Today marks the one year anniversary of a turbulent escape from The Philippines in the eye of the global Coronavirus pandemic. A scary, adventurous tribulation that left me mere hours from being locked down in the capital city of Manila indefinitely. In the proceeding year, this story has been widely shared and re-told in numerous interviews, including a recent feature in The Washington Post’s Traveling Against Time. Today we will be looking back on this wild ride!
Escaping Manila: One Year Later
WOW! It’s crazy to think this wild experience happened one year ago! In many ways it feels like an eternity since then yet in other ways it feels like just yesterday. So much has transpired since this account from March of 2020 and many things have been put on pause, living one year in quarantine. The past year has been the ultimate lesson in perspective, gratitude, and patience. And extremely eye-opening, witnessing human’s response to the grandest of social experiments our country has faced in modern time.
In re-visiting these accounts there is so much irony. Irony in that when I set out for my “brief sabbatical” in August of 2018 my one goal was to not have a plan, just be present. I was seeking exploration of new lands, understanding different cultures, and held a strong desire for adventure. My first month abroad brought me one of the craziest encounters of my life in the Amazon Jungle. My final month brought an arguably crazier adventure during my narrow escape and entry back home. It’s safe to say that the adventure I so greatly desired when I left familiar land was not lacking!
As I settled the first night on my native land with so much uncertainty ahead I thought to myself, if this happens to be the end of my global explorations for now, it could not end in more fitting fashion! It was as if these two separate occasions were the perfect bookends to my international exploration story, if it needed to be brought to a finality. Sure enough, it’s been 365 since theses thoughts and the large majority of international borders have still not re-opened to American travelers.
It’s also crazy to reflect on just how much we did not know in the early stages of the Coronavirus outbreak and how much is still unknown well over a year later. Had there been more information about the severity and community risks of this disease it’s safe to stay I would have stayed home and never ventured east; but at the time of my departure from The States the understanding of what we were facing was still in its infancy. So as Gen Z’ers say, YOLO!
Let’s revisit the treacherous saga from The Philippines 365 days ago…
The original post from this recollection can be found here.
Last week I arrived back on American soil, exhausted, relieved, shaken, yet oddly invigorated from a series of chaotic events that transpired during my waning hours escaping an indefinite lockdown in Manila at the hands of the Coronavirus pandemic. After the rush wore off I couldn’t help but reflect and laugh at how my travels for the foreseeable future had ended. Nineteen months ago I walked away from American life to learn how the rest of the World lives, slow down, and seek adventure. If this is my swan song for this period of indefinite travel it couldn’t have a more fitting ending to bring the journey full circle…
Four weeks ago I faced a tough decision, follow through with my travel plans of visiting friends in Indonesia and The Philippines or pull the plug. At the time little was known about the level of contagion possessed by the virus and the potential threat of the outbreak. With a few dozen confirmed cases in the United States and a relatively isolated set of infections globally I felt confident with my decision to continue with my travels. Shortly after it all changed!
Quarantine in Manila
After spending 10 days in Indonesia I spent the second half in the capital city of Manila. The first few days were relatively normal albeit a slightly heightened level of alertness – businesses were operating as normal, sidewalks were crowded with people, and the movement of Manila traffic was still nonexistent. Four days in work from home orders began setting in as more cases around the country presented themselves, non-essential businesses started to close, and I began quarantining with an amazing partner – it was annoying to be isolated but tolerable.
Each day I had my temperature checked upon entering every building – malls, restaurants, and the apartment complex where I was residing, even if returning after a quick five minute coffee run. Kind of a cool and responsible requirement honestly, if you don’t take into account that many of the thermometers malfunction when used in rapid succession (upon multiple entries to the mall my temperature was 6 degrees F below hypothermia setting in, how I managed to still function despite being dead is remarkable).
Hand rubbing alcohol was disbursed in every buidling and filled to the brink religiously. Elevator capacity was limited and designated standing spots for social distancing were taped off. Common areas were shut down. Despite there not being a federally mandated shutdown at this point many businesses were not fucking around!
Then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!
Well, at least from the perspective of a foreigner trying to safely and successfully exit the country to return to his respective homeland. The following is a detailed timeline of what transpired from March 12, 2020 when the first municipal lockdown in Manila began through March 18, 2020 when I would finally touch down on American soil, it was one hell of a rollercoaster!
March 12, Code Red Lockdown: Certain areas around Metro Manila where Covid-19 infections have been reported begin to close. Businesses begin to shutdown and streets become quiet, quarantine begins.
March 13, Call into Korean Air: After much communication dating back to late February I consider moving my flight up by 48 hours to March 16 if I could do so for a reasonable price. My thoughts were this situation is going to get a lot worse so it may be beneficial to get out as soon as possible. Korean Air confirms that I can fly out 48 hours early but will have to pay the fare differential which is close to the equivalence of what I paid for my entire round trip. I decide to keep my original flight for March 18.
March 14, Curfew implemented for all of Metro Manila between 8pm – 5AM: I consider accepting the flight differential but decide there is not significant gain by doing so. All past restrictions have been subject to a 48 hour grace period so theoretically I should be good as long as they don’t ban travel out of the city before the morning of March 16.
March 15, Enhanced Community Quarantine: Barangays (“parts of the city”) with 2+ confirmed cases of the virus are subject to complete lockdown. Domestic travel is cancelled until April 14 and entry travel from countries with Covid-19 cases is restrcited. Mass gatherings and schools are suspended.
At this point things are getting more serious. It is only a matter of time until stricter lockdowns take place. I decide it’s a good idea to get out of Manila as soon as possible and place another call to Korean Air. They share that the flight for tomorrow is fully booked and the next available flight is the one I’m booked for. EFF! Fingers crossed things don’t go all haywire in the coming hours! I’m still confident that they won’t and I’ll be able to smoothly flee the country.
March 16 The deadline I forecasted in my head that new restrictions needed to be imposed by to keep me from catching my flight. All other restrictions had at least a 48 hour grace period before they took effect. No new mandates have been imposed for Bonafacio Global City and exit flights for foreigners are still in operation.
I’m in the clear! Huge exhale.
March 17, Enhanced Community Quarantine: All public transportation is suspended and ridesharing apps are prohibited from operating. The Philippines will allow all foreigners to depart from the city within 72 hours upon the effectivity of the Enhanced Comunity Quarantine. Airport operation will be limted to outgoing flights carrying foreigners and toursists. Filipinos are not allowed to go outside the country. Only one person per household is allowed to leave their home to purchase basic necessities.
Okay. Things just got A WHOLE LOT TRICKIER! I can still exit the country, however, I have no public transportation to get me to the airport which is a 30 minute drive away! My amazing local family goes all hands on deck to try to secure a driver for the following morning. They are able to secure a family friend to drive me in the morning! PHEW! EXHAAAAALLLEEE!! CRISIS AVERTED! I can breathe a little easier now.
Not so fast!
March 17, 2:35 PM: I receive a text from my quarantine partner working diligently in the next room: “We might have to get you out of here tonight! :Sad face:” Report: TAGUIG TO ISSUE LOCKDOWN EFFECTIVE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. Only vehicles delivering essential goods and supplies will be allowed to enter and exit the city.
Fuck! I’m in Taguig! This is the first time the standard buffer zone of at least 48 hours was not respected! What does this mean!? It means we are back to square one for securing a driver. My contact for tomorrow is not able to drive me tonight and all other methods of transportation are shutdown. Do I start walking? Could I even make it there if I walk fast? Wait! Am I considered an essential good? Again, my amazing family goes all in, pulling every string: contacting known Grab drivers (to operate outside the app obviously, and they need to be IN Taguig because locals are not allowed to travel to other districts within the city), ex-boyfriends, and consider coordinating a military escort to take me out of the city as an absolute last resort! Things are looking grim. I have an airplane ticket out but no way to the airport. Finally after a couple hours of ideation, hustle, and tons of panicked stress, one of the sisters finds a hotel to airport taxi who is willing to pick me up for a premium, contingent on them being back inside the municipality before the lockdown takes effect at midnight. Holy shit! Miracle workers! We coordinate a pickup for 9:30 PM and I’m (hopefully) in the clear!!
One The Road
Mach 17, 9:53 PM I am relieved to be sitting in the car that will be transporting me to the airport! We head on to the freeway and there is not a single car on the highway for miles. We pass one checkpoint where a military officer questions our driver. The first test. Shit! I hope he passes the test. He says he’s bringing gringo to the airport. Military officer shines a flashlight towards the backseat on said gringos face. Officer sees gringo. He nods and we’re in the clear. We pass two other cars over 22ish minutes of driving and arrive safely to the airport, VICTORY!!
Now, we just need each of the three flights from Manila > Incheon, Incheon > San Francisco, San Francisco > Austin to go as planned. As of now flights out of the country are still operating, I remain hopefully optimistic.
At The Airport
10:15 PM I arrive at the airport. Noticing there is a Korean Air flight set to head to Korea at 11:20 PM I wait in line to see if i can get on this flight. After waiting for 15 minutes I discuss options with a ticketing agent. He shares there are open seats for tonight’s flight but securing one will be subject to a $300 flight change fee. I share with him numerous conversations with past customer care agents implying the $300 fee would be waived for any US citizens trying to return home. I wait for 17 minutes while he seeks managerial approval. Ultimately he does and I get my boarding pass.
Amazing! I’m stoked to be able to spend my 13 hours of waiting in an empty, sterile aiport! When I passed through Incheon 3 weeks prior the airport was prestine, virtually empty and they have ceased operations dramtically since then in light of their own outbreak. This will be so much better than having to lay on a lobby floor amongst hundreds of other foreigners frantically trying to escape the country at the Manila airport!
10:52 PM: I breeze through immigration lines in less than two minutes and am waiting in line for security. In an effort to update others seeking real-time information about airport conditions on Twitter I shoot a brief video of the small lines, no different than what a few others in front of me were doing. In the process I accidentally film the edge of one of the immigration checkpoints. Seconds later I am reprimanded for illegally photographing the checkpoint. I am interrogated for three minutes about why I was doing it. After chalking it up as an honest mistake, offering to delete it from my phone, and facetiously labeling myself as a travel influencer (which actually seems to help my cause) they let me go.
This hiccup better not be the difference between me making and missing my flight!
10:57 PM: “Last call for all Korean Air passengers!” is yelled to everyone clearing the security checkpoints. I secure my two backpacks, throw on my massive Indonesian rice hat, and sprint in my flip flops to the boarding gate.
11:04 PM Out of breath I arrive at the gate just in time! NICE, maaasssiivvveee exxhhaaaallllle. Upon giving them my boarding pass and passport they ask to collect $300. I explain to the boarding agent that the ticketing agent and manager indicated the $300 fee was being waived. She pushes back mandating a $300 payment. I reference the 13 earlier exchanges I had with different customer care representatives at the company via the phone and cyber chat, five of which confirmed an exception was being made for my situation and the standard change fee would be waived. The ticketing agent is not willing to budge on her stance.
11:08 PM Other staff members begin circling around and listening in to see if I will be boarding the flight. I push back hard. Again referencing the multiple conversations I’ve had with agents over the last several weeks. I explain that the Skypass account number tied to the conversations is not the same account tied to the ticket due to an error and ask her to pull up the other Skypass account. She refuses to acknowledge this and continues stating their policy like a broken record replaying “Achy Breaky Heart.” She’s only willing to reference the interactions on the irrelevant Skypass account, of which there is only one interaction from before I left the U.S.A. Back and forth the argument ensues for a small eternity, her ears are not open. I remain calm.
11:13 PM More staff members come and begin circling me. At this point eight staffers are present including a more senior looking man who steps in to chat. Again I explain to him I have had five customer care agents, a ticketing agent, and manager all state the fee would be waived. Expecting him to give me the benefit of the doubt he suggests I pay the $300 now and ask for a refund later since the airports allegedly work like a hub and spoke model, making it important for their airport to collect the fee for the company. Yeah right! I’ve done that before and never received the refund. I question why there is such a disconnect between the different layers of their organization, call out the peculiar circumstances we are facing during this pandemic and why it should be in their best interest to fill up as many planes as soon as possible to ensure business. I make the poor tourist victim plea. Every time I try to explain the story to a new staff member, of which three with authority were presented, I am cutoff mid-explanation. I have stayed calm during this whole process hoping they would do the same.
11:21 PM: “So are you going to pay the $300 or not?”
“NO!!!”
The entire staff surrounding me seems shocked that I am not willing to pay this fee. At this point I am irate, I’ve wasted nearly twenty minutes trying to board a flight I was told I could board and the plane that should be shut and ready for takeoff is still waiting on the runway. They clearly are willing to delay other passengers in effort to secure $300 during these tough times. I explain the ethical dilemma and point out that even if I do arrive in Incheon airport I do not arrive back to the United States any sooner so it makes little sense for me to pay $300 in exchange for maybe sleeping a little more comfortably. Annoyed, the first agent calls the staff on the plane and tells them to close the door. Annoyed, I go and sit down in the closest chairs to the gate and get on the phone to throw up a last hail mary effort, thinking maybe somehow me calling a customer care surpervisor will sway them to just let me on. It doesn’t!
11:32 PM: After a failed attempt at accessing a care supervisor (par for the course this month) I calm myself down and think to myself “oh well, I can sleep in the gate area which is surprisingly empty. It will be way better than having to stay in the ticketing lobby that’s crowded with hundreds of people. Even if I didn’t get on this flight I will still be semi-comfortable for the next 13 hours. I make a call. As I’m on the phone four of the eight members approach me. They inform me that I must leave the gate area and go back out to the entrance. I make a plea to stay in the area and simply have my ticket for the new flight re-issued. They inform me that because it is the day before my flight and my exit stamp indicates that, I need to get the stamp voided and re-enter tomorrow. Even more annoying, they inform me that I will not be able to re-check until 9:30 the next morning. I am escorted out by the four men, get my passport stamp voided, and am told to go to the Korean Air office to state my case and get the original boarding pass re-issued.
Ticket To Nowhere
11:47 PM: I arrive to the Korean Air office. They don’t know why I’m there but give me a printed off piece of paper and say “try this” for getting back through security. Of course it doesn’t work. I am forced to physically exit the airport and re-enter.
11:51 PM I attempt to re-enter the airport in the ticketing area where there are maybe 300-400 people sitting on the floor with limited chairs but there is a good amount of space for keeping the distance. The security guard informs me I cannot enter because my flight is tomorrow. He points to a secondary lobby where I can go to wait until “the next day.”
The secondary lobby looks like Peasantville. It is a much smaller area than the ticketing area and people are nearly ontop of each other. If that doesn’t spread the Covid like wildfire nothing will. I get smart and develop a cheat code. I’ll wait until it’s after midnight and re-enter, it wil then be “the next day.”
March 18, 12:02 AM: After waiting outside for 10 minutes I think I am using the cheat code to get into the more pleasant lobby for a much needed snooze. Technically it is now “the next day” so I try to re-enter the area through the opposite doors with a new security guard. He is equally unimpressed and will not allow me to enter. I am confused, where the hell am I supposed to go!? The city is completely locked down so I have to be at the airport, you’re not letting me enter the airport! My flight is “today” in twelve hours, why can’t I enter!? He simply indicates “it’s too far ahead of your flight” and validates the fact that there is no standard policy here, they just enforce what they want without logic.
12:04 AM: ARRIVE IN PEASANT HOLDING CELL.
Well these last several hours have been a train wreck! Whatever! I don’t care. I’m exhausted! The best I can do now is find a spot as far away from other humans as possible, put my mask on, and get some shuteye in for as long as possible while trying to stay clean. But first, I need water!
Getting half tanked on farewell wine before leaving for the airport has proven to be a bad idea. I didn’t think I would have to dump all my water to get on a plane only to not be able to board and then have all access to water closed. I ask several officers if there is anywhere to buy water, I am dehydrated as hell and my heavy amount of explaining, arguing, and stress swallowing has me parched. There is no way I can make it seven or eight hours until the airport shop opens without some. I notice a couple near me has ample bottles of water and food, I ask him where he got them and he points me to the one store nearby. Of course it’s closed. I go back near the couple to have a seat. It’s the last remaining spot against a wall – a crucial component for airport sleeping and not getting stomped on, I’m a vet – but it’s next to the only ATM and garbage can in the whole area. This means people will be visiting me frequently throughout the night. I don’t care, I have proper PPE (prescription glasses, a mask, and an oversized rice hat!). Annoyed that I have no water I strike up an innocent conversation with the couple who is flying back to Houston. The man looks at his bag and sees extra water and gives me a massive unopened bottle of water. Faith in humanity is restored. People are good! Feeling good about giving he asks me if I’d like some bites of his hamburger. Aah, I’ll gladly take your water – HARD PASS on that hamburger offer! When he looks away I snap a photo to document for social purposes and sneakily wipe the bottle with a Lysol wipe.
I prepare mentally for nine hours of ground sleeping. The two backpacker girls a foot and half to my left are more veteran than me. They pull out mattress pads, sleeping bags, pillows and eye covers for themselves! I settle in for a night’s rest, not ideal but it will have to work for now.
3:34 AM: I wake up for the fourth time of on and off sleep, this time FREEZING! The airport is open air and the Manila air has cooled dramatically. I quickly respond by grabbing my cliche elephant pants, a sweatshirt, and hiking socks out of my 35 Liter to combat the cold.
Brett 1, Filipino air 0.
4:17 AM: I wake up moments later to people standing over my feet getting money out of the ATM and munching food over my body as chip crumbs fall on my feet. Coughs and sneezes fill the air from 14 feet away.
JESZUS! Keep that PPE on and your fingers crossed man!
6:08 AM: I wake up to notice that just about everyone in the peasant holding cell has exited for greener pastures. Most of them probably desperately trying to get on an unplanned flight. I decide I will floor sleep for another couple of hours, after all, I can’t get ticketed until 9:30.
The Journey Home
8:15 AM: I step outside the holding cell and see a massive line outside the airport of people trying to get in. Here are the crowds I was expecting! The line is quite long but moves surprisingly quick. Some people seem to be taking the outbreak very seriously armed with rubber gloves, 7th grade chemistry goggles, and makeshift HAZMAT uniforms on.
No virus will be penetrating them!
Other people seem oblivious of what’s going on, most notably a security guard who looks like he just pulled an all-nighter. He aggressively is itching his eyes with both hands for a minimum of 45 seconds (he was doing it for a while before I did my investigative work of shooting a 35 second video, too good not document. Literally crossed all the “What not to dos” off his list in under a minute!
8:24 AM: After a short wait outside and showing my passport to the official I step into the oh so coveted “royal ticketing lobby” which I so badly yearned for last night! It is packed with lines snaking back and forth throught the whole area. Despite it being busy you can still keep a couple feet of space if you seek it out. I have an hour to wait and notice one of the 40 or so seats open up in the center, I snag it before anyone else can grab it. Mask, hat, and glasses on, a 73 year old Aussie senior sits next to me a bit later, striking up conversation. He has a place a few hours north of Manila. He has some health conditions and his wife wanted him to go back to Australia to have access to better medical care should he get sick. She has terminal cancer and didn’t want to leave their place in San Angelo, determining if she passes it will be in peace there. A pretty intense and sad story really. He talks at me for the next 20 or so minutes, I got in maybe 20 or so words.
9:30 AM: The time has finally come! I can get my original boarding pass issued and get the haall outta hurr. My flight is still on time and I’m estatic! I’m not as worried about getting out of The Philippines or Korea but moreso out of San Francisco as the city has issued a complete city-wide lockdown. What does that mean? More adventures ahead when I arrive stateside? I’m already mentally planning to rent a car and brainstorm alternative solutions if I can’t board the flight out of SFO for some reason. Domestic travel is still operating but so much can change when I’m in the air for the first 18 hour leg. I push through to my gate and it feels so refreshing not be on top of other people. I keep my distance, enjoy some snacks, and board for Incheon.
6 hours later: After a smooth flight with no one in my row and only a few people coughing in the distance I arrive to Incheon. I am again amazed with how clean and futuristic their airport is. I enter the bathroom and immediately enter a spaceship. I purchase a sparkling water, it resembles something from 2220!
Flight is on-schedule. Airport is relatively empty. Smooth sailing ahead.
12 hours after boarding: This flight had a few more coughers and not as spacious as a guy was on my aisle (I know, coughing and sneezing is normal. It doesn’t mean they have Covid-19. But surprisingly you realize how alert you’ve become on hearing every cough.) I made it back to the homeland! “America The Beautiful” plays as we taxi to our gate, a small gesture but one that makes me oddly euphoric. I am almost crying! I don’t cry! I think about the journey that has been. In the last 19 months. The rollercoaster ride I experienced over the last week. The thought of reuniting with my incredibly comfortable bed after so many months apart. And the 3.5 month commitment I made to Austin via a sublease, the longest physical commitment I’ve made in years! Life is good!
Now this is the real test! There are one of three scenarios: 1) SFO is absolutely packed as people are racing back into the country to avoid being locked down elsewhere 2) the wave has passed and people aren’t traveling at all, the airport is empty like in Korea 3) somewhere inbetween.
Upon entering SFO I clear customs quicker than I have in my 10 years of global travel. There are no lines and no questioning at all (I did get questioned about our prior whereabouts, any ailments, etc. before boarding the plane bound for San Francisco.) The moment of truth presents itself: and the flight to Austin is on as scheduled! Hell yeah! In the stretch run! I invest $2.87 on some wet wipes and have an amazing soap down in the bathroom, hands down the best $2.87 I’ve spent in my life and that includes the two buck chuck alcohol I used to buy in college!
I feel so refreshed!
12:05 AM: Upon touching down and hiring a ride share I arrive to my house in south Austin (currently rented out to tenants) where I decide to pitch a tent for the night. My ride was interesting. I first had to dance around the question: “You didn’t come from China did ya? I’ll have to kick you out!” No, I wasn’t in China, but some peoples geography isn’t the best so I didn’t disclose where I came from. With my N-95 on, we share an intelligent conversation about the pandemic and what we know about the virus, how other countries are handling it (much better than the the U.S.!) and about the crazies going around town buying up all the toilet paper, paper towels, and hand sanitizer. The articles I was reading from afar about dooms day setting in were validated pretty quickly. I arrive home and have a “welcome back” gift package consisting of 4 rolls of toilet paper, GOLD!, hand soap, a jumbo paper towel, and Lysol wipes from my tenants waiting in my garage.
As I lay in my tent I find so much irony in this all. I think of how much more proactive “lesser developed, third world countries” have been in responding than our more advanced, “better-resourced” country. Personally, I think about how I took time away from cliche America to be intentional about how I’m living my life and now so many people are being forced into the same practice by default. And about the adventure I was seeking a few short months ago, I think I got what I was seeking. I will never forget the adventurous ride escaping the Covid-19 lockdown in The Philippines!