Hitchhiking in Indonesia: Bali to Manila
21st of February, 2025.
During the check-in, terrible news. The piece of shit Scoot Airlnes managed to confuse me when I was booking my flight ticket (now you must know how careful I am when buying these things, it always takes me ages to do so, just so I’m sure I’m doing everything right) and it doesn’t come with a checking luggage. I wonder why is it that poor people like me are always loosing money, while the rich are always making more. We need more balance in this universe. What to do? I pay a fortune for the luggage, of course, cutting down even more the small emergency pocket money I have.
The flight is delayed in about one hour. It takes me a long time to realize that this can affect my connection in Singapore. Luckily I notice in time and check with the air crew. They are experiencing the same problem with other passengers too, but I’m the only one going to Manila. Our stop is in Singapore Airport, and the flight attendant tells me that they will inform the other Scoot members once we land, and hopefully I can still catch my flight.
Do you know the worst thing? I was really looking forward to see some attraction at Changi Airport, which I could not see it before, when I came just for visiting, because they are in the transit area. Like the Sunflower Garden, or the Dream Gardens. This is so unfair! The universe is really fucking me off lately. What have I done?
After a lot of running and a sky train, I manage to catch the flight. And I’m not even the last passenger to board, as four Indians come by after I’m already on my seat. Actually, it was nice to pass through security when there’s nobody else there. And! I had a premonition about that just when I was boarding in Bali.
I was supposed to be in the window seat, but as there are two girls sitting in the other seats, I take the alley seat in the roll right in front of them. Soon enough they finish boarding and start to take off. As there is only one guy in this roll where I am, and his is sitting at the window, it’s great for the four of us that I stay here. Perhaps that was the reason why I had to almost loose my flight.
I finish watching Mufasa. We get to the Philippines at night. I am one of the last ones to pass immigration because I didn’t know I had to fill up this form called “etravel”. But I’m happy because I really helped an elderly man, a foreigner, who also wanted to fill the form, but had no idea how; so I cross some of the barriers and ask in an immigration counter which had a sign reading “help desk”, and that immigration officer asked the elderly man to come there. In a few minutes he was all done, and he stopped to say thank you to me. How cute!
As I come to collect my backpack, a lady from Scoot team comes and talks to me. She tells me that my backpack didn’t board the same airplane as I, and it’s still in Bali. I really don’t know how I didn’t “lost my cool”. Actually, I was pretty nice to the lady. I wish that it was because I’m a very nice, calm and polite person, but I honestly think that it was because I thought that it would be better for my situation, and getting back my backpack without further issues, if I was nice.
Oh! Do you think that is terrible of me? Really? Let’s recapitulate my last 24 hours, shall we? I had to pay a huge amount of money for the checking luggage, because this piece of shit Scoot Airlines played me during the process of buying the flight; my flight is delayed in one hour; then I have to run like crazy to not miss my connection; and when I finally arrive to my destination, they didn’t board my backpack. Now you tell me how would you have reacted to all this!
I eat my noodles. I have a coffee with some cookies. I think about watching a movie but I’m super tired so I try to catch some sleep. At least I manage to find some seats available, without any handles in between them, so I can properly lay down. And I have my small blanket around my laptop, so at least I don’t freeze.
The lady said I could check for my backpack sometime around 6 a.m. As I come to the counter which she told me about it, there’s nobody there. I wait for a while until I realize that a flight coming from Singapore, with Scoot, is due to arrive soon. I go to the luggage claim roll for that flight. As I talk with a guy from Scoot who is there, he tells me that they are expecting to get my backpack in this flight. After several minutes of tension, I finally spot my baby Hulk and I’m so happy! Scoot Airlines still SUCKS!
10 Years Around the World 