Back To Cebu

After that short stint at MOA and my happy stay at Mictrotel MOA, time to head back to Cebuslovakia! This was an uneventful trip, nothing much, except that I, the promdi, noted a few things along the way!

I saw interesting things like this JW Diokno Blvd., which was non-existent the last time I passed here!

What I do remember is: this was a "road under construction" where the conyos would hold drag races.

On Macapagal Avenue (ah okay, I know this one), we climbed up to a skyway that is 'NAIA X' (I think).

Ah, ang ilalim nito alam ko! We just passed by Quirino Ave. cor. MIA Road, Tambo, Paranaque. O ha?!

The forking skyway? Left is Electrical Road, right is Sunrise Road papuntang gate ng Concorde Village if you were down at ground level! O, alam nyo ba yan?! Actually, both 'Electrical' and 'Sunrise' run along the side of a creek called 'estero' or 'Baclaran Creek' though its full name is Estero De Tripa De Gallina.

FYI, "tripa de gallina" is Spanish for "chicken gut" or "bituka ng manok" or "gizzard" or "IUD"! Ever since my younger years, I have been asking 'people in the know' why that estero was named like so, no one could give me a definitive answer. Puro haka-haka, puro "baka kasi", puro usapang lasing! Until today!

Anyway, what I know is, in the past (like until the 80s) I could still see people in boats plying along that creek. It goes out (right) to La Huerta (Manila Bay) and even Multinational Village (end of the runway).

The other end (left) goes to Baclaran Market, branching out to Villamor Airbase all the way to BGC or the other way to EDSA, Makati, San Andres, Onyx up until Pandacan. It was a big navigable river daw!

Anyway, back to NAIA X hehehe. I know that toll plaza up ahead. That's MIA Road cor Domestic Road.

My younger readers wouldn't probably know anymore, that in the past, when there were none of these crisscrossing expressways yet, that corner down there was called "Six Eleven" and it was flood prone!

Nowadays, pag lumubog pa ang skyway, ewan na lang.., lubog na siguro buong Metro Manila by then!

Tama na nostalgia! Going straight is to Terminal 2 (or T1 too) while going right is T1 and Sucat Road.

Hah, those were 'the good old days', when I would pass this way almost everyday. There was even the original Nayong Pilipino and the Philippine Village Hotel. And there were only 2 airports (T1 and T4)!

So I reached NAIA Terminal 2 in no time. Check-in was a breeze and I waited at the Mabuhay Lounge.

During boarding, things here and there caught my attention. An example would be that drinking water dispenser. I wasn't thirsty, but I stopped to ogle at it. Just curious. Medyo high-end ang hitsura nya eh!

Medyo high-tech sya, that's why it caught my attention. I noticed it does not have the usual water jug.

The ad on top of the machine says 'water is boiled before it is dispensed'. Hmmm, really now? What if marami sunod-sunod na gumagamit, will it stop dispensing as if to say 'wait, still boiling more water'?

It dispenses cold, warm or hot. But will it stop if all the cold water is dispensed? Di ba yung parang sa bahay at sa office, pag madami gumagamit, when your turn comes, no more cold nor hot water haha!

Many more questions came to mind. so, I just noted the brand and type for later "investigation". Baka pwede sa bahay di ba? But when I checked online, aba, hindi kaya ng powers ko! times 12 ang presyo!

Anyway, I also marveled at the signage on that post. It made me laugh. I even loudly exclaimed "Engr. Bert, meron Level II water supply tapstand dito"! Hahaha, I don't know if that's a standard international signage to signify availability of safe drinking water inside an airport building or a public conveyance!

Tapos, ipinilit pang isaksak yung dalawang logo ng DOTr at MIAA. Oo na, eh di ba obvious?

Anyway again, I loved the clear, bright, glass-surrounded areas as I walked to board my flight.

Such unobstructed views are what we travelers always like, right? But that's now few and getting to be "rare". Why? Because in most airports in the world, even the best of them, have those clear glass walls and windows already covered by/with advertisements - that get in the way of our pics and vids. Di ba?

So anyway also.., sa madaling sabi, I was finally on board my flight to Cebu - on an Airbus A330!

This is a big PAL plane. It can carry 360++ passengers - one of the biggest, but not (yet) their biggest.

Hey on this plane, I saw what one of you my dear readers have been asking about - the coat hooks!

All economy seats on this plane have that kind of coat hook. But, I think I already said this in an earlier story, this hook (not a flight essential anyway), is not always available on all economy seats (of PAL or other airlines), and may not also be available on all A330s in the world! It's just a 'nice they have' thing.

How are those hooks used? O eh, if you were bringing a 'barong' or 'aremikana' or jacket, you can hang it there during flight. Or, you can also hang a "sando bag na puno ng pasalubong" on that hook. Ganun!

So.., uneventful flight nga.., nothing worth noting down.., or I was just sleepy.., so back home I went!