The night before I left Manila, I surfed for flights to London and looked at passengers’ comments on PAL’s direct flights. I became worried because there were many negative comments about their old planes. I would be taking 4 long-haul flights via PAL this year (2 round trips) and taking the direct flight to SFO made sense. The traveling time is definitely shorter. However the negative comments made me a little worried about the kind of plane they would use to SFO.
It’s a Boeing 777.
After I found my seat, a pretty flight stewardess approached me. I asked if there’s a phone charger somewhere. She said yes. I replied “oh that’s great”. Then she said “and the plane is nice too”.
Seat 1 H, I was glad I have no seatmate.
Food during long-haul flights of PAL are aplenty.
I put on weight while flying.
Prawn sinigang
Their version of Hainanese Chicken Rice
Kelly Yuchongco
I skipped the in-between snacks. I just drank a bottle of water for 7 straight hours.
Less than two hours before touch-down, I ate a full breakfast.
I had paksiw na bangus, binalot sa dahon.
Selection of cheeses. The flight attendant asked if I wanted ice cream. Himala, for the first time, I passed up.
Green apple cheesecake
The flight was turbulent practically all the way. It was bumpy for the first two hours straight, then stopped for a while. Upon reaching the Japan straight, there was turbulence for the next hour. Then more shaking on the 4th hour. Most of the time the seat-belt sign was on. The minute it stopped, I would run to the toilet to pee. Tapos balik agad. Nirayuma na ako. I hardly slept sa takot ko sa shaking.
I took half a bonamine before take off kaya I think it helped me a lot.
I also tried to deviate my attention from the turbulence by watching movies. Wall Street: Money, starring Michel Douglas as Gordon Gekko. A Good Year with Russel Crowe, a London-based investment banker who inherited from his uncle Henry, a chateau and 11 hectares of vineyard in Provence, France. I watched “She’s the One” for 25 minutes starring Bea Alonzo and Dindong Dantes.
Three hours before our scheduled arrival, the turbulence became more intense, the plane shook vigorously. I covered my face and said “naku Lord, I don’t want to die yet, my daughter will look for me”. Bigla ko ring naisip yung cow. Paano yung cow na bibilhin ko so hindi na sya tuloy, sayang naman.
I was seated right in front of the curtain facing the galley. The sound of metal food trays hitting the walls of the cabinets sounded like the pantry was about to disintegrate. Parang makakalas. Two water pitchers fell on the floor. I heard someone vomiting. Warrkkk! Me naman, panay ang pahid ko ng peppermint ointment sa noo ko, batok, wrist, pati sa leeg, sa ilong, pisngi at baba. Kung saan saan , sa takot ko. I couldn’t breathe sa nerbyos. But then I tried to calm myself down kasi baka atakihin naman ako sa puso. Baka pagdating sa SFO eh matigas nako kawawa naman ang sister ko, problema pa nya ako.
Then the clinking and shaking stopped. I looked at the windows and wow, what a beautiful sight. It looked like heaven was smiling at me.
San Francisco airport tarmac
Oh thank you Lord, we’re here.
People were about to disembark when the purser said “teka muna, teka muna”.
Then he took the microphone and read the standard goodbye greetings.
Arrived alive.
There was no long line at the immigration.
The immigration officer asked me “what’s your purpose of coming to the US?” I told him “I’m actually going to Washington DC. I am going to the White House and Pentagon.
I think he didn’t expect to hear those things.
He asked “And why are you going to the White House?”
I was glad he didn’t think I’m crazy. I wish I could say that I am going to have coffee with President Obama. In that case, he would really think I’m nuts.
My maleta was first to arrive kaya ang bilis ko lang and the customs didn’t check my bag anymore.
I went out of the building to inhale the cold breeze but instead I inhaled second-hand smoke from the passengers who were smoking outside.
My daughter lent me a phone with T-mobile sim card. I was busy tinkering with it trying to figure out how to use it so I could call my sister, when she suddenly appeared from behind, “Atee!”
We dropped by the Quickly at Hesperian Blvd. Aileen bought a cup of taro shake with black pearl. I like taro too but I try to avoid kasi too addictive eh sobrang pampataba.
We took out two orders of chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and ate at home.
#iflypal
Maam Saan po Kayo sa S.F?
Hayward