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Category: Travel

Grounding lessons

A book on the rise of Kinaray-a language by Alex de los Santos.
A book on the rise of Kinaray-a language by Alex de los Santos.
Second day of the year 2016, I was pulled to the ground – a much needed lesson, courtesy of a bus conductor.

Last Saturday, I took a Ceres bus to Iloilo from our province in Antique to take my flight back to Manila.

As I was gathering my baggage upon arriving at the bus terminal in Iloilo, I couldn’t find the box containing foodstuff (adobong manok, suman, saba na saging, rootcrops) that neighbors went out of their way to obtain and prepare for Manila relatives.

There were no more passengers left and I looked all over the bus but I couldn’t find the box. I was sure it was loaded in the bus together with my two bags. So I asked the conductor, “Sa diin tana ang akon box? May higot nga yellow nga straw.” (Where’s my box? The one tied with yellow-colored straw.) That’s in the Kinaray-a language of Antique.

The conductor helped me look all over the bus. We couldn’t find it. He tried looking at the rear and side compartments. No box.

He took one last look inside the bus and he found it under the last seat. I thanked him profusely.

He accepted it with relief saying they felt responsible for every piece of baggage loaded in the bus. Then he remarked. “’Box’ man ikaw nga’box’. Karton gali ang imo ginasagap. (You keep on saying ‘box’ when you are looking for a ‘karton.’)”

Dismissed baggage handlers at NAIA appeal for their side to be heard

Waiting and hoping that your baggage is intact.NAIA baggage  carousel.
Waiting and hoping that your baggage is intact.NAIA baggage carousel.
A few weeks ago, six baggage handlers in NAIA1 were apprehended by airport intelligence agents after valuables suspected to have been stolen from passengers’ baggage were found in their lockers.

Reports said items found in the baggage handlers’ lockers included a gold ring and earring, a G-Shock wristwatch, a Seiko wristwatch, and three branded men’s sunglasses and padlocks.

Officials of the Manila International Airport Authority, the office that oversees international airports in the country, said they have outsourced baggage handling at the airports so the handlers were employees of one of the accredited companies.

MIAA General manager Angel Honrado said the six were suspended. At the same time, he advised passengers not to put valuables especially cash and jewelry in their checked-in baggage.

NAIA1 no longer world’s worst, now ranked 4th-worst

NAIA1. From Flickr
NAIA1. From Flickr


By Ellen T.Tordesillas, VERA Files

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Teminal 1 (NAIA1) is no longer the worst airport in the world, according to an online website dedicated to reviewing airports all over the world.

NAIA is now No. four in the 2014 list of Worst Airports of “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports,” outranked by Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Pakistan (1st); Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia (2nd); and Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal (3rd).

The Guide to Sleeping in Airports explained the improvement in ranking of NAIA1:

Is anyone surprised that NAIA1 is worst airport in the world?

Long lines NAIA1. Thanks to Flickr for photo.
Long lines NAIA1. Thanks to Flickr for photo.

Is anyone surprised that Ninoy Aquino International Airport is once again the topnotcher in the list of worst airports in the world?

The Sept. 30, 2014 post in the website Life Cheat Sheet said “Airports are often an essential and unavoidable part of traveling. Sometimes, you luck out and find yourself in an airport that has minimal wait times and is full of shops, restaurants, and polite staff. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.”
It listed 10 worst airports known for “having rude staff, long lines, poor facilities, and a chaotic environment. “

Life Cheat Sheet website cited NAIA1’s feature that beat competitors hands down: “This Manila-based airport struggles with the 32 million passengers who use its facility each year. That shouldn’t come as a shock, though, considering it only has the capacity for 6 million passengers, according to CNBC.

The other side of Palawan

Mention Palawan and what comes to mind are Underground River and El Nido in the northern side of this richly-blessed province from its capital, Puerto Princesa.

'We return the favor by replenishing the soil and replanting the trees, shrubbery, and grass to restore the natural habitats of the flora and fauna and recreate God's creation as it is meant to be.'- Nickel Asia
‘We return the favor by replenishing the soil and replanting the trees, shrubbery, and grass to restore the natural habitats of the flora and fauna and recreate God’s creation as it is meant to be.’- Nickel Asia
Three weeks ago, we went to the southern side- in Rio Tuba, where Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation is.

This is my second time to visit RTNMC and it was good to note that the road was better and the trip was shorter by two hours. Five hours (including a lunch stop in Narra) this time compared to seven hours two years ago.

It shows how fast development in Palawan is. I was reading “Jewels of Rio Tuba,” the coffee table book on RTNMC and I was fascinated by anecdotes about Rio Tuba in the early 70’s. There were no roads. To go to Rio Tuba from Puerto Princesa, the pioneers of RTNMC travelled by land to Brooks Point and from there, a four-hour boat ride to a landing along the river.

Standing by up in the air

Thanks to Philippine Flight Network for this photo.
Thanks to Philippine Flight Network for this photo.
As our flight from Iloilo (Philippine Airlines 934) was starting its descent to the Ninoy Aquino International Airprt, the pilot announced that we were number 12 in the queue for landing and that our arrival would be delayed by 30 minutes. Reason: traffic congestion.

This kind of delay due to traffic congestion at NAIA has become a standard happening. It has become a practice.
Two weeks ago when we went to Palawan, our departure was delayed for about 30 minutes.

We were already seated, our seatbelts fastened yet we were not taking until after half-an-hour later. Same reason: traffic congestion.

Discover Antique this summer

Calachuchi blooms perfume the island of Nogas. Thanks to www.philippinelife.com for the photo.
Calachuchi blooms perfume the island of Nogas. Thanks to www.philippinelife.com for the photo.

Looking for places to visit this summer?

Try the not-so-trodden paths. Try the perfumed island of Nogas in Antique.

Located in the northern most part of Antique, Nogas Island is 24 hectares of deep and lush forest. If you want to explore it, better get a guide familiar with the island. It’s easy to lose one’s way exploring the inner part of the islands because of the lack of pathways.

Will PH be ready for Asean 2015 when we can’t do simple things right

Immigration counter, Manila airport.
Immigration counter, Manila airport.
What I’m relating is not a life-and-death matter but it shows why we are lagging behind with some of our Southeast Asian neighbors.

When the Jetstar plane I took from Singapore touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport about 10 in the morning yesterday, I realized I haven’t filled up the Immigration and Customs Declaration forms that are usually distributed on the plane. I asked fellow passengers if the flight stewardess had distributed the forms while many of us were asleep and they replied, “None.”

When we got to the area before the Immigration Counter, we were told the forms were on the stands on both side of the room occupied by passengers dutifully filling up the form.

Concerns about mammoth complex in Boracay

It’s only February and we are now feeling the beginning of summer.

It’s now time to look for budget offers from airlines and out-of-town hotels.

Boracay. From Korea News Online
Boracay is a logical destination for us because our place in Antique is just three hours away by bus to the popular island.

A recent Facebook post by the peripatetic Teddy Montelibano on Boracay on the plan of San Miguel Corporation to develop Boracay makes it compelling for us enjoy Boracay now.

Teddy’s post was from the FB page of the province of Aklan boasting of the “Country’s biggest hotel and coliseum to rise at Boracay Airport Complex.”

The project which had no less than President Aquino as guest when the renovated Caticlan airport was inaugurated in June last year is to be undertaken by TransAire Development Holdings Corp., a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp.

Three people you should meet in Siem Reap

Photo from Wikipedia
I never cease to be awed by Angkor Wat.

The first time I stepped on the once- sacred grounds of the sprawling (covers an area of almost two hectares), 2,000- year old temple was an overwhelming experience. That was in 1987. I was with a group of journalists of different nationalities covering Southeast Asia. It was a side trip from our main coverage which was an interview in Phnom Penh with Cambodian officials led by Hun Sen, the former Khmer Rouge commander who abandoned the genocidal regime in 1977 and emerged as the leader of the Vietnamese-backed government. He is currently the prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Last week, I went back to Siem Reap with my friend, Marilyn Robles. For three days, we went temple-hopping – total of 23 temples in three days. In the process of being enthralled by the distinct features of each temple, we met interesting persons.

One was Muk Moon, former monk and a resident of Angkor Wat.