Did someone say system malfunction....

Our Philippine journey was about to begin, we had spent the night at an airport hotel in Dublin, indulging in pot noodles, crisps and 7up. We had snuggled up in a family room, attempted to get some sleep and woke up bright and early to catch the shuttle bus to the airport. So apart from having to get up at 3am all was going well...

... until we arrived at the airport!! We were welcomed by a massive queue, confused and some slightly angry looking people & a frustated sounding woman announcing the there was a "slight" system malfunction and there will be a delay... I should say that when you are begining a journey that will take 22 hours starting it with a delay is never positive! (I was immediately blamed for it, as I joked a little drama always helps a blogger)! Rude I know! Anyway we did finally reach the check in desk after a system override but the joy of this malfunction went on... Alarms were going off every, I mean everywhere! You could not walk anywhere in the ariport without hearing the peircing sound of an alarm, at now 5am yet to have my morning coffee... not pleasant. The malfunction went on doors wouldn't open, not only was I waiting with fellow frustrated, ear ringing passengers but the pilot, co-pilot and 4 air hostesses were waiting with us as no-body could open the door out of the airport towards the plane! It was a surreal moment. After over riding the door security and opening the door, in doing so setting off another ear piercing alarm we boarded our plane. Finally you may think, I did! Oh how wrong I was this system malfunction was follwoing us even there, we could then not take off as airport computers were not working and so could not ensure a safe time or place for us to taxi and take off! Frustrated as I may have been, Levi was more so! In essence he was simply verbalising what the rest of us throught - it was just a tad louder than us! Josh and I looked at each other in slight desperation that we had yet another 21 hours of this screaming child to contend with...In time however, we were off as the airplane lifted off the ground Levi was asleep!



I am thankful to say that the rest of our journey was very managable. Our longer flight, was Kezzia's joy! TV with no time limit, snacks whenever you asked the lady in the uniform and a blanket to snuggle up in! Little sleeping was done by us but the children were happy and that was our main goal. 22 hours after we began we landed in Clark, Philippines and we were greeted with ... heat, jump inside an oven type of heat! I would like to pause and congratulate myself for the accomplishment of doing the journeys with 2 children a husband and a Grandpa (yes you can clap)!



Travel in the Philippines is in a whole class of it's own, it is a land of jeepneys, tricycles and complete mayhem (well to us foreigners!) You literally took your life into your hands as you began a journey-  seatbelts, chidren car seats, seats even...who needs them! Just get everybody in, drive on any part of the road that is empty and hope for the best! Beep your horn at anybody, saying "hello; Thank You; Move it; I'm coming", whatever it is a beep can convey it. In my moments of "over-protecive mummy", it was petrifying... in my moments of "normal fun Kat"..... I LOVED it!

And so there we were, slightly tired and sticky but we had made it! The first hurdle jumped and overcome! The rest of the race lay before us -but for now it was time for rice, a "bath" and a bed! Speak soon dear readers.


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