Philippine Travel Notes

Let’s talk town and city names in the Philippines. Yes, many a first-timer can easily get lost without properly checking or asking around where a town or city is. Often though, the getting lost or confusion stage occurs during the planning of a trip. Research and the ever reliable “asking around” do get us to realize exactly which place we are headed to. Did you know there are more than 120 names in this country that are used by two or more towns or cities? That is counting only those places with exactly the same names! There are still others with the “sounds like” or “seems like” status. Here’s a sample conversation: Me : Yo, we just entered the NLEX and should be there in two hours. Friend : Gosh! You don’t have to fly on the road. Me : Oh San Fernando is just near, can we meet at SM or Robinsons? Friend : Ha? There is no SM nor Robinsons here, ano ka ba? Me : Di ba pagka-exit sa tollway ng San Fernando Friend : ‘Tado, that’s San Fernando City in Pampanga, my house is in La Union Me ...

I am sooo late at writing and posting many of my sojourns in the Philippines that many times, world events and calamities catch-up or overtake me to the extent that I have to revise what I wrote. Well, it is because something always gets in the way at my being able to finish my logs – and that is this thing called, WORK! This visit to Legaspi happened about 4 months before the area was struck with that calamity of overflowing volcanic mud that submerged many things into oblivion. Anyway… How did I know about this place? The news got me curious! First it was Mt. Bulusan. Every news source said it blew its top and was spewing lava and volcanic ash all over the place. Next came the news about Mt. Kanlaon also displaying some fiery activity. Then Mt. Mayon… slowly mildly erupting. Nothing violent but people were being evacuated. Ah, I just needed to satisfy my curiosity to see a volcano spewing lava or ashes or smoke! With all the media hype, the more I itched to go see how Mayon was doing...

Arriving in Manila and you want to take a cab? Depending on which airport you arrive at, there will be things peculiar or even mind-boggling! Let’s qualify that. The “taxis” or “cabs” in this topic are the metered taxis that ply about all the streets of Metro Manila. They are the common taxicabs that are mostly colored white or yellow or “white-and-green” or “white-and-yellow” while some are red and so on! These are not those “airport taxis” which are from car rental companies or limousine services or coupon taxis that have their own counters at the airports. Here goes: From NAIA 1 Most notable of a headache is when you arrive at the NAIA 1 – the old international terminal that houses all international flights except those of PAL. You won’t find metered taxis at any of the upper (original) nor the lower (extension) arrival driveways. To find one, you veer walking to the right immediately upon emerging from the arrivals lobby. And that is some 30 or so meters to the “MIA Road” at the si...