So it wasn't just paranoia - they didn't let us on the plane after all. I can't blame the airline crew at the check-in counter - they're just following policy after all. But then I am a little miffed at their whole system setup since they capture your passport details when you book your flight so you'd think you'd get an alert about it no longer being valid for travel six months before the actual expiry date.
So we ended up heading straight to DFA Manila with our luggage in tow to see if we couldn't get our passports extended for the duration of this trip. That involved a lot of crapping queing, over-priced photocopying services and a ridiculous process for getting the extension. No one was explaining what the heck was going on and what we should all expect to happen, so in the end we had no option but to wait after we had handed over our documents and our forms and whatnot.
Thus is actually ended up feeling annoying that we didn't get interviewed and we didn't have to justify our case for extension or anything - they just made us wait in ignorance and eventually just handed out the passports with the extension stamp to people like someone would dole out team jackets or uniforms or something. Wait for your names to be called (sans any actual PA system) and just rush forward to get your passport and sign on the dotted line.
I managed to rebook the flight and the fees just sort of eat into the savings I had managed when I had booked this promo almost a year ago, and that's fine. What's important is that I make it over there for my sister's birthday weekend and we make the most of things. Admittedly I was very, very tempted to just give up and write the whole thing off as the consequence of not buffering more time for passport renewal in this backwards country, but as always Tobie was my rock (pun intended) and he saw us through this whole crazy morning. I've started to get into the habit of calling Tobie my hero, but it really is true. I don't know what I'd do without him at this point since there never seems to be any problem too great that we can't face together.
But for now I exhausted and we haven't had any sleep since last night since we packed and left for the airport really early and now I just need to rest a bit before we repeat the whole cycle again as we struggle to get to the airport in time for our new flight despite the horrors of Metro Manila traffic during rush hour. It's more fun in the Philippines.
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