Going to the Philippines for the first time was exciting and scary both. I was going there to meet my future fiance for the first time. Money was tight and with the currency exchange, I did not really know if I had enough money to last my 16 days I was to be there. A friend got up extra early and drove me to a local airport about 90 miles away. From there I took a small passenger plane to Detroit, Michigan, which is where I was to catch the big plane for the long flight.
I had a 3 hour layover in Detroit and found the terminal where I was to catch a plane to Japan first for refueling. After sitting at the gate for almost 3 hours, I found out they switched flight gates and my plane was going to depart soon on the other side of the airport. After rushing around and finding the right gate, we boarded the plane only to have it start raining freezing ice. They de-iced the plane and tried to push us back, but the truck would not move the plane, it was too slick. The captain announced they would get a bigger truck. but still no go. Finally, they were able to get us pushed out on the runway, de-iced, and took off for Japan.
The flight was uneventful, just long, cramped, and boring. After landing in Japan, you have to go through their customs and then re-board the plane for the final jog to the Philippines. Landing in Manila, I met my girl, had the best time of my life, and met a lot of wonderful people. The Philippines is a big English speaking nation, however the accent is very different and hard to understand, especially in the beginning. Budgeting is hard and when it came time to leave, I did not have the 750 peso exit fee to leave the country. I was flat broke. My girl friend did loan me the money though and I made it back home again.
I have returned to the Philippines since and have learned that it is very easy to get in a wrong line. There is still a lot of confusion at airports, and this seems to be the worst part of the trips. If you decide to vacation here in the Philippines, make sure you take something to keep you occupied on the flight from the United States to Japan. I would recommend a book reader of some type. where you can carry many books in one little device. And do not forget to bring your girl friend a gift.
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