Clark to Caticlan, Going Boracay

Let's continue my story from the previous article...

Oy, I didn't forget I had a connecting flight to Caticlan hahaha! Pasok ang iyong Dear Pinoy Traveler!

I just looked around those check-in counters (for whatever it is worth), since I was already holding my boarding pass to Caticlan, issued at Mactan. Yes, I left Cebu with boarding passes of my two flights na.

Airline people call it "through-check-in" or "check-through" - but we already discussed that topic long ago, right? Where upon checkin at your origin, you get 2 boarding passes for your 2 connecting flights.

Then I made my way to the pre-departure area... I know those colorful walls are also temporary!

But nice that they hung old pictures of Clark Airbase, to adorn this inclining claustrophobic hallway!

I must tell you though, the ugliest part of this whole Clark Airport Experience was that 'security check' (xray) area just before this hallway. It is a bottleneck, a conglomeration of barbarism, and total chaos.

Lack of control was obvious. To use the word "untrained" airport security personnel is improper. They just don't use their brains. Mas inuna nila mahabang zigzagging security tape that doesn't help at all!

Example: you're asked to remove your shoes and put them in a tray. But you can only get a tray when you're already in front of the xray machine. When you do get hold of a tray, there's nowhere for you to bend and remove your shoes, because a pandemonic crowd is ever pushing forward. Balyahan blues!

Hindi lang yan! Lumayo ka sa linya to remove your shoes and put them on that tray. Paano ka ngayon babalik sa pila? Alangan doon ka uli sa dulo ng linya - na naka-paa! But Grade 5 pupils can solve that!

Eto pa: paunahin daw ang matatanda at me mga bata. Pinapa-una naman, kaso ang isang matanda 7 ang kasama! Lalong nagsikip ang crowd doon na mismo sa me xray machine. At iilan ba ang matanda, iilan ang me bata na papasok for all ongoing flights? Tayo na hindi 'pa' gurang at nag-iisa, kelan tayo?

I could not even fish my phone to take just one shot. Ang gulo-gulo, tas nakatingin lang sila.

After that security check and the hallway, the terminal fee counter is another bottleneck but milder.

I had to tell my self, I better avoid flights from Clark, until this godforsaken airport is really finished!

From what I experienced, I think it will still be cool to arrive here - not depart. Something like: take a flight to Clark, ride the bus to EDSA, then go home or go straight to the office. But depart from Manila.

The pre-departure area is nothing special, probably because it is (nga daw) still a work-in-progress :)

It reminds you of Manila's Old Domestic Terminal now called T4. Basic, nothing special, but okay lang.

Boarding was also nothing fancy as it's very much like at T4, but the bus rides here are far as in FAR!

Imagine where a bus can take you in 14 minutes, on a field with no vehicular traffic. Will it be far?

But we just came from the gate (where the buses are) to this position. How could it take 14 minutes?

Look at it intently, kahit lakarin mo yan ng patalikod, it won't even take 5 minutes, right? Hehehe, sirit na? It's because buses have to go around the apron/tarmac, following a designated land-vehicle lane.

So umikot ang bus ng malayung-malayo, just to reach our plane na nasa gitna lang naman hehe! Ayan o, ang lapit lang, di ba?! But I liked it that the bus took us around hahaha! I saw some notable things.

I was on Seat 4D (right side window), no one else sat on any seat in front of row 4! Practical times?

What's so practical about it? Well, the first 2 rows (1CD, 2ABCD) are Permium Economy seats, which is a higher class of service (more expensive). Next row (3ABCD) is, on paper, 1st row of regular economy so it also costs more, just because it is technically "front", yet has no difference at all with row 4. Capice?

People opt to buy seats from row 4 up because they're cheaper - more practical! Later, in a video, you will see the guy assigned to 4C, jumped to 3A without asking permission, but it's usually "no big deal".

Okay, takeoff time, let's go! I took a video of our takeoff. I'll put that here soon.
And I was in the air once again. This time on my continuing flight from Clark to Caticlan. Yeah!

As much as I eagerly wanted to, I could not identify all the cities and towns below, due to intermittent fluffy white clouds getting in my views! Plus of course the fact that, I do not fly around this area often.

SkyTreats came too! Chicken Adobo Bun (100g), still Freshly Baked for PAL by Max's Corner Bakery!

So... I realized something to correct my self. It's not always Goldilocks that PAL gets its SkyTreats from! Some, like those I had today, are from MGI (Max's Group, Inc.) - yep, the house that fried chicken built!

Yun naman pala... oist PAL, pwede Caramel Bar nalang ang SkyTreats ko in every flight? 7 pieces ha?!

Anyway, the views were unusually still wonderful on this unusually bright November day...

Again, I was 'generally' lost as to which places we were flying over. I suspected we passed over Laguna Lake, on to Batangas, and that last picture above is (I think) the Bongabong River in Oriental Mindoro.

It runs consistent (for an expected landing approach pattern) passing over Semirara Island...

Banking left towards Malay, which gives us this view of Pucio Point (Buruanga at left edge of photo).

By the way, just an added information for non-Filipinos, Malay /mɑːˈlaɪ/  is the town where Caticlan and Boracay are part of. Caticlan is a barangay. Boracay is an island composed of three barangays namely Manoc-manoc (the southern end), Balabag (middle) and Yapak (north area). It's "ma-lie" not "ma-lay".

Aw, because the sky was rather 'still clear' I shot a video clip of our landing (I'll put it here soon)!

So, flight finally arrived at Caticlan Airport, where like most airports, so many things are in progress!

Looking at the ground staff, I instantly knew we were to 'park' in between the two big Airbuses. Dito:

I could see the Air Marshall perched on something, and already started waving. Our plane's nose must be in front of him, so our pilot must follow his signals. I like watching Air Marshalls do their role. Aliw!

Sana lang sumasayaw din sila like some traffic policemen - para total entertainment hehe!

I was first to disembark and ride on this bus that would ferry us the few steps to the arrival area!

As of now, all passengers from all flights are ferried by bus to the arrival area due to contruction work happening everywhere. That's until the new terminal is done, that will hopefully be bigger and better.

Our bus passed under this big Airbus. This must have been my friend's flight that arrived ahead of us.

It's really very near from the plane to the building, but as a safety precaution, we must ride on buses!

And finally, after about 8 hours from Cebu to Clark to Caticlan, here was I, entering the arrival area!

My friend who flew in from Manila was behind that door waiting for me. He said he just picked his bag from the carousel, and my flight arrived. I congratulated my self! Good planning. And lucky, no delays!

Okay folks, that was flying from Tacloban to Cebu to Clark to Caticlan. Now what?

Syempre punta tayong Boracay. But let that be my next blog entry!

C ya!

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