As you may have read in my previous post, I am currently under quarantine due to my recent trip to the Philippines and Singapore. Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, I genuinely have no regrets about this journey. It was truly an amazing experience, and I feel grateful for the chance to explore such beautiful destinations. Given the uncertainty surrounding future travel plans due to the various travel bans in place, I cherish the memories created during this trip even more.
Boracay had always been a dream destination of mine, with its picturesque white beaches, coconut palm trees, and turquoise ocean. Throughout my life, I have also made many Filipino friends all over the world, and these extremely friendly, hospitable, and smiling friends of mine strengthened my desire to visit their country. Before booking the final domestic flights in the Philippines, we also decided to add another destination to our trip: Coron, Palawan, where we would go for 2 nights before heading to Boracay. In addition, we would first stay one night in Manila.
From Copenhagen, we flew with Singapore Airlines to Singapore. It had been a while since I last flew with them, the last time being when I was 16 years old during a trip to Australia. Once again, Singapore Airlines lived up to its reputation. The food served onboard was delicious, and the legroom was generous. To our pleasure, we had the entire row to ourselves, which made the journey even more enjoyable. The abundance of free seats could likely be attributed to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but it didn’t deter us from going to the Philippines.
Whether our decision to travel was wise or not, we are yet to find out, as the quarantine period is still ongoing, and we have 4 days left. So far, we have remained symptom-free. It’s worth noting that, at the time of our travel, there were more coronavirus cases in Norway than in the Philippines and Singapore combined.
After the 11-hour long flight to Singapore, we were surprised to feel surprisingly well. We were a bit concerned about the tight 2.5-hour layover, which involved picking up our luggage, changing terminals from terminal 3 to terminal 4 (requiring a bus ride), and checking in our luggage again for the flight to Manila. Since we were flying with non-partner airlines, we couldn’t check in our luggage all the way to Manila from Copenhagen. However, to our relief, the process went faster than expected, and we found ourselves at our gate well before the boarding time. It’s uncertain whether the efficient system in Singapore contributed to the smooth experience of leaving and entering the airport or if it was due to the lower number of passengers traveling because of the coronavirus situation.
The flight to Manila with Cebu Pacific was a bit less enjoyable compared to the previous one. Although we felt fine after the 11-hour flight, the 3.5-hour journey to Manila proved to be more challenging. The combination of jet lag and lack of sleep made it tougher, and the discomfort of the seats, which couldn’t be reclined, didn’t help either.
Arriving at the seemingly empty Manila airport, we hopped into a taxi and headed to our hotel. To our surprise, the ride to Makati was surprisingly short, contrary to the warnings I had read about the heavy traffic in Manila. It took us just around 15 minutes! The well-organized and tidy surroundings along the road were also a pleasant surprise, as I had heard frightening tales about Manila, but in this part of the city, everything appeared well-maintained. While I am aware that there are better and worse neighborhoods in Manila, the route to Makati presented a pleasant and well-kept atmosphere.
Upon arriving at 2:30 PM, we had initially planned to take a short 1-2 hour nap, relax at the rooftop pool, and then explore Makati, the upscale neighborhood where our hotel was located. However, we were so exhausted that we decided to hit the streets right away for a few hours of sightseeing and then call it an early night. We knew that if we fell asleep immediately, we’d end up sleeping through the whole evening and miss out on experiencing the city. In hindsight, we realized that it might have been a good idea to spend a night in Singapore before continuing our journey.
Looking forward to sharing more about my Makati adventures tomorrow! Wishing you a wonderful evening (or day, depending on your location)!
Anyah Mroz 