As mentioned in a previous post, I saw my “properties” reduced to two luggages and a couple of bags for my next attempt with relocation. On the night of my trip, I hauled the enormous luggage from our fourth floor apartment and stuffed in a cab that brought me to NAIA. After weighing the stuff, the check-in counter lady informed me that I had an excess baggage of 40 kgs.
With a per kilogram rate of P300, I was supposed to pay a whopping P18,000. At this point I heard the loud crash of my chiseled jaw line fall to the floor. It’s an amount that could easily buy me about two round-trip tickets to Bangkok.
I shifted to panic mode.
Luckily we live just about 20 minutes from the airport so I messaged my sister to pick up some of my stuff. While waiting for her outside the departure area, I asked a cleaning lady at the airport if she would be willing to take some of my clothes and other things. She easily said yes, so I unzipped the bag that contained my shoes, pulled out my leather shoes and gave her the entire bag and all its contents.
Next I opened the luggage containing my jeans and trousers. I pulled out all the pants that I could use at the office and a couple of jeans and some shorts. The rest… went to the (lucky) cleaning lady. The same happened to the next bag that had my shirts. Mostly everything just had to go.
Obviously it was an embarrassing spectacle. Imagine witnessing a skinny bayot poring over an open suitcase at the airport, pulling everything out – especially my undies and porn mags.
Shortly my sister arrived. I left her my CDs and books. It broke my heart to see those go because I actually planned three weeks ahead which novels and CDs to bring. My thick yoga books had to be snatched from me by my sister as well. It was a very difficult choice between having clothes on my back and having something to read or listen to.
Did I mention I brought my gym ball? Of course I deflated it. But giving it away really broke my heart. And it was not the most outrageous stuff I tried packing, but I’m not mentioning that here.
All my shirts and some shorts were dirt cheap, thank god; it was not that hard to let them go from the cost perspective. However, those were still unique pieces, especially the floral shirts and those frayed T-shirts that I took pains at maintaining looking old and scruffy. Some of my shirts were from my high school and college days, with such sentimental value for me. I even gave out my suit, three jackets, some jogging pants, neck ties, scarves (oh no, my dear scarves), coloring books, and some fabrics I bought from my travels.
I did the process of disposing my stuff almost blindly. I nearly gave the cleaning lady my diary of two years (oh, all those sordid account of my love life going to the lady is beyond me!). Luckily my sister pulled it out from the pile of clothing and she has the diary now.
After shoving in one suitcase what I think was all I need for my relocation I went back to the check in counter where I was informed that my stuff totaled exactly 20 kgs. No excess baggage at all. And I was down to my essentials (including my body wash and yoga mat).
So Zen, no? Very Buddhist… letting go of material stuff and all. Very appropriate for a trip to a land that is predominantly Buddhist. Besides, with practically nothing to wear in Bangkok, I have more than enough reason to shop here!
P.S. Just to defend my self from being tagged as TANGA, I did call the Cebu Pacific customer service several times last week to ask about their charge for excess baggage. But their number was constantly busy.
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