Made it to Manila, Philippines! At last!!! Had a pretty uncomfortable journey from Hanoi. The Intern
Made it to Manila, Philippines! At last!!! Had a pretty uncomfortable journey from Hanoi. The International airport in Hanoi is a joke and Cebu Pacific Airlines is like its sidekick. Awful combination. Hanoi Airport didn’t have electronic self-checkin and the customer service reps were unprofessional and didn’t speak good enough English. After waiting in couple lines for 1 hr, running from one customer service rep to another about 5 times, nearly breaking down crying (I did get teary at one point, it was way past my bed time), I got my ticket and got on my plane that was 30 min late. Cebu Pacific Airlines runs its international flights mainly at night, that’s why the fares are so cheap. My flight was at 1 am, the plane was so uncomfortable it was almost like being back in US, and it was cold in it as in a freezer. I survived, thanks to Sufjan Stevens playing on repeat on my iPod. My first impression of Philippines is … that it is very modern and super happy and friendly. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever met friendlier people!!! The city of Manila looks kinda like Honolulu and it got similar feel as well, though you don’t really get to see the ocean. I’m still in Vietnam-mode so getting used to regulated traffic and the lack of motorbikes will take some time. It’s kinda weird that I don’t have to dodge cars and motorbikes anymore. In terms of what to do in Manila… there’s nothing to do in Manila but shop at many malls. It’s a huge huge city, very busy, very industrious, and I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a day there. Next time I’ll be here is on April 10th, the day before my flight back home. So here’s what is new and interesting to me about Philippines so far: - almost everybody speaks decent English, and with good enough pronunciation. - the vast majority of people seem super friendly - very few people look at me with interest or curiosity, no staring !!! - the Filipinos in Manila are considerably fatter than Vietnamese or Thai people - the vast majority of food on the street and in restaurants is deep-fried. No vegetables. No street vendors selling cut fruit :-( - things are cheap! My dinner consisting of Tandoori chicken with pita was only $3 :-) - Catholic Churches are a common sight, so are bakeries with brownies -- source link
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