Heeding the call of London

Photos by Pepper Teehankee on a Canon Powershot

It was music to my ears when Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that it would fly direct to London.  It had been 15 years since PAL flew direct to Europe. Because of this new flight, PAL is the only airline to have a direct service to Europe from Manila.

In the recent past, my annual trip to London was always with a connecting flight. It will be different now. Because of that, I am joyful.

The direct flight of PAL to London started last Nov. 4 with PAL president and COO Ramon S. Ang addressing the press and United Kingdom Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Anwar Ahmad addressing the crowd in perfectly pronounced Tagalog. Ang also mentioned that hopefully there would be flights to Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Rome in the future. 

An English buffet breakfast was served to those taking PAL’s maiden flight to London. We left shortly in the morning and arrived the same day in time for afternoon tea, as promised by PAL’s advertisements. The plane landed in Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport with a water cannon salute. Several of the ground staff took photos of the plane, perhaps for their Instagram accounts. 

We were then whisked to the Royal Suites (used by the British Royal family) for some tea and scones and a short program with speeches from Ang, Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James Enrique Manalo, Ambassador Ahmad, and Heathrow Airport commercial director Fidel Lopez. PAL’s entry into the European market would basically benefit over 650,000 Filipinos in Europe, especially the 250,000 living in the UK alone.

PAL internal communications officer Pinky Balagtas and editorial consultant Jonathan Gesmundo took care of the press by taking us around to see the famous sights of London. After a good night’s rest, we were taken to see St. Paul’s Cathedral (where Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married) and the Tower of London, where St. Thomas Moore and Anne Boleyn were beheaded. Seeing the spectacular Crown Jewels in the Tower was a mind-blowing experience!  I have never seen such big gemstones together in one collection. 

We had lunch at The Counting House, a former bank now owned by the brewery Fuller’s. I had the traditional cottage pie, a typical British fare of beef and vegetables baked with mashed potatoes on top. We also had a quick walk by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben for some photo opportunities. 

Held that evening was the inaugural flight reception at the Corinthia Hotel where chef Fernando Aracama prepared delicious food with a Filipino twist such as chicken inasal skewers and beef tapa sliders. Ang welcomed guests and gave a short speech as everyone mingled and enjoyed songs performed by former Miss Saigon Joanna Ampil and Leah Navarro. Round-trip Economy and Business Class tickets were raffled off together with hotel packages and PAL Express flights to local destinations.  (Incidentally, the ATP Tennis finals were on in London and Novak Djokovic was staying in the same hotel… I tried to stalk him to no avail.)

The next day started early as everyone wanted to see more of London. We started with Westminster Abbey where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married.  This is where many Kings and Queens are buried as well. Buckingham Palace was the next stop and although there was a drizzle, we were lucky enough to catch the changing of the guards before proceeding to lunch at Covent Garden.  Some members of the group stayed in Corinthia. Others, including myself, proceeded to Covent Garden for some shopping before lunch. When the rest met us for lunch, they showed me photos that they actually saw Novak Djokovic outside the hotel getting ready to walk his dog Pierre. They all took photos to prove that I missed another chance to stalk the tennis champ! 

After lunch, we rode the London Eye, which offered astonishing views of the River Thames and the cities of London and Westminster.  After several photo ops and souvenir shopping, we headed back to Covent Garden for more shopping and an early dinner at Porter’s, an English restaurant serving traditional English pies. A steak, Guinness and mushroom pie combined with a milkshake proved to be quite heavy, even for someone with a hearty appetite such as myself. We then proceeded to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to watch Wicked, which will be staged in Manila in January 2014. 

The group was taken on a shopping trip the next day before heading to the farewell lunch and heading for the airport. Oxford Street and Liberty of London, as well as Harrods and the world’s oldest toyshop Hamley’s were some places of choice. I said my goodbyes to such a wonderful press and PAL group as I was rushing to the O2 to watch the Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet tennis match. I thought that if I couldn’t stalk Novak, then I could stalk Roger!  This was the very first live tennis match I had ever watched in my life and it was a thrill!

Some members of the group were first timers in London and were absolutely smitten by this city. I wasn’t surprised since London has so much to offer in terms of history, culture and cuisine (yes, British cuisine has improved a hundred fold over the years!). London has become a second home to me and I opted to stay longer, as other members of the press also did to explore places outside London like Stonehenge, Bath and Oxford. 

In my two-week extension, I met up with several of my friends based in and out of London, did more shopping, explored more restaurants, and watched more musicals. The three musicals I watched were all based on films with the same title: the Tony Award-winning Once, Tim Rice’s first musical in 25 years From Here to Eternity, and The Commitments. 

Food was a big part of my trip as well. I ate at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park where I met the general manager of the restaurant, Paul Downie, whose mother is from Iloilo. Don’t miss the restaurant’s baked bone marrow with anchovies, topped with snails! This is the best dish of Heston I have tasted after his snail porridge in Fat Duck! Other must-try dishes in London (in my opinion) are the foie gras crème brulee topped with butter-roasted Scottish lobster in Duck and Waffle, the artichoke with mushroom foam and truffle in Colbert, the dim sum in Yauatcha, the wagyu sliders in tofu buns in Nobu, and the Iberico pork shoulder with chorizo sauce in Cambio de Tercio. My list of favorite food in London is never ending…

During the time I was in London, Super Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines. The United Kingdom raised millions from private donations in a matter of days. Every single tube stop in London had a heart-wrenching poster asking people to help the Philippines. The Disasters Emergency Committee’s Philippines Typhoon Appeal (composed of 15 charities) still continues to give aid to this day. Chef Jamie Oliver, host Amanda Holden, actors Alan Rickman and Stephen Merchant, models Daisy Lowe and Poppy Delevingne, and stars from Downton Abbey all participated in a telethon to raise donations for the Filipinos affected by this tragedy.  Everyone I met who learned I was from the Philippines was genuinely concerned if any of my family members or friends were affected.  The UK has helped our country so much during this time of disaster… how could we not love the Brits?

With a city that has significant historical monuments, a thriving and entertaining theatre scene, great shopping, drool-worthy gastronomical places, and friendly and compassionate people, don’t you think it’s time to visit London?

I am thankful that Philippine Airlines, my home in the sky, has now a direct flight to my second home, London.  I can’t wait to be back next year flying non-stop with our national carrier.

(Philippine Airlines flies to London on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Get your tickets from any PAL ticket office or accredited travel agents. Visit www.philippine airlines.com or call (02) 855-8888 or 855-9000.)