Adventures in Asia

Sadly we decided to say goodbye to Vietnam today. Always looking for the best deal, we found that the least expensive flight to our next destination meant that we would need to book two separate flights instead of one combined flight with a layover. This was fine with us, saved us a bunch of money, but meant that we had exactly 2 hours between the arrival of our plane until the departure of the next one....which really meant that we had precisely 1 hour between landing and check-in closure. We were cutting it really, really close. The first Tiger Airways flight was perfect. No delays. We blew through immigration and customs which meant that I ran like a mad woman and knocked people out of my way. Peter says it's the Russian in me – no offense to any Russians that may happen to read this. And then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited for about 30 minutes to pick up our luggage. Apparently, they were taking their time. We sprinted from the arrivals area to departures for the next check in with only 20 minutes left to check-in closing time only to be told that we would not be allowed to board the plane. Philippines immigration law says that you must have proof of onward travel to be allowed past immigration. We would not be allowed on the plane because we would be deported right back to Singapore and the airline would be fined...unless of course we booked an onward ticket right then and there. We both stood there silent for a few minutes. I knew about this requirement. Every country we had been to has it, but none of them actually enforce it. Even India, with all their paperwork and bureaucracy, didn't enforce that rule. I did my research before we left for our trip, but I did not anticipate that we would go to the Philippines, hence did not know about this little glitch. With about ten minutes left we again found ourselves at the Tiger Airways counter in Singapore buying yet another ticket. This time, though, we were able to buy the least expensive ticket out of Manila within the next 30 days so it only cost us a bit more....but it sure was a harrowing experience.

On the plane I noticed that someone left their boarding pass in the magazine compartment of my seat. It was for the Tiger Airways flight we were on this morning. We were on the same exact plane that we were on earlier today. We, along with our bags, had gotten off the plane and then after 2 hours of hassle and stress got right back onto the same aircraft. Finally, upon arrival in Manila, the immigration official did not check our onward ticket even though there was indeed a sign proclaiming that it was required.