Day 13: Back in Manila

We woke up a bit late because our flight was at 10:10 am and there was nothing much to do but to pack up. Being a Sunday, there was buffet breakfast at the hotel. We packed up and went to the airport.

The airport was very crowded. There were four flights coming into Puerto Princesa! Their passengers would disembark and they would take on the outbound passengers and off they went to their next destination. I did not know the airport was that busy. With flights now coming from Korea, the airport will be a lot busier.

Some final reflections on Palawan. It is God's paradise on earth. The place is very clean. Even when we passed through the old market, you could not see a single litter on the streets. There is still this innocence in the people. When we were buying pearls, the sales lady just put them on the counter. People at the hotel were very friendly - always ready to serve.

These people know they need to take care of the environment - and they do take care of them. There is a replantattion program to improve the environment. The streets were well paved. Traffic during peak hours is not as bad as Manila.

I have seen God's face in the place, the people and the time I spent here. All these are God's grace.

The flight was uneventful. It was very smooth. Manila was sunny! Finally, the sun broke through. But there was talk of a low-pressure area to hit the country Tuesday. Lord, not another typhoon.

On the way home our driver passed through the South Expressway. He passed through NAIA3 and it looked very beautiful! From the outside, it looks world class.

The SLEX is also impressive. When I saw it, I was overwhelmed by the complex interchanges. It looked more like the interchanges in Seattle.

On arriving home, we rested and then went to mass at 5pm. The church was packed! The strange thing is I found it hard to breathe inside the church because there were too many people. It was very hot but we went through the mass. It is really interesting that after the priest says, "The mass is ended" and people responded, "Thanks be to God", everyone clapped their hands in thanksgiving to the Lord. Is this liturgically accepted? I do not know.