Leaving town...
"It is better to travel than to arrive"…..not if NAIA is involved…
The start of my holiday was as usual a battle at Manila aiport…
Being tired…finishing work at 10pm..going home to clean the house and pack and then an airport pick up at 4:30am…does not for a happy camper make…
I have developed a loathing for NAIA that is out of all proportion for an inanimate object. Even the garbage bins here have wildlife (of the dark brown shiny variety)…I am assuming that not many people scream very loudly in the departure lounge at 5:30am – assuming because the reaction I got after screaming when wildlife ran out of the bin that I was putting my teabag into; was quite impressive…I can now cross “Bring an airport to a grinding halt” off my life ‘to do list’!
Yet again I was grateful for on line check in…saves so much waiting and allows far more time to sit in the ‘wonderful’ departure lounge!
This time as I leave I have a little more understanding of the Philippines (not much!) and it strikes me that in relation to the cost of living in the rest of the country the P550 departure tax is astronomical…add to that the average cost of a trip – flight, hotel etc etc and it really puts into perspective how the average Filipino is bound to never leave the country.
Please, please, someone open the new terminal…give the average traveler a better memory of their holiday in Manila…the Philippines can “wow” with their beaches, diving, fresh produce, tourist destinations and the friendliness of the people…but that first welcome and final farewell is just bad PR…
And a little word of advice for the NAIA catering department…making fruit shakes with dirty (literally!) ice will ensure that the average traveler will have something to remember Manila airport by for slightly longer than the 2 hours we normally spend here!!!
Once off the runway…a beautiful morning led to a good opportunity for pictures…unfortunately in my haste I only carried my little camera as hand luggage….anyway here they are….
The start of my holiday was as usual a battle at Manila aiport…
Being tired…finishing work at 10pm..going home to clean the house and pack and then an airport pick up at 4:30am…does not for a happy camper make…
I have developed a loathing for NAIA that is out of all proportion for an inanimate object. Even the garbage bins here have wildlife (of the dark brown shiny variety)…I am assuming that not many people scream very loudly in the departure lounge at 5:30am – assuming because the reaction I got after screaming when wildlife ran out of the bin that I was putting my teabag into; was quite impressive…I can now cross “Bring an airport to a grinding halt” off my life ‘to do list’!
Yet again I was grateful for on line check in…saves so much waiting and allows far more time to sit in the ‘wonderful’ departure lounge!
This time as I leave I have a little more understanding of the Philippines (not much!) and it strikes me that in relation to the cost of living in the rest of the country the P550 departure tax is astronomical…add to that the average cost of a trip – flight, hotel etc etc and it really puts into perspective how the average Filipino is bound to never leave the country.
Please, please, someone open the new terminal…give the average traveler a better memory of their holiday in Manila…the Philippines can “wow” with their beaches, diving, fresh produce, tourist destinations and the friendliness of the people…but that first welcome and final farewell is just bad PR…
And a little word of advice for the NAIA catering department…making fruit shakes with dirty (literally!) ice will ensure that the average traveler will have something to remember Manila airport by for slightly longer than the 2 hours we normally spend here!!!
Once off the runway…a beautiful morning led to a good opportunity for pictures…unfortunately in my haste I only carried my little camera as hand luggage….anyway here they are….
posted by Madame Chiang at 10:14 am
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