Philippine Travel Notes

This is Part 6 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. Pushback: Iloilo Okay, so we departed at 11:16AM. Yes, "departed" as in abante agad since this was a small plane on an empty tarmac. No need for a tow truck to push our plane away! By the way, there was something I noticced with our schedule, though I didn't bother much about it. My ticket said 1120H, the gate TV said 1140H, yet we left 1116H. Ta! Takeoff: Iloilo This meant I would be arriving in Cebu even ahead than I expected (1210H). Yey! 1118H the plane was already positioning for takeoff at Runway 02. Looking great! Thrills & Chills I was seated right-side window of the plane, and at 1123H, I was above Leganes . Directly below me (foreground of photo) are brackish aquaculture farms of UPV near the Jalaur River. Far right is Iloilo city proper. Ahead (middle of picture) is Guimaras. Not long after Skytreats were served. They had to rush, this is a quick flight ...

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 2 of the Sights & Scenes On My Iloilo To Cebu To Tacloban Flights. So, after x-ray , I went straight to Mabuhay Lounge . Oks lang. Not too many people. Not long after I was in the lounge, there was excited, lively clapping and cheering on TV, as Steve Harvey was announcing things. At the same time, there was also a roar of claps & cheers - live from real humans, outside the lounge. Aw, Miss Universe na! Some passengers and crew! disappeared from the lounge, so I went to check it out . Such an event makes Filipinos drop everything to watch - at least the final round. At this airport, most of them passengers, crew, staff, including me hubbed in front of the bigger & clearer TV sets of the pre-departure lounge to watch the final moments! Wagi naman! And, I had the PAL Mabuhay Lounge Iloilo virtually to just me, myself and I ! Eh everyone including the staff was gone! And those three manongs (businessmen? executives? too old to care?) ...

Going home time. Let's Go sago! Oh, I did not forget " let's start from the very beginning ". My departure from Iloilo! I took a cab from Seda Atria to the airport, and here I was on the diversion road... No traffic yet at 8:48AM on a Monday. Yeah! I think this was because the malls were not yet open, and most vehicles were heading 'downtown' on the opposite direction. At left is the Plazuela De Iloilo - my favorite strolling, window-shopping, dining place in Iloilo. It's a mall yes, but it has a different kind of vibe. It is 'sprawling', not vertical. Onwards, next to that, is SM City Iloilo . Ah, who does not know SM, right? That building at right is SM Strata , supposedly the tallest in Iloilo, until the Terranza Residences materializes. I heard SM Strata is not actually done yet. It's supposed to have 2 or 3 towers (daw, yun ang marites na nasagap ko)! Offices & BPOs daw yan. Further, is Injap Tower - you can see a litt...

Arriving at Seda Atria, I saw this thing and thought it was an obelisk or church ruins (such as a bell tower), that was "enshrined" to become a monument. I was curious. Soon as I tossed my bags at my room overlooking it, I went down to see it up close. Not an easy place to get to. Maybe monuments like these are just meant to be seen from afar! It's a rotund, so no stop-lights nor zebra-walks. Thus, all vehicles run fast. Well and aherm, where there's a will, there's a way . I still managed to get to it. Ako pa! This is the Donato Militante Pison, Sr. Monument located on an avenue bearing the same name, at an intersection with Pasencia Tijam Pison Avenue ! O ano, laban ka? While skirting around, looking at various details, I added two and two together, and I realized, I was at this thing many people online refer to as The Chimney Monument ! Haruy, ito na pala yun! Not an obelisk, not a bell tower, but the pausukan of a pugon ! Both the circular bas...