On-line

Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The queue for checking in is 2 rows of loads of people stretching into the public side of the airport. Not that non-flyers can enter so I have said good bye already. 

Then I noticed the on-line checkin queue. 1 person. That's much better I thought, and having delayed my bedtime to check in I joined the short queue. 

Do you have the printed boarding pass? I was asked. No, the printer isn't working but I have a copy on my phone. 

That was acceptable. 

And now as you can see I am at departure ahead of a plane-full of other people. 

And there is WiFi that works (unlike the bus one that sort of worked). So from here are the blogs as I relax and wait. 

2 hours to boarding, 3 hours to take-off. 

14:10
A new arrival, our transport.

Once in Paris, the queues were short for a change. Even so the luggage took over half an hour to arrive. Even the train lacked passengers. Here I am, the only one on this coach. 

A quiet trip home is not to be sniffed at!

Heading Back

A way stop on the 4 hour bus ride to Manila. A chance to move the legs and a little relief.

We have a bus front seat, a "senior" concession and we both qualify!

The bus has WiFi so this is a pass time activity made slower by the bumpy road and the Internet speed. It may yet fail. 

2 bus depot photos. 

The beach Restaurant

Friday. Our last full day together so we visited a favourite restaurant. It is set in a bamboo room overlooking the resort and beach beyond.

Since the food takes 20 mins to cook, we ordered and then went for a stroll along the beach. The was hardly anyone around so this boat owner asked is 3 times if we wanted a boat trip. Another time perhaps. 

The sand is soft and very hot, it's near midday, and if it gets under your feet in your sandals you soon kick it out! Evangeline explains that our local beach used to be the same but ever since the volcano 25 years ago it has had a rough texture.

I recall that is just as hot though!

Carol funds

The carolers have returned with the proceeds of the night's 2 hours caroling. The youth from the church are here for 2 nights and they decided they wanted to help fund this year's Christmas party. 

They came back with an impressive 4 days wages that would be earned by a labourer here. And they plan to go out tomorrow too. 

So the young people have effectively paid for transport and the location hire. That's very well done! 

The photo is of some of them practicing before they went. 

Terry Westoby
terrywestoby@gmail.com
+33 6 75 91 87 71

Free travel in Paris

Free travel. So it is a good time to visit this capital, see the Christmas lights, do some Christmas shopping, and enjoy the French food.

Or is it?

The travel has been free for three days now. On day one I wondered if it was the cold weather. I arrived at work and heard my boss complain of a bad throat (avoid him, I thought). Then a colleague suggested it was the pollution.

Yes, he agreed. Most likely now it is so bad.

I asked my colleague if that is why the transport was free. Exactly, he replied. This has happened before in an attempt to get cars off the road.

I saw that only even numbered car plates were being allowed on the road. So when the transport was again free the second day I checked the cars to see if odd numbers were circulating.

Odd, even, even, odd, even, odd, odd.

Perhaps I live and work too far out from the center of town.

Day three and I pick my way through the gridlock of cars, busses, and lorries that are stuck at a crossroads. There are vehicles going nowhere in all directions.

The bus was packed too and my boss has just arrived after 2 hours in a jam.

Because pictures of static busses are uninteresting, here is a picture I took as I walked rather than waited in the cold for a crowded bus. It is an outside decoration filled with plants that you would be able to see if it was daylight.

Perhaps the still cold air is keeping the dust down and pollution up. We need some good old English rain!

The rain in Spain

So if you go to Spain you could hope for warm(er) weather. But my arrival was greeted with heavy rain (and flooding on the autoroutes) and the next morning I was greeted by damp fog. It is a good job that modern cars are dry and have heaters.

I took the car to work in the morning, with the fog lights on. Photos. But by lunchtime the cloud was on the nearby hill.

The best place for it if you ask me.

Spanish measure

I ordered my food tonight and the waitress asked if I wanted wine. I did and she came out with a bottle and promptly doubles back.

I thought I had lost the wine but she returned with s larger glass. You can see the pair here.

Here in Spain there are no official measures.