There are unwritten rules regarding travel to the Philippines. Some of these rules concern what must be carried in your luggage. If you are traveling to the Philippines to see family and friends, you need to pack a lot of chocolate to distribute to those you visit. You also need to leave room for a few clothing items or a random electronic device (difficult to find on the islands) needed by someone in your circle.
Desiree and I took loads of chocolate, a few
clothing items (for gifts), a blood pressure monitor (for her father), and a
few other random items when we trekked to the islands.
Returning to the States is another thing entirely.
Any sensible Filipino is going to load up on favored food items. This list will
generally include a few obligatory items, such as dried fish and spices or
ingredients that are difficult to find on the mainland. We carried back cans of
Philippine-style corned beef, various seasonings, dried fish, dried noodles,
special rice, a few weird cooking utensils, various packets of dried foods and
seasoning mixes, souvenirs, and much more.
As a final note, the weird make-up of our carry-on packing
earned us a supplemental check at security before we boarded to return home from
San Francisco. Also, we managed to maintain a luggage weight of just under the 50-pound per bag limit. I am sharing three photographs to show you the final haul.
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—Mitchell Hegman
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