Hello and mabuhay from the Philippines! I am currently taking a two week vacation to the Philippines, including a 4 day layover in Hong Kong. I will try to blog about it as often as I can get free wifi :) This trip will be my third to the Philippines (the last time we were here was 6 years ago) and first time in Hong Kong, but even more exciting is that it will be my husband's first trip to Asia!
We started our flight domestically from Baltimore Washington International to Chicago O'Hare International. The flight was only 2 hours and on one of the smallest planes I have travelled in! Upon arriving to Chicago, which was COLD, we had to rush to get to our next flight at the international terminal. We took the airport transit to another area of the airport campus where the international airlines departed from. We had to re-check in with our international flight company Cathay Pacific. Then came one of the busiest and strictest security checks I've gone through. Absolutely no jewelry. No shoes. No jackets. No sweatshirts. They would had us down to our underwear if they could I'm sure.
Our transcontinental trip from Chicago to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific was crazy long!!! 16 hours!!! Thank goodness for the good food, excellent flight attendants, and the personal entertainment system per seat. The worst part was the stinky bathrooms and the actual seats themselves. The shell-style seats were designed nicely in that they prevent the seat in front of you from reclining into your lap. This is accomplished by the seat sliding forward into more of a scoop rather than reclining backwards. MANY patrons do not like this design at all; complaining of a lack of cushioning and lumbar support. I just wish there was more padding to the bottom cushion. After a while, my butt was becoming numb, making it uncomfortable to sleep. Thankfully I was able to find a comfortable position and catch some shut eye. Surprisingly, hubby slept more than me! And I'm the one who always falls asleep on car rides. For a few more thousands of dollars (okay, a lot more!) business class has individual seats that recline further and first class has seats that reclines AND convert into small beds.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong airport, we had to go through customs and security, as well as navigate the large airport to find our flight gate. We met up with my cousins from London here as they were also flying via Cathay Pacific. The flight from Hong Kong to Manila was only about 2 hours. When we landed in Manila, we met up with my cousins from Baltimore who had flown via Delta. Then it was a cattle herd through immigration, baggage claim, and customs. From the international terminal, we took the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal. Here, we waited about an hour inside the terminal for it to open. Once we checked into our domestic flight on PAL (Philippines airlines) we waited another hour for our flight to leave. It was around 4 am when our flight departed for Bacolod.
The flight to Bacolod took less than an hour. It was nice to be greeted by some many relatives upon arriving at the airport! So many people that my hubby knew through Facebook, but was finally able to meet in person. Our next stop was the hotel in Bacolod. I was dying to have a hot shower! My dad actually rented an SUV through a cousin who he also paid to drive us around the area during our stay. It as very convenient as my parents are no longer as familiar with the roads and driving in the Philippines is a totally different animal! Overtaking other people on the road is legal and signaled by honking ones horn at the vehicle you are going to overtake. Sometimes people driving in the middle of the street or speed up to 100 mph. Pedestrians just walk out into the road when crossing, playing frogger, and hoping they don't get run over. It's definitely an environment that calls for an experienced driver!
Luckily, the hotel was kind enough to let us check in early. We are in a room with 4 twin bed (two pushed together). The view from the window is not that great and the room could be cleaner in some aspects, but it serves its purpose. I doubt we will be in the room much throughout the day and at last the beds are clean and comfy. After getting settled in the hotel, we drove to Bago City; an small country town outside of Bago. I grew up here during part of my childhood in my aunt's house. We spent the rest of the day visiting with family and catching up :)
I'm so glad to finally be "home" and to share this experience with my husband! I'm sure we'll have a lot of storied to share and memories toe make!
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