Last week, I was digging through a dust covered box in the closet and happened across two of my old passports. It was fun to sit down and relive some really great travel memories. Unfortunately, this visit (My first to Philippines, April 1993) was not one of them. Now, I have told the story many times over the years and perhaps it has even changed just a little. But, that very first visit to Manila, Philippines in 1993 was an unpleasant one.
Nobody (and nothing) could have prepared me for Manila. The heat, humidity, onslaught of people, chaos and foreignness of such a big city where all just a little too much (at one time) for me to handle. I look back at it all now, chuckle, and wonder if I was really
that naive or was it really that bad? I contend, it was a little bit of both.
I'm not going to tell the full story, but the one thing that sticks out most in my mind was the overwhelming strong smell of mold in the airport. Maybe it was more of a combination of the moldy smells and the darkness inside the airport that overwhelmed me. Sure, I arrived late at night, but the airport was really dark inside. You know the kind of darkness that comes from just a few incandescent light bulbs swinging from a tall ceiling kind of darkness.
Then it hit me..... the hoards and masses of people. I swear (to this day), I have never been assaulted by so many people at once in my life. The grabbing, pulling, yelling and all that sensory overload that happens with people trying to get your attention. Panic began to set in and my only thought was.... how am I going to get through all these people toting a suitcase? It's all rather comical, now as I remember it. I should have been a tad bit concerned that I did not have a place to stay, any local currency or how I was going to find a taxi stand. But, all I could think about was how was I going to get through this mob of people!
Flash forward 20+ years. A new airport with no moldy smells, well lighted, no crowds, no chaos, wallet full of local currency, and a place to stay. Needless to say, now I look forward to my visits to the Philippines.
This week, I'll be back in the city that I've grown to love. The city that I have called my 2nd home for so many years.
Stay tuned.....
BTW,
Manila's NAIA Airport Terminal 1 is still standing. It's been upgraded several times, but still ranks high as the World's worst airport.
