I’m temporarily bidding goodbye to the camels for a month-long vacation in the Philippine Islands. Here’s where you may stalk me while I’m away if the internet connection in the P.I. would cooperate — CLICK!

To my long time stalkers: Yes! I have moved.

I’m back in the desert and now for updates…

My flights from Jeddah to Manila and Manila to Jeddah involved about 12 and 8 hours stopovers at Doha, Qatar, respectively. And to answer that most frequently asked question, the cheapest available at the time had lengthy stopovers and I don’t have too much budget because I’m poor and beggars can’t be choosers.

The first leg of the flight is not until 5:40 in the afternoon but as early as 2:00 o’clock, I’m already done checking-in my luggage. Upon inquiry, the ground steward at the check-in counter told me there’s a hotel waiting for me in Doha. He gave my boarding tickets in a blue-lined envelopes. I proceeded directly in front of the boarding gate hoping to spend most of the waiting time surfing the net or pestering people on Facebook but to no avail. The supposedly free wifi connections in the airport are all connecting but can’t even load the simplest website and even my mobile internet connection won’t work. So I had to walk around the duty free shops and rub elbows with the onion people (they all smell like freshly baked onions) until it’s boarding time, finally!

Whenever I would fly, I always choose the window seats so I can have a good view of whatever can be seen outside the plane – streams of clouds, sunset, sunrise, cities below, incoming airports, et. al. Also I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone taking their bathroom breaks (read: don’t take too much water) so imagine my fury when upon reaching my chosen window-side seat, someone has already taken my place.

But I tried to stay calm, it was a human female who took my seat after all. With all possible composure and politeness, I asked the woman what seat is written on her boarding ticket because she’s taking my place. Startled, she started making strange gestures but no word could escape her lips. The man sitting on the aisle seat suggested the woman probably couldn’t understand English. To avoid further commotions (it’s just a two-hour flight anyway), I just gave way and took the middle seat instead – the seat I hated the most for there is no international law defining which passenger should take which armrest.

The plane sped up and took off at 5:45.

Red Pepper Dory — inflight meal on board Qatar Airways flight 767

When we’re about to reach Doha International Airport, the Doha Arrival and Transfer video was shown in the in-flight entertainment screen, Onyx.

Is Doha your final destination?

If Doha is your final destination you will receive a blue boarding pass wallet and matching blue cabin hand luggage tag at check-in, at the airport of embarkation.

This was my cue to go on PANIC MODE!

I was on a connecting flight but was given a blue-lined envelope and a matching blue tag on my baggage which means Doha is my ultimate destination.

WAAAAAH!!! I had laptops on my luggage!!!

More updates coming soon…