Apr 1, 2025
A day of waiting. Everybody in the group was checking out at different times depending on their flights, either back to Australia, or on to other destinations. We went for an early morning walk along the beach before the day got too hot, then packed our bags, checked out, and sat in the restaurant having a light lunch while we waited for our transport. Ours is the last flight out at 5pm so it seems like a long day. Even when we get to the tin shed of an airport, we will still have three hours to wait before our flight.
Our walks around have highlighted the discrepancies in pricing between touristy things and local things. For example, you can get a men’s haircut for half the price of a cup of cappuccino. On the restaurant menus, Filipino dishes are significantly cheaper than western dishes, especially beef and fish.
At the appointed time, nine of us wandered down the beach front for the last time, and piled into a couple of waiting mini buses, while the hotel staff dragged our luggage behind us in carts. A short drive to the boat terminal where we climbed on the same boat that brought us across. They piled our luggage on the foredeck, and we took off for the mainland.
Another bus was duly waiting for us on the other side, our gear got transferred for a third time, and we headed off to the airport. A very small airport with one runway and one security belt. They use local tourist buses that haven’t been otherwise booked for the day to take passengers out to the planes, which seemed like a bit of a circus as the buses lined up and waited for the plane to arrive, then took off down the runway after it to unload the passengers. We also noticed, disconcertingly, that planes landed and took off in opposite directions, so we are glad that it’s not a busy airport.
It’s also the only airport I’ve been to where they broadcast a request for everybody to use the toilet now as you will be on the bus for a long time.
And so began our long odyssey which would see us arrive on the other side of the world in about 30 hours time.
We thought that they were just bussing us out to the plane, but it was a bit more than that. Turned out that the departures terminal and the arrivals terminal are two separate buildings on opposite sides of the (domestic) airport. So the fleet of buses for the two aircraft that were about to board lined up on our side of the airport in a huge conga line, and waited for the signal to head off down the runway, following the arriving plane, until we reached the arrivals terminal where the planes were parked and passengers were disembarking. Eventually the now empty buses took off down the runway back to the departures building for the next load, and we pushed back.
In a nice touch, the ground staff outside stood and waved to us as we taxied off. Outside the airport, road crews shut boom gates to stop the traffic on the road around the airport for every arriving and departing plane.
A very old and tired Airbus A320 that must shuttle between Boracay and Manila all day, but it didn’t really matter as it was a very short flight.
Upon arrival we caught a Grab to the Rain Apartments close by the airport, so they are the first and last accommodation we will use in the Philippines. Jolibees for a quick tea, then early to bed before a ridiculous start tomorrow. Not a great sleep as other travelers kept arriving throughout the night.