After 24 years, I finally made a trip back to the Philippines. It was an easy decision and the timing was right albeit the length of stay was very short – two weeks!
From the Freezer to the Frying Pan and back
Travelling from a very cold country to a tropical country is tricky. Bringing a bulky parka occupies half of your carry-on bag. Bringing a spring jacket will make you uncomfortable when you come back.
I purchased a popular style of winter jacket that can be rolled into a neck pillow! This is no joke. Once we arrived in Pearson International Airport, I folded my jacket and inserted it to the neck pillow case. My winter jacket became my pillow for the 17-hour trek to Manila.
On our trip back, I was comfortable with my jacket in the terminal while Toronto experienced -35 C windchill temperatures.
What to do in a 17 hour trip?
Prior to this trip, my longest flight was 13 hours when we first came to Canada 24 years ago. Next to that were the 8-9 hours across the pond (Atlantic Ocean) trips to Paris, London, and Rome. 17 hours is like watching the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (including bathroom and lunch breaks).
Before we boarded this flight (12:35 AM), we were already awake for almost 21 hours after taking the 6 AM flight from our city to Toronto. I was able to sneak a few minutes of nap in the terminal while waiting for the check-in counters to open (at 8:00 PM) and receive our check bags.
- Tip #1: Have a good sleep the day before a long flight.
We checked-in by 9 PM and made our way to the gate. We had enough time to use the Priority Pass Lounge. The food was great and it was a nice space to wait for our long flight.
- Tip #2: Have a good meal before boarding the flight.
After we boarded we got to our seats quickly and waited our flight to take-off. It was almost 1 AM when all was said and done. I tried to snooze as PAL’s 777 taxied to the de-icing section then to the runway. Less than an hour after take-off, I woke up to the smell of heated food. The flight crew started serving supper.
- Tip #3: Don’t sleep right away. Meal is serve after the plane gets to cruising altitude.
Meal was great. After the meal packaging was collected, it was hard to get back to sleep so I started browsing the entertainment catalog. There were a good selection including Filipino movies, classic ones, too. I watched a couple of new released (2018) movies. By then, my eyes were shutting down, so I went to sleep. By the way, the airline provided blinders which was nice to have.
- Tip #4: If you cannot sleep right away, watch a movie.
Couple of hours after that, the flight crew started to serve food again! Midnight Snack. By this time, we were over 7 hours into flight and above Europe (somewhere in the Russian states). It was more of a heavy snack (like spaghetti) than a light snack (like cracker or biscuit). After eating, it was a good time to do some stretching and use the washroom.
- Tip #5: Do some stretching or use the washroom.
One feature of the entertainment console that is good for groups who are not seated together is the “passenger chat”. You can chat with your co-passengers based on their seat assignment.
I went to sleep some more after our Midnight Snack. I woke up after a couple of hours and started watching some more movies. There are also games on the entertainment console. I tried to get back to sleep with 3 more hours to go. We were in the South China Sea when the crew started serving breakfast.
- Tip #6: Take as much sleep as you can.
After the meal, most passengers were lining up the washroom for last minute landing preparations. The crew started distribution customs and immigration forms.
- Tip #7: If you need to freshen up before landing, do so quickly after the meal is served.
The 777 touched down at MNL around 7:45 AM.