NAIA 3
My family and I were gone to Manila for a week. We arrived there on Thursday and the first thing that greeted us was the spanking new Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. Stepping out of the airplane tube and into the airport, it was a far cry from the old Manila Domestic Airport with its outdated equipment and peeling infrastructure. Everything is spic and span with toilets clean and working. The NAIA 3 is modern and its a mostly steel and concrete structure. Here, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) personnel do go by their slogan, "We go the extra SMILE" and are friendly and ready always to assist. At a glance, it is comparable to first world airports that I have seen on movies and the tv. There are walkalators for the weary travelers at certain parts of the quite long hallways. A word of advise for those who would like to save on their travels, the "official" taxis are the yellow ones and are found on the taxi waiting line but if you go a little further away, the ordinary taxis are there which have a cheaper flag down and per kilometer rate.
The only mild irritant of our NAIA 3 experience was the "express" counter of one of the local airlines on our trip back. I had to get our e-tickets which we purchased over the internet and we waited for almost an hour and a half in a line that was barely moving. Luckily, I had already adjusted to Manila timelines determined by the traffic gridlocks and set out for the airport five hours before our departure time so we arrived there with a good two and a half hours before boarding time. Nevertheless, waiting this time was not a chore owing to the good airconditioning system and comforable seats that were all over the place.
The NAIA 3 Departure area with the check in counters in the background Malls
As soon as we unpacked, off to Trinomal Mall we went as it was the nearest one from where we were staying. It is just off North EDSA and right across SM, however, traffic is quite slow as it is on a busy thoroughfare. It has a well-designed common square with landscaped trees and fountains, a trademark of all Ayala malls. You can find all major brands here including foreign ones like Debenhams and the GAP. At the time of our visit there was a sale for "high-end" names for BPI credit card holders and I got a GAP blouse at 5o% discount. My daughter had much fun on the children's rides located on the uppermost floor and the hubby got the record for the heaviest "smash-on-a-hammer" winning us 10 points. Yup, my better half is on the muscular and biggie side, so people hesitate to mess around with me (hehehe).
Php100 WIFI
As I've said earlier, our trip was mall-filled and the gargantuan Mall of Asia was on our itinerary. We went on a Sunday when traffic was lighter (you would have noticed by now, most of our trips are determined by the heaviness or lightness of the traffic, that's how big it figures there). Well, as they say, it indeed is the biggest in Asia and the boast is not an empty one. We confined ourselves to the North wing as the scooters were only available for the aged and the handicapped. Short of feigning illness, there was no way we could get aboard one to go to the other end and walking was out of the question in a place so big. There were so many people and I guessed it was because they wanted to escape the infernal heat. It was here that we went into a Gloria Jeans coffeeshop that charged Php100/hour for access to its wifi internet connection. A highway robbery considering that its even offered for free in other java joints and its only Php20 per hour in Internet cafes and I rightly told the cashier so. But we had no choice as we had to buy our airline tickets over the Internet. But still, the place had one of the best chillers around, try the vanilla caramel chiller, real yummy.
Traffic, traffic, traffic
Daily sight on Taft Avenue, bumper to bumper traffic
While I have been born, raised, and lived in a city, Tacloban, it is nothing compared to the big metropolis that is Metro Manila. Traffic,while a minor irritation and lasting only for 15 to 30 minutes during rush hours and only on Mondays and Fridays here, in Manila it is a horrendous hours long gridlock that people have to live and contend with daily for the whole of the week. It is such that intineraries have to be carefully planned so that you don't waste the day stuck in traffic. Travel from Quezon City to Makati takes two hours to two hours and a half on rush hours so we skipped the latter. We also always looked for streets that escaped it that one time it got us into trouble. We entered a one way road and got cited for a ticket as my sister's pleadings and feigned tears did not get us off.
Honest taxi drivers, "magulang" taxi drivers
What's the difference between an honest taxi driver and an unscrupolous one? Two hundred pesos. That's the fare gap between the taxi we took upon arriving at the airport that took us to my sister's place and the taxi we rode in to get to the airport on our trip home. It was the same route, same non-rush hours yet the first charged us more than Php400.00 while the latter charged us only Php200.00. The good apples are always thrown in with bad ones and its always the latter that gives all of them a bad name. The hubby gave a generous tip to the honest one and a mean stare for the not-so-honest one.
Fine Food
I've always make it a point when I travel to dine in an establishment that has no franchise in where I live, so on this vacation, we ate at a Chinese restaurant and a Japanese place that had no branch in Tacloban. We tried Super Bowl at Asia Mall, a Chinese restaurant. I liked its eggplant stewed in a secret sauce. Delicious. The lemon chicken, however, was too sweet for my taste. We also ate at Teriyaki Boy, for almost authentic Japanes cuisine. I whined about the small servings and in reply my sister gave me a lesson on Japanese eating culture. That's why they are so slim because eating is an art that is savored not only enjoyed and is done in small morsels, so she said. Well, I still say the price of the maki is too big for three small pieces. Again, sis said its because the ingredients are rare and authentic, thus pricey. As for the sashimi, I still have to acquire a taste for it.
Shopping
If for anything else, it's the shopping choices that's so aplenty in Manila that holds the greatest attraction for me. I had to control my shopping urges or else I would have made me and the hubby incur humongous credit card debts and have us eat bulad (dried fish, a poor man's fare)for the rest of our lives (of course I'm joking) to pay up.
There are so many stores and brands to choose from, from clothes, household items, make-up, food and so much more. I stuck to much budget though, and had enough left of my pocket money to put in the bank. Yes, that's how thrifty I am, when everyone would rather spend all their money on a vacation, I like to keep some left for the porcelain piggy. But that did not stop me from buying things on sale. Got some curtains with 20% of the price slashed off, clothes for my daughter, clothes for me, uhhmm, for the hubby, I let him do his own shopping, which he actually prefers (hehehe).
