I have made the first leg of my trip to Manila.  It was one of the longest flights/total trip (24 hours in total) I have ever experienced in my life.  I would rather never have to do that again.  By hour 20, I was starting to become unhinged.

I was on a Boeing 777 on the way over to Tokyo.  It was surprisingly smaller than I remember when I was on one years ago.  It could be because I was sitting in front of a bulkhead which made it seem like I was in a little corner of my own.

Delta international food rating: 1 out of 10
It was genuinely terrible and tasteless.  The only thing that had flavor was the mid flight snack.  Three cheese flatbread and a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate.  The other meals resembled something like chicken, rice, and some sort of heinous vegetable medley.  The salads were a few pieces of leaf lettuce, one slice of tomato, and two little slices of cucumber.  “Shrimp cocktail” was literally two shrimps in a plastic tub.  The bread roll looked delicious, but it was still partially frozen.

One great thing, all of the flights departed early which was awesome.  Which I’m sure if you know me, this doesn’t surprise you that I was happy about an early departure.  I would like to add that no one was left behind.

On flight movies that I watched (Because I’m sure you totally care):

• Zoolander
• Huntsman
• Ghostbusters (New one)
• Independence Day: Resurgence
• X-men Apocalypse

I watched a bunch more but I’m blanking hardcore right now.  I was a little disappointed because they listed movies on the website that I wanted to watch, but I’m guessing on international flights they weren’t available.

Landed in Tokyo and for those that were wondering… yes there were some toilettes that had a bidet option.  And a lovely sign displaying the proper way to sit and use a toilette in case there was any confusion.

Tokyo airport was really nice but didn’t have much time to look around and take pictures.

Took Delta again to Manila, but this time on a 767 which had to be newer because it was considerably nicer than the 777.

The customs/immigration process in Manila was very lax compared to other places I have visited.  I filled out two forms, one for health tracking and the other was a simple from for when are you going to be here/leave.  After I go to both of those stations, I went and retrieved my bags.  When trying to exit the airport, there are a bunch of customs lines that you could potentially go through.  Some of them said “Items to declare” and “Nothing to declare”.  The only ones actually open where the “Nothing to declare” lines and people just flowing through them and no one giving them documentation, no one being stopped (that I saw), etc.  Needless to say, the people working weren’t exactly concerned about people entering the country.

First thing I noticed when I stepped outside:  Exhaust smell and thick air.  It honestly started to make me nauseous and my eyes were getting a little irritated after standing outside for so long.  I was picked up by some coworkers that worked out of the office here in Manila.  I would like to go on record saying that if any of you say anything about my driving… take a trip here.  It was crazy.  Buses were stopping to let people on and off in the MIDDLE of the road (I asked and it’s normal).  Cars cutting in, out , and around other cars.  It was crazy. Funny thing – I saw no one get hit nor cars bumping into one another.  I feel if an American were in that environment, they would have been eaten alive by that traffic.

The hotel I’m staying at is super nice.  I feel a little underdressed when I am roaming around, but ask me if I truly care… I don’t.

Another plus staying at my hotel: Work is literally next door… One of my views is of the office building itself.