The Qantas flight SYD-MNL was long and uneventful. Qantas once again has proved the good reputation is has been holding until recently. Service was generous and pleasant. Arrival to Manila without problems and £7 ride to hostel in centre of town, in a lively area. I go out for a drink, I finally need a beer! San Miguel is actually the national beer, and not a Spanish beer as most people do believe. The Spanish heritage is present in all the Filipino life. After a couple of beers and a tapa (calamari), I go for Japanese dinner. Wonderful sashimi at bargain prices compared to Europe made my day!! I go for a walk and back to the hostel where I can update e-mail to a number fo people I needed to stay in touch with. Skype is becoming my strongest tool on this trip. I strongly recommend it. If the connection is reliable the communication and video is first class!
I end up going to bed at 01:00a.m. local time; shame my flight Manila-Caticlan/Boracay is at 06:30! Alarm clock is set for 04:00.
When the alarm goes off I happen to turn it off, not to snooze it, waking up at just 05:30..... barely one hour before my flight!!!! Panic attack! I had been smart enough to get a shower and leave bags ready before going to bed so it is a matter of putting on tee, trousers and shoes...I am catching a taxi at 05:40 and I hope they close the flight just 30minutes, yet 20 min to get to the airport...
Traffic is heavy already at this tiem but quite organised for an Asian 12 million-inhabitant city.. I get there at 05:55, the police only allows people with boarding pass into the terminal building; I do not hold a reservation as the airline never sent e-mail confirmation; I go to the office and they print out the reservation telling me the flight closes 40min before the flight (already closed) and call the check counters to let them know I am coming.. I check in but they communicate taht I have 11kg excess luggage, -allowance being 10kg checked in-, so back to another desk to pay for it and they have to go pass the card somewhere else... I finally chec in and and I am set to go! I go through security where a PHP50 is to be paid for terminal use/departure tax, whatever, and then I wake a lady who has to screen my hand luggage, -they actually re-started the x-ray machine for me-. Now, I am in a bizarre large room with tons of white seats as if it were a bizarre church in some Central American country, i.e. Nicaragua, with just another seven people... And I am early!!! I have to wait for the boarding announcement, so I have a coffee...
The waiting area in the Domestic Terminal
The flight is short, on a Chinese made turbo prop. the aircraft seems fairly new and does not differ much from other Airbus, Fokker or Embraer aircraft. The Chinese will soon be building their own bigger planes, no doubt. Most of the flight is in the clouds which seems a bit scary given the track safety record in the Philippines and the fact that this is a newish airline. The approach to Boracay gives me a full view of the island, yet it is cloudy and it cannot show its beauty. On arrival I walk down to the jetty terminal to get ona boat across a bay to Boracay island which doe not have an airport itself.
View of the central part of Boracay; you may appreciate the narrow piece of land. ON the other side is Boolabang Beach where I am learning kite
More fees at the jetty terminal and a ticket for the boat. I continue having the lovely company of some nice 20-year old Filipino girls who are extremely welcoming.
The jetties are beautiful.
Jetties on Caticlan terinal
I get to Boracay and a whole fleet of tricycles are awaiting the tourists. I get a ride to Boolabang beach where teh kite surfing school is for £1.5/ AUS$3, about 20minutes ride. Tricycles are legendary in the Philippines.
Some of the Filipino girls in my plane and boat on a tricycle
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