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Tag Archives: Travel
Back in Bangkok
We’re back in one of our happy places to be in again. Bangkok’s been one of our favorite destinations since the 2000’s. There was a time when we were here twice a year. Those trips were mostly business, actually academic-related as from 2001 to 2008 we had collaborative research network among ASEAN Universities hosted by Chulalongkorn University. I’ve returned several times after but the last time I was in Bangkok was in 2018 for a seminar on road safety. This is the first time we are in Bangkok with our daughter (her second ASEAN country) so we’re only very happy to share with her the experiences in Thailand.
Clearing immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Where to and how to get there? We decided to take the airport taxi to our hotel.
Marveling at the spacious terminal.
I will post about Bangkok and transport in Thailand in the next posts probably after we return from this trip.
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Congestion near bus terminals during the Christmas season
I attended a formal event yesterday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Along the way and back, I already noticed the congestion along Gil Puyat Avenue (formerly Buendia Avenue) as well as the congestion or how crowded the bus passenger terminals were. In fact, the buses at the JAC Liner terminal along Gil Puyat were all on the streets. The terminal itself was filled with passengers, many of whom were queued as they waited to board their buses. Others I assumed were in line to purchase tickets there. The latter apparently have not done so online, which is already an available and more convenient option for provincial travel.
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| Buses lined along the Makati-bound side of Gil Puyat Avenue. These are queued towards to the U-turn slot that will take them to the bus terminals on the other side and near Taft Avenue. |
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| Other buses are lined along the Pasay-bound side of Gil Puyat Avenue. These come from the South Superhighway where these buses eventually head to after boarding passengers en route to Southern Luzon, Bicol and even Visayas and Mindanao destinations. |
Then as now, the junction of Gil Puyat and Taft Avenues is a major convergence area for transportation especially provincial routes. Even before the construction of the LRT Line 1 (which has a station at Gil Puyat) there have been a number of bus terminals here. Currently, I am aware of the JAC Liner and DLTB bus terminal near the junction. There are others including small terminals or garages for provincial buses. These generate much traffic particularly during this Christmas, which is considered peak season for travel in the country.
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Back in Davao after 4 years
We conclude the month of November 2023 with a post on a recent travel, which allowed me to take new photos of an airport I’ve frequently used in the past. I was in Davao last week for a national convention. The last time I was there was in August 2019 and before the pandemic so it was a welcome trip for me. Back then and probably even now, Davao was riding high after 3 years of Digong as President. I am glad that Davao is still rapidly progressing. It has so much potential with or without a certain holding key posts in government.
I will be posting about the Francisco Bangoy Airport in the next days. There have been some improvements to the terminal but most remain the same as it was in 2019.
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First impressions of a country or city – Kuala Lumpur
I recently traveled to Malaysia and just making this quick post of first impressions based on one of its gateways – Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This was not my first trip to Malaysia as I traveled there before but by land and from Singapore (we were residing in Singapore). That time, I traveled to Melaka. Here are photos when we arrived in KLIA last weekend.
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| A view of KLIA Terminal 2 as our plane approached to land |
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| Two towers – air traffic control towers, that is. The closer one is Terminal 2’s while the one at the distance is Terminal 1. |
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| A view of Terminal 2 as our plane taxied to the terminal |
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| Terminal 2 is designated for low cost carriers, and is the hub of AirAsia. This terminal replaced the low cost carrier terminal at KLIA, similar to what also happened in Changi. |
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| Our plane berthed at the satellite building. This meant we had to walk to the bridge to cross to the main Terminal 2 building. The two buildings are not served by a transit system like KLIA Terminal 1 (or HKIA or Changi, for example). |
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| The view of our plane as we crossed on the bridge to the main terminal building. |
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| AirAsia planes lined up along one of wings of the satellite building. Each wing is essentially a long pier. |
I was impressed by how large and spacious Terminal 2 is. It is designed, after all, to serve the millions of travelers going through this gateway in what is Southeast Asia’s most visited country for tourists. I just thought though that the moving walkways seemed to be an afterthought and that it was a long walk (healthy though) for many people between the main and satellite buildings. Terminal 2 though is located far from Terminal 1 so transport is required in case you need to transfer from one terminal to the other. It is not as seamless as Changi, for example. Still KLIA is much better than many capital city airports that I’ve been to though there is room for improvements.
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Vendors along the boulevard in Zamboanga
Our morning walks allowed us to observe some scenes in the city. Along the R.T. Lim Boulevard, there are stretches of what was probably a public beach. We saw these vendors along the shore selling shellfish and clams.
Vendors selling shellfish – suddenly I recalled the tongue twister: “She sells sea shells by the sea shore.”
Conchs are sea snails and considered a delicacy in the Philippines
Other sea snails that some people generally call kuhol are in buckets to keep them alive and fresh.
Clams make for good clear soup that will go with any viand for your meals whether it’s lunch or dinner.
These are the scenes you usually miss when you’re driving or riding. Walks or jogs bring you closer and provide the opportunity to stop and look (even inquire or take a few photos). They enhance our walks and allows a glimpse of how life was along the shores when a city like Zamboanga was not as developed as in the present. Manila used to have public beaches before the first reclamation projects eventually wiped them out. The attempt to bring those back in the form of the dolomite beaches don’t really help considering the water pollution that makes swimming or wading risky for people.
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Morning walks in Zamboanga City – Part 2
We took early morning walks in Zamboanga City, when most people are just starting their day. That meant less people and traffic, and one can enjoy the walks without worrying about motor vehicles or crowded streets. A nice route would be from City Hall to Paseo Del Mar and First Pilar and back. This is easily 5,000 to 6,000 steps depending on the variations to the walking route.
Zamboanga City’s Paseo Del Mar is practically deserted but for a few joggers or walkers around 6:00 AM.
You can enjoy a walk, jog or run with views of the sea and ships
The lamps reminded us of similar designs along Roxas Boulevard in Manila and Pasay.
A view of the port and what used to be the Lantaka Hotel (building at right) from the Paseo Del Mar. During one of the city’s festivals, this area would be the staging ground for colorful vintas.
This sign for the paseo would likely be a popular photo op spot.
A potted palm tree and a bench that invites one to sit and enjoy the view
On a clear day, one can see the island of Sulu
Board walk
The space is just enough for two people going opposite directions
More photos on walking around Zamboanga City in the next posts!
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Covid test kits at the airport
Despite the relaxed stance on COVID-19, the virus is still very much around and evolving or mutating. While airports in the Philippines are lax about the wearing of masks, airlines require masks for passengers on flights. I’m not sure how effective as a preventive measure this is since most people at airports don’t wear masks and there is nothing that will allow for contact tracing anymore.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 test kits vending machines are now common at airports. I guess aside from being a reminder of the pandemic, it is also a convenience for people who want to check, quickly though not so accurately, if they are positive for the virus.
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Been there, done that
A map share went viral the past week as people thought about the places they’ve been to. The map showed the provinces in the Philippines (there are other versions featuring maps of other countries like Japan) and you’re to determine whether you’ve lived there, stayed there, visited there, alighted there, passed there, or never been there. I am sharing my map here instead of on social media. My definition of ‘lived there’ is if I actually have a residence in the province. ‘Stayed there’ is if I at least spent the night there. ‘Visited there’ is more an excursion for me including making a stopover to have a meal. ‘Alighted there’ is a bit unusual for me since it should be the same as ‘passed there’. ‘Passed there’ for me is simply going through the province without stopping for a meal, to buy something, to take a few photos or a toilet break.
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Departure via Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 – Part 2
In Part 2 of this short series (and a very late post at that), I share more photos at Mactan Cebu’s International Airport Terminal 2.
MCIA is equipped with modern bag scan machines
These are now installed in most major airports in the country but the first time I saw these outside of NAIA was in MCIA.
The long corridor from the final security check to the pre-departure areas
The terminal is spacious as can be seen in this photo (and in the previous Part 1).
There are many restaurants and cafes to choose from inside the terminal.
There are generic ATMs around the terminal for the convenience of travelers who might need cash or do other transactions using these machines.
Information counter in the middle of shops and restaurants
Souvenir shops have products mainly from Cebu. Others are from other provinces or regions but mostly from the Visayas.
Another shot of the information counter with the souvenir shop across from it
Cafe at the terminal just before the gates
There’s a nice ramen restaurant at the terminal. I will write about this but in another blog.
Premium lounge sign showing airlines whose passengers may use the lounge. Beside is a sign showing terminal guidelines including the wearing of face masks and the urge to regularly sanitize and practice physical distancing. This was over a year ago so perhaps they have a different sign at the terminal now.
A closer look as the premium lounge sign
A look at the entrance to the pre-departure lounge of Gate 20
A view of the terminal and the tarmac
Tube waiting for the next aircraft to dock
The modern design restrooms are clean and spacious.
Boarding gates
I took this photo of the floors.
Drinking station near the toilets
A familiar shop is this WHSmith, which we used to see only in airports in other countries including Changi and HK.
A look at one of the Duty Free Shops at MCIA T2
A glance along the corridor shows most shops and restaurants open
Familiar brands like Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf have branches in the terminal
Burger King is beside this donut shop – the donuts are really good and I took home a box from this shop.
Gateway to the departure gates 
Terminal 2 cafe menu
Another look at the tube while waiting for our plane to arrive.
Other aircraft at the airport includes private planes and military aircraft from the adjacent air base.
I already mentioned that this is a late post. We traveled to Cebu back in July 2022 and perhaps many things have changed since then. The terminal’s features though should have few changes aside from having more people there as restrictions due to COVID-19 have been lifted. I just wanted to post this as a form of closure for an unfinished series featuring MCIA T2 before I start posting on other airports.
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Bisikleta Iglesia – Visita Iglesia on a bicycle
I read this post shared by a former student-advisee about a Bisikleta Iglesia being organized in Quezon City. Here are some information I got from the post:
More details on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PadyakQCklista
Of course, if you’re more into longer distance rides and even older churches, there are other routes to consider around Metro Manila. Manila alone would have so many churches to include in a Visita Iglesia itinerary such as the Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Binondo Church, Sto. Nino Shrine, Paco Church, San Sebastián, Remedios, St. Jude, San Miguel and Quiapo (Black Nazarene). I will look for other itineraries shared and try to share them here before Holy Thursday. For those who are more adventurous, I share an old post (April 2019) about a bike able itinerary in Rizal:
https://d0ctrine.com/2019/04/16/visits-iglesia-itinerary/
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