Philippine Travel Notes

As promised in the previous article , here are sights and scenes as I roamed around this airport. I won't see them all in 3 or 4 visits, but I try my best every time I'm here. Good that my VietJet flight was assigned at Gate B3. A chance to roam Concourse B, even all the way to Concourse C if time permits. Yes, I doubted I had ample time! If I may just say, I like the boarding pass of VietJet, it is still the good old 'cardboard version'. They're slowly vanishing, replaced by the receipt-like version, or none at all! Oh the digital era! It should be good for us to at least have photos of these old stuff. For soon they will become history. Just a "memory of the years past" . It's happening! Entering the Pre-departure Area Ah, also a consistent experience, immigration clearance here is also congested, but way faster than it is down at the arrival area. Oi, going in is similar to the other side ! Call it petty, but I really like this glass and ...

So I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport from Cebu , just passing-by, transiting to Hanoi, on the way to Danang (cities in Vietnam). These are flights 3 & 4 on my map . No rush. I had enough time to "transfer" at this airport, since I planned well, and that flight from CEB arrived ahead of schedule. Plus I already know my way around here. That said, let me caution those who are not too familiar with transit and/or transfer quirks at Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport ( TPE ) that's usually always too busy. This was 10:23AM at the VietJet check-in counters. ETD: 1230H. I wasn't late. But... That means it took about an hour finding my way from arrival to the departure area. And I consider myself already fast, as I now know my way around this airport. Ikaw? In fact, my delivering flight (CEB-TPE on AirAsia) and receiving flight (TPE-HAN on VietJet) both use T1. Yet, it still took me about an hour to: 'retrieve my baggage' , 'do m...

Tacloban to Cebu again. I've done this many times before. But I'm not complaining - except that I'm running out of anything to tell about this portion of my trips. Or do I? What about this Tacloban Airport, again? I keep saying, "I think I have seen and said everything about this wretched airport" be it praise-wise or rant-wise. Eh, I've been using this 'ugly edifice' ever since I was a brat. But something that the Filipina candidate (in that recently-held Miss Universe thing) said, somehow left a mark in my head. She said something about "the silver lining"! And she won pa, di ba? So I said 'that's a great life-skill' . But can I apply that here? Let's practice and find out! Practice finding that 'silver lining' in this poor, deplorable, wretched, shameful situation; and see if it makes us feel any better. I suspect it will! Disappontment is after all just a product of our own appointment hehehe! Hmm, I...

This is Part 5 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. Down at the ramp, no buses. Cadillacad! Oks lang, since it was a gloomy noontime! And aha children! You should know what those things at left are. Do you remember? If you've been reading previous articles on this blog, we've already discussed igloos ! Aw hey look, there's another PAL staff. Nasa initan sya, pero naka-smile naman! Nowadays, I cannot anymore identify their roles from just looking at their uniforms, since they wear only one kind. He could be a ramp or passenger handling manager. But look far behind that guy. That was one of the reasons I clicked that shot. There's a 'train' of pushcarts being pulled by a baggage/cargo tug . Kids (and me) love them! One more thing, there's a Cebu Pacific plane on a takeoff roll. How did I know it was taking off? Ah eh I just knew! Bakit, si Madam Auring lang ba ang pwede manghula? I also took this next photo for tho...

This is Part 4 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. I stayed at the lounge until 11:00AM when boarding for my flight to CEB was called. Iloilo Airport's Gate 6 is a Bus Gate. Meaning you need to go down via stairs. That is from 3rd down to ground level . If it is hard for you to do, keep reading so you'll know. It's Getting Messy Here Meanwhile, I was kind of surprised there was that " Responsorial Psalm " on the side! But oh, I gathered from my sporadically faltering memory, that today was a Monday. That means they held their Sunday Mass somewhere around this area, but forgot to return that board and those chairs to their proper safekeeping places. Very Filipino! I mean not the Sunday Mass is Very Pinoy, but the pagiging iresponsable at tamad . Aba, if we'll be technical about it as airport people should be, that's a safety hazard . Safety & Security Look behind the ground stewardess, monobloc chairs ...

This is Part 3 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. So, ganoon na nga... I was inside the Mabuhay Lounge , their TV was playing the live broadcast of Miss Universe. Oks lang naman - but I heard some commotion outside. It was an excited roar with clapping and cheering. Hmm, very easy for me to discern what it was! This country always does that on Beauty Pageants or Pacquiao Fights! I knew it! Most everyone, passengers, crew and employees were fixated on the TVs! Oh the final three was just announced! This is that rare moment where e very mouth in this country is zipped to deafening silence - only the TVs would blare any sound ! Ah, seryosong bagay yan. Open your mouth and you'll get those murderous glances ! People intently listen to what each final candidate has to say in that "final question"! I almost laughed out loud when: while Catriona was saying "I work a lot in the slums of Tondo Manila..." a 'usual...

This is Part 1 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. The final 2 legs of my Circle Trip , that brought me to Luzon, Mindanao, and back to the Visayas! Yep, flying back home to Cebu , but just in-transit to Tacloban . Let's Go! This was fun "so far" . An uncommon route. 'Di lang lamyerda , me kasamang work ! It went TAC ✈ CEB ✈ MNL ✈ CGY ✈ CEB ✈ CRK ✈ EUQ 🚌 ILO ✈ CEB and ✈ TAC. Ah, I said "so far" , since it's not really done yet! I'm writing this at the Cebu Mabuhay Lounge, waiting to board the last and final flight of this 'circle trip' back to Tacloban. I should be able to post this story tonite , when I have finally arrived. For who knows, other interesting sights and scenes may still occur from now until my arrival, right? Check-in: Iloilo Alright, continuing from the previous story, I went to the PAL check-in counters and got my boarding passes. Plural yes, because I had 2 flights: ...

Let's continue my story from where I earlier finished! Delayed departure from CGY for about an hour. ETD was 1505H , but at 1607H here I was with my fellow passengers still walking to Laguindingan Airport's Gate 3. GoRa! If you noticed, there's an aerobridge at left, but this flight was not boarded that way! Boarding Propeller Planes At Laguindingan We went down this way: via the stairs, to the tarmac, and on to our tiny little plane! Hey, some of you (including me 'sometimes') may hate the thought of walking down stairs and on the tarmac's pavement, just to board an aircraft. But I liked it this time! It's Best When Not Raining or Sunny Hot Late-afternoon orange sunrays, wide field and sea views, gentle warm breeze. Nice! I said warm , not cool - that is because this airport vicinity is far from mountains or hills. That said, you know what that means, right? Yes, the air has that "beachy" feel! Why I Like Propeller Pl...