Until you're in the Manila airport after a ten hour flight where you were in the two smallest seats out of ~500, with a three hour layover, with no currency, American or otherwise, faced with vendors who only take cash, having to go to the bathroom (sit down style) in a restroom with no toilet seats...then the world could seem a little less wonderful. If you let it....
7am. Honolulu airport. We are mad early and feeling good and limber. Check in for the longest flight I've taken to date by far, practically doubling my record which was set just this past Wednesday. Lady at the counter was very pleasant. We asked for thr exit row, but were told it was a $50/pp upcharge. We asked if they were right in front of the bathrooms which she responded yes. So no deal. Legroom for $50 was not worth watching and smelling 500 people go 1's and 2's for 10 straight hours.
Big mistake. Huge.
She knew our desired scenario. Plenty of legroom and not near the bathrooms. So....yeah. Our tickets say 76D and 76G. When your row number is 76, be worried. We didn't bat an eye as we though she had "hooked it up" being as sweet as she was. For the record, I WILL RECOGNIZE THIS WOMAN IF I EVER SEE HER AGAIN. We are in the VERY last row on this thing, in a seat that easily had 3-4 less legroom than every single other seat on this plane. That may not sound like much but for 10 hours?!? We had officially been screwed by this woman. Complaint to the nearest flight attendant brought no reconciliation, "this is a full flight, sorry". So after a lot of four letter words outta me and Carrie almost being brought to tears, we decided to swallow it, really no choice. We were worried about how we would handle this flight as Carrie has back issues as a result of a car wreck a couple of years ago (wasn't her fault) and I have arthritis. So...yeah. Already concerned and didn't need this added dilemma.
We made it through even with the awful seats just fine, only turbulence was in the landing, and it was pretty bad going through the clouds which only caused the words "get me the F off of this plane" to be mumbled at a lower pitch and with teeth clinched even tighter.
Pretty much already gave you the rundown on Manila, I don't recommend spending much time there, well, at least at their airport. The "quick" 2.5 hour flight became less quick as our exhaustion of our 20+ hour day was crashing down on us. But we ended up in HK, with a very nice and EFFECIENT airport which was a very, very welcoming thing let me tell you.
But the most welcoming site of all, the inspiration for this trip, Carrie's BFF, our dear friend...Bonnie, is there and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first two friends to visit her in Hong Kong from the States...priceless.
And that my friends is enough affirmation to agree with the boys of the BOH,
The world IS such a wonderful place......LA DI DA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to_dIQOPNwk
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