A Gringo Arrives in Paradise!
We touched down at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport with a bone jarring jolt and it confirmed my belief that the instruments in the control tower focused the runway as about three feet lower than it really was.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the main international gateway to the Philippines and is located between Pasay City and Parañaque City in Metro Manila. It is actually about 7 kilometers south of the capital city of Manila, and southwest of the central business district of Makati.
The airport catered for over 16 million passengers during the past year(2005-2006) and this number is expected to increase every year with the terminal reaching it's capacity in the year 2015.
Passengers, leaving the plane that my group was on, were welcomed by a three piece combo belting out a resounding version of "This Land Is My Land" which echoed right down the corridor leading to the departure area.
My group passed through customs and left the building to be welcomed by family members and friends amidst the warm humid air of Manila. We were escorted to a waiting limo that seated the ten of us comfortably and chatted away catching up on local news and family happenings.
As we drove through the busy city streets I was reminded of my previous visits here, and I never ceased to be amazed by the huge volume of traffic, that seems to be in a absolute state of chaos, yet moves relentlessly through the streets and thoroughfares as though guided by an invisible force.
The journey to the quarters, where we would be staying for a few weeks, took a couple of hours but seemed to pass very quickly as we chatted and took in the local scenery.
Our flight from Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport, although uneventful, had been tiring and as we went indoors all we wanted was a quick shower and some rest.
In the morning we would be touring this wonderful city and exploring some of it's shopping centers.
La Hunter
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