[CR Switzerland] Day 00-1

Country Roads of Switzerland - September 15, 2006
Departure from Manila, Philippines

One thing we did differently this time around was to have ourselves booked on an evening flight out of Manila instead of an early morning flight. This meant we would arrive early in the morning in Switzerland.

I discovered that I liked leaving Manila on Philippine Air Lines' last flight out of Manila; it felt so much better to be able to present one's self well-rested and alert at the ticket counter! To catch early morning flights, one has to wake up at around three in the morning, which results in a body that feels like half of it was left in bed and one's brains still feeling comatose. This time around, we even had time to grab a nap before leaving the house!

Plus, Terminal 2 (Centennial Terminal), the first-ever Manila International Airport, is now a complex devoted to the national carrier - which means that it's much, much calmer than the chaos that is the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. So much more soothing on the nerves!

Bags, as usual, were checked straight through to their final destination. The flight to Hong Kong was smooth. Three hours layover time translates into about 1.5 hours actual free time in the duty-free after factoring in disembarkation, washroom stop, transfer desk, and finding out where one's gate is (of vital importance, as a gate in Chep Lak can be miles away from the shopping if that's how the system says it will be).

LX139 for Zurich was assigned for boarding at Gate 21. This was practically on the periphery of the duty-free, so after settling the parents down, I was given leave to give the shopping a look. Everything seemed (a) like something I could get at home, and (b) hideously expensive. Not surprising, really, since Manila is deluged with lots of stuff from Hong Kong and mainland China. Plus, the really good bargains are in Central anyway.

In the end, I did buy the one item all the travel advice said was a necessity for travel in Europe - a money pouch that slings around my neck. Once I paid for it, I headed for the washrooms and slung all my money into it. After we clear immigration/customs in Zurich, the money goes out and the passports and tickets go in. I must say, it does give one a feeling of security. On the next trip, I'm going to buy the waist pouch, see how that works.

When I got back to my parents, Ma was in the mood for a stroll, so we did a slow round of the boarding gates. We discovered a resting lounge just behind our gate - where people could stretch out on reclined seats and catch themselves a nap while waiting for their flight. Drat. If I'd noticed it earlier, I could have parked Dad there instead.

We boarded early! Boarding time was listed at 10.40 PM, but the gate opened at 10.30 PM. The flight was full - which meant the parents had been assigned three rows ahead of me. At 11.20 PM, the plane started moving away from its bay, right on schedule.

After dinner was served, I managed to fall asleep despite the turbulence. I happily discovered that I am not as freaked out by turbulence as I used to be - in former days, the slightest dip would send my heart into my mouth. What I did miss on this flight was access to the galley - I would have loved to have asked for a bottle of water before settling down. Unfortunately, when I got up to use the washroom and stretch, the curtains were shut tight against the galley in a most forbidding manner, so I missed my chance there.

...

September 16, 2006
en route via Swiss International

While I was sleeping, the 15th turned into the 16th. Woke up to see everyone around me snoring, and myself feeling dried out. Started watching Mission Impossible:3 in an effort to distract myself from my growling tummy. Tom Cruise wasn't too bad, but I also had a soft spot for Ving Rhames and the supporting cast.

Fell asleep again after breakfast. Woke up and caught my second movie after a stretch and a visit to the washroom. I was all the way up to the last ten minutes of The Sentinel when the chief purser announced that the in-flight system was going to be shut down before final approach. Wah! Made a mental note to pull the disc out of the library when I got back to Manila - Kiefer Sutherland is fun to watch on the screen, even if I don't catch him during the airings of 24.

We must have had good tailwinds. The flight attendant told one of the passengers (I had a nice aisle seat near the jump seats, yay!) that we'd entered Zurich airspace at 5.30 AM, but had to keep circling till 6.00 AM, which was our assigned landing clearance time. Talk about punctuality - but then, the ground crews and kitchen would have to get ready for us as well, so if the plane arrived early, it would probably have thrown things off a bit.