I am taking a short break from all the unpacking and the sorting and the cleaning and the doing of the housechores. Whew! Like what my friend Vera mentioned this is one part, one hard part, of coming back home after a vacation, going back to the established routine. Not to mention doing all the backlogs :-)
Oh well, I am taking my sweet time. I have not even put up any Christmas decors! I am actually thinking if I still have to put them up, because I already know, I will also be the one who will put them all down. Hehehe Good thing before flying to Manila, I have already shopped and wrapped our Christmas presents for our Sydney based friends :-) because at the back of my mind, I was already expecting this :-)
It was our first time to go back as balikbayans and from this experience, I have learned a few lessons:
A. It is hard, no, make that, very hard, to go on long trips with a small bub in tow. With Sam being breastfed, and no hired help or yaya to take care of her, it was still us who took care of both of them even if we met friends and went out. There was help from family, but only during weekends. Liam also didn't want to be left with the care of Lolo or Lola, so Alvin and I took turns of staying home with them if we needed to do an errand like going to the LTO, CAP, or going to the spa. And they were with us every time we met up with friends. Maybe, when they are both older, it would not be as hard :-)
B. The next time I book a flight, I would choose a night flight so the kids would be sleeping most of the time. And when I choose a flight going back home, I will not choose a Sunday. It was almost eleven pm when we got here in Sydney. No more shops to eat as they were already closed. Good thing my brother already left in our refrigerator, the cooked food I asked them to buy for us last Saturday so were able to eat something. By the time we were settled it was almost twelve no in and all of us had something scheduled on Monday! It will back to work for hubby, back to school for Liam and back to swimming school for me and Sam! I didn't have the chance to re-charge or get things organized before going back to our usual routines! So next time, no more Sunday flights for us!
C. The i-remit Visa card was not as hassle free as I thought it would be. When i make transactions and the reader recognizes it as a debit card, it lets me choose either the sa or chk account which when I both tried didn't work. I had to talk it out to the cashier to use it as a credit card or to use a different card reader. Sometimes they tried out of politeness, but others didn't. So what is the use of having a debit card? I ended up carrying big amounts of cash fearing that if I use the debit card it will not again work. Hay.
These are just the major lessons I have learned. I will be blogging about the realizations and stories of our trip next time :-)
Back to work for me :-)
Showing posts with label flight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flight. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Another Feather On My Cap ;)
Surprise!
Yes, I too, am surprised that I get to write a blog on our supposedly holidays here in Manila.
Blame it on the rain...and the fact that we live sooooo far from everything LOL :)
Well, kidding aside, I think reality has set in. I still can't leave my two kids and do the things/errands I have planned to do. And yes, the weather really didn't cooperate as it has been pouring the past 3 days already!
But first, some stories first on our flight back here in Manila.
If you have been following my blog you already know by now that I took the challenge of flying to Manila with 2 kids. Well, to date, that is my biggest achievement! Yes, I did, all by myself! hehehe well, not really :)
When we got to the airport hubby saw the parents of an acquaintance (a common friend is one his Beta Ep brods in UP) passing by us so he told me that we might be on the same flight. And luckily we did. While waiting for our turn to check in, he introduced himself and us and informally entrusted us to them. But the thing was, they were seated so far from us. Anyways, from check-in up until boarding, everything was manageable. We got good seats as well. Well, that is aside from the fact that our flight was delayed by more than an hour.
I was expecting for the worst, but surprisingly I managed. I was able to prove that I can still keep my cool when things were not going my way -- like Liam pooing while on flight. Yes, I managed that and to go to the toilet with Sam with me. I guess expecting for the worst did a lot of help, not to mention a lot of prayers and mind conditioning.
But I guess the credit really goes out to my two adorable and well-behaved kids. Many people have already told me that my kids are "mabait" especially Liam. Well, this experience was the one that really convinced me that yes, they are truly good children.
I will not write it but there were people who really went out of their way to commend them (and me **blush**) for their behavior all throughout the trip. As one passenger said: "I just want to tell you that your son is amazing! I mean how can you manage with two kids and not have a hard time?" She commended Liam twice. First during the first half of the trip and the next when we were about to land: "I mean how can he endure an 8-hour flight without giving you a hard time. Amazing. Simply amazing." I was a proud mum. Yes, Liam just sat on his seat, buckled up and only standing up twice. One when he needed to wee and the other one when he needed to poo. That's it. Thank goodness they didn't go after their Papa who feels sea sick when traveling hehehe :)
Sam was behaved as well. But she did give me a little hard time during the last hour and a half of our trip. I tried everything to soothe her but she was just restless (not crying). I knew she was sleepy already because at that time it was already 9:30 PM Sydney time.
By this time my battery levels were going low but thankfully I managed. It was challenging when I was filling out the Disembarkation cards while carrying Sam attending to my hand-carry luggage (which was about 7 kg!) and keeping an eye on Liam. That was the hardest part of trip for me. But help came at the right time and the right place. When it was time to get my checked-in luggage and the pram from the luggage conveyor, Tito and Tita (couple we met at the airport) were with me so they were able to help me out :)
No problems whatsoever with Immigration and Customs. Thank God.
I felt tired and my paranoia was at its peak when we went out the airport with my Papa and brother picking us up. But after one week, I guess my paranoia has lessened already :)
I am proud of myself. I am more proud of my children.
P.S. After experiencing a night flight and a day flight, I was able to compare and realize that when you have kids with you when you travel, very young kids like my kids, it's better to take a night flight than a day flight.
More kwentos next time!
Yes, I too, am surprised that I get to write a blog on our supposedly holidays here in Manila.
Blame it on the rain...and the fact that we live sooooo far from everything LOL :)
Well, kidding aside, I think reality has set in. I still can't leave my two kids and do the things/errands I have planned to do. And yes, the weather really didn't cooperate as it has been pouring the past 3 days already!
But first, some stories first on our flight back here in Manila.
If you have been following my blog you already know by now that I took the challenge of flying to Manila with 2 kids. Well, to date, that is my biggest achievement! Yes, I did, all by myself! hehehe well, not really :)
When we got to the airport hubby saw the parents of an acquaintance (a common friend is one his Beta Ep brods in UP) passing by us so he told me that we might be on the same flight. And luckily we did. While waiting for our turn to check in, he introduced himself and us and informally entrusted us to them. But the thing was, they were seated so far from us. Anyways, from check-in up until boarding, everything was manageable. We got good seats as well. Well, that is aside from the fact that our flight was delayed by more than an hour.
I was expecting for the worst, but surprisingly I managed. I was able to prove that I can still keep my cool when things were not going my way -- like Liam pooing while on flight. Yes, I managed that and to go to the toilet with Sam with me. I guess expecting for the worst did a lot of help, not to mention a lot of prayers and mind conditioning.
But I guess the credit really goes out to my two adorable and well-behaved kids. Many people have already told me that my kids are "mabait" especially Liam. Well, this experience was the one that really convinced me that yes, they are truly good children.
I will not write it but there were people who really went out of their way to commend them (and me **blush**) for their behavior all throughout the trip. As one passenger said: "I just want to tell you that your son is amazing! I mean how can you manage with two kids and not have a hard time?" She commended Liam twice. First during the first half of the trip and the next when we were about to land: "I mean how can he endure an 8-hour flight without giving you a hard time. Amazing. Simply amazing." I was a proud mum. Yes, Liam just sat on his seat, buckled up and only standing up twice. One when he needed to wee and the other one when he needed to poo. That's it. Thank goodness they didn't go after their Papa who feels sea sick when traveling hehehe :)
Sam was behaved as well. But she did give me a little hard time during the last hour and a half of our trip. I tried everything to soothe her but she was just restless (not crying). I knew she was sleepy already because at that time it was already 9:30 PM Sydney time.
By this time my battery levels were going low but thankfully I managed. It was challenging when I was filling out the Disembarkation cards while carrying Sam attending to my hand-carry luggage (which was about 7 kg!) and keeping an eye on Liam. That was the hardest part of trip for me. But help came at the right time and the right place. When it was time to get my checked-in luggage and the pram from the luggage conveyor, Tito and Tita (couple we met at the airport) were with me so they were able to help me out :)
No problems whatsoever with Immigration and Customs. Thank God.
I felt tired and my paranoia was at its peak when we went out the airport with my Papa and brother picking us up. But after one week, I guess my paranoia has lessened already :)
I am proud of myself. I am more proud of my children.
P.S. After experiencing a night flight and a day flight, I was able to compare and realize that when you have kids with you when you travel, very young kids like my kids, it's better to take a night flight than a day flight.
More kwentos next time!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Aja!
Another lesson learned the hard way.
Well, I thought our dilemma was resolved already, but it wasn't. Well, at least just before hubby arrived from work today.
This morning, I decided to pass by he office of our travel agent, since I was already in the area. Hubby's leave was already approved yesterday and so we decided to contact our travel agent by today.
When I informed our travel agent of our plan to re-book our flight, I asked her how much I needed to pay her. Lo and behold, we had to shell out another $1160 just by moving my and the kids' flight to Manila on the same day as hubby's.
The breakdown:
$225 - change fee (for re-issue of the ticket and the admin fee of the ticketing office of our travel agent) This is for each passenger!
$140 - tax difference between the time we paid in full and the present rate of the tax. Again, this is per person.
$ 70 - fare difference for the kids. So multiply by 2.
I was shocked! More than a thousand? That's big money! I can spend that for shopping (hehehe) or it can already cover for a return trip ticket, may sukli ka pa!
I called on hubby and we decided to sit down and review our options. Good thing, Pauline, the travel agent who handled our inquiry this morning, was very accomodating, and gave suggestions on how we can settle our problem.
Option 1: ALvin moves his flight earlier to join us. That way we only have to shell out $225. --> Can't be! Since he only has 3 weeks leave, if he moves his flight one week earlier, we'll still end up moving our flight back to Sydney, one week earlier so we can all go home at the same time.
Option 2: Alvin moves his flight to join us. As soon as we get to Manila, we contact PAL and have our flights re-booked. That way we don't have to pay the change fee. But we'll still end up paying around $600 for the rebooking fee AND there is no assurance that we'll still have a slot on the date and time that we prefer. So, NO.
Option 3: Instead of spending the money for paying the fees, why not use the money to ask my BIL or SIL to come over for a two-week visit and put their return flight to Manila on the same flight as ours, so at least, I have another adult with during the flight. --> Seriously considered.
Option 4: ASk our Uncle and Aunt who will be having their holidays as well in Manila, if their flight is the same as ours, then problem solved, pronto! --> Sad to say, different airlines and different dates. Well, the good thing that came out from my chat with Auntie Weng was she gave me the push and assurance that I will be ok with it, considering ours is a direct flight. Assistance anyways are given to senior, preggy and passengers with infants on flights, right?
Option 5: Stick with our original plan, I fly with the kids and he follows the week after. Amend some of our things to-do like not bringing any check-in luggage to make it easier for me to travel and to focus on just the essentials -- forms and of course, our kids!
Final decision? Option 5.
Kaya ko yan, with a lot of prayers, and mind conditioning, I know I can.
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Aja!
Well, I thought our dilemma was resolved already, but it wasn't. Well, at least just before hubby arrived from work today.
This morning, I decided to pass by he office of our travel agent, since I was already in the area. Hubby's leave was already approved yesterday and so we decided to contact our travel agent by today.
When I informed our travel agent of our plan to re-book our flight, I asked her how much I needed to pay her. Lo and behold, we had to shell out another $1160 just by moving my and the kids' flight to Manila on the same day as hubby's.
The breakdown:
$225 - change fee (for re-issue of the ticket and the admin fee of the ticketing office of our travel agent) This is for each passenger!
$140 - tax difference between the time we paid in full and the present rate of the tax. Again, this is per person.
$ 70 - fare difference for the kids. So multiply by 2.
I was shocked! More than a thousand? That's big money! I can spend that for shopping (hehehe) or it can already cover for a return trip ticket, may sukli ka pa!
I called on hubby and we decided to sit down and review our options. Good thing, Pauline, the travel agent who handled our inquiry this morning, was very accomodating, and gave suggestions on how we can settle our problem.
Option 1: ALvin moves his flight earlier to join us. That way we only have to shell out $225. --> Can't be! Since he only has 3 weeks leave, if he moves his flight one week earlier, we'll still end up moving our flight back to Sydney, one week earlier so we can all go home at the same time.
Option 2: Alvin moves his flight to join us. As soon as we get to Manila, we contact PAL and have our flights re-booked. That way we don't have to pay the change fee. But we'll still end up paying around $600 for the rebooking fee AND there is no assurance that we'll still have a slot on the date and time that we prefer. So, NO.
Option 3: Instead of spending the money for paying the fees, why not use the money to ask my BIL or SIL to come over for a two-week visit and put their return flight to Manila on the same flight as ours, so at least, I have another adult with during the flight. --> Seriously considered.
Option 4: ASk our Uncle and Aunt who will be having their holidays as well in Manila, if their flight is the same as ours, then problem solved, pronto! --> Sad to say, different airlines and different dates. Well, the good thing that came out from my chat with Auntie Weng was she gave me the push and assurance that I will be ok with it, considering ours is a direct flight. Assistance anyways are given to senior, preggy and passengers with infants on flights, right?
Option 5: Stick with our original plan, I fly with the kids and he follows the week after. Amend some of our things to-do like not bringing any check-in luggage to make it easier for me to travel and to focus on just the essentials -- forms and of course, our kids!
Final decision? Option 5.
Kaya ko yan, with a lot of prayers, and mind conditioning, I know I can.
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Aja!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
To Move!
I consulted a friend yesterday about my dilemma. She already had an experience travelling with her kids (almost same age as mine) and based on her e-mail, we have finally decided to move our flight to the same date as Alvin's.
I overlooked some of the things she mentioned on her e-mail, like attending to both of their needs while on the plane, keeping them busy, toilet breaks, etc etc etc. Thank God it's been resolved.
Now the harder task is I have to course through our change of date with our travel agent again?! Hay. How I wish I could have done it directly with PAL.
Hubby's ticket is still pending since they said they will be waiting for the promotional price of the tickets from PAL...well, I visited their website and saw that they already have an on-going promotion for only $890 with tax and that also covers our travel dates. Made me think again, where is my hubby's ticket?!
Well, come to think of it, maybe the reason why we are experiencing some MAJOR delays for hubby's ticket is this: our decision to change the date of our flight.
Can't wait to finish dealing with them.
I overlooked some of the things she mentioned on her e-mail, like attending to both of their needs while on the plane, keeping them busy, toilet breaks, etc etc etc. Thank God it's been resolved.
Now the harder task is I have to course through our change of date with our travel agent again?! Hay. How I wish I could have done it directly with PAL.
Hubby's ticket is still pending since they said they will be waiting for the promotional price of the tickets from PAL...well, I visited their website and saw that they already have an on-going promotion for only $890 with tax and that also covers our travel dates. Made me think again, where is my hubby's ticket?!
Well, come to think of it, maybe the reason why we are experiencing some MAJOR delays for hubby's ticket is this: our decision to change the date of our flight.
Can't wait to finish dealing with them.
Monday, August 1, 2011
To Move or Not to Move?
I have a dilemma.
My family and I are going to Manila later this year to have a short holiday, with family and friends, and to celebrate our baby girl's 1st birthday as well.
At the planning stage, we agreed that I and the two kids will go one week earlier than hubby. So me and the kids will be in Manila for a month and hubby just for 3 weeks. Hubby cannot stay and won't stay for more than 3 weeks on holidays. He finds it inappropriate and too long, even if he still has extra 2 weeks of leave.
So, we booked and paid for our tickets. Tickets have been issued.
Hubby's ticket is still not issued as we are still waiting for the travel agency to finalize it. (His ticket has a story of its own).
Now, in less than 100 days, we will be flying already, but I have been receiving feedback/opinions/concerns regarding our arrangement from friends. They worry that I might have a hard time handling/caring for the two kids on the 8-hour trip from Sydney to Manila, all by myself.
Now, we are seriously considering the option that we move our flight to the same date as hubby's. Well, what will I miss in 7 days, if I cut my trip short from a month to 3 weeks?
It's just that thought that I might as well stay longer anyways, we're there already, right? But I have to weigh the pros and cons. In addition to these is the fact that I wanted to go home earlier so I can already prepare for Sam's birthday. I'm finding it hard to prepare when I'm so many miles away! Yes, I get to ask the help of family based in Manila, but it's different when I'm the one personally doing it. I can do it my way. I can't ask too much if I am nakiki-paki. Hay! Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma!
Hope it gets settled soon!
My family and I are going to Manila later this year to have a short holiday, with family and friends, and to celebrate our baby girl's 1st birthday as well.
At the planning stage, we agreed that I and the two kids will go one week earlier than hubby. So me and the kids will be in Manila for a month and hubby just for 3 weeks. Hubby cannot stay and won't stay for more than 3 weeks on holidays. He finds it inappropriate and too long, even if he still has extra 2 weeks of leave.
So, we booked and paid for our tickets. Tickets have been issued.
Hubby's ticket is still not issued as we are still waiting for the travel agency to finalize it. (His ticket has a story of its own).
Now, in less than 100 days, we will be flying already, but I have been receiving feedback/opinions/concerns regarding our arrangement from friends. They worry that I might have a hard time handling/caring for the two kids on the 8-hour trip from Sydney to Manila, all by myself.
Now, we are seriously considering the option that we move our flight to the same date as hubby's. Well, what will I miss in 7 days, if I cut my trip short from a month to 3 weeks?
It's just that thought that I might as well stay longer anyways, we're there already, right? But I have to weigh the pros and cons. In addition to these is the fact that I wanted to go home earlier so I can already prepare for Sam's birthday. I'm finding it hard to prepare when I'm so many miles away! Yes, I get to ask the help of family based in Manila, but it's different when I'm the one personally doing it. I can do it my way. I can't ask too much if I am nakiki-paki. Hay! Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma!
Hope it gets settled soon!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Ranting
It started yesterday. I just want to air out my frustration towards this travel agency that is handling our booking to Manila.
We chose their agency because they are the agency which will be arranging for the raffle prize -- return ticket Syd-Mla-- that Liam won last year. Anyways, we decided to choose them so as to have an easier time dealing with them, considering the background of the raffle prize that Liam won (a different story), and hopefully it will also be a lot easier for us to plan our trip if we are only dealing with one travel agency.
Well, when I asked for a quota early Feb, they gave me a quota right away and gave me a deadline. A deposit is needed (which is actually a thumbs down for me as this was the first time I heard of a travel agency asking for a deposit, it was non-refundable and non-transferable, I was expecting that we will just have cash out, paying everything in full, if our flight needs to be confirmed ), we paid a day late (because we thought it was toooo early to have the flights confirmed considering it was just Feb and our flight is still on October). Anyways, we were given two weeks to give our full payment for our flights to be confirmed. Of course, paying in full would also mean we are protected for whatever price increase they might have in the future, or are we? We gave the remaining balance for our flight way ahead of time. I was actually surprised when the staff informed me that the bank receipt will be forwarded to their boss for their boss to process our e-ticket already. I was surprised because usually when we purchase the tickets online direct from the airline company it only takes minutes for us to have our e-tickets. So anyways, I waited. But after a week of not hearing from them, I e-mailed to follow up. I was given Wednesday or Thursday of last week. But the weekend passed and I still did not hear from them. I am sooooo trying to be good and nice with them because as I have said they will be the ones arranging for the raffle prize ticket which Alvin will be using for his flight going to Manila (he wasn't booked yet because they said we had to wait after March for them to see the price difference of the promotional value given by PAL,ewan but they assured us that Alvin will NOT lose his slot for the dates we told them).
Now back to the story. I e-mailed yesterday to follow it up again only to be told that "there was an extension in the issuance of e-tickets for passengers traveling later this year"...meaning, that includes us! ANd not only that they gave us a time frame, hopefully we will be getting the e-tickets at the end of the month?! What?! A month of waiting for the issuance of e-tickets?! Wait a minute! That started it. I was resisting the urge to get mad, so I tried to be reasonable,thinking of ways on how to calm myself and justify the agency's reasons. But I still researched on the net, called up friends and asked my Kuya who is a frequent traveller. They all gave me the same answer, they get their e-tickets right away. The latest is 2 days. Sometimes delays happen if the client paid using a credit card but in our case, we piad in cash thru bank transfer. I was still not satosfied so I called up PAL, they said the latest for them to issue e-tickets is within 48hours, they checked for my booking reference, yes, our names are there but it also reflects that we haven't paid them yet, considering we have been paid for more than two weeks now! Di ba nakakainis? I was still hesistant to "fight" them because I was afraid that they will make it doubly hard for us when it's time for Alvin to get and confirm his booking. So I asked Alvin to call me at home told him that I will be e-mailing the agency already. Magalit na sila kung magalit, if they make it hard for us when it's Alvin's turn, well we have the Dep't of Fair Trading to rely on, all their emails and promises are kept. Alvin gave the go signal so I emailed them yesterday. This time I cc'd the boss (still giving the benefit of the doubt that it might just be the staff who is inefficient).
Anyways, I told them in my mail all my frustrations and surprise of having to wait for a month just for us to get our e-tickets. And the fact that if I didn't e-mail yesterday to follow it up I wouldn't have known that there was an "extension on the issuance of e-tickets for late travellers." The boss replied still apoligizing and mentioned that they don't course thru PAL their tickets, so saan? E we booked a PAL flight?! And that they work on different conditions. Anyways, they promised again that they will prioritize our e-tickets. I didn't e-mail them again. Up to now, I still don't understand why I have to wait this long. My friends and my Kuya all course their travels thru travel agencies as well so I don't know how this travel agency's system is different from the others.
Naiinis pa rin ako, well, let's just see if they will fulfill their promise of having our e-tickets before the end of the month. I will not name the agency yet, because I just mentioned that we still have to be nice with them because of Alvin's flight (if worse comes to worse I will ask the help of the org that had the raffle, they should be the one coordinating with them, right? But that will be our last resort). Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
We chose their agency because they are the agency which will be arranging for the raffle prize -- return ticket Syd-Mla-- that Liam won last year. Anyways, we decided to choose them so as to have an easier time dealing with them, considering the background of the raffle prize that Liam won (a different story), and hopefully it will also be a lot easier for us to plan our trip if we are only dealing with one travel agency.
Well, when I asked for a quota early Feb, they gave me a quota right away and gave me a deadline. A deposit is needed (which is actually a thumbs down for me as this was the first time I heard of a travel agency asking for a deposit, it was non-refundable and non-transferable, I was expecting that we will just have cash out, paying everything in full, if our flight needs to be confirmed ), we paid a day late (because we thought it was toooo early to have the flights confirmed considering it was just Feb and our flight is still on October). Anyways, we were given two weeks to give our full payment for our flights to be confirmed. Of course, paying in full would also mean we are protected for whatever price increase they might have in the future, or are we? We gave the remaining balance for our flight way ahead of time. I was actually surprised when the staff informed me that the bank receipt will be forwarded to their boss for their boss to process our e-ticket already. I was surprised because usually when we purchase the tickets online direct from the airline company it only takes minutes for us to have our e-tickets. So anyways, I waited. But after a week of not hearing from them, I e-mailed to follow up. I was given Wednesday or Thursday of last week. But the weekend passed and I still did not hear from them. I am sooooo trying to be good and nice with them because as I have said they will be the ones arranging for the raffle prize ticket which Alvin will be using for his flight going to Manila (he wasn't booked yet because they said we had to wait after March for them to see the price difference of the promotional value given by PAL,ewan but they assured us that Alvin will NOT lose his slot for the dates we told them).
Now back to the story. I e-mailed yesterday to follow it up again only to be told that "there was an extension in the issuance of e-tickets for passengers traveling later this year"...meaning, that includes us! ANd not only that they gave us a time frame, hopefully we will be getting the e-tickets at the end of the month?! What?! A month of waiting for the issuance of e-tickets?! Wait a minute! That started it. I was resisting the urge to get mad, so I tried to be reasonable,thinking of ways on how to calm myself and justify the agency's reasons. But I still researched on the net, called up friends and asked my Kuya who is a frequent traveller. They all gave me the same answer, they get their e-tickets right away. The latest is 2 days. Sometimes delays happen if the client paid using a credit card but in our case, we piad in cash thru bank transfer. I was still not satosfied so I called up PAL, they said the latest for them to issue e-tickets is within 48hours, they checked for my booking reference, yes, our names are there but it also reflects that we haven't paid them yet, considering we have been paid for more than two weeks now! Di ba nakakainis? I was still hesistant to "fight" them because I was afraid that they will make it doubly hard for us when it's time for Alvin to get and confirm his booking. So I asked Alvin to call me at home told him that I will be e-mailing the agency already. Magalit na sila kung magalit, if they make it hard for us when it's Alvin's turn, well we have the Dep't of Fair Trading to rely on, all their emails and promises are kept. Alvin gave the go signal so I emailed them yesterday. This time I cc'd the boss (still giving the benefit of the doubt that it might just be the staff who is inefficient).
Anyways, I told them in my mail all my frustrations and surprise of having to wait for a month just for us to get our e-tickets. And the fact that if I didn't e-mail yesterday to follow it up I wouldn't have known that there was an "extension on the issuance of e-tickets for late travellers." The boss replied still apoligizing and mentioned that they don't course thru PAL their tickets, so saan? E we booked a PAL flight?! And that they work on different conditions. Anyways, they promised again that they will prioritize our e-tickets. I didn't e-mail them again. Up to now, I still don't understand why I have to wait this long. My friends and my Kuya all course their travels thru travel agencies as well so I don't know how this travel agency's system is different from the others.
Naiinis pa rin ako, well, let's just see if they will fulfill their promise of having our e-tickets before the end of the month. I will not name the agency yet, because I just mentioned that we still have to be nice with them because of Alvin's flight (if worse comes to worse I will ask the help of the org that had the raffle, they should be the one coordinating with them, right? But that will be our last resort). Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Closing a Door and Opening Windows
Exactly one year ago today, we left Manila to migrate to The Land Down Under - Sydney, Australia. I have written another blog a couple of days ago regarding my reflections on this part of our journey. Well, now on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I remembered the things that transpired on that day.
Everything was set. Our 2 big bags for check-in were labeled. Our 2 hand-carry suitcases were ready as well. My personal bag cum Liam's baby bag was ready, with all the important documents. Laptop bag? Check!
We ate lunch earlier than the usual. I felt everyone was trying to control their emotions, including us. Well, we cried the night before. It didn't help that we wrote Thank You cards to our parents the night before. We felt, at that time, that we made the wrong decision of leaving Manila, and leaving our parents behind. I think we felt that way because we watched The Case of Benjamin Button a few days ago. Well, we realized that we didn't want the time to come when we'll see how our parents have aged the next time we see them face to face. Well, thank you for technology. Every week, we get to chat with them and see them face to face. Even Liam knows them. And hopefully, by this year they get to visit us. So it's one worry that is way beyond us.
My family came. After double-checking everything. The whole family prayed-over us. And there it was, we were already on our way to the airport!
When we reached the airport, I thought that they were just going to drop us off. But there was a mix-up. After going down from my Papa's car, we kissed everyone goodbye and then we went inside to check-in. It was difficult to go inside considering the numerous security checks that we had to go through inside the airport. Well, as I've said, I was able to kiss goodbye to almost everyone except for my Papa and my sister-in-law. As soon as we got our bags, my Papa drove the car right away because as he explained it, it was 2-minute parking, for purposes of dropping-off the passengers. My sister-in-law on the other hand just came from her duty from the hospital (she is a doctor by profession).
When my Papa was informed that we already got inside the airport, he immediately texted me and told me to come out again with Liam because he still wanted to play with his apo. My sister-in-law also did the same. But since we were advised to check-in ealier to get better seats on the plane, my hubby and I just decided that it'll just be me and Liam who will go out again to see my Papa and my sister-in-law. There were a few tears that were shed. Everything happened so quickly.
Well, if we only knew that we would not get the seats we requested from Qantas, a few days ago, we could have spent more time with our family. Apparently, there were so many families, travelling with infants as well, that night.
Because of the rush and all the mental notes that I had in mind, it skipped my mind to give our Thank You cards to out parents. By the time I remembered it we were done with the last security check inside the airport. Oh well. We felt sad of course. So in the end, we texted them about the card and mailed it back when we got to Sydney.
As for our flight? Well, it's the longest flight I've ever had. Aside from the fact that we didn't get the best seats (the space we had was TOO cramped. It also didn't help that Liam was teething! So everytime he feeds, I end up being bitten! I was so dizzy doing most of the things -- trying to relax Liam when he felt uncomfortable (he didn't have a seat of his own yet, so all the time he was on my lap), assisting my hubby when he was too dizzy to do anything on the plane.I wasn't able to enjoy my food. I didn't enjoy that flight - physically and emotionally.
I felt so relieved when I heard the Captain announcing that we'll be landing in ten minutes. Even if we still had to deal with the very famous and very strict Australian Customs and Immigration, I felt good that finally that trip was over.
I am of course sad. We felt homesick as soon as we landed on Australian soil. But we have to move on. We had to move on, fo our son. Looking back, we made the right choice. We did close a door but we surely opened windows when we got here. It wasn't really a bed of roses when we arrived but hey, in a year's time, so much has happened! More good things than bad.
I now look forward to our next trip, this time our trip when we have to go and visit Manila. I can't wait to show Liam what is on the other side of the door we have closed, exactly one year ago.
Everything was set. Our 2 big bags for check-in were labeled. Our 2 hand-carry suitcases were ready as well. My personal bag cum Liam's baby bag was ready, with all the important documents. Laptop bag? Check!
We ate lunch earlier than the usual. I felt everyone was trying to control their emotions, including us. Well, we cried the night before. It didn't help that we wrote Thank You cards to our parents the night before. We felt, at that time, that we made the wrong decision of leaving Manila, and leaving our parents behind. I think we felt that way because we watched The Case of Benjamin Button a few days ago. Well, we realized that we didn't want the time to come when we'll see how our parents have aged the next time we see them face to face. Well, thank you for technology. Every week, we get to chat with them and see them face to face. Even Liam knows them. And hopefully, by this year they get to visit us. So it's one worry that is way beyond us.
My family came. After double-checking everything. The whole family prayed-over us. And there it was, we were already on our way to the airport!
When we reached the airport, I thought that they were just going to drop us off. But there was a mix-up. After going down from my Papa's car, we kissed everyone goodbye and then we went inside to check-in. It was difficult to go inside considering the numerous security checks that we had to go through inside the airport. Well, as I've said, I was able to kiss goodbye to almost everyone except for my Papa and my sister-in-law. As soon as we got our bags, my Papa drove the car right away because as he explained it, it was 2-minute parking, for purposes of dropping-off the passengers. My sister-in-law on the other hand just came from her duty from the hospital (she is a doctor by profession).
When my Papa was informed that we already got inside the airport, he immediately texted me and told me to come out again with Liam because he still wanted to play with his apo. My sister-in-law also did the same. But since we were advised to check-in ealier to get better seats on the plane, my hubby and I just decided that it'll just be me and Liam who will go out again to see my Papa and my sister-in-law. There were a few tears that were shed. Everything happened so quickly.
Well, if we only knew that we would not get the seats we requested from Qantas, a few days ago, we could have spent more time with our family. Apparently, there were so many families, travelling with infants as well, that night.
Because of the rush and all the mental notes that I had in mind, it skipped my mind to give our Thank You cards to out parents. By the time I remembered it we were done with the last security check inside the airport. Oh well. We felt sad of course. So in the end, we texted them about the card and mailed it back when we got to Sydney.
As for our flight? Well, it's the longest flight I've ever had. Aside from the fact that we didn't get the best seats (the space we had was TOO cramped. It also didn't help that Liam was teething! So everytime he feeds, I end up being bitten! I was so dizzy doing most of the things -- trying to relax Liam when he felt uncomfortable (he didn't have a seat of his own yet, so all the time he was on my lap), assisting my hubby when he was too dizzy to do anything on the plane.I wasn't able to enjoy my food. I didn't enjoy that flight - physically and emotionally.
I felt so relieved when I heard the Captain announcing that we'll be landing in ten minutes. Even if we still had to deal with the very famous and very strict Australian Customs and Immigration, I felt good that finally that trip was over.
I am of course sad. We felt homesick as soon as we landed on Australian soil. But we have to move on. We had to move on, fo our son. Looking back, we made the right choice. We did close a door but we surely opened windows when we got here. It wasn't really a bed of roses when we arrived but hey, in a year's time, so much has happened! More good things than bad.
I now look forward to our next trip, this time our trip when we have to go and visit Manila. I can't wait to show Liam what is on the other side of the door we have closed, exactly one year ago.
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