SINgapore > CEBu > TACloban Again

This happened a number of times before. In fact, the latest of which was just two weeks ago, right? But, every travel has a different story, so hear my notes on this latest trip. New tsismax.., ayaw mo?!

Okay, just joking on the 'tsismax' thing! But there are new things I want to tell you starting with this..,

That's the last picture of the previous story. Aside from how cute the scene was, that actually portrays how clean their train stations are. Otherwise, teachers won't allow kids to sit bare like that on the floor.

That is the airport end of the MRT where thousands of passengers, employees and well-wishers pass everyday. Yet, apparently, always kept spankingly clean all the time. Imagine making your little tyke sit on the floor of any MRT or LRT station in Metro Manila.., maaatim mo? Yet there're more people here!

My flight was departing from Terminal 1, but I was still early, so I made my way to Terminal 3. Pasyal..,

This one is at the 4th floor viewing gallery (public area), where you can see parts of 'inside the airport after the immigration area', the duty free shops and planes coming and going - all viewed from above.

But this "Aviation Gallery" did not seem to be 'as expected' from Changi Airport's quality of things. It is just a small nook at the 4th level, and THE gallery is just a row of poster-sized drawing boards, pasted with printed historical accounts of the development of Changi Airport. Parang school project ng bata!

Well, there is a glass-encased display of a sample section being repaired, so you have miniature truck models, cement mixers etc. But for an "Aviation Gallery", I expected to see more! At least, it has this..,

Di mo makita? It's a rarely-shown ultra-secret highly-classified aircraft production instruction manual!

Here here here.., I tried cropping the picture in my earnest desire to share Changi's scientific finds..,

Ang masasabi ko lang eh... jusko! Okay naman sana yan, if there were other things to see or marvel at other than the plastic miniature replica's of commercial airplanes that you can buy on board any flight!

Maybe the proponents of this 'display' didn't really mean "Aviation Gallery" per se, but something else.

Maybe they wanted to show a gallery of 'Changi's Aviation Services' for whose ever interest it may be.

Anyway, as if to bring back my awe and admiration of this fantastic airport, at least I saw this nearby,

It's just a restaurant alright.., but that artful ring of light seems to connect you to some frontier beyond earth! Well, it's a Chinese resto. After loading up on MSG, I guess you'd be floating to frontiers beyond!

I recall, that futuristic ring is what you see when you enter the main door to the lobby of T3. Nifty!

Ahm, I said sometime ago that Pokémon has invaded Changi Airport, right? Cuteness overload!

Easy to see that the airport folks made and positioned these army of cuddly creatures for good photo-opportunities. Not just children, but even mostly adults love their pictorials with Pikachu and the gang!

There's also this 'rainforest' diorama with designated positions for anyone to perch on for a pictorial!

You sit on that 'boat' and if the photographer is good, it really looks like you are on a jungle boat trip!

Here's another one of those 'photo-op' corners, still at Terminal 3. A view from the Bay East Garden.

If you stand or sit on that bike, and the photographer is good (like me heheh), you would appear in the photo as if you were really at that park. Cleverly nice entertainment for people making souvenir shots.

Note that all of the above were/are at what they call 'public areas'. Meaning, accessible to just about any individual who goes to the airport, for whatever purpose they may like, such as "wala lang, pasyal lang"; or if they're sending off/meeting passengers! So, in all pics above, I haven't even checked-in yet.

But I remembered something, so I went via the 'Public Area Skytrain' from T3 to T1. Yes, me ganun!

Oo nga ano, I think I haven't mentioned this yet in my previous stories (or did I?).., that the Skytrains at Changi Airport have what are called the 'Transit Area' and 'Public Area' services. Not that simple pala!

What's the diff? Ah... let's define things first, unahin natin ang 'Transit Area'. To simplify, that's the area after a departing passenger has passed the immigration counters. Or, from the perspective of arriving passengers who just got off a plane, that's the part of the airport before reaching Immigration. On the other hand, a 'Public Area' is where anyone, whether checked-in passenger or not, is allowed to be at.

Now.., the Public Area Skytrain Service is transferring us the madlang public from terminal to terminal for free and without being able to access any part of the transit area. While the Transit Area Skytrain Service is transferring folks from terminal to terminal without being able to go out to the public areas.

So, it's a complex thing that Changi airport offers us for free! Imagine, there's already a train for transit passengers to easily move between terminals (a need), yet there are also at the public 'pasyal' areas!

Sa atin? Lilipat ka to another terminal? Bayad! Taxi! Good Luck!

Anyway, this is what I remembered to do at Terminal 1, a visit to the Early Check-in Lounge!

I realized I was flying to Cebu on Philippine Airlines pala, at mamayang midnight pa, but they have this "Early Check-in Facility", so I availed of it! Very convenient especially for those who have a lot of bags!

How does Early Check-in work? Ah simple, it's a room with check-in counters that are already open for your airline's check-in, many hours before the usual opening of their regular check-in counters. For my case as an example: I think it was only about 3PM when I checked-in for my flight leaving at midnight.

It depends on your airline btw. For example, with SQ (Singapore Airines), you may 'early-check-in' here as early as 48 hours before your flight. With JAL, it's 12 hours prior the flight. I think ganun din sa PAL.

This is beyond your "web check-in" because here, you already have your check-in baggage tagged and you may already enter the immigration, pre-departure, transit, duty free or business class/club lounge areas of the airport. The catch is: not all airlines offer this service - walang ganito ang budget airlines!

Yeah, it depends on the airline. Air New Zealand for example, is not even a member yet!

Here's an apt reminder I saw on one of the check-in counter screens at this Early Check-in Lounge..,

Note that what it says, is true TO ALL check-in counters anywhere in the world. That should dispel the misconception among many people - particularly those idiot blue guards na nag-rurunong-runongan!

Those should NOT be checked-in, bagkus dapat handcarried always and there are technical scientific reasons for that. Batteries are corrosive, can leak, and endanger the plane if unseen like at the check-in baggage compartment of a plane. Power banks can also ignite down there, so dapat handcarried.

Not to mention that phones, tablets and laptops are very tempting to 'those in need'.., kung kaya, kahit hindi naman talaga magnanakaw, eh me nakikitang pwede nakawin, pag nagigipit, ayun, nagnanakaw.

And lastly.., because I overheard this sometime ago.., if it says "not allowed for check-in" it does not automatically mean hindi na pwedeng dalhin sa flight. Don't panic, pwede at dapat lang i-handcarry!

Anyway, so I already checked-in in the afternoon for a midnight flight. What next to do?

I had choices: 1) roam more around the public areas of Changi; 2) go to the business class lounge at magpaka-lunod sa pagkain at inumin hanggang hantinggabi; or 3) roam the transit area of the airport terminals as there are many things to see or do in them, like the gardens, the free movies and so on.

Ayun! Number 3! And that's just what I did! In fact, after check-in at the Early Check-in Lounge (at T1), I made my way to T3 again, this time on the transit area - instead of going to the SATS Premier Lounge.

Hmm, snack time caught up with me, and I was at Terminal 3. Of course there's a default.., alams na!

The Singapore Foodstreet! It has a realistic look and feel of a foodstreet as if you were in Chinatown!

But of course.., my favorite: Bak Kut Teh!

This is the Bak Kut Teh stall I referred to in an earlier story, that I visit even if my flights are at T1 or T2.

Oh let me say more about the 2 pics above.., that 'foodstreet' is on the 3rd level of T3, but you can see it from 2nd level, it's like a loft above the gates. Behind them are more tables with views of the planes!

Let's roam more!

The skytrains notwithstanding, if you have time, you can actually walk all of T1, T2 and T3. Like in this case, I walked from T3 (along gates B5 to B10) all the way to T1 where I arrived at Transfer C junction, the shops near Gate C11, and of course, the Water Lily Garden (Level 2) where there's a smoking area!

This is another lounge/resting area just after the Water Lily Garden (behind that coffee bar)..,

I sat here to rest, just make tunganga, after coming in from the smoking area at the Water Lily Garden.

I was just lounging around and realized many interesting things all around me! Let's zoom the scene..,

There was a "shooting" na nagaganap! Am not sure if he is a vlogger or some TV outfit whatever. Look at the blue lines, I drew them to highlight the eye-contact between the speaker/actor, his camera and his companions (2 girls). The green lines point to passengers that got curious about their 'shooting'.

The two red and yellow arrows point to our kababayans - crews of 'The World is Flat' craft cocktail bar. And of course the big red-and-white arrow points outside to the Water Lily Garden (the smoking area).

Notice that all coffee-tables in this lounge have charging ports. I stayed here a while charging gadgets and in fact, I snoozed! Ah, you can guess what's next, I went up to the Cactus Garden, remember that?

I like using the name "Cactus Garden", medyo disimulado kesa sa 'incriminating' na "Cactus Bar" haha!

Okay, so Cactus Bar pala ha?! Nakahanap ng tambayan hehe.., up until my PAL flight boarded. PR518 departed Singapore at 2:45AM, arrived in Cebu at 6:40AM, sakto lang for me to check-in at domestic counters and eat arroz caldo at Mabuhay Lounge. Then I went down to Gate 25B for my PR2236 that departed at 8AM and by 8:45AM, I was already in Tacloban. That was a wonderfully swak connection!

The disadvantages I can think of are: 1) no pictures nor flight stories from Singapore to Cebu all the way to Tacloban. Why? Because tulog ako ng tulog, dis-oras eh! 2) mahal ang beer sa Changi Airport!

Nice experience anyway. Thank you sa PAL crew from BKK to CEB!