A Moment in Manila

After an eight hour flight from BrisVegas, we landed in Manila around 8pm. We were warned by multiple people that Pinoy Aquino International Airport was a nightmare. The stars seemed to align for us and we walked straight through immigration. The only passengers seemed to be from our flight.

We joined the immigration queue and were quickly directed to the next counter. We lined up together but we were swiftly told next time to go through separately. The immigration took our passports and then said “can I ask a question? Are you in the fashion industry in Australia?”. I’m not sure what made her think that; we definitely weren’t dressed for the catwalk, maybe the dirty sewers of the Pasig River that passes through Manila.

The next challenge in this Amazing Race was to get to our hotel. I had booked a hotel close to the airport because we had a domestic flight the following day. On Google Maps the hotel looked like it was a walkable distance. But the reality was that it was far from close. There was an option to catch the free shuttle bus from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 or catch a Grab share ride. We went with the latter.

We exited the terminal and started following the signs to the ride share area of the airport. The signs stopped and there were people catching taxis, so we thought we were in the right location. We ordered the Grab and we were assigned a driver. All of a sudden, we received a message that the driver had arrived. We asked an airport employee where the Grab taxis were and they pointed us to the other end of the airport. We high tailed it down the corridor. Jason was pushing a trolley with his bag and almost collected a small Filipina woman – pasensya na (sorry).

We loaded up the Grab boot and took off to our hotel. Our driver seemed to take the long way. What was only supposed to be around the corner seemed like a very long ride. We arrived at our hotel, only to be told that we needed to go to another location. We were slightly confused. We rocked up to another hotel that had the same name – it seemed the hotel was in the process of changing locations.

The hotel looked very budget, but hey, it was only for one night. The temperature outside was 30 degrees in the evening, but inside the hotel room, Jason had the aircon cranked so high I practically needed snow gear to keep warm. I was completely encased in the thin sheet and the slightly thicker sheet (it couldn’t be classified as a doona/duvet).

As we were preparing ourselves for the Amazing Race, we resigned ourselves to the fact that there would be an electric shower along the way. Electricity and water just doesn’t seem right. Well, this hotel had the first electric shower. I’m sure it won’t be the last. The water hardly got warmer than tepid. Luckily, the weather outside was stinking hot.

It was a restless night with planes seemingly landing on the roof and a stone bed that was so hard I may need a hip replacement. I tossed and turned like a rotisserie chicken, trying to get comfortable. I’d get comfortable and fall asleep only to be woken by another plane or hotel guest slamming their door. At one stage I thought a freight train was coming through our room. Instead it was Jason snoring his head off. At least one of us could sleep.

When the freight train awoke, we got ready for our complimentary breakfast. We were not expecting much – a bit of fried rice with an egg on top. We had to be escorted to the restaurant, which was down an alley in the back streets of Manila. We scanned what was on offer: some bread, cold eggs and an array of unrecognisable cuisine. I opted for a few cold fried eggs on bread that was probably classified as a dessert due to the high sugar content. Jason decided to abstain. He warned me that if I got sick later it was my own fault. I scoffed down the cold eggs and headed back to the hotel room to gather our bags.

The saga to pack our backpacks continued at the hotel. We were flying AirAsia who have a strict baggage policy: 20 kgs checked in and 7 kgs carry on baggage. I was sitting at 21.5kg and 8.5kg. Somehow my bags gained weight on the flight over. Better the bags than me. I was prepared to risk it and if needed I could throw some crap at the airport. I like to live dangerously 😂. Jason, on the other hand, was instructing me to throw, throw, throw. I didn’t listen. I hope I get to the next stop.

Next stop clue:

After surviving Manila's freight trains, electric showers and mystery breakfasts, we're off to find an island famous for sand softer than my hotel mattress.

Filipino phrases:

Magandang umaga (mah-gah-NDAHNG oo-MAH-gah) =
Good morning

Magandang hapon
(mah-gah-NDAHNG hah-PON) =
Good afternoon

Magandang gabi
(mah-gah-NDAHNG gah-BEE) =
Good eveningRead more