Last day... heading back to the USA

Today we had breakfast at our hotel. We were able to pack and relax. Don's dad and brother picked us up around 12 because this was when we had to check out. They told us that they were not planning on picking us up until 2 because they thought this was when check out was...

So then we picked up Tita Remy and Pong again. It was good to see them again, we had thought last night would be the last time. Then we headed to Angeles City to get lunch. In my head I was hoping and craving for something American. When we got to Angeles City (it was about a 20 minute drive) I saw a lot of Western Style Restaurants. In my head though I was thinking...we won't be eating that.

I was wrong. We went to a restaurant called Rumpa. There were white people there! hahaa. It was American style food. And it was pretty good! I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Don got fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Pong had barbecue and it was very good. We all tried each other's food. It was a nice change of pace.

After we ate we all got back in the car. We then drove around and went by a mall. I did not want to go in the mall....ugh I hate shopping! For some reason we didn't stop. We drove by Clark Air Base. It did not look like much. There were a few old airplanes on display. You could see the barracks where people lived. The area looked very American.

We were going to stop at a place called Nayo Ng Pilipino. It was basically people dressed up and showing the different cultures in the Philippines. We didn't do it though because it was already 2 pm and it was so hot!

So on the way back we did stop at the mall. Don looked for a case for the new Samsung. We didn't find one. Basically no one bought anything. It was so crowded and I was afraid someone would step on my injured toe. I was happy to leave the mall.

So then we made our way back to San Fernando. There was so much traffic! We dropped off Tita Remy and Pong and said our goodbyes. Then it was me, Don, Fiona, and Sean in the backseat again. Off to Manila to the airport. I don't think I have ever been more ready to be back in the US. This was a long trip. I think it felt especially long because for the last half of it we were just being driven around. It was very nice of Don's dad and his brother to take time off and drive us around everywhere. We saw things that would have been difficult to see on our own. And we were able to see family easily. I am appreciative of that. But it felt like weeks haha...I was ready to be back in my own bed and eating things without worrying.

Ahh...but the ride there was so long. The traffic in Manila is unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it in the US. It was also hard to see the poverty in the Philippines. It was very eye opening.

Once we got to the airport it was about 7 pm. Korean Airlines were not open yet so we got in a line. We were about 3rd in line and we were told they would open around 830 pm. So much waiting! The airport was crazy crowded.

We met a guy from Maryland. He talked a lot, so that passed some time in the line. Finally at 830 we were able to check in. Then we went through security and tried to find a place to eat. We had to eat right when we  entered after security because there were no restaurants at the gate. We found a crowded restaurant and got some food. I had a chicken noodle soup that was actually pretty good. Don got some pork rolls that we shared.

We went to the gate around 10 and waited because our flight was not until 1145 pm. We finally boarded...on time and left. 4 hours and we would be in South Korea. We had the tv screens again so I put on some documentary and tried to fall asleep. I don't think I slept much though. It felt like a long flight...


We arrived at the Incheon Airport in South Korea around 430 am. It was crazy to see the airport all quiet and every shop closed. But this was good because we were tired so we found some seats and laid down across them.

We slept on and off for until about 8 am, by then the airport was busy. I think the Incheon Airport was my favorite airport ever. It was so nice and clean looking. The airport looked very new and modern. We decided to walk around a bit and get some food. We found a spa area that had showers! Ah...if I would have known about this sooner, because I was feeling disgusting after traveling for so long.

I had some Subway for breakfast/lunch again. Then we boarded our flight to Chicago around 1145 am. Once again Korean Air was on time! 4 flights and every single one of them on time! That never has happened.

I loved everything about Korean Air. They were awesome. The flight back to Chicago was good, except for the fact it was about 13 hours. It felt good to get back to the US.

First Real Day in the Philippines

Today we were up pretty early like 7 am. The time change was messing with us. It also didn't help that there was a rooster constantly crowing. It's even crowing as I write this. The hotel room is really small but after thinking about it, this is why I booked this place. It was very close to the airport and was cheap. I didn't expect a luxury hotel, but I guess I just hoped it would be a bit bigger. But I am feeling better about it now. It serves its purpose and we leave here tomorrow very early. I also realized after arriving here that Trip Advisor didn't show most of the hotels near the airport...booking stuff was hard from the US.

We did get to see our view outside the hotel this morning...

Not the nicest view...I think the nicer and safer areas are on the other side of the airport. Although this place seems okay. We were able to explore a little bit this morning. The security at this hotel is nice because they have guards and there is a gate around it. It even has its own convenient store so we don't have to go out. I feel good about that because outside the gate...isn't so nice. We took a small walk. So...if you want a little bit above bare minimum stay at the Isabelle Garden Hotel near the airport. The room is nice enough. The bathroom is extremely small. They do give you free breakfast though. And they arrange free airport pick up. The price is almost $30 a night.

Don's uncle (Tito Rom) and cousin (Regan) visited us this morning and we talked about our plans. Then Don's dad came with his brother and we went out for lunch. They took us to the Mall of Asia. We went there last time we were here. We were able to exchange some more money and it was nice to get out and walk around. We ate at Max's Restaurant. It was kind of a mixture of a fast food restaurant and a sit down place. They specialize in fried chicken. They have a number of American dishes combined with Philippine cuisine. Once we were done with lunch we went back to the hotel and we worked on booking another hotel in Los Banos, for when we get back from Palawan.

This evening we just hung out and relaxed. We were tired from traveling and we have a 6:30 am flight tomorrow to go to Palawan. There seemed to be a party going on outside. There were people singing and a DJ. It was really loud. We ordered some pizza from a menu the front desk gave us. The place was called Greenwich Pizza. It wasn't very good at all. The sauce tasted like ketchup. Ready to see what Palawan will offer us!

Arrival in the Philippines

We arrived at Incheon Airport (near Seoul) around 4:30 pm. The Korean airport was really nice, so modern and clean looking. We got some food. I had a Subway sandwich and Dr Pepper! Because every time I see Dr Pepper in a foreign country I have to try it. It tasted slightly different, better than the Dr Pepper I had in Greece though.


Our next flight to Manila was at 7:30 pm. This plane was not as big and more cramped. There were hardly any free seats so we had to sit next to someone. This flight was about 4 hours. It felt like 8. We still had tv screens to watch whatever we would like so that was cool. I mostly tried to sleep on this flight but it was impossible. I couldn't get comfortable. But still...Korean Air way better than Delta...plus this flight was also on time.

We arrived in Manila around 10:30 pm and we got our luggage quickly. Yay, no lost luggage! The process of getting through customs was fast too. It took us forever to find our hotel shuttle connection though. We eventually had to call our hotel because there were so many people and we couldn't find our guy. We didn't get to the hotel until around 12:30 am. I was so tired and grumpy. I also wasn't very impressed with the hotel at the time ahaha.