I am off to Finland to spend the holidays with my sister.
This is the first time I would be traveling abroad. Although, I have traveled within the country before, it's a bit daunting for me to actually go through the process of checking-in alone in the airport. I didn't want to make a mistake. A lot of things cold go wrong and I have no one there to bail me out. But, I had always loved a good adventure and I guess this is an exciting adventure for me. My first time traveling alone...this is one for the books (well in my case "blog").
My whole family insisted that I get to the airport early. They told me that since it's the holidays, there will be a lot of people traveling. So, my younger brother, who was the one who brought me to the airport drove me there at 7:00 am GMT+8 to reach the airport by 8:00 am GMT+8, giving me ample time to do everything before boarding at 11:15am GMT+8. On a good note, there isn't that many people (either that or it's still too early). I got through check in (check-in bag reached 21 kg and hand carry with my personal bag at 9kg) without a problem. The KLM guy at the check-in was nice and accommodating. He was able to get me isle seats for the long haul (Philippine to Amsterdam) but I have to endure a 2-hour flight by the window (Amsterdam to Helsinki). Paying the travel tax was a breeze. I fell in line, paid the fee and I was on my way to immigration. Now, immigration was a bit tricky. My sister told me they usually just get the passport and visa but sometimes they would ask for other documents. Well, the "sometimes" happened to me when the lady at the immigration ask for my sister's invitation letter. I didn't have one but I did have a copy of my sister's passport and IDs. She asked what my sister did there and what I also do for a living. I was actually shaking inside that there was a problem but in the end, she gave me back my visa and passport with a stamp. With a mental sigh of relief, I proceeded towards the boarding area and wait for my flight. I had done everything in 58 minutes.
At the NAIA airport, there was no wifi but they have a terminal that supposedly has internet connection. The only thing that they can access though was FACEBOOK. The bathroom going towards the boarding area wasn't as nice as Terminal 3 but the ones on the boarding area were okay. At least they both have running water and clean enough. The seats were comfy enough that while I was waiting, I was resting comfortably...until my butt became numb from all the sitting.
In the plane, I was lucky that I didn't have a seatmate with me. I have two seats all to myself. I got to stretch my legs during the 14 hours flight from Manila to Amsterdam. The stewards were really nice and accommodating. They always have a smile on their faces. I had 2 full meals and 2 snacks and every so often, they would go around and offer drinks. Oh...they also offered ice cream. They have a variety of movies and TV programs to choose from. But I only got to watch Cars 2 and Fast Five and Top Gear. But most of the time, I really just slept it through.
Schipol Airport was big. It was buzzing with activity when I got there and was walking towards the boarding gate to my next flight to Helsinki. Although I did arrive a bit earlier than scheduled, I only got to check out the places that was along the way towards my next flight. But the place was full of shops and dollar stores that I told myself that I wanted to check it out when we go home.
Then it was in the airplane for me again.
The shorter flight wasn't as comfortable as the long haul one. I guess I really didn't like the window seat because I really didn't enjoy the trip. Since it was a short trip, they only offered one snack of sandwich and my choice of drink.
I was very happy when I left that plane when it landed.
Getting my bag was fast and I find myself walking towards the exit where my family was waiting for me. Getting a cab was easy enough and we were on our way towards my sister's place. She paid the cab using her credit card (yes, it was new for me) and I got settled in.
That was more or less my first 24 hours. There will be more in the coming days. Just check out my facebook page for the pictures that I will be posting.
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