Borongan To Brunei

Tiring but exciting. That's how I would title this sojourn, that took me from Borongan in Eastern Samar to Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, passing by two other countries - Singapore and Malaysia. Let's go!

Why did I 'emanate' from Borongan City of all places? What else, ano pa nga ba, werk as in work as in raket as in kumikitang kabuhayan! I did have time to grab clean wearables at the Tacloban apartment prior to my afternoon flight (yes afternoon flight uli, nawili dun sa experience last week). But in Cebu, I only had 130 minutes of transit time per booking. Rush hour pa sa Mactan Bridge! So no going home!

My four-flight itinerary for this trip was TAC✈CEB✈SIN✈KUL✈BWN. It looked something like this:

If it might look tedious a route, let me tell you.., yes it was hahaha! But that was the best I could come up with in consideration of my time, needs, wants and resources. Including sights or things to tell you!

First up, if I enjoyed the sunset in last week's flight, this time there was none. Why? Kasi, the flight was delayed. It left Tacloban under heavy rain and it was dark since evening has already fallen upon earth!

Lucky that I was still able to connect, all under 1 hour, to my Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore. The web check-in must have helped me here, since normal check-in was already closed! Yet still, very stressful!

Yeah stressful! But I caught my sanity at the boarding gate. Even had time to buy this oatmeal cookie!

No time for a full dinner, boarding was already in progress. I told my self I'll just buy food during flight.

See this? I was already "calm and collected" during boarding, I even found time to snap this photo.

Do you know what that is? Yep, a BGR or "Boarding Gate Reader". It reads the bar codes on a boarding pass, for airlines to identify "missing passengers", to be called via the airport's public address system!

Tsismis: alam nyo ba... I know of a trying-hard, KSP, epal matrona who always hides somewhere in the airport, para lang i-page ang pangalan nya during boarding! How did I know? Ah, I once overheard her (in MNL) telling her companions "let's board late para tawagin names natin na dinig sa buong airport".

Yes, me mga taong ganun ka-KSP! Kinilabutan ako nung narinig ko ang matandang 'yon! Anyway...

On this Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore, I didn't really like the mostly-cold food, so I only got this...

Of course pa, binibili yan! That is how budget airlines operate - you pay even for a mere drinking water!

Anyway again.., let's fast-forward.., and so...

My flight arrived at Changi Airport's Terminal 4, half an hour before midnight - ahead by 10 minutes...

No rush.., my connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia was still at 10AM, and I have decided I won't go out of this airport anymore. So, I had a little more than 10 hours to bum around. Not that I dislike it!

Look at the left panel of the above collage again. It says Cebu Pacific will only start operating from T4 by 02NOV. But it was only 30OCT when we landed and came to use this new terminal. Ahead of sked!

Two thumbs up to Changi Airport Group! That's what we call "under-commit, over-deliver"!

There is something newsworthy here. This Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4 will actually officially open later pa in the day (31OCT17), and it was only almost midnight when my flight arrived! Therefore, I was on the first Cebu Pacific plane to use Terminal 4. Hmm, ilagay sa diary yan! Done, since this blog is my diary! Truth be told, we probably were the first passengers to arrive at Terminal 4. Oh ha? Noted!

What are new here anyway? Ah well, many things. I have read them just now. For me anyway, I noticed (probably since it is new) that there are more vivid purples and browns in the colors I saw everywhere.

I will discover the many new things at T4 in the coming weeks or months. I could have toured around the whole building right this instance (10 hours of transit time, remember). But many of their services, stalls, whatevers, were closed. Maybe since it was midnight, or waiting for official opening later today.

I instead made my way to the Straits Food Village at Terminal 2, since I haven't had rice yet for dinner. Ah, how does one get to T2 from T4? Ride the free shuttle bus from the T4 arrival lobby. In fact, even if going to T1 or T3, you must ride the same bus to T2, since T4 being new, isn't yet very well connected.

What did I have for dinner (midnight snack, actually)? Syempre pa, ang hindi pagsasawaang "Bak Kut Teh" plus one cup rice ordered at 0053H! Adik na 'ata ako dyan! That's the receipt in the collage above. Pasensya na if in all my stories at/about Singapore Airport, Bak Kut Teh is always present! Adik nga e!

By the way, I just realized, the theme at all of Changi Airport's Terminals is Hello Kitty with her friends from Sanrio. Last time it was Pokémon. Hmm teka, is it just the airport or all of Singapore? Because.., when it was Pikachu gracing the terminals, I also saw him very much present at all of SEA Aquarium!

That is another superbly great thing with Changi Airport (or is it Singapore?). Whichever! They partner with popular commercial brands or entities for things they feature in their public areas as themes. Da!

Mind you, that giant Hello Kitty in the pic above, is made of flowers. Malayo ang Panagbenga Festival floats natin! It is very well made, very well-proportioned so it still looks cute, kahit dambuhala ang laki!

Alright, after dinner at the Straits Food Village, I made my way to Terminal 1 via the Skytrain...

Skytrains in the transit area run from 0430AM until 0130AM and 'rest' for only 3 hours. I still caught it!

If already closed anyway, you can always walk via the moving walkways called "travelators" in Changi. I think they're called "walkalators" at Manila's T3, or 'speedwalks' at other airports of the world. Ganun!

Why did I want to go to T1 that early? Ah, I saw it posted at T4 (see the picture collage above), that Air Asia (my connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur) still operates from T1 (until 07NOV). Plus, this of course:

The Cactus Pub at the Cactus Garden! To smoke, drink & sleep. Sleep? Yes, at the TV Lounge sa baba!

I decided on that even before I came.., that I won't go out of the airport anymore, that I won't check-in even at the transit hotel for this 10 hour transit duration. Why? Because it was too short a time period, bitin, at sayang din ang pera! Ekskyoos me lang, meron din naman akong dugong Ilokano, kahit konti!

So I slept at one of the comfortable love seats of the TV Lounge, and I woke up in the morning to this:

I often see passengers (of all kinds) even sleep on the floor (carpeted). Apparently it is always clean.

No 'morning rituals'? Yuuuck! So I didn't shower before boarding my next flight? Relaaax! Don't me!

Like all Pinoys, I take my daily baths as can be possible. I just walked to this premium lounge for that!

Other than at the airlines' exclusive first/business class lounges, there are no 'free shower' facilities in the entire Singapore Airport. Eh wala namang ganyan ang budget airlines hahaha! But you can do that for a fee at most 'pay-per-use' lounges like this one or at any of the transit hotels - me bayad nga lang!

As you can see in these pics, there's shampoo and shower gel (on wall-mounted dispensers). There're also complimentary toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, cotton buds and shower cap. Of course there's ample toilet paper. And (this isn't common), there's even a clean fresh bath towel (hindi ini-uuwi yan).

Note: few travelers know, Plaza Premium Lounge has "shower only" service, me libre pang softdrinks! For SGD16 only! That's why they have that "announcement" placed on the sink so it can be advertised!

Note too: that SGD16 shower only service is not (yet) printed on their list of services that is displayed at the front desk. I told the attendant there, they should add it to the list (naki-alam nanaman) hehehe!

The usual services listed there start with SGD35++ 3-hour lounge stay inclusive of shower and buffet meal. But there are those (like me) who do not need to have breakfast but just a shower to freshen up.

I wonder though, because I forgot to ask, what would happen if your 30 minutes is up and you are still in that shower room? Will water and/or power automatically shut off? What if 'umi-ebak' ka pa? Hiyay!

On hind sight, I should have stayed in there until the 30-minute mark came, to know what happens! If it is not 'automated', will an attendant come knocking and hollering "sir sir, your time is up, if you don't get out now, that will be an extra SGD16! Or, if automated, will it 'spit' you naked out unto the hallway?

Yeah, now I keep wondering. Solution? Ah, I should try using this 'shower-only' service again soon. To know what gives after 30mins! Caution: that's a PHP600++ shower! With one free non-alcoholic drink!

Oh, about that "free drink", you don't consume that inside the bathroom! Unless you really need to!

You can 'lounge around' while consuming that "one free non-alcoholic beverage", I think. Because I did just that after taking a bath, e hindi naman ako itinaboy! So technicallly, you have "lounge access", I do not know though, if they will evict you kung umaabot ka na ng 3 hours sipping that one free drink! Just don't go to the buffet table siguro hehehe, eh SGD35++ yan, 16 lang ang ibinayad mo. Hwag kang ano!

In fact, what I did was, I brought my unfinished "one free non-alcoholic drink" na Coke-In-Can to this:

This is still near where I slept and also just near to the Plaza Premium Lounge, but with better views!

Note: there is no free water at BK (or all of Singapore's fastfoods). Parang s'atin din diba? Binibili ang tubig. But there are a lot of free drinking water fountains or dispensers all over the airport. Like these:

Trivia: did you know that in the whole island/country of Singapore, tap water (galing sa gripo) is clean and safe to drink? Yep, the 'tubig' from their water system. And certified by World Health Organization!

I once asked my Singaporean friends as to why is it that 'bottled water' is so widely patronized by their citizens. After some analyzing they unanimously said it is due to commercialization/false advertising!

Anyway, look at the collage above again. I had time to roam around before boarding, and I happened to see Gate D44 since it is near a smoking room. The flight being boarded was PR502 bound for MNL, and I saw two friends riding on that flight home. Wala lang, just saying! Then I walked to my Gate D30!

Tara tara, let's go to my next (third) transit destination na, Kuala Lumpur!

The very short flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia was expectedly uneventful. I did not anticipate anything noteworthy that I haven't yet told in previous stories. It's probably as near as flying from Manila To Legazpi. As with many airline bookings, my ticket said it would take a little over 1 hour (ETD:1000H, ETA:1110H). But normally, it takes as quick as 35 minutes only, depending on "air traffic".

So I just busied my self with "Candy Crush Saga"! And after just two games, ah, I arrived (again) at the most hideous "new" international airport I have ever been to, so far! Yes relatively new, just circa 2014.

Let me start with this picture at the gangway (the "pier" that connects the aerobridge to the building).

It inclines from the aircraft to the main passenger floor level - and that is even considered normal. But,

Look at the sides, solid semento up to chest level! While most airports would make sure that this kind of area is as much as possible made of clear glass, at KLIA 2, it feels "claustrophobic". Bakit? Did the architect want it to be strong against super typhoons? Bakit, meron ba sila nyan? Hahaha. Bogo-a oi!

So I took a picture of the gate to the right of where we were disembarking from. This is Gate K2.

That means I was at the gangway of Gate K4. This gate is one of the nearest to Arrival Immigration & Baggage Claim. Yet it took a half hour to do so - about as long as it took for my flight from Singapore!

Really? Yes really! Why is that? Well, because you first climb up to 3 or 4 floors then go down again!

Note that I arrived at Gate K4 already. How much more if your flight arrives at say, P21 or Q14? Gosh!

That's primarily why many frequent travelers, including me of course, despise this rather new terminal. It would have been forgivable if this was built in the lesser-scientific world of decades ago, not 2014!

Imagine this: from the aerobridge, you walk on the gangway 'up' to the main building. Then you go "up" via a rampway (no escalators nor elevators) to about 2 floors. Then you walk. Then you still go "up" to yet a higher floor via an escalator. Then you walk. After the long walk you start descending via another set of escalators down to immigration on 1st floor (para kang bumaba galing 5th floor ng Megamall)!

That's not even the end of your walking yet, even if you were not a transit passenger. You still proceed to customs inspection, exit to the lobby and wade your way through the Gateway Mall that is attached to the front of KLIA 2 Building, to find the "transportation hub" (for buses) or "KLIA Express" (for train).

Now, if you were a transit passenger, as I was, from the arrival lobby you wade your way to departure lobby, check-in to your flight, do the usual documentation process, and embark on another long walk to your assigned departure gate. In this case, my flight to Brunei was departing from Gate P9. Good that I had something like two and a half hours to do all that. But the walking wasn't a joke. It's too far.

It's very similar to the long walk that you have to do at NAIA Terminal 3. The big difference though is: at KLIA 2, it involves going up and down several floors of the airport - the unfriendliest to passengers.

You might say "but there are walkalators". Well, just like at NAIA 3, there are only a few and very short - unlike in Changi and other big airports where there are many and in succession, next to one another.

Look at this, I was at what they call "satellite building" for lunch and I watched that after a long walk at the thing they call "sky bridge", passengers need to go down here, to be able to proceed to their gates.

Titigan mo, maliit ang elevator, maliit ang escalator, malapad ang hagdan! Eh andaming matatanda at mga nanay na me kasamang bata, sisiksik ka pa? Down there, you go left to Gates P and right to Q.

It's not as if just 1 or 2 gates ha? There are too many! Gates P and Q are more than half of KLIA 2.

And you thought tapos na ang akyat-baba? Look at where those passengers are going. All must head left on an incline (steep ramp) to the side of the building, then right going down along the width of this building, then left again still going down, then right, until you reach the final security check (x-ray line).

Syempre mahabang pila! Look at the label, there are 21 gates! Tapos lalakad ka na ulit to finally reach your flight's assigned gate! Good that mine was just Gate P9, it is just midway of the entire length. Da!

So tapos na ang lakaran? Not yet! When boarding is called, all go down a rampway to reach the plane! Tama na nga yan! Kapoy describe 'nega' things. Next time na, as I'll pass this way again soon anyway.

Takeoff was from Runway 33. This is the newest among the three (parallel) runways of Kuala Lumpur.

Oops, sorry bad picture choice! I just used it since there's a "33" signifying the runway number. But the actual runway (the end/start of it) is the pavement at right. The strip at left is a drainage ditch (canal)!

Anyway, the palm oil plantations are always a wonderful view whether it's a takeoff or landing at KUL.

Did you know? Malaysia was the world's No. 1 exporter of palm oil in the 1980s. But they were already overtaken by Indonesia since then. Which is probably good for Malaysia, since that product has lately caught the ire of environmental activists, claiming that having those plantations depletes forest cover!

Anyway again, generally gloomy noontime, yet I still liked my photos as we said goodbye to Malaysia!

The blue arrow is where we came from - the ugly KLIA 2 terminal. White long arrow is our flight path.

Oh, the plane circled back to above the KUL aerodrome - because we were headed east to Borneo!

I drew that light-blue arrow beside the runway, just to retrace back our takeoff path from Runway 33.

Eto pa ito pa.., this time we were just above Runway 33. Red circle is the passenger unfriendly KLIA 2!

Left edge of blue circle is KLIA 1 or "KLIA Main", right edge of same blue circle is their "Cargo Village". Do you see my little blue arrow? That points to Runway 32R. How about my little neon-green arrow, do you see it? That's Runway 32L. The little yellow arrow (middle foreground) points to Runway 33, where we took off from. And the big red arrow points to our 2.5hr destination - Borneo somewhere out there!

You can refer to the map above (first image in this article), I was backtracking from West Malaysia to East Malaysia (Borneo Island) which is nearer to the Philippines - since that's where Brunei is located!

This was an uneventful flight, with nothing much to see than just the vast South China Sea. If the sky was clear, on my side of the airplane (port side), I should probably have even seen the Spratly Islands.

And, after a little more than 2 hours (127 minutes) of flying, we landed at Brunei International Airport!

Alright, I landed na, so let's cut it here first, then do a separate story on my actual arrival!

Masaya, pramis!