Sunday, January 14, 2007 Gil: Hong Kong pandemonium 1 By Sandy Gil Sunday Dunes
AND so... I have come back to my peaceful and predictable world in Davao after a wild (a very mild description) holiday away from work. I hesitate to use the word "vacation" or "break" since I have not had the time to reflect on the true meaning of these words. I feel like I need a vacation or a break from the past holiday vacation and break.
So how do I start to share with you the recent events that have marred... oops, I mean touched me for life?
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Last New Year's Eve, as scheduled, my entire family had a meeting to discuss the trip to Hong Kong. I had thought it would be a three day-two night stay; however, some bright person in the family decided that a four day-two night stay would be better. Oh dear.
Organizing such a tour for 53 family members is a nightmare, I assure you. I was certainly relieved that I was not involved in the organization. The youngest of the brood had just turned two years old, while the oldest was 77 years old. It was a great motley group, not only of various sizes, shapes and colors, but also of smell... you can imagine!
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Each of us was given laminated (!) nametags (with the indispensable family crest) for our luggage. Each luggage likewise had a sticker with a number assigned to it so that luggage could be checked in the right hotel room assignment, even if the owner might get lost or worse, is left behind. Each family was assigned a van that was hired to bring them to the airport and to fetch them upon arrival. Then plane tickets were distributed per family, including departure cards.
Copies of the itinerary were distributed to family team leaders. First day was at Disneyland Hotel and the rest of the days would be Royal Pacific Hotel. First day (wear yellow shirt) was Disneyland. Second day (wear blue shirt) was rest day, meaning shopping. Third day (wear red shirt) was Ocean Park. Fourth day (wear green shirt) was rest day again, meaning shopping again. Breakfast buffet was included in all hotels. There were two family meals -- lunch in Disneyland and a wonderful lauriat in an authentic Chinese restaurant near the Hong Kong harbor. The rest of the meals were individual choices, so each of us was given meal money, averaging some HK$60, which is more or less equivalent to 400 Philippine pesos.
So much for the tour organization...
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January two. Our flight to Hong Kong was scheduled to depart at 8 in the morning. My three children and I were assigned to a van to go to the airport. I was to pick up my younger sister, Angela, and her four children before proceeding to the airport. Everything went like clockwork! Miracle. I guess it was because Angela's and my children did not sleep a wink the entire evening. They were simply too excited.
Nine of us arrived at the airport. I informed Angela that the security personnel will only allow us to enter the departure area when we show the plane tickets and passports. I had already inserted our plane tickets in my family's passports. Angela took out her children's passports... but lo and behold! She could not find her plane tickets!
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Seated on the airport pavement, Angela began to disembowel her entire bag onto the cement floor. Huge beads of sweat were running down her forehead. She eventually confessed that even her armpits were entirely soggy. Gross. While on the floor, she called her home to ask her maid to check if she had indeed left her plane tickets at home.
In the meantime, I called my youngest sister, Ana -- the tour organizer -- to check whether she was still near Angela's house so that Ana could get the plane tickets. It was then that a shriek pierced the silent early morning air. It was Angela. She found the plane tickets in the secret compartment of her bag.
Close call. First almost-disaster.
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Soon enough, all 53 of us were at the check-in counter. Group check-in. Like group hug. All in various transitions of sleepiness to wakefulness. Little toddlers running around and bumping into adult legs. Others taking photos and video. Unfortunately, no one in my family is camera-shy.
Was this the Philippine team on its way to the Olympic Games? Was it a cult? An association? A school? We finally boarded the aircraft, in various states of disarray. Complete but happy.
