Inflight Odors

Vancouver to Manila, Philippine Airlines PR107.

The final passenger count was 101. Which means a lot of empty seats. My sister recommended getting an exit row seat, which I did - #62H. This was fine until you realize that exit row seats are also next to the bathrooms which meant that you had a steady stream of people answering nature's call at 30,000 feet.

I switched to an empty 2-top (2 seats together) and was just settling in when a minty-medicinal odor came back from my past. I was trying to figure it out and it finally hit me - aceite de manzanilla (manzanilla oil)! I wonder which rheumatic manang unleashed this atrocious odor upon an unsuspecting public.

Aceite De Manzanilla, to the uninitiated, is an old homeopathic pharmaceutical that my yaya used to rub on my belly for tummy aches or on my forehead for headaches, or pretty much anywhere you get aches and pains. It's slightly more vile than it's pepperminty cousin - Tintura Arnica (Tincture of Arnica - go look it up).