Things I Particularly Hate When Travelling With Filipinos [Especially on PAL]

I recently went on a trip to Hong Kong with some of my best org batchmates, mainly to bond, shop and to meet with some of our orgmates based there. It would be an understatement to say that we had an absolutely stupenduous time together. There was never a dull moment, although some of us began getting cranky mainly because our shopping activities were cut-short by unexpected delays in schedule. But, as they say, all's when that ends well.

I took the PAL flight home, while my org batchmates took another local airline [Cebu Pacific]. I was supposed to leave at 9pm, and the rest, 10pm, but due to some delay, I ended up leaving later than they did. But I didn't mind. After all, I was busy catching up with some work and experimenting with some of the gadgets I bought. But I digress on the blog-at-hand.

While on the issue of taking PAL flights, I am taking this opportunity to vent on how irked I am at the following not so funny antics of some of my co-passenger kababayans:

1. They immediately line up even when their row numbers haven't been called to board yet. Maybe they're afraid that someone else might take their seat [duh?!] or someone might use the valuable overhead luggage compartment where they could put all their oversized carry-ons laden with valuable pasalubong such as cans of carne norte, spam, kilos of assorted panties, socks, briefs, trinkets and god knows what else.

2. They wear clothing suited for fall or winter, even when they arrive in Manila during summer. Some are overly-dressed, as if they are scheduled to go straight to a party immediately after arriving from the airport. What's weird is, even if they get fetched in a car with no aircon, they still don't take their jackets off. Hello?!

3. They immediately stand-up to get their carry-ons while the plane is still taxi-ing to the gate. As if someone else would be interested in taking home their valuable carne norte or spam or what not. They can stuff themselves silly with it for all I care. And they can bump their heads too if the plane suddenly jerks to a stop. Morons. Besides, even if they are the first out of the plane, their luggages wouldn't probably be out until after the luggages of the first and business class passengers have made their rounds on the conveyor belt. So there's really no friggin' point in hurrying up. It's one thing to be excited in coming home, but it's a totally different thing to be OA!!

4. THEY CLAP THEIR HANDS WHEN THE PLANE LANDS IN MANILA!!! If, following the mannerisms of genteel society [which I don't claim to be a part of by writing this blog], applauding loudly implies an encore or a repeat, then these kababayans of mine might as well take the next flight out of Manila, so they could do all the clapping anew when they come back home. Better yet, they can all leave and do their clapping elsewhere.

I love the Philippines and I love being a Filipino. But sometimes I hate how dim-witted some Filipinos have become.