Sodala, also wir sind mittlerweile seit…hmm…ca einem Tag unterwegs Richtung Heim. Mit sehr gemischten Gefuehlen. Natuerlich freuen wir uns auf all unsere Lieben usw, aber wir haetten es doch auch noch laenger ausgehalten. Vor allem waren wir einfach absolut begeistert von Chuuk. Wir sind richtig suechtig nach den Fracks geworden und waren sauer, dass unser Guide, wegen des Wetters, immer nur 3 Tauchgaenge machen wollte.

Jedenfalls, waren es zig einzigartige Erlebnisse und so tolle Orte auf der ganzen Reise, dass uns Urlaubsberichte sicherlich schwer fallen werden.

Sitzen momentan in der Lounge in Singapur und goennen uns ein…zwei….gintonics. Der Rueckflug ist ohne weitere Ereignisse verlaufen, ja leider kein spannendes Erlebnis mit Wunderwaffe diesmal…oder Gott sei Dank fuer meinen armen Rachen :)

Von Chuuk – Guam – Manila eigentlich nur geschlafen und dementsprechend schlafgrantig am jeweiligen airport – kann nur sagen armer armer papi. Schon lobenswert was fuer einen Grant er aushalten hat muessen. Bsp: In Guam war ein junger Mann, der mich einfach nur deshalb zur Weissglut brachte weil er Kaugummi wie eine Kuh kaute und dabei den Kopf schief hielt mit einer Mimik am ganzen Gesicht, als wuerde er jetzt gerade heraus finden dass nichts drinn ist, dass der Kopf viel zu leicht ist. Der arme Kerl hat gar nichts gemacht, ausser ohrenbetaeubend laut geschmatzt, aber er hat mich absolut wahnsinnig gemacht und Sugal hat sich das Gemotze von mir natuerlich anhoeren muessen. Und das Gemotze ueber die Warterei und ihn hab ich natuerlich auch grundlos geschimpft. Mit mir ist wirklich nicht gut Kirschen essen wann ich muede bin….

Jedenfalls haben wir U.S. Immigration ueberlebt und nachdem ich mir einen Hot Dog schnell schnell reingewuergt hab, haben wir auch schon boarding nach Manila gehabt. Dort haben sie uns unsere Tickets nicht geben koennen und wir haben aus dem Airport raus muessen, neues check in und wieder rein. Natuerlich haben wir auch wieder zahlen muessen. 16,30 US $ pro person. Und natuerlich haben wir 4 stunden vor dem Check in Counter verbracht. In einer Halle wo es nur einen kleinen Kaffeestand gab und der hat natuerlich nur Cash genommen. Das war ein richtiger Leckerbissen fuer meine Laune :)

Paepili hat dann eine Verbindung mit dem Internet bekommen und mir den Laptop gegeben – hab mit Chrisilein gechattet und wurde sogar wieder umgaenglich….

Nach dem Check In sind wir in die Lounge. Dort hab ich geschlafen bis zum Boarding. Im Flieger natuerlich wieder wie eine Prinzessin gefuehlt. Und jetzt sind wir wie gesagt in Singapur. Werde jetzt einmal den Raucherbereich suchen.

Today we hardly did anything. Yesterday we met a bunch of english wreckdivers and the night turned to be very long and we had some beers. There were also some americans who are volunteering as teachers here. It was a very fun night and already after 3am when we went to bed.

That’s why we cancelled the island tour as well as the picnic tour, which we were actually planning to do.

The day turned to be very lazy. We were watching movies and went to the hairdresser.

At 11pm we got transfered to the airport and now we are lying here and waiting for the plane. Which is at 2.30am. So we have to wait for a looooooong time.

The last dive of that amazing vacation we did at EMILY – Kawanishi Flying Boat. She is called the “Flying Porcupine”, because she was armed with five 20mm cannons and four machine guns, plus she could carry two torpedoes and either eight 240kg bombs or 16 60kg bombs. This formidabel aponoment could also cruise at 334kph for 4500 nautical miles (8350km). She had selfceiling fuel tanks and a fireextinguisher system. This plane was heading east from Palau to the Dublon Island Sea Plane Base with several high ranking Janpanese officers on board. Mid-flight she was ambushed by American fighters who shot her up, killing many of those on board, including the co-pilot. But she lost the Americans in the clouds and managed to limp back to the Truk Lagoon. After crashlanding she sank, but the rest of the crea was saved.

First we went from Yap to Guam. I had to fill out U.S. immigration forms for each of us and when we arrived in Guam the waiting started. First passport control, which was pretty fast, then flightticket control, and then long long queue for handluggage control. I, wisely, put the big underwater lamp seperatly before letting the lugage through. So I didn’t have to let my luggage be checked twice. And again I had to take off my flipflops.

The airport was totally crowded with U.S. soldiers from Micronesia. We even saw a girl. And on the walls were pictures of there fallen soldiers, or as they call it “fallen heroes”. It’s a really sad sight. All the pictures of smiling young men, some of them more boys than men.

Then, when we were finally “in” we went to the foodcourt. There was a shop, called Wienerschnitzel, they sold all styles of hot dogs and corndogs, and no schnitzel. And next to it was a Burger King. A double whopper (large), french fries and a coke and we even tried a corn dog…yummy yummy…we were stuffed and went to the gate.

Theflight, I was stucked between dad and a pretty chobby asain guy, was not very special. I could even nap a little bit. The breakfast was uneatable and then we arrived in chuuk. It was 8.30am local time.

Our bags were the first ones that arrived and then we went to Blue Lagoon Hotel. With us an aisan guy and an australian couple. The men is pilot for the military and right now on vacation from afganisthan.

After checking in and getting our room, second floor seaside, we went to the diveshop to sign the papers. Daddy, of course, wanted to do a dive that day, but I denyed. So I arranged a dive for him at half past two, which he overslept. Well, I could have told him that before.

The dinner, I had a Japanese scrambeld egg with pork and rice – sounded complete different on the menu – was “interesting”. Erwin didn’t like it. We had a “Betthupferl”-cocktail at the bar – we were the only guests and went to bed again.

I got really very lazy with writing. Acuatlly I wanted to write an entry about each single day, however, days have passed by with no single word been written….I wonder if that was a correct sentence….

Anyhow, let’s start with my impressions about the capital city of the philippines. Mostly, it’s crowded. Around 19 million people are living there, more than the half of them is poor. They live in houses, which look like they are self-made. For us unliving conditions.

In the heart of the town are heaps of malls and hotels. We stayed, as you know from the entries before, in the shang ri la. I felt like paris hilton. Honeslty. I think that explains the look of th room and the other facilities the best. Unfortunately, they served shark fin soup in one of the restaurants. It’s such a shame. We had our christmas dinner at the redrestaurant. The only bad thing I can think about is that it was freezing! We felt like in a frige and the waiters even offerd scarves. I#m wondering why they don’t turn the air conditioning a bit higher. What is the sense behind giving the guests scarves in the size of plankets? Nevertheless, the food was incredibly. And so much. My stomach and my appetite had a hard and cruel battle. In the end the appetite won, which made my stomach really angry at night, so it didn’t let me sleep.

And now to the girls-heaven: when you left the hotel shopping malls in each direction. The closest one was maybe 10 steps away. We crossed some during the search for tabes for our camera, which was already more broken than working. But the only one where we spent some time was greenbelt. This was huge. You could live in the mall for a week and still don’t know every place. Incredible. There was greenbelt 1-9, I think. The numbers discribed differnent houses. The houses again had maybe 5 levels. And so great shops. Mümü and I felt like in a wonderland. After wandering around for hours, without buying anything….big mistake….huge mistake….we went back to our palast. Daddy totally exhausted, Mum was already home- mean jetlag, and I was still amazed and angry about the sudden wonderland-ending.

The last day in Manila we did a city tour. 60 bucks per person, absolutely too expensive. We learned a bit about the history, esspecially about the national hero, who got executed- unfortunately, I forgot the name already. We spent the time wandering in parks, the museums were all closet. The strange thing was, our guide explained that the tour costs that much, because it includes all the entries, she made a discout of 5 dollar because of ONE museum that was closed, so why did we have to pay for the other ones, of which she also knew that they would be closed? Do you get me? That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?

At the end of the trip we went to the red light district, where my father had lived for a couple of days when he was here the first time, 1979. His eyes had the momories-of-the-good-old-time glance when we went to the hobbit house. It’s a nice place with saids-so good live music.When we were there, it was actually closed. However, our luck was that the driver was an expert in negotiating. So, we got beers and coke and daddy a suitable place for his memories.

After finishing the drinks, changing some dollar to pesos and buying a hobbit house t-shirt and, of course, making some pictures, we headed to the airport.

There I got my diving-bracelet for the right food. (Each country, where I was diving- one bracelet) We had some wierd palauan style burger with sweet bread- the taste is indiscribable (place for memories again)

After 4 checkings (bags as well as shoes and body) we were allowed to take a seat at the gate