The Accidental Tourist: Passport Renewal Vacations?
For the past few months, complaints about the difficulty
of securing an online appointment for passports have been appearing in my
timeline. At first, I would only simply my roll my eyes at the expected
inefficiency of the government until I realized that my own passport was up for
renewal that I started wailing along with the rest of the country.
With fear
and trembling, I went online and sure enough, the complaints were not an
exaggeration. All slots for the next three months were filled up at all sites including
those outside Metro Manila. I logged on for days to no avail except for the
achievement of memorizing all the DFA offices in the country. I became so desperate
that I secured the help of a travel agency that was going to charge me for its
effort but, alas, it, too, had no better luck until four weeks of clicking and
clicking, I finally found a slot---in Legazpi.
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Image Source: PhilStar |
“Are you nuts?!” my friends yelled.
Yup, as well as desperate and feeling a lot frustrated
and righteously indignant as I booked my ticket and hotel which cost around
PhP15,000.
Sure, a bus was available for a lot less but I didn’t relish the thought of riding for hours and hours, sharing a mini-toilet with strangers. I could also have spared myself a hotel expense if I fly in and out the same day but the sense of a new experience appealed to the traveler in me. I consoled myself at the thought of exploring Legazpi for the second time and of the promised adventure of traveling to a place where nobody knows your name. I didn’t even bother looking for someone to come with me as I am used to traveling alone and Legazpi hardly appears in crime news.
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Misibis Bay Resort / Image Source: Agoda |
Sure, a bus was available for a lot less but I didn’t relish the thought of riding for hours and hours, sharing a mini-toilet with strangers. I could also have spared myself a hotel expense if I fly in and out the same day but the sense of a new experience appealed to the traveler in me. I consoled myself at the thought of exploring Legazpi for the second time and of the promised adventure of traveling to a place where nobody knows your name. I didn’t even bother looking for someone to come with me as I am used to traveling alone and Legazpi hardly appears in crime news.
![]() |
Image Source: Out of Town Blog |
“You’ll be bored out of your mind staying there for three
days!” warned a friend who has been to the place several times. I braced myself
for the fruition of his words but the wanderlust angel had other plans for me.
![]() |
Image Source: WonderMondo |
As soon as I reached my hotel which was five minutes from
the airport, I immediately booked myself a half-day city tour with a taxi
driver who was known to the staff. He took me to the usual attractions like the
Casagwa Ruins, Lignon Hill Nature Park, Daraga Church, and Sumlang Lake. He
also became my intrepid photographer that my friends took notice how beautiful
the shots were.
The following day was my appointment at DFA located at Pacific
Mall which was a five-minute tricycle ride from my hotel. I arrived an hour in
advance and found myself first in line. Some fifteen minutes later, the queue
had started to snake. At exactly two, the guard started checking if our names
appeared on the appointment list and a few minutes later, we were allowed entry
to go through the five basic steps:
Step 1: Submit the
duly filled-up online application form and a photocopy of my passport
information page and valid ID.
Step 2: Wait for our names to be called to see if our
documents are in order. The time in-between the two steps took at least 30
minutes.
Step 3: Pay at the cashier.
Step 4: Have our photo taken.
Step 5: (Optional) Pay for the courier service as I do
not wish to return to pick up my passport.
The entire process was orderly, only ruined by the long
waiting game but at least the place was air-conditioned and there were also
enough seats for everyone.
The following day, I took a morning tour to Misibis Eco
Energy Park (about an hour from my hotel) and was very impressed at how
beautiful and clean the place was. Very selfie-satisfying, too.
Friends still laugh when they hear about my experience,
or for some people, my ordeal. They certainly have a point but given that I
enjoyed the sites made the inconvenience all worth it especially given how
inexpensive the attractions were. Except for the private tour, all the places
had an entrance fee not higher than PhP50.00. But, DFA, don’t think that after
ten years, I want to go outside Metro Manila again! I expect to be reimbursed
next time!
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