 80+ year old Filipino woman showed me her ticket..and we had the same seat. I was not going to share so i went to the stewardess, while the lady took my seat. I stood in Business class for 20 minutes while they figured it out. She told me to wait there, which gave me time to wish I could stay there the whole flight! They were passing hot hot towels to the travelers in 1st class. Kinda glad I didn't get one. What am I supposed to do with it? The lady walks past me and get the lady from my seat. Seats her in 1st class and tells me to go back to my seat. At first I was irritated, but she was like 87 so better her then me I guess. The guy that sat next to me was an armrest hogger. I am a sharer, he was not. I spent the whole flight with his arm touching mine or my back because he refused to move. Even when he played with his Ipad. Speaking of I want on of those bad boys. When we filled out of customs declarations form he asked to borrow my pen. I wanted to ask him if I could borrow the armrest, but thought better of it. I managed to pass out 10 minutes after take off. I was asleep, my butt was asleep, my neck was asleep, and my left arm was asleep (mainly because the before-mentioned Ipad man would not move his dang arm). But...at least I was asleep. They passed out those eye covers for sleeping. Never used on before but I used the crap out of that one. Got woke up for dinner, which smelled awful so I didn't eat. I woke up at 4 am (Idaho time) which was 4 hours in. Not bad but I had 10 to go. Passed out again and woke up at 8 am (Idaho time). With 6 hours to go I just need to get to sleep again. Was worried that my tummy was gurgling....not because I was hungry but because I had gas. I managed to sleep. Woke my self up by farting really loud. Looked around in horror to find everyone sleeping and made a mental note to SILENTLY dispel gas BEFORE going back to sleep. The arm rest stealer next to me never reclined his seat so I figured I would lean on the side of his chair. I mean we were cozy anyways since HE WOULD NOT MOVE HIS ARM and we had been touching for 8 hours anyways. As soon as I got comfy he decided to recline. Moron. Bet he heard the fart too. This guy must have no bubble. If I heard and felt someone fart I think I would move. I wrote it off because I thought maybe he was from a culture that just didn't have much of a bubble, but his passport was American. Weirdo. The next time I woke up we had 2 hours to go. They served breakfast, which smelled just as bad as dinner but I tried it because I was hungry. Managed about 2 bites, drank my coffee and nibbled on a roll. I was bummed I didn't have a window seat because we were flying off the coast of Japan, which I would have loved to see, but I would have had to reach across arm rest stealer to open the window so I just hope I will get to see it on the way back. I watched a movie that they were playing. The person across the isle asked if I wanted their head phones. Wish I was sitting next to him instead of arm rest stealer, but I declined noting there were subtitles so I didn't need any. Had a cute conversation with a 2 year old boy who was speaking Tagalog. He looked nothing like Xavie, but had the same build and big eyes so I took to him instantly. He spent the better part of the next hour bringing me his toys to play with while his mother laughed. He was a cute kid, but I never got his name. We finally landed and I was not looking forward to immigration/customs. The humidity here was not as bad as in Vancouver, which again confused me. Immigration took like 20 minutes, not too bad. Didn't grill me with questions like Panama immigration did. Got my bags and headed to customs. Easy again, less then 2 minutes! The airport instructions told me to take a right out the airport to their service station. Not there. Talked to a security guard who pointed in another direction entirely. I was at 17 hours of not smoking but lighting up without knowing I could for sure spelled disaster so I waited. Walked to the left till I found the transport station. Turns out it's to the right if you are LOOKING at the airport, not coming out of it. That would have been useful to know! My flight was early so i had to wait about 30 min for my driver. I asked where I would smoke and got the complete opposite reaction i did in Vancouver....I can smoke anywhere outside, and inside too unless there is a no smoking sign posted. w00t! Chain smoked two. Not a good plan because i was hungry and shaky from flying. Got my driver and got to the hotel. It was 5:30 am in Manila but i could have swore it 8 am rush hour by how busy the city was! The hotel is really nice! I don't know how everyone there knows my name. It was like and episode of Cheers. I walked in and 5 people were like "Ms Markwell, this way please." Alright, sure. Got my room and did a currency exchange. Feel rich because I have over $1000 whatevers in my wallet, but really that's like 40 bucks. Went to my room where i was given a tour. Huh. Then called my family and Brandi, who didn't answer! :D Decided I would order room service. Don't usually even though I can but since I will only eat one other time today and I am tired it seemed like a plan. Breakfast was HUGE and included asparagus.....which was very good! The milk here (for my Rice Krispies) is like half and half. The Mango juice was awesome and the pineapple amazing. The only thing I didn't like was the sausage. Oh and I can smoke in my room. So now I am going to bed to go to work tonight! :D