July 6, 2014 - July 8, 2014
(skipped through July 7 because of all that weird time zone stuff)
This day was when my journey began.
We departed on July 6, 2014 (U.S. time, very, very delayed) and arrived in the Philippines around 7:00AM on July 8, 2014 (from now on, regarding my Philippines and Hong Kong trips, I'll be using their time). It was surreal to be going back to the homeland so soon, the last time being in 2011. Before that we visited in 2004, so imagine how quick it seemed to be visiting so soon. Of course, it would be a dream to travel every summer, but that will just have to wait for another moment in time.
Click to read on about my first day.
I typically feel a sense of excitement and an adrenaline rush when traveling, especially to the Philippines, but I didn't feel it until we actually stepped off the plane and we were greeted by my aunt, Tita J, and uncle, Tito A. The plane was extremely delayed. I have never experienced such a delay, but it was to replace one of the plane's wheels. Better safe and have a delayed flight than take off promptly with the fear of a disaster. I was also extremely delighted to see that the movie choices were on point. There were several films I've been meaning to see, and there were laid out in front of me in the plane. Unfortunately, even with a sixteen hour flight, I slept for half of it and the other half was for food, day dreams, and naps. I only fit in two movies on the way to the Philippines (The Lego Movie, only to know what the hype was about, and The Dallas Buyers Club, for my boo Jared Leto and his Oscar-worthy performance).
Tried to finish 1Q84 before this trip, but I failed and ended up bringing it along because I knew there would be a long wait before boarding the plane. But didn't read it again until we got back…It was a wonderful read now that I've finished! I definitely recommend it.
A quick snack that my family and I shared before boarding (thank goodness, otherwise we would have been starving on the plane when we finally got our dinner around 1:30AM, after we boarded at 10:30PM).
As we were about to land, my sister and I were fortunate enough to snag window seats (we were placed in the middle section), because the people sitting there prior had connecting flights so were allowed to wait near the exit to board first. So my sister and I got to watch as we passed through the beautiful clouds, the sunrise, and land in the gorgeous country I proudly call my birthplace.
We landed in the city my dad and I were born in (more on his origins later). At this time Tita J drove my sister and I, while Tita A drove my mom and dad, to the condo my dad was borrowing from a good friend (free board - thanks Tito J)! We quickly settled in, showered to get off that sixteen-hour-flight-grossness and headed out with my aunt and uncle to get breakfast and catch up.
First real meal in the Philippines (and within almost twenty-four hours)? Dim sum.
We then were brought around to nearby places, starting with two casinos, and one of them was where my, at-the-time cousin-in-law to-be, was working. After going around and getting sim cards for our phones, we all got an early dinner together so that we could sleep early and start the next day bright and early. My jet lag wasn't too terrible, but my appetite was messed up due to the weird meal-eating times. I stuck with tea the first half of the trip, just to be safe from any water-born illnesses. However, I ended up getting lazy and just drank the water given at restaurants and I was just fine. I remember doing that last time, and I had no problem. Of course water bottles were at hand while traveling. Alright, on to Day 2...
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