[INSIGHT TRAVEL - EUROPEAN GRANDEUR] - Manila Departure

DAY 1 - AUGUST 29, 2000
AF169, MNL-BKK-CDG-LHR
GATE 11, NAIA TERMINAL 1

Finally, after negotiating the hazards of checking in the baggage, a moment of relative peace before boarding. Relative since there is a rather large group of women giggling and laughing and having their pictures taken. Local girls, probably off on their first trip abroad. Hope they have fun.

Ramon appears to have made it home safely - pager message came in at 4:33pm. The plane from CDG-BKK has just arrived. That gives me about 30 minutes or so to scribble my early thoughts in this travel journal.

There is a pair of absolutely adorable boys playing with a plastic golf set in front of the me, here inthe transit lounge. It would seem there is a young Tiger Woods in the making here. The younger of the two is about three and the lively one, using the plastic golf clubs as mallets! Mestizo by the look of them both, Filipina mother, no doubt. And the little one needs a tissue for his nose.

Flight details fo the MNL-BKK leg are as follows:
Estimated flying time - two hours, forty-one minutes
Captain - Jean-Luc Roumilhac (Picard would have been interesting, though ^__^)
Purser - Laurence Roumilhac (wonder if he's related to the Captain)
Choice of two inflight movies - The Whole Nine Yards (Mon Voisin Lejeur) and Erin Brockovich

The Whole Nine Yards looks like it could be subbed in French, which should be interesting.

So far, the sequence I've planned out for myself appears to be working out quite well. I'm going to change out of my shirt after BKK and sleep in my sweatshirt for the long flight (and my gracious, my penmanship has just disintegrated!)

My half hour is almost up. May as well do the washroom thing. People texting everywhere, even here! Hm!