Philippine Travel Notes

As promised in the previous article , here are sights and scenes as I roamed around this airport. I won't see them all in 3 or 4 visits, but I try my best every time I'm here. Good that my VietJet flight was assigned at Gate B3. A chance to roam Concourse B, even all the way to Concourse C if time permits. Yes, I doubted I had ample time! If I may just say, I like the boarding pass of VietJet, it is still the good old 'cardboard version'. They're slowly vanishing, replaced by the receipt-like version, or none at all! Oh the digital era! It should be good for us to at least have photos of these old stuff. For soon they will become history. Just a "memory of the years past" . It's happening! Entering the Pre-departure Area Ah, also a consistent experience, immigration clearance here is also congested, but way faster than it is down at the arrival area. Oi, going in is similar to the other side ! Call it petty, but I really like this glass and ...

So I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport from Cebu , just passing-by, transiting to Hanoi, on the way to Danang (cities in Vietnam). These are flights 3 & 4 on my map . No rush. I had enough time to "transfer" at this airport, since I planned well, and that flight from CEB arrived ahead of schedule. Plus I already know my way around here. That said, let me caution those who are not too familiar with transit and/or transfer quirks at Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport ( TPE ) that's usually always too busy. This was 10:23AM at the VietJet check-in counters. ETD: 1230H. I wasn't late. But... That means it took about an hour finding my way from arrival to the departure area. And I consider myself already fast, as I now know my way around this airport. Ikaw? In fact, my delivering flight (CEB-TPE on AirAsia) and receiving flight (TPE-HAN on VietJet) both use T1. Yet, it still took me about an hour to: 'retrieve my baggage' , 'do m...

This is the 2nd leg of Another Circle Trip . Let's Go! For a 0710H flight, I was not early at the airport at 0552H. Not that late to cause any mess though. I know it isn't that crowded yet. But, I should have come a little earlier. Arrive early, to look around, and take pictures here and there. This is CEB T2 , again ! Those windows look better with the 'giant parols' as Christmas Decorations. Nice! Oh come to think of it, I did not shoot anything similar to the above 2 photos, during the last time I was here before daybreak. The colors surely made me do it this time. Well, I already talked about this "ugly" make of the floor tiles before, right? But that scene at left was new to me! I initially thought I saw a cabin crew walking. I realized, it is a standee lang pala, riding on a trolley being pushed by a staff hahaha! Or is he, really? Why does he have a backpack and wearing a cap? Di kaya pasahero sya o taong labas , at naaktuhan ko lang na kinu...

Tacloban to Cebu again. I've done this many times before. But I'm not complaining - except that I'm running out of anything to tell about this portion of my trips. Or do I? What about this Tacloban Airport, again? I keep saying, "I think I have seen and said everything about this wretched airport" be it praise-wise or rant-wise. Eh, I've been using this 'ugly edifice' ever since I was a brat. But something that the Filipina candidate (in that recently-held Miss Universe thing) said, somehow left a mark in my head. She said something about "the silver lining"! And she won pa, di ba? So I said 'that's a great life-skill' . But can I apply that here? Let's practice and find out! Practice finding that 'silver lining' in this poor, deplorable, wretched, shameful situation; and see if it makes us feel any better. I suspect it will! Disappontment is after all just a product of our own appointment hehehe! Hmm, I...

I was on the way to the airport for my circuitous holiday travel, and I saw this... In my mind I was saying ' how apt ', ' what a reminder ', ' what a coincidence ', ' yes Lord '! I and driver had to stare and look closely if the thing was newly installed. No not new. It just so happened.., a very rare good coincidence.., that today was December 23! The phrase An Pinaskohan is Waray (Cebuano too) that means The Christmas Gift ! Driver was quick to joke 'serr, remindeeer' ! But I was also quick to say I already gave his "13-month-bonus" plus my gift to him and his wife and children hahaha. Ako pa! But he had the last word (nagmana yata sa akin) saying "bangin manla mayada pa"! Hmm, looking fun. This probably was a sign, that I am going to have a great holiday roam once again. Or maybe a reminder. And I said out loud (to my self) "ayay OMG"! Yes, it was a 'reminder' from heavens above hahaha! I ...