Hello America!

they say that after you get your US visa, you have ticked off 1 out of 2 requirements in entering US soil. The 2nd one would be the port of entry experience prior stamping your passport. With that said, i think it deserves a separate trip report about it which will cover later in this blog. Furthermore, it's also nice to share my experience with the longest trip of my traveling life. So let's just say this is a blog entry how i traveled from Jakarta to America. 

for starters, i am not one of those travelers financially equipped to just book the most convenient flight regardless of the exorbitant airfare. I, together with my boyfriend, researched flight options even before my US visa interview. Kamusta ang pressure?! anyway, based on the most convenient airfare deal plus the shortest time of travel, we have decided to book Philippine Airlines. 

I paid US$ 1850 for my Jakarta-Manila-Los Angeles roundtrip flight. The most expensive airfare i have paid ever. like ever. hahaha! 

Moving on, for my Jakarta-Manila-Los Angeles trip, i had 15 hours stop over in Manila which i thought was ok since i would have ample time to prepare myself a.k.a. beautify myself, after all i was seeing my boyfriend after 6 months. hahaha! And of course, family time was always an enough reason to fly for at least a day. 

 must see faces every Manila visit

here are some tips when transiting in Manila...

1. consider the TIME! plan out your itinerary well as Manila traffic is seriously stressful. I arrived airport just 1 hour before my flight because of the traffic. I almost cried. (yes, i'm OC and OA like that!)   
2. If you're an OFW like me, double check both with POEA/OWWA and Tourist Tax counter if you're paying as an OFW or as a tourist. I always get my OFW exit clearance at the airport every time i visit Philippines so i have no idea what to do. After going to and back to different counters, OWWA decided to let me pay the travel tax as a tourist. 
3. be conscious of what's inside your carry on bag. There is an additional security check for US bound flights. Some security personnel will ask what is inside this pouch or this bag, so better be prepared to answer and will somewhat hasten the security check process.

So after the final security check, i sat on an empty chair and waited for my boarding time. 

 resdy to fly. chos!

admittedly, i envy people who travel in groups. may it be with their significant other, family or friends. I have been traveling long haul flights alone most of the time. And with this new experience, it was a mixture of excitement and anxiety traveling solo for 14 hours to a new destination. I tried my best to prepare well for this journey which i'll be blogging soon. 

Moving forward to my flight, let me share to you my PAL experience...

 

Sadly, i wasn't able to take photos of the meal for both flights. Jakarta to Manila flight experience was ok. I slept all through out the flight except for the meal time. 

Manila to Los Angeles was likewise pleasant. I was disappointed with one of the meals they served, which i forgot what Pinoy dish it was, but the other meal was alright. I didn't eat much during flight as i always found myself sleeping for almost the entire time. Moreover, PAL flight attendants were all accommodating and friendly. 

From LA to Jakarta flight experience was a different case...

I was supposed to leave on the night of August 2nd, however, i received an email early morning of the same day informing me that my flight was moved to August 3, 11 AM (i'll be arriving Manila at 4:50 pm). I called PAL to confirm the changes of my flight including moving my connecting flight to Jakarta to its later flight (8:55 pm). Of course i was ecstatic. Imagine one more night with the boyfriend. Later that afternoon, i received another email that my LAX-MNL flight was moved again to 12 noon (arrival 5:50 pm Manila time). I called PAL again to confirm. Given the new time, my layover in Manila would shorten to only less than 3 hours which was convenient to me. so the following day, at around 10 am, my boyfriend and I were on the queue for check in when other passengers were having small talks that the flight was moved to 2 pm!!! i don't think i can do an allowance of only 1 hour for my connecting flight. We have then talked to a roaming PAL officer and informed that i have connecting flight to Jakarta. After which the PAL officer made calls to whoever in charge and then i was led (together with my suitcases) to an empty check in counter and was told that they would try to put me on the 11:00 am flight of that same day. time check? 10:30 am! i was panicking. My boyfriend was like meh! The PAL staff was able to book me in the said flight and a PAL officer assisted me on our way to the boarding gate. We were in a hurry. My boyfriend and I didn't have the chance to have a proper goodbye (to be fair, it has its advantages). So by exactly 11 am, i was at the boarding gate. And guess what time we started boarding, 12 noon. 

as for the flight experience, i requested if i can move to an empty row prior to take off. Initially, i was told that i have to pay so i declined but later on another flight attendant told me i can switch seats for free. Buti naman! i had 2 seats for myself which made the entire flight more pleasant. 

as for food, here are the meals i had chosen from LA - Manila - Jakarta journey. 

LA - Manila has 2 meals plus 1 snack and Manila - Jakarta has 1 meal. I have chosen pinoy dishes for both of my flights and this time i enjoyed all the meals.

     
It was frustrating when it was announced that Jakarta flight was moved to a later time. From 8:55 pm, it became 9:56 pm. I was thinking that i should have taken the 2pm flight in LA. Kainis!

to make matters worse, i was informed by PAL ground staff enroute to Jakarta that they can't find my check in bags. i was stressed, physically drained from my LAX flight and royally pissed off. I was extremely disappointed. I was told to file a report in Jakarta Airport. Filing a missing bags report took more than an hour after I arrived in Jakarta. One word to describe to entire experience: HASSLE!  

My bags arrived in my office after 2 days of constant calling Jakarta airport (plus boyfriend called LAX, friend called PAL in Manila) and complaining via twitter. It made my traveling experience traumatic. 

Moving on, let's talk about my point of entry experience...

Prior to boarding the LAX flight, i was given a custom declaration form. it was something like this...

form

I answered truthfully in all questions. I declared "yes" for food and meat products (even though all meat products were canned) and provided an estimate for the total of all my pasalubongs.

after disembarking the plane, i followed the crowd going to the passport control area. I followed suit when informed which lane to queue. And then it was my turn it went something like this...

*exchange of pleasantries*
CBP Officer: What's your purpose?
Me: to visit family and friends
CBP Officer: What meat did you bring?
Me: canned and processed meat
CBP Officer: Are you bringing raw meat or fish?
Me: No
CBP Officer: Place your 4 fingers for fingerprint...
*I said thank you after i received my passport*

After i got my passport, i went to baggage claim and luckily for me, my bags were already there. So i went straight for the last customs check and our conversation with the customs officer went something like this...

CBP Officer: What meat did you bring?
Me: canned and processed meat
CBP Officer: Did you come from the Philippines?
Me: I originally came from Indonesia and had transit in the Philippines
CBP Officer: Did you bring longganisa and chicharon?
Me: No

And then off I go to see my boyfriend who picked me up 20 minutes late. But that's another story. kainis! haha!

So there you go. My more than 24 hours travel time experience to finally spend my 2 weeks holiday at the other side of the world.

  reunited after 6 months!

America cities travel stories are up next! :)