Farewell Manila

Monday, January 18, 2016

Leaving Manila:

     Another fitful night—probably brought on by the stress of leaving in the morning. I awake at 7. 15 am and take a shower, pack up my bags and get down for breakfast. I meet Gerald Mullins again and he was seated at a table with a Mike Anderson who had served as an American diplomat in the Far East for decades before retiring and settling in Washington DC. We continue our conversation of last night and at a very leisurely pace, I enjoy a filling breakfast of omlettes, fresh fruit and coffee and take my leave.

     I have arranged to have the hotel’s taxi pick me up at 11. 30 am for a 1.00 pm drop off at the airport for 3.00 pm flight. But speaking with the gentlemen at my table, I am persuaded to call for it half an hour earlier at 11.00—which I do. Traffic is insane and there are no guarantees when one will reach.  I say goodbye to everyone and return to my room, lock up my cases and call Reception to have the bell boy take them to the lobby. I wait in the lobby for about 20 minutes and my car arrives and, as luck would have it, we have no traffic at all and reach the airport in exactly 20 minutes! I have three full hours at the airport to wait until my flight for Bangkok departs. It is a good time to catch up on my blogging and I do just that. Manila airport is not at all impressive and I find a quiet seat in front of a fan as it is awfully hot. My flight is announced on time and I leave for Bangkok on Philippine Airlines. It is a very comfortable flight and I am in Bangkok in three hours. There is a three hour layover there as I connect to an Air-India flight where I am delighted to be upgraded to Business Class on a four hour haul. Nothing could be more comfortable and I am pampered and treated like royalty with a glass of champagne for starters and the most delicious Indian dinner of tiger prawns served Thai style.

            I arrive at Bombay airport at 11. 15 pm , clear Immigration and am out in half an hour. My transport picks me up and drops me home to my Dad’s place in Bombay and I am all set then for another week in the city of my birth.

     Thanks for following me on this armchair journey. I feel blessed at the end of every trip about the amount of traveling I seem to be doing and the number of places to which I have been going. Until my next trip, bye for now.