Day 4: Bad Trip

Somehow i knew. I was already awake at 3am, anxious about the trip home. Im always like this, not getting enough sleep on my last day, of any trip, in any place. Im always excited to go home. It was still dark then, so I waited until daylight to check on the weather. The sky was gray and covered with rain clouds. And the wind was cold, and strong, gusty. We had packed our stuff the night before, so  when our ride arrived, we said goodbye to the staff and headed to the airport. Along the way, the weather had gotten really irritating. It rained like it was monsoon season already.   

When we reached the airport at 1030am, only one passenger had checked in. We checked in our bags and waited at the departure area. An hour after, the waiting area was full and all seats were filled. Most of the passengers were standing, huddled in groups, and talking aloud. The plane was supposed to have landed, but it didnt. I realized something was wrong when i saw the station manager suddenly appear in the center of the crowd, clasping his hands, and appearing a bit frightened. He announced, quite soft spokenly,  that the flight was cancelled due to bad weather,  a force majeure. He said we can have our flights rebooked in 2 days, which was the next available flight. I sat there motionless and  dumbfounded. This was the first time i experienced a cancelled flight. Had it been a different airline, they would have paid for our extended stay. Unfortunately, this was Cebu Pacific territory. Fortunately,  the staff did rebook us on the next flight. Other passengers were fuming mad,  but there was really nothing they can do. Either we fly back on Wednesday, or take the wooden ferry from Dapa or Del Carmen to Surigao, which is not a good idea at all, considering the personal accounts of the locals. When we got our bags, we hitched a ride back to General Luna in the back of  a pickup, owned by Michael, the owner of the resort we stayed in, who was taking the same flight to Cebu, en route to Singapore. When we got back to the resort, the staff were teasing us. We got our room back. Jr wanted a cheaper room, but i thought, what the heck, this is still a vacation, an extended one. We spent most of the day listening to our ipods. In a way, i felt happy, if only because i'd get to taste their fruit pancake with bottomless maple syrup again, which was so delicious ( not even pancake house can rival it!). Looking back, maybe it was another blessing. Experiencing big waves is one thing, flying in really bad weather  is another. Better Delayed than Dead.