Qatar Airways Saigon To Phnom Penh
Hah! The 'tight connection' from domestic to international terminals may have been "a little bit unsettling", but here I was, still 'gliding' hahaha! Lucky is my 'middle name'!
At 1:37PM, check-in was a breeze! It had to be, counters were to close in 3 minutes!
That (check-in counter closure) was the 'crucial moment' I have all along been trying to catch! Had I been 3 minutes slower, this story may have been totally different. Ta!
The check-in lady told me to immediately do immigration clearance, and proceed to the gate, as boarding for this flight has already commenced. Gosh, one hour BETD?
Well, no time for "pilosopo questions". She said it's already boarding, so I ordered my royal highness to be at that gate ASAP. This time though, I was calmer and collected!
Calmer as in I was back to my usual inquisitive atrevida self! Like I still had the time (or is that audacity?) to watch that group at right. They were sending off one of their colleagues, though some of them were flying out too, probably via domestic flights.
How did I know that? Ah eh.., I have my ways of knowing such things. Manghuhula!
I was at the gate 1:54PM. No people except these Qatar Airways staff. All aboard?
Yes, all passengers (except for me and another pasaway) were already in the plane.
For a 2:40PM flight? 56 minutes before departure and all were already boarded?
I approached. That girl in black hollered "all up" when I showed my boarding pass.
Meaning I was the last person they were waiting for, such that, when I showed up, it was "all up"! Okay I was boarding.., but not before I clicked that photo of the tarmac.
Something in my head told me "I must take that shot". Do you know what and why?! No, not the equipment again! We have named & discussed them many times over na!
Look above the aerobridge. You should see very familiar colors - shining through! Do you? Yes that's the tail of a PAL plane! Aliw lang seeing familiar sights while abroad.
Oy let me tell you pala, it's not just me. That kind of behavior is in most of us Pinoys (na normal)! I think it is called Identity Salience or even a Cultural Identity Salience.
Nabasa ko lang somewhere. But it's that feeling of happiness, elation, pride, comfort, identity, connection, belonging, etc., 'pag nakaka-kita tayo ng something ours abroad.
Na 'di naman natin pansin or just taken for granted pag dito nakikita sa ating bayan!
Anyway, I proceeded to enter the plane. That guy was 2nd to last, ako ang pinaka!
Kasi naman.., this wasn't really about the late arrival of my plane from Danang. This was more on "hello, 1:55PM pa lang hoy!" Eh 2:40PM ang scheduled departure natin!
Fact: when I found my seat at 1:56PM, I joked at the stewardess saying "now what"?
And she was very quick to reply saying "ACTUALLY"! Ayun, halakhakan nalang kami!
And just as I thought would happen, this plane did not leave ahead of its schedule.
But I actually loved it, that the cabin was eerily silent - walang 'wakanga groups'!
Ayos ba? I think I saw something like just 7 or 8 people behind me on this big plane!
Oh okay, let us talk a bit about this flight I was taking.
This was Qatar Airways, the Flag Carrier of the State of Qatar, based in Doha. Flight Number was QR970 from SGN Ho Chi Minh Vietnam to PNH Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Its flight route vary slightly (probably depending on passenger season). Sometimes it might be DOH-SGN-PNH-DOH, while other times it can be DOH-SGN-PNH-SGN-DOH.
It is a Middle Eastern airline serving flights in Southeast Asia? Yes - with annotation! Is it fair? Is it allowed? Will it not kill the local airlines of say, Vietnam or Cambodia?
It depends on the country's leader/s. But it's a totally normal practice under a global mandate called the Freedoms of the Air. Really more of agreements than freedoms.
On today's flight, the plane flew DOH-SGN-PNH-DOH. It had DOH-SGN and DOH-PNH passengers. Landing in SGN, it boarded passengers going SGN-DOH and SGN-PNH.
That latter group (SGN-PNH) of which, I was a part of. Now, for Qatar Airways to do that, they need permission of Vietnam and Cambodia. Not airlines but governments.
That condition is covered by the 5th Freedom of the Air. I think I already discussed this previously. But I am not sure hehe - so, there are 5 fundamental freedoms, plus 4 assumed freedoms. That makes it a total of 9 (Commercial) Freedoms of the Air.
Again, any of those 9 freedoms are enjoyed via agreements between governments.
That explains why I was on a middle eastern airline for a flight just within ASEAN!
Now what is it to you my dear Pinoy Travelers? Ang "that means" nyan ay: when you book flights, do not just search for airlines of countries you're traveling from and to.
How? Ay, easy na yan ngayon. Use any search engine like google, don't just go (yet) to an airline's website when searching. Sample? Try "Bangkok to Vienna" me EvaAir!
You might think 'ano ang kinalaman ng EvaAir (Taiwanese Airline) when flying between Thailand and Austria?'. Yun ang example ng 5th freedom rights. So, google na muna!
Hint: most of the time, '5th freedom flights' are cheaper or have many amenities!
Okay back to my flight, I actually googled HCMC to Phnom Penh; this Qatar Airways flight came out; I liked the time; I booked it! Then, here I was, waiting for pushback!
Being me, myself and I, My Royal Highness, your Pinoy Traveler.., I can't just sit tight and wallow in boredom! When nothing seems to move, I get moving. What did I do?
Nag-atrevir hahaha! I'm not keen on touching anything airplane, but this time, GOra!
Pinakialaman, binasa, kinalikot, binulatlat, sinubukan lahat nang makita at maabot!
I paused some moments looking at that thing. Why? Contemplating. Nag-isip. Kung i-uuwi ko ba iyang lagayan or not. Decision: not! Why? Madami na ganyan sa bahay!
Yes, that plastic thing that's a bit crisp; a little bit opaque and a little bit transparent; mukhang mamahalin pero hindi naman. Maganda yan lagayan ng mga documents.
It's a 'staple' in Japanese offices, even at their hotels. And, it is not even considered something of value. Parang folders or sobre lang. When you checkout naka-ganyan.
Iniipon ko yan noon. Especially those that have "tatak" in them. Ang siste, paano na lang if you have Japanese bosses. Ultimo susi ng cabinet or the yellow post-it note, naka-lagay sa ganyan! Their eyes would widen in shock, if their office runs out of it!
I compare that to a sando bag. It is everywhere - in Japanese-influenced offices! So, wag na, don't make harbat na that one hehehe! Kaso me tatak na Qatar Airways eh!
I still told my highness... 'pangit yan, gasgas na'!
Wait! Before we leave that topic. Did you know there is some "wisdom" on why Japs like to use that thing when passing things around? It's for order & efficiency. Kaizen!
In an office environment, when you're carrying transferring delivering heaps of many things, it's easier if those things are of uniform size. Di ba? Documents, susi, post-it!
Okay na, hush na! I am so "uncommunicative" kasi eh, 'no?
Oryx is the Inflight Magazine while Extravaganza is their Duty Free Catalogue.
Bring home? I-uuwi? No. But let me be very clear on this one: YES pwede i-uwi yarn! You can make harbat that, AS IN! Qatar Airways would even be very happy if you do!
Yes, as in that whole magazine pack - kasama yung transparent na lagayan! So why didn't bring it home? Ayaw na, awat na. Additional clutter! Besides, I discovered that almost all inflight magazines are posted on airliner websites - and in pdf format na!
Besides too, my bags would be too full and heavier. Oh yes, QR's inflight magazines are thick with many articles. Eh I wasn't going home yet. 4 more cities before home!
The soft comfy pillow, I tossed to the seat beside me. Good I was alone on my side.
In my mind I said you're soft and fluffy, but sorry I won't need you this time. This is just a 50-minute flight, and I want to see everything I can on the outside. No pillow hugs!
Oy by the way, Saigon (HCMC) and Phnom Penh are very near each other - less than 300 kilometers, I think. Many tourists even travel (6-7hours) by regular bus services.
Feeling ko (lang), that distance is just about from Liloan Port in Santander, Cebu to Hagnaya Port in San Remigio, Cebu. But I didn't have 6 to 7 hours to spare this time.
50-minute-flight na yan? Eh s'atin parang Manila-Cebu flight na yan, di ba? Yes, kasi malaking edroplano daw hehehe. Matagal yata ang ikot, before bumulusok pababa!
Big plane? Yes, B777 the 2nd biggest passenger plane as of today (1st is the A380).
Ang daming upuan sa Economy Class. That's 3 at left, 4 in the middle and 3 at right.
Andami ring abubot since QR is NOT a budget airline, and this is a long haul flight!
Me pa-unan na, me pa-movies or games din, me pa-sounds, at me pa-kumot pa - all waiting in every seat. Natural, initsa ko rin si kumot dun sa katabing seat. Istorbo eh!
Did you notice that big headset pack (6 pictures up). Hindi kasya sa 'seat-pocket in front of you' hahaha! It's the right panel in this collage. You can see how big that is.
That said, I can declare that that was the best noise-cancelling headset I have used in economy class. Not sure if "because it's a B777" or "because it's on Qatar Airways".
Technologies are advancing by the day, but as for aircraft audio headsets, I guess it is still "the bigger, the better" sounds get packed. But I wasn't in listening mood today.
Ako gidasuk the headset sa seat pocket, bisa'g di musulod, bahala mabuak hehehe!
Then came a stewardess greeting each passenger and giving us this...
While it maybe nothing much, it kind of reminds me that I'm not on a budget airline!
Qatar Airways is an FSC or Full Sevice Carrier, Skytrax 2017 Best Airline (2nd best in 2016), yet this 50-minute international flight was only USD119 - mga 6k sa pesoses! 26DEC ito. Aru, MNL-TAC lang sa budget airlines mas mahal pa - and no amenities!
That's why we can't blame seasoned travelers when they say mas mahal sa Pinas :(
Anyway and by the way, the attendant who gave me that cold wet towel was Pinay! I noticed that on her name tag, me watawat ng ating inang bayan. O, Watawat talaga!
When she came back later to distribute Cambodia immigration cards, I made a little drama (just to get to talk to her, actually). I said "miss, pwede humiram ng ballpen..."
I think she was a bit stunned a few moments there, looking at me speechless.., then she said "ay hindi, binibili na ang ballpen dito, mahal, one million pesosesoses ang isa"!
That, as she was actually already handing me a pen. And we burst into laughter that even caught the attention of those girls on the other side of the plane. Daldalan na!
Until push-back. At exactly 2:41PM! Imagine sitting and waiting for 46 minutes!
If I were not jolly happy today I probably would have made a scene or anything. Why board us too early when the flight is not leaving early. We sat 46 minutes waiting for pushback? Aru, this flight, per schedule, takes only 50 minutes. That was ridiculous!
Buti nalang I enjoyed looking at the gloomy outsiide; and Ms. Pinay F/A tried to sell me her pen for one million pesosesoses; and plane seats weren't cramped (777W-2).
Plus, there were no "wakanga groups" on this flight. Hay naku, ang mga intsekwa na yan pag naging grupo tataas ang highblood mo hahaha! Maybe they don't tour here!
Yeah! Maybe all those good things conspired, so that I did not feel cranky today!
Hey, happy thoughts begets happier encounters! Like this accidental fantastic shot!
Fantastic na sa akin yan, huwag ka nang kumontra. Walang basagan ng trip, okay?!
Why did I call it an accidental fantastic shot? Ahm, I thought I was just shooting a pic of people on the airstairs of that VJ plane. Naisip ko, Pinoy din kaya ang pilot nyan?
But look to the right, I accidentally caught the air traffic control tower in the shot. Ay, it's 70 meters, the 4th tallest in ASEAN. To compare, yung sa NAIA is only 40 meters!
Look also to the left, ayun si PAL airplane that I saw earlier while boarding! Ewan ko ba sa Identity Salience na yan. Feeling ko matindi ang salience na yan sa laman ko!
Laman, dugo, puso at diwa heheh! Basta when abroad, pag nakakakita ako ng Pinoy or something Pinoy, I feel so genuinely happy & proud that we are Pinoys. Corny ba?
Corny, OA, Over, Baduy, Arte, etc., etc., I've been called that by even my close friends, colleagues and family. Yet, I never get offended and I do not plan on tempering that.
Ito ang maganda (or masama ba?), pag nasa Pinas, keber ko kung Pinoy ka o Pinoy tayong lahat, do I know you? O eh, ano ngayon kung naka-barong ka, close ba tayo?
Ewan! Maybe I'm just a true and real definition of Cultural Identity Salience hehehe!
Okay, still on that accidentally fatastic picture above... look above the tail of that PAL plane. Above the roof. You should see (in a haze), what looks like a tower. Kita mo?
That is the tallest building in Vietnam! HCMC's Landmark 81.
Di ba? In just a click, while departing from Vietnam, after sitting idle for 46 minutes waiting for pushback, I accidentally captured many things memorable to a traveler!
Here's another shot with everything I identified above, without the VietJet plane.
Let me just say: they are constantly in the process of improving their airports for us!
Trivia: even if they're actually building a new airport some 70 kilometers to the east.
Trivia challenge: I will send a 'token', to anyone who will be first to guess "how many people are seen in this picture, working on the new (lighter in color) pavement". Go!
Txt, call, fb, msgr, email, viber, whatsapp, linkedin is fine. Even F2F would be fine too (kasi malay mo magkasalubong tayo somewhere). I will know the timestamp anyway!
Another fantastic (because rare) sighting. A Cambodia Angkor Air ATR72 plane.
They are already called Air Cambodia now. I said 'rare' because if you're not fond of fying to Cambodia, you'll seldom see them. They have 3 of that plane plus an A320!
Only! But growing fast. It is Cambodia's flag carrier although half-owned by Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam's flag carrier) on a 51%-49% sharing. I like their 'tulungan' relations.
Rare di ba? An ASEAN country helping another ASEAN country to operate its airline.
Okay, then we reached the end of Runway 25L for takeoff.
Another nice sighting, a plane landing at Runway 25R as we were taking off at 25L.
But that is not rare. Lots of airports in the world have parallel runways (minsan tatlo pa). They allow simultaneous takeoffs/landings for more efficient air traffic handling.
How about us? Meron daw gagawin sa Cebu, but we'll see if/when that happens.
Actually, I remember when I was still (very) young, when Clark was still an Air Base, my uncle would at times bring us there, and I could see that it had parallel runways.
Anyare? Ma!
I got a short clip of our takeoff. I'll put that here soon! Aw, eto na:
So off to Cambodia I was (as if malayo 'no?). See you again soon Vietnam!
Laugh Time!
Ten minutes after takeoff, refreshments were served (hindi nga kasi ito budget airline eh) - a choice of fruit juice (orange) or water. I chose water and said can I have two?
Binigyan naman ako ng cabin crew nang walang pag-aatubili. No questions asked!
I asked for 2, kasi nung nakita ko pa lang ang lalagyan... atara mana, hin kagugudti!
That's what we should call the "Isang Lagok Size". May pa-straw pang nalalaman o!
Da! I've been constantly joking that water might soon come in sachet packettes. Oo packettes as in mas maliit pa sa packet. Ayan tuloy.., parang malapit nang mangyari!
At least meron pa rin. Just wait. It might even come via a dropper - parang tiki-tiki!
"Mga binibini, ginang at ginoo, ladies and gentlemen, our cabin crew will now go around to give you a drop of water each. Isang patak lang po per passenger, wag kayong ano"!
I did not touch this, though I saw the kalbo in front of me was playing Angry Birds!
Well oh yes, a grand opportunity to charge my phone where I did not have to bend!
About 30 minutes into the flight, I could see communities amidst lakes and rivers.
Ah, and the plane was descending, we must have been appraoching Phnom Penh!
No mistaking, we were coming in from north-east, and this one would be Mekong!
The Mekong River is a lifeline of many cultures. It passes by so many countries!
Oh here in Phnom Penh, Tonle Sap River runs parallel, then merges with Mekong.
Locals told me back in the '90s that Tonle Sap is always chocolatier than Mekong!
Color lang ang ibig nilang sabihin ha?! Baka sumugod ka doon at higupin sila. Yaak!
Teka wait, we were already in the city. OMG it already has become a modern city!
I mean 'barriotic' ito dati hehehe. Well, that was a quarter of a century ago!
Sabagay, alangan namang hindi sila umunlad ng kahit papaano di ba?
As we got nearer to ground, I said "wow Phnom Penh has become more beautiful"!
Captivated by the views, natulala ako, I stopped clicking pictures until... blagadag!
Oops touchdown! I did not even expect that. I was like hallucinating about progress!
As we entered the tarmac, I caught this ANA plane exactly as it was touching down.
It's the first & only direct flight between Japan & Cambodia (2016). And hmm, that's the 787 Dreamliner! If that route prospers, then it should be a big win for Cambodia!
Alright, exactly 3:25PM here was our Qatar Airways docking at its assigned gate.
All I could say was: "OMG even their airport has been nicely upgraded. Ang ganda na!"
My Middle Eastern plane has arrived, and of course I said "suostei Cambodia!"
Nga pala... that Pinay stewardess na ka-joke ko kanina, I never saw her again - ever! Magpapaalam sana ako sa buruhang yon, masaya kasi syang kausap heheh! Well, I guess purser sya or anything of responsible rank, kaya baka busy with many things.
Dun nalang ako nag-ba-bye sa Agatonang taga-Netherlands. Gino-o ko 6'3" yata ang babaeng yon! Akala ko pa naman matangkad na ako! Nice flying with you again QR!
Okay alright, let's complete the arrival story next!
Coming very soon. Promise!
At 1:37PM, check-in was a breeze! It had to be, counters were to close in 3 minutes!
The check-in lady told me to immediately do immigration clearance, and proceed to the gate, as boarding for this flight has already commenced. Gosh, one hour BETD?
Well, no time for "pilosopo questions". She said it's already boarding, so I ordered my royal highness to be at that gate ASAP. This time though, I was calmer and collected!
How did I know that? Ah eh.., I have my ways of knowing such things. Manghuhula!
I was at the gate 1:54PM. No people except these Qatar Airways staff. All aboard?
For a 2:40PM flight? 56 minutes before departure and all were already boarded?
I approached. That girl in black hollered "all up" when I showed my boarding pass.
Something in my head told me "I must take that shot". Do you know what and why?! No, not the equipment again! We have named & discussed them many times over na!
Look above the aerobridge. You should see very familiar colors - shining through! Do you? Yes that's the tail of a PAL plane! Aliw lang seeing familiar sights while abroad.
Oy let me tell you pala, it's not just me. That kind of behavior is in most of us Pinoys (na normal)! I think it is called Identity Salience or even a Cultural Identity Salience.
Nabasa ko lang somewhere. But it's that feeling of happiness, elation, pride, comfort, identity, connection, belonging, etc., 'pag nakaka-kita tayo ng something ours abroad.
Na 'di naman natin pansin or just taken for granted pag dito nakikita sa ating bayan!
Anyway, I proceeded to enter the plane. That guy was 2nd to last, ako ang pinaka!
Fact: when I found my seat at 1:56PM, I joked at the stewardess saying "now what"?
And just as I thought would happen, this plane did not leave ahead of its schedule.
But I actually loved it, that the cabin was eerily silent - walang 'wakanga groups'!
Oh okay, let us talk a bit about this flight I was taking.
This was Qatar Airways, the Flag Carrier of the State of Qatar, based in Doha. Flight Number was QR970 from SGN Ho Chi Minh Vietnam to PNH Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Its flight route vary slightly (probably depending on passenger season). Sometimes it might be DOH-SGN-PNH-DOH, while other times it can be DOH-SGN-PNH-SGN-DOH.
It is a Middle Eastern airline serving flights in Southeast Asia? Yes - with annotation! Is it fair? Is it allowed? Will it not kill the local airlines of say, Vietnam or Cambodia?
It depends on the country's leader/s. But it's a totally normal practice under a global mandate called the Freedoms of the Air. Really more of agreements than freedoms.
On today's flight, the plane flew DOH-SGN-PNH-DOH. It had DOH-SGN and DOH-PNH passengers. Landing in SGN, it boarded passengers going SGN-DOH and SGN-PNH.
That latter group (SGN-PNH) of which, I was a part of. Now, for Qatar Airways to do that, they need permission of Vietnam and Cambodia. Not airlines but governments.
That condition is covered by the 5th Freedom of the Air. I think I already discussed this previously. But I am not sure hehe - so, there are 5 fundamental freedoms, plus 4 assumed freedoms. That makes it a total of 9 (Commercial) Freedoms of the Air.
Again, any of those 9 freedoms are enjoyed via agreements between governments.
That explains why I was on a middle eastern airline for a flight just within ASEAN!
Now what is it to you my dear Pinoy Travelers? Ang "that means" nyan ay: when you book flights, do not just search for airlines of countries you're traveling from and to.
How? Ay, easy na yan ngayon. Use any search engine like google, don't just go (yet) to an airline's website when searching. Sample? Try "Bangkok to Vienna" me EvaAir!
You might think 'ano ang kinalaman ng EvaAir (Taiwanese Airline) when flying between Thailand and Austria?'. Yun ang example ng 5th freedom rights. So, google na muna!
Hint: most of the time, '5th freedom flights' are cheaper or have many amenities!
Okay back to my flight, I actually googled HCMC to Phnom Penh; this Qatar Airways flight came out; I liked the time; I booked it! Then, here I was, waiting for pushback!
Nag-atrevir hahaha! I'm not keen on touching anything airplane, but this time, GOra!
Pinakialaman, binasa, kinalikot, binulatlat, sinubukan lahat nang makita at maabot!
Yes, that plastic thing that's a bit crisp; a little bit opaque and a little bit transparent; mukhang mamahalin pero hindi naman. Maganda yan lagayan ng mga documents.
It's a 'staple' in Japanese offices, even at their hotels. And, it is not even considered something of value. Parang folders or sobre lang. When you checkout naka-ganyan.
Iniipon ko yan noon. Especially those that have "tatak" in them. Ang siste, paano na lang if you have Japanese bosses. Ultimo susi ng cabinet or the yellow post-it note, naka-lagay sa ganyan! Their eyes would widen in shock, if their office runs out of it!
I compare that to a sando bag. It is everywhere - in Japanese-influenced offices! So, wag na, don't make harbat na that one hehehe! Kaso me tatak na Qatar Airways eh!
I still told my highness... 'pangit yan, gasgas na'!
Wait! Before we leave that topic. Did you know there is some "wisdom" on why Japs like to use that thing when passing things around? It's for order & efficiency. Kaizen!
In an office environment, when you're carrying transferring delivering heaps of many things, it's easier if those things are of uniform size. Di ba? Documents, susi, post-it!
Okay na, hush na! I am so "uncommunicative" kasi eh, 'no?
Oryx is the Inflight Magazine while Extravaganza is their Duty Free Catalogue.
Yes, as in that whole magazine pack - kasama yung transparent na lagayan! So why didn't bring it home? Ayaw na, awat na. Additional clutter! Besides, I discovered that almost all inflight magazines are posted on airliner websites - and in pdf format na!
Besides too, my bags would be too full and heavier. Oh yes, QR's inflight magazines are thick with many articles. Eh I wasn't going home yet. 4 more cities before home!
The soft comfy pillow, I tossed to the seat beside me. Good I was alone on my side.
Oy by the way, Saigon (HCMC) and Phnom Penh are very near each other - less than 300 kilometers, I think. Many tourists even travel (6-7hours) by regular bus services.
Feeling ko (lang), that distance is just about from Liloan Port in Santander, Cebu to Hagnaya Port in San Remigio, Cebu. But I didn't have 6 to 7 hours to spare this time.
50-minute-flight na yan? Eh s'atin parang Manila-Cebu flight na yan, di ba? Yes, kasi malaking edroplano daw hehehe. Matagal yata ang ikot, before bumulusok pababa!
Big plane? Yes, B777 the 2nd biggest passenger plane as of today (1st is the A380).
Andami ring abubot since QR is NOT a budget airline, and this is a long haul flight!
Did you notice that big headset pack (6 pictures up). Hindi kasya sa 'seat-pocket in front of you' hahaha! It's the right panel in this collage. You can see how big that is.
Technologies are advancing by the day, but as for aircraft audio headsets, I guess it is still "the bigger, the better" sounds get packed. But I wasn't in listening mood today.
Ako gidasuk the headset sa seat pocket, bisa'g di musulod, bahala mabuak hehehe!
Then came a stewardess greeting each passenger and giving us this...
Qatar Airways is an FSC or Full Sevice Carrier, Skytrax 2017 Best Airline (2nd best in 2016), yet this 50-minute international flight was only USD119 - mga 6k sa pesoses! 26DEC ito. Aru, MNL-TAC lang sa budget airlines mas mahal pa - and no amenities!
That's why we can't blame seasoned travelers when they say mas mahal sa Pinas :(
Anyway and by the way, the attendant who gave me that cold wet towel was Pinay! I noticed that on her name tag, me watawat ng ating inang bayan. O, Watawat talaga!
When she came back later to distribute Cambodia immigration cards, I made a little drama (just to get to talk to her, actually). I said "miss, pwede humiram ng ballpen..."
That, as she was actually already handing me a pen. And we burst into laughter that even caught the attention of those girls on the other side of the plane. Daldalan na!
Until push-back. At exactly 2:41PM! Imagine sitting and waiting for 46 minutes!
Buti nalang I enjoyed looking at the gloomy outsiide; and Ms. Pinay F/A tried to sell me her pen for one million pesosesoses; and plane seats weren't cramped (777W-2).
Plus, there were no "wakanga groups" on this flight. Hay naku, ang mga intsekwa na yan pag naging grupo tataas ang highblood mo hahaha! Maybe they don't tour here!
Yeah! Maybe all those good things conspired, so that I did not feel cranky today!
Hey, happy thoughts begets happier encounters! Like this accidental fantastic shot!
Why did I call it an accidental fantastic shot? Ahm, I thought I was just shooting a pic of people on the airstairs of that VJ plane. Naisip ko, Pinoy din kaya ang pilot nyan?
But look to the right, I accidentally caught the air traffic control tower in the shot. Ay, it's 70 meters, the 4th tallest in ASEAN. To compare, yung sa NAIA is only 40 meters!
Look also to the left, ayun si PAL airplane that I saw earlier while boarding! Ewan ko ba sa Identity Salience na yan. Feeling ko matindi ang salience na yan sa laman ko!
Laman, dugo, puso at diwa heheh! Basta when abroad, pag nakakakita ako ng Pinoy or something Pinoy, I feel so genuinely happy & proud that we are Pinoys. Corny ba?
Corny, OA, Over, Baduy, Arte, etc., etc., I've been called that by even my close friends, colleagues and family. Yet, I never get offended and I do not plan on tempering that.
Ito ang maganda (or masama ba?), pag nasa Pinas, keber ko kung Pinoy ka o Pinoy tayong lahat, do I know you? O eh, ano ngayon kung naka-barong ka, close ba tayo?
Ewan! Maybe I'm just a true and real definition of Cultural Identity Salience hehehe!
Okay, still on that accidentally fatastic picture above... look above the tail of that PAL plane. Above the roof. You should see (in a haze), what looks like a tower. Kita mo?
That is the tallest building in Vietnam! HCMC's Landmark 81.
Di ba? In just a click, while departing from Vietnam, after sitting idle for 46 minutes waiting for pushback, I accidentally captured many things memorable to a traveler!
Here's another shot with everything I identified above, without the VietJet plane.
Trivia: even if they're actually building a new airport some 70 kilometers to the east.
Trivia challenge: I will send a 'token', to anyone who will be first to guess "how many people are seen in this picture, working on the new (lighter in color) pavement". Go!
Another fantastic (because rare) sighting. A Cambodia Angkor Air ATR72 plane.
Only! But growing fast. It is Cambodia's flag carrier although half-owned by Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam's flag carrier) on a 51%-49% sharing. I like their 'tulungan' relations.
Rare di ba? An ASEAN country helping another ASEAN country to operate its airline.
Okay, then we reached the end of Runway 25L for takeoff.
Another nice sighting, a plane landing at Runway 25R as we were taking off at 25L.
How about us? Meron daw gagawin sa Cebu, but we'll see if/when that happens.
Actually, I remember when I was still (very) young, when Clark was still an Air Base, my uncle would at times bring us there, and I could see that it had parallel runways.
Anyare? Ma!
So off to Cambodia I was (as if malayo 'no?). See you again soon Vietnam!
Laugh Time!
Ten minutes after takeoff, refreshments were served (hindi nga kasi ito budget airline eh) - a choice of fruit juice (orange) or water. I chose water and said can I have two?
Binigyan naman ako ng cabin crew nang walang pag-aatubili. No questions asked!
I asked for 2, kasi nung nakita ko pa lang ang lalagyan... atara mana, hin kagugudti!
Da! I've been constantly joking that water might soon come in sachet packettes. Oo packettes as in mas maliit pa sa packet. Ayan tuloy.., parang malapit nang mangyari!
At least meron pa rin. Just wait. It might even come via a dropper - parang tiki-tiki!
"Mga binibini, ginang at ginoo, ladies and gentlemen, our cabin crew will now go around to give you a drop of water each. Isang patak lang po per passenger, wag kayong ano"!
I did not touch this, though I saw the kalbo in front of me was playing Angry Birds!
About 30 minutes into the flight, I could see communities amidst lakes and rivers.
Ah, and the plane was descending, we must have been appraoching Phnom Penh!
No mistaking, we were coming in from north-east, and this one would be Mekong!
The Mekong River is a lifeline of many cultures. It passes by so many countries!
Oh here in Phnom Penh, Tonle Sap River runs parallel, then merges with Mekong.
Locals told me back in the '90s that Tonle Sap is always chocolatier than Mekong!
Teka wait, we were already in the city. OMG it already has become a modern city!
I mean 'barriotic' ito dati hehehe. Well, that was a quarter of a century ago!
Sabagay, alangan namang hindi sila umunlad ng kahit papaano di ba?
As we got nearer to ground, I said "wow Phnom Penh has become more beautiful"!
Captivated by the views, natulala ako, I stopped clicking pictures until... blagadag!
As we entered the tarmac, I caught this ANA plane exactly as it was touching down.
Alright, exactly 3:25PM here was our Qatar Airways docking at its assigned gate.
My Middle Eastern plane has arrived, and of course I said "suostei Cambodia!"
Nga pala... that Pinay stewardess na ka-joke ko kanina, I never saw her again - ever! Magpapaalam sana ako sa buruhang yon, masaya kasi syang kausap heheh! Well, I guess purser sya or anything of responsible rank, kaya baka busy with many things.
Dun nalang ako nag-ba-bye sa Agatonang taga-Netherlands. Gino-o ko 6'3" yata ang babaeng yon! Akala ko pa naman matangkad na ako! Nice flying with you again QR!
Okay alright, let's complete the arrival story next!
Coming very soon. Promise!
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