What a mess!

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We almost missed our flight.

Here's why: when we were waiting at the airport for about 5 hours, we were told when the check-in had opened and showed our passports only to have the lady tell us we couldn't check in without our itinerary to show. So we had to wait a few more minutes at a different counter but the woman wouldn't print it because we didn't have an outbound flight leaving the Philippines. Apparently we couldn't check in until we had proof that we were leaving too. They told us we had until 5:55 to check in, and it was 4:00, leaving us almost 2 hours to buy a ticket. So we went downstairs to ask the information ladies if this was a policy by the country or by the airline we were flying, JetStar (when we asked why not the representative at check-in told us the airline could get in trouble with immigration for letting us fly there). The women looked in their information book and said it didn't say but that they knew that we couldn't enter without an outbound ticket.

Thus began the frantic search for tickets online. We used cebupacificair.com and airasia.com and skyscanner.com and cheapoair.com but ended up finding the cheapest with the first, Cebu Air. It was getting pretty close to the closing time for checkout and I tried to pay with a card online only to find their website wasn't working -- I could only pay if I had an Asian bank. So we tried to use Skype to call and I was disconnected several times just before we'd finished booking. I was getting really frustrated and we only had five minutes before check-in closed. Ronald hurried to get change for the pay phone and we booked it through there (the phone gave change -- yay!), ran to check in, and then ran to the gate. Ronald stopped along the way to claim some money back from his purchase of a camera lens, and we were through!

That was the first time flying with JetStar and it will definitely be the last.

When we got to Manila (the seats on the plane didn't recline) we deboarded and got in line to pass immigration. When we got to the front of the line we were told we needed another form apart from the one JetStar gave us, so we had to leave the line, go get the form, and wait another 30 minutes to pass. After being assured repeatedly by the JetStar girls that immigration would ask to see our outbound flight's itinerary and confirmation code, we got out the computer, but the guy didn't ask for anything! Stupid airline. By the time we got through and go to the baggage claim our bags had been taken off of the belt. We got a map from information and were told to go to Malate. Apparently that was the tourist area and the only way to get there is a taxi!

We walked outside to get a taxi and could go with a coupon or a meter, so we went with a meter. The guy took us to a hotel in the area where our bags were immediately searched by a drug and/or bomb dog. The driver was charging us 690 pesos! I went inside to get change for the 1000 I had and the woman gave me two 500 bills. I put one in my pocket and gave one to the driver for him to go make change. We waited for about 5 minutes and decided to just go. As we were leaving he came running up with our change, we said goodbye, and went to a restaurant around the corner.

When we got to the cafe we ordered a pizza and two San Miguel Pale Pilsens, a domestic beer they don't export. I then realized I hadn't given the driver the other 500! Oops, but whatever, because he charged us like three times the real amount. Stupid airport taxis. Boo.

After eating, Ronald headed out first on a search for a cheap hostel. When he came back we realized that a cheap hostel doesn't exist around Malate. Also while he was out he was offered Viagra, some other drugs, money exchange, and...girls. This should give you some indication of what this area, and Manila I assume, is like. There are homeless people everywhere and it's all around dirty. We decided we wanted to leave right away and go to the southern islands so I went in search of the Super Ferry. When I got there I waited with some guards at the dock while they asked about where to go. After waiting for about 10 minutes I was taken around the corner on the back of one of the guard's motorbikes. Pointless ride, but whatever.

I went in and was told that the next ferry available to Palawan was on March 25th! The next one for Cebu was on Tuesday so I got the price for that, a whopping 972 pesos. He said this was a deal for today and that tomorrow the price would be higher. They closed at 16:30 so I had about an hour and a half. I went back to the cafe where Ronald was and after discussing the options, decided to buy an internet card (we found out that this cafe was actually connected to the fancy hotel the taxi had dropped us off at) for 100 for one hour and do some research.

There are no ferries on Mondays, tomorrow, so our option was to leave on Tuesday or buy a flight for tomorrow. We decided to buy a flight and found cebupacificair as the cheapest, even cheaper than seair.com. So I tried, again in vain, to book online and then just used Skype. Just before giving the man my credit card number the internet hour was up! I was too frustrated so Ronald went to ask about using the cafe's phone (they let him use it for free -- yay!). He booked it through there and we have a flight for tomorrow night at around 21:00.

The next agenda was to find a place to stay. I had gone out to search while he was on the phone and the cheapest was 1,699! After resting a bit Ronald went out again in a different direction and the cheapest available was 1,500 just next door. So we paid our bill of one pizza and eight beers (hey, we'd been there for like 6 hours...) chatted some more with the friendly waiters, and headed next door. The room is nice with AC and a flat-screen TV and hot water. Fancy pants.

We took some much needed showers, watched the Philippines episode of Three Sheets, and set out in search of The Hobbit House. We hadn't written down the address, so we walked around the area we thought it would be in according to the crude map from the show. We ended up eating at a kabab place (they spell it with an "a" instead of an "e"...I don't know which one is right) and had to sit outside in order to drink beer. This time we tried the San Miguel Light -- it has the same alcohol content (5%!)(MISSING) but has much less body. It was refreshing and I think would be good for the climate here. Our food was strange but a good size, and even better was that the beer lady (she came from next door) knew where The Hobbit House was!

After eating we walked towards the bar (actually really close to where we're staying) and along the way found that what they call kabab is not what we call a kebab. Their kabab is meat on a stick and our kebab (the huge thing of meat revolving on a stick that they slice pieces off of and then roll in a tortilla with other fixin's) is called something like "sanwaya". I'll look around tomorrow to get the real name, but it looked delicious.

The Hobbit House has a cool round door that's painted like one of those multicolored wheels on a game show. There was live music playing and we immediately ordered The Flaming Frodo, a drink created by Zane, the host of the show, when he was there a few years ago. The bar was sort of expensive and I was indignant that tall people were working there, but we ordered some other versions of San Mig and then a cocktail before calling it a night. We hadn't slept the night before so 23:00 was about as late as we could handle.

Technical details
-DS: Right
-$1.00 USD is about 43 PHP (pesos)
everyone's visa, no matter what country, lasts for 21 days
-Manila's Malate area is full of homeless people

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Photos

The Flaming Frodo
a shot of Lambanog ("Coco-vodka" but it doesn't taste like coconut, it just comes from the trees and is clear) set on fire and then dropped into a glass of San Mig