Just Checked-In

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Sorry guys this is a boring one about a mad journey...

Arriving into Manila from Baguio we left the bus at an unknown terminal which our driver had assured us was nearer to the airports than the Panay stop we had planned to get off. We are not sure how accurate this information was, but luckily we were near a mall, where we were hoping to access the wifi to book plane tickets. It was just gone 12pm and the flight we wanted to get on was at 4.15pm. No rush then.

After a baggage check we were inside, but the internet was not working. In a panic we ran to a ticket sales office where we were told that Cebu Pacific was now only selling tickets for that particular flight at the airport, but there was another flight with Zest going from a different terminal, and if we wanted to buy tickets we would have to pay their commission. We were unsure whether we would make it to the airport in time and did not want to risk it, so thanked the kind sales lady and headed out to the taxi ranks.

At this particular mall there were two different ranks with taxis heading north and south. We were unsure which way we needed to go, so headed to one. Naturally we had selected the wrong one, so needed to run back around to the other side of the mall, which incidentally was miles away considering the size of the malls here is Asia.

Taxis here in Manila are pretty much all metered meaning there is no need to argue about fare which is great, and if you take a taxi from a rank you are provided with a slip of paper with the taxi's registration number and driver's name so they won't try and pull a swift one on you. We directed our driver to the airport we needed to go to (there are 4 or 5 different terminals in Manila which is pretty confusing without the aid of a Lonely Planet which explains the situation pretty well) and were pleased to find it only took around 20 minutes to get there. Just another small hurdle to overcome was that to actually get inside the airport every guest had to pass through stringent security checks, and the Cebu Pacific office was inside the airport. Spotting the potential problem Katie left Luke with the bags whilst she politely explained the situation to one of the armed security guards who kindly let her pass. Unfortunately the tickets had almost doubled in price, being so close to departure. Initially we thought we may have been too rushed to bother trying, but had rationalised that it was worth the shot of us coming to the airport as the taxi rides were so cheap in Manila, and we could always go back and book tickets for the following day at the normal rate if we didn't get them.

But now armed with our new knowledge of the Zest Airlines flight which we had not found online, we decided to give it another shot. This was partly because we did not want to waste money on the very expensive accommodation in Manila, partly because we don't like to be beaten, and partly because we only had a 21 day visa. So ever onwards we hopped into a taxi, and after a quick detour via the international airport (despite us telling the driver the airline, destination, and terminal) followed by a lot of stress, we were finally standing in line at the Zest office at 1.30pm, numbered ticket in hand. This was pretty tight considering the flight was at 3.45pm. But on the upside we hadn't had the chance to check out the airline's history. When check in for the flight had opened and passed, we interrupted and asked an assistant if she could possibly see us next as we were desperate to get onto the flight. With a stroke of luck she agreed, and by 2pm we had booked tickets on a return flight to Palawan, for the bargain price of £33 each.

Almost there, through security and baggage check in, at our second security check Luke was found to have our new bottle of suncream, an umbrella, and a bottle of Mudshake in his hand luggage. Fortunately Zest are are the best! And we were able to easily get them put in the hold (bar the alcohol), although only after an 'I already asked you' from the check-in girl.

We had been heading to Palawan for it's famed beaches and beautiful picture post-card scenery. You can only imagine our despair as our flight descended into an extremely turbulent white-hole with only lightning to remind us that we were still in the earth's atmosphere. After a very very horrible hours flight we were glad to be off the plane, with our accomplishment of the day being that we had made it to Puerto Princesa, the main city of Palawan. We found a trike driver who took us to D'' Lucky Garden where we found a pretty nice room for 1000 pesos (just under £15).

With the rain we were a little stuck, as most of the things we wanted to do relied on the weather. This meant we had to put our plans on hold until the following day, and see how things were. After a very hearty dinner of roast chicken and rice under a tarpaulin in the rain, we returned to D'' Lucky Garden for a well earned sleep.

The following day the weather was clearing up a little, but it was not good enough for a trip to the nearby Honda Bay Islands. Instead we decided to take it easy and carry out some chores in preparation for our trip north the following day. We spent our time browsing the local markets and shops, and sampled Jollibees; a Filipino fastfood place which we have to say was pretty good value, and the yum burger really was yum. After we headed back to D'' Lucky Garden for a good night's sleep before our trip to the dreamy Port Barton the following day- hoping it would be worth all the travel.

The next day we woke at 6 to be out by 7, and caught a trike to the New Market terminal where a jeepney was being loaded for Port Barton. We selected our seats at the front of the bus (best in the house it turned out) and waited. The van was loaded are reloaded with all sorts of things including boxes of live chickens, a giant tank, a boat engine, and boxes of fresh fish to name just a few. It was absolutely steaming even at 9 in the morning- everyone was relieved to be leaving when we finally rattled out of the terminal at 10am.

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