My Boracay family vacation video post on Facebook back in 2010 has been “resurrected”, thanks to my relatives who liked and commented in the past days. With it is a possibility of another family vacay, God-willing, maybe in Boracay again but also, maybe in El Nido!
Hello guys! Yes, I am back! I got darker, with some bruises, scratches and burns here and there, and calluses on my feet worth a lot of tip for whoever’s gonna be doing a foot spa on it. But more than this, I am back with a backpack full of stories to tell and I know you are dying to know about my epic 27-day journey across South East Asia. Hehehe.
Okay, I’m probably assuming here but as everyone I know who knew about my trip have been asking about it, I’d have to say that at least more than 10 people are waiting for blog entries about it, especially since I keep telling them to read this travel blog.
Keep in mind that I have you guys in mind (hanu daw?!) while I was traveling so I’m sure the details I’ll share in the next posts will really keep you coming back and hopefully, encouraging you to go and travel too! But, before I post the more detailed “reports”, I’ll give you three quick summaries of my traveling experience–just a bit to pacify your need to know and just enough to keep you glued for more. Hehe.
I divided the trip summaries into three: 1. Borneo (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia; Negara Brunei Darussalam; and Miri, Sarawak, Mayasia); 2. Ports and Islands (Singapore; Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, Malaysia; and Phuket, Thailand); and 3. IndoChina (Bangkok, Thailand; Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam).
Continue reading Backpacking South East Asia: Borneo Quick Summary
It’s almost time for Kadayawan!
The biggest, grandest and most colorful festival of Davao City is happening on August 19-21, 2011. Locals say it’s an event you truly shouldn’t miss. And it is somethings that I don’t wanna miss…but have to. 😦 It escaped my mind during the sale season of CebuPac and AirPhil for August, and now the ticket prices have skyrocketed way over my budget limit. Additionally, August 22-26 is a big week for us in the Project so I can’t risk getting stuck in Davao (though it’s actually ok coz I can spend more time with BF) and not being able to return on the 21st.
Anyway, if I can’t go with you, I’ll at least write some posts about Davao and help make the most of your stay! I’ve already written about one of my favorite places, Cake Galerie. It’s for your sweet tooth’s sake, so give in to the craving. Haha. 😀 Anyway, this post is about the Francisco Bangoy International Airport aka Davao International Airport.
This was the first airport I have been in while working for the Project. (Imagine, getting dispatched on a regional-via-flight trip on your second week? Not to mention the first trip just three days after starting to work?! Good deal, eh?!). According to Wikipedia, this airport is named after Francisco Bangoy, the patriarch of a landed nobility (aka as old rich family) after he donated land (see!) for the airport’s operations in the 1940s. Continue reading Francisco Bangoy International Airport aka Davao Airport (arrival)
Let’s just say this is the part 2 of my earlier blog on arriving at Iloilo International Airport. As mentioned, we went to Iloilo on the 13th and left for Manila on the 17th. It wasn’t rainy when we went there but it was raining like crazy when we headed back to Manila. As I explained earlier, Iloilo is a Climate Type III area with prolonged rainy season (actually, almost throughout the year!) so don’t forget your umbrellas! Continue reading Iloilo International Airport (departure)
All but one of my work trips were flown via Philippine Airlines through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2. The terminal is also referred to as centennial terminal since it’s completion in 1998 coincided with Philippines’ 100th year of independence from Spain (although a marker in the terminal said it was constructed in August 1999). Today, Centennial caters specifically to local and international flights of Philippine Airlines (PAL, the country’s flag carrier) as NAIA Terminal 3 hosted Cebu Pacific in mid-2008.
When I was working for the two-month JICA study, both PAL and CebuPac operated from this crisp-white, wanna-look-modern airport. The check-in counters were usually divided into two sections, one for each airline. Now, PAL mans all the 28 check-in counters and filled it with the blue, white and red line separators. Gone are the yellow polo shirt-wearing staff of CebuPac and more yellow checkered formal-uniformed staff of PAL welcomed passengers.
I have gone through Terminal 2 dozens of times and probably through all of its boarding gates. I have also done my computing in all of its laptop stations at the boarding area and used both of its comfort rooms. I haven’t eaten on all of the food stalls though as some of them looks intimidating (read: expensive).
To give you an idea of what’s inside the boarding area (especially for those who have never flown via PAL) and as I got a little bored waiting for our flight, here are some fast facts about Terminal 2, mostly for the boarding area of domestic flights. Continue reading NAIA Terminal 2 (Centennial/PAL Airport)
The Diarist Wanders 