Philippines: Manila

It was an early rise for the crew, and the captain, struggling with increasing pain in his ribs and back, knew there was no choice but to carry on. They were leaving Malaysia and heading to their next destination: Manila, Philippines.
The morning began smoothly. Check-ins and security at the airport were uneventful, and soon they found themselves seated at the gate, waiting for their flight. However, their calm was interrupted when airline staff approached, concerned about the admiral’s visibly advanced pregnancy.
The admiral had come prepared with a “fit to fly” letter from her obstetrician, dated December 13th, but the staff explained that such letters were only valid for seven days. Since the letter was past its validity, she would need to be examined by a doctor at the airport.
Fortune smiled on them in the form of a delayed flight, giving the admiral just enough time to be rushed to the airport’s medical center while the captain and cadet waited anxiously at the gate.
At the medical center, a young nurse began the assessment by taking the admiral’s blood pressure. It read 141—too high to fly. Hearing this, the admiral, overwhelmed by the stress of the situation, burst into tears, insisting that it was the medical examination itself that was causing her blood pressure to rise.
Her distress only worsened matters, and her blood pressure spiked to 155. The nurse shook her head, declaring that she was “definitely not fit to fly,” and called the doctor for a final evaluation. The admiral knew she needed to calm down. She focused on her breathing, trying to regain control while the captain, unable to sit still, kept calling to check on her. Though well-intentioned, his calls added to her tension until she finally requested that he stop contacting her so she could focus on lowering her blood pressure.
With deep breaths and steely determination, the admiral gradually calmed herself, and her blood pressure began to fall. By the time the doctor arrived, she had willed it down to 123. The doctor, a calm and efficient presence, spent just five minutes examining her before signing the necessary papers. The admiral was officially declared fit to fly.
Back at the gate, the captain was a picture of nervous tension, pacing and fretting about the worst-case scenario. Meanwhile, the cadet, blissfully unaware of the drama, had found a playmate and was charming those around him with his cheerful energy.
Finally, the family reunited at the gate, relieved that the delay and the presence of a doctor had saved their travel plans. Boarding the plane felt like a small victory after the morning’s chaos.
They arrived safely in Manila, weary but grateful to have made it through the ordeal. As they stepped off the plane, the captain silently hoped for a quieter and less dramatic start to their time in the Philippines.
After the drama of the flight, the family finally arrived in Manila, relieved but exhausted. The first task upon landing was to complete an immigration form via a mobile app. It took the captain some time to navigate the process, but thankfully the airport wasn’t busy, allowing him to complete it without added pressure. With the forms done, they headed to the luggage lockers to store their heavier suitcase, which wouldn’t be needed for their next adventure in Boracay. The staff at the airport were incredibly helpful, assisting them with checking in the suitcase, further solidifying their first impression of Filipinos as kind and accommodating people.
Once the luggage was stored, they moved on to more practical matters: getting new SIM cards and cashing out money. However, the cadet, tired and irritable, had an outburst when he wasn’t allowed to push the luggage trolley. An emergency snack quickly calmed him, and they managed to continue on their way.
They hailed a Grab and headed to their hotel, located conveniently near Terminal 3. The journey was short, and they arrived at the small hotel, greeted warmly by a security guard. The guard, noticing the cadet, playfully held up one hand with five fingers and then produced another hand with an extra thumb. The cadet was utterly bewildered by the extra digit and repeatedly counted his own fingers, trying to make sense of it. It was a moment of lighthearted fun amidst the chaos of the day.
After checking into their small hotel room, they ventured out to find dinner. It was another challenging meal. The cadet, having only had six hours of sleep—less than half of what he needed to function calmly—was uncooperative and prone to meltdowns. Despite the difficulties, they managed to have a delicious meal at a Japanese restaurant before retreating to their room for some much-needed rest.
That night was particularly painful for the captain. A new, sharper pain near his ribs emerged, making every movement feel as excruciating as it had on the first day of his injury. The admiral, exasperated by the day’s struggles, sat beside him as the cadet finally slept. The two hashed out their options. The admiral was ready to abandon the trip and return home the next day, but the captain stubbornly clung to the idea of continuing on to Boracay, despite his worsening condition.
The heated discussions of the night gave way to a painful morning. The captain, emotionally and physically drained, broke down in tears, ready to fly back to Australia. He called the airline to inquire about changing their flight, only to be told it would cost $5,000 to make the change. It was a price they couldn’t justify, and so, with the help of painkillers, they resolved to carry on with their plans.
Remarkably, the cadet woke up in a cheerful mood after finally getting a proper night’s sleep. The brief harmony was short-lived as they arrived at the airport, where a desperate search for ice cream ensued. The only option available was a tub of ice cream from 7-Eleven, which they grabbed before heading to their gate. At the gate the captain struggled, at first boarding a bus rather than the plane. This was the final boss he thought of and boarded the flight to paradise.