The Travelling Feet

Today, different airline companies offer cheap airfares to entice would-be passengers to book flights with them. And for a budget traveller like me, I always compare different airfares before I buy my airline tickets online. On the 4th of July, I thought that I got myself a good deal when I decided to buy cheap airfares online from Tiger Airways via their Bangkok to Clark route. But little did I know that I would have the most horrible experience as I became a victim of airline bullying from Tiger Airways and SEAir.

Why I decided to book flights from Bangkok to Clark

Being a cheapskate, I normally wait for promo fares online before I buy airfares to any destination. However, on July 1st, almost 5 months after I started backpacking in Southeast Asia, I learned that my mom was rushed to the hospital due to a stroke. I immediately thought it would be best if I go home but my family thought it would be wise if I stay in Bangkok until further notice.

Then on July 4th, after eating cereals for breakfast and opening my mails at 10 in the morning, I saw my sister’s message letting me know that my mom’s condition has not improved at all. My sister could not afford to go on leave for a long period of time and she might request that I come home.

Looking for cheap airfares online

Without having any second thoughts, I immediately told my friend, Ed, that I will go home. I told him that the date of my flight will depend on the cheap airfare I would find online. By 10:30 am, I started scanning for cheap airline tickets from Bangkok to the Philippines on the same day. I found one via Cebu Pacific and the flight was scheduled to leave at 11:40 that night. The base fare indicated 4k+ baht. Then I checked Tiger Airways’ airline fares. When I saw their cheap airfares online, I immediately decided I will buy those tickets. The base rate was only 3,400 baht and after taxes, I only needed to pay 4,275 baht. The only catch was the flight was scheduled to leave Bangkok to Clark at 4:40 pm. With Bangkok’s traffic, I had to carefully consider the consequences. But I had to book the cheap airfare. I was afraid that if I delay my trip home, I might regret it.

By 12:30 pm, I finished buying my airline tickets online. I bought a one-way ticket from Bangkok to Clark via Tiger Airways, which will depart 4 hours after I booked the ticket last July 4, 2012.

I also bought a ticket for the first flight from Manila to Cebu, a one-way ticket, via Cebu Pacific. My flight to Cebu was scheduled to depart the NAIA Terminal 3 at 0410H on July 5, 2012. After booking the trip to Cebu, I hoped and prayed that I won’t have any troubles travelling from Clark to Manila after my flight from Bangkok to Clark arrives so that I could make it in time for my early morning flight that next day.

I failed to print a copy of my itineraries since no one was manning the internet café I passed by. Instead, Ed, helped me capture images of my confirmation itineraries just in case I will be asked for my airline ticket.

Leaving Bangkok in a Hurry

The clock was ticking fast. Although I knew I had to hurry up, it seemed I still took my time packing my stuff. I set 2pm as my queue to leave for the airport. I thought of going to the airport via the Airport Rail Link but decided to go by taxi instead. So by 2:10pm, with only cereals inside my tummy, I left Den’s place in Ratchayothin without even saying goodbye to her, the friend who was hosting us during our stay in Bangkok, since she was still at work.

The traffic was crazy from the area where I stayed. The good thing was it was located on the northern district of Bangkok, which is near the Suvarnabhumi Airport.

on my way to the airport
photo credit: Ed

Checking in at the SEAIR counter

I really thought I would not make it in time for the 45 minutes check-in allowance so I let out a huge sigh of relief when I arrived in the airport at 3:15 pm. I immediately looked for the check-in counter of SEAir since I will fly with them. Tiger Airways has tied up with SEAir for their routes in the Philippines.

lining up at SEAir’s check-in counter at the Suvarnabhumi Airport

When the Nightmare Began

When it was my turn to check-in, I handed my camera to show her  my confirmation code. However, the check-in counter staff had a hard time finding my name on their list. She said that my name is not on the list. I told her that I booked the flight at 12 noon that day and I got confirmed for my booking. She then called someone else, Ms. Areerat K., a passenger service lead agent, to ask for assistance. I saw Ms. Areerat talk to someone on the phone and when she hung up, she told me to wait for 5 minutes since the counter at Tiger  Airways would check on my booking. She said it was likely I didn’t show up on their list since I just bought my ticket a few hours ago. The check-in counter staff started accommodating other passengers by this time.

Airline Bullying at its Finest

When 5 minutes passed, I made a follow-up on the status of my online booking. Ms. Areerat called TigerAirways again. She then told me that the SEAir flight was fully booked and I had to wait 45 minutes before boarding time to see if someone will not show up so that I can take their seat. Whatda?!?!?!

After hearing this, I immediately panicked and told her that that can’t be true since I have a confirmed booking. How could my online purchase go through if the flight was already fully booked? I kept calm but continuously bombarded her with questions about what exactly happened. I also asked her if Tiger Airways will refund my ticket as I was about to walk out of there and just book a flight with Cebu Pacific so that I can leave that night. She said she doesn’t know if TigerAir will refund me.

I was about to loose my wits at that time. They were not giving me the right responses and I felt stuck in a limbo. I started worrying about how I’d have to book for a new trip again, not to mention the Cebu Pacific flight I booked for the next day considering that I only borrowed the credit card of a friend to book those flights.

“I have to be on that flight!”

Ms. Areerat asked me to go with her to the Tiger Airways check-in counter to settle my problem. When I went there, Mr. Noppalit C., a passenger service agent, looked like he was taking care of my situation. However, it seemed that he was too busy handling other customer’s concerns. I  kept asking them what will happen and they said I need to wait for a no show from a passenger 45 minutes before the boarding time.

This was when I got mad. I started to raise my voice and demanded that I had to be on that flight. I never used curse words though. If I was speaking in my dialect, I would have probably done it. But since I had to say it in English, I didn’t I find it weird to use the F word all the time or other curse words I also didn’t see the point of mentioning I was rushing a trip home because of a sick mom. I don’t want their pity. I want action since it was my right to be on that flight. If anyone saw me that time, they would probably be afraid for I had to put up my super angry face because I was and because I had to.

A Filipina also arrived at that Tiger Airways counter since she had a similar case like mine. She also booked a flight that noon and the staff from SEAir didn’t issue her a boarding pass and was told the same thing as I was.

Delaying Tactics

I pleaded to Mr. Noppalit and Ms. Areerat that I was willing to pay the 150 baht I saw online when I booked my flight so that they can prioritize my boarding (even if I only had 200 baht left in my wallet) just to get it over and done with.

They said I can’t and I really have to wait. They said they were fixing the issue. But when I saw that they were still entertaining other customers, it gave me the impression that they were doing it on purpose. That they were just taking their time without prioritizing my issue. It looked like they were trying to delay solving my problem until 3:55pm, the deadline given to me before they give me a boarding pass.

Getting a boarding pass 45 minutes before departure was a no no for me. Have you been to the Suvarnabhumi Airport? That airport is huge. I would need a lot of time going through the security checkpoints and the immigration check point. This Bangkok airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and I can’t bear the thought of missing my flight just because I got stuck lining up at the immigration checkpoint.

The Art of Injecting Pressure

“No photo, no photo!”

Still worried sick about the staff of TigerAirways’ not helping me and the other passenger, I started taking photos. I was fuming with anger so I just clicked my camera to capture images of the counter and the staff and the next conversation happened:

Mr. Noppalit (waving his hand): “I’m sorry ma’am. No photo.”
Me: “Why not?”
Mr. Noppalit: ”It’s for security reasons.”
Me: “There’s no sign here saying taking a photo is not allowed!”
Ms. Areerat: “Ma’am, please, we are trying to help you with your problem.”

Yeah right!

Lies

After a couple more minutes, he finally told us that he found our names and that we are already confirmed for boarding. All we needed to do was to go back to the SEAir check-in counter, which was a few aisle away, to get our boarding pass. With that, I thanked him for his help and hurriedly walked with my heavy backpack to get to the SEAir counter.

As I briskly walked to the counter, my head was chanting “I can still make it! I can still make it!” (worried that the plane will leave without us)

The time on the monitor showed 3:45 pm. Ms. Areerat also went back with us.

I was almost relieved when I reached the SEAir counter and started to wipe out my angry mood when all of a sudden, after giving my confirmation number, the staff at the check in counter told me I needed to wait for the clock to strike 3:55. Whatdaaaaaaaaaaa!!!???!!!???!!!

Fighting another battle

I had to insist that Mr. Noppalit said at the other counter that he found our names already and instructed us to come back to the SEAir counter so that we could get our boarding pass. The staff said that I really had to wait for 3:55. I raised my voice again and told her the instructions given by Mr. Noppalit. Ms. Areerat didn’t do anything at all even if she heard the conversation we had with Mr. Noppalit. The staff on the next counter heard the commotion and she asked the other staff for my confirmation code. After which, I saw a boarding pass popping out of her printer. This staff gave me my boarding pass at 3:50pm.

Making a run for it

I thanked her for her help and hurriedly dashed towards the security checkpoint. I got detained for a while since I forgot to remove a pair of scissors and they had to check the liquid container that I was carrying, which was my contact lens solution. There was a long line at the immigration check point too and after getting through it, my newfound friend and I made a run for our boarding gate.

We reached the boarding gate at 4:30pm, 10 minutes before the scheduled departure and boy were we relieved!

Finally on board SEAIR!

My bottled water got confiscated and I would be eating my first meal for that day at 11pm after I landed in Clark. I hoped to drop by one of the 7Eleven stores inside the airport terminal to grab a quick meal while waiting for my flight but thanks to Tiger Airways and SEAir, who wasted all of my time, I flew out of Bangkok with a grumbling stomach. It was a good thing I brought 5 packs of small crackers with me. When I bought a bottled water inside the aircraft, I asked how much it costs. The flight attendant said it costs 50 pesos. I only have 500 and they had no change. I asked if they accept Thai baht and asked how much it costs and their reply was “50 baht”. The baht rate is more expensive but without thinking (probably because of my hungry tummy), I paid in baht. Way to go SEAir!

Recalling the traumatic airline bullying incident

I flew with SEAir/Tiger Airways when I travelled to Bangkok last February and I never thought that I’d be a victim of their airline bullying tactics when I went back to the Philippines after buying a Bangkok to Clark airfare. Had I known this would happen to me, getting denied boarding passes because I booked my plane tickets 4 hours before my flight, I would not have bought my plane fare with Tiger Airways at all. I read from Manila Bulletin that…

“If the delay or cancellation of flight is not caused by force majeure, Maglaya said the airline should pay the full amount and all that a passenger is entitled to including meals, hotel accommodation and hotel-airport transfers.”

This news came out after DTI received reports of airline bullying from airline companies. However, given that I was out of the country and I booked my flight with an international airline operator who just tied up their operations with a local airline company in the Philippines, I had no clue what to do with the incident I experienced last July.

The lack of appropriate responses from the staff of SEAir and Tiger Airways in Bangkok also limited my options on asking for a refund and fly with another airline company.

The stress and ordeal that I had to go through after the bullying that TigerAirways and SEAir did to me was something I wouldn’t easily forget. Although I still managed to fly out of Bangkok, I will avoid flying with them from now on.

How about you? Have you experienced being bullied by airline companies during your trips? Would love to hear them too

The month of August is very important to Davaoeños for this is the month where they celebrate the weeklong Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival.

photo by Olan Embuscado of http://thetravelteller.com

The Kadayawan Festival is an annual festival in the city of Davao in the Philippines. Its name derives from the friendly greeting “Madayaw”, from the Dabawenyo word “dayaw”, meaning good, valuable, superior or beautiful. The festival is a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.

I’m not really into festivals but when Eric of Byahilo.com asked me a year ago to join him and a couple of friends to attend the 2011 Kadayawan Festival of Davao City, I didn’t hesitate to book for the trip since Cebu Pacific was offering promo fares at that time. I booked for a RT Cebu to Gen. San. route (P183.36/one way all-in) as suggested but after thinking about the hassle+costs of travelling from Gen. San. to Davao, I immediately booked another trip, this time with Airphil Express when they released promo fares last February. I only paid P116.00 all in for the one way trip from Cebu to Davao. Not bad right?

So after I almost missed my flight to Davao, the next thing I knew, I was already up in the air and I could hear the pilot announce that we’d be landing in a short while. I must have dozed off for I failed to check out Davao’s aerial view and that to me was such a bummer

When I went to the arrival lobby of the Davao airport, we were greeted with a performance of a certain tribal dance. Refreshments were also served by the airport management as a gesture of welcome to its guests in this very festive mood in the Durian Capital of the Philippines.

This was my first trip to Mindanao, the largest island that comprises the Philippine archipelago. I only have very little information about the things that awaits me on my solo trip to Davao. Actually, when I hear of Mindanao, I normally associate it with “trouble” or the phrase “scary” or “not safe”. And when I hear the word Davao, all I could think of is the Philippine Eagle, also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, the country’s national bird. Then there’s also Mount Apo, the highest volcano in the country and famous for being the Grandfather of Philippine Mountains.

This was my first solo trip and I didn’t create any itinerary for this 5-day trip to Davao. To make matters worse, I didn’t have any hotel reservations and I didn’t read enough information to acquaint me what to expect the moment the aircraft of Airphil Express landed on the runways of Davao City.

Without knowing where to go, I stepped out of the airport doors and tried to scan the surroundings. “Hmmm…Where should I go?“ was what I asked myself. Then I asked a lady giving away real estate flyers on where I can hail a metered cab. They pointed to a man standing next to me and when I asked how much is the regular rate, they said it’s 40 pesos. I said no to the offer thinking that I can find something cheaper. Later on, I learned that the taxi rates really start at P40 even if they were airport taxis. So when I asked where I should head off to find a jeepney, a girl turned to me and told me she can show me since she’s heading towards that direction. She asked me to tag along. I thought she was also one of the passengers from my flight. I then learned that she was bound to Cebu for a vacation but arrived late in the airport. She re-booked her flight that afternoon and since she doesn’t want to stay in the airport, she went back to the city. She offered to be my tour guide on that brief time and I was really thankful for her hospitality. She also offered to help me find a place to stay.

That welcoming gesture alone made me say “WOW! This must be my lucky day!” I was super happy when I bumbed into Joanne, a total stranger who never had second thoughts of helping me out in my moment of distress.

The blurry image of Davao in my head was becoming clearer as each hour passed. Hospitable and Helpful people, check!

Actually, Joanne is from GenSan but she also knows Davao by heart. As we rode a jeepney to the city proper, I then saw a few glimpse of Davao. One thing I could say about the place is that it’s like a super huge downtown area. After 2 hotel inspections, I decided to stay at the Sampaguita Inn which was strongly recommended by Joanne. It was also the perfect location for our rendezvous point, which is the Apo View Hotel as it was just a walking distance from the inn.

My room was going to be available at 3pm and it was still 11am. We decided to take our lunch instead. When my new found-friend asked me where I want to eat, I told her I want to try eating an authentic Davao dish that’s just cheap. You know what she suggested? hehehe “Have you already eaten a carabao’s meat?“

To be continued…

P.S.

By the way, there were originally four of us who booked flights to fly to Davao but all of them backed out. I’m glad that I still pushed through with this trip for I would say that this was one of my most unforgettable trips. Hahahaha. Typing the word “unforgettable” made my left eye shed a tear. Ok, I need to stop being mushy now Really, this trip to Davao made me realize a lot of things. For one, it allowed me to see Davao in a different perspective. I think I’ve found a second home in Davao (wipes away tears now, hahaha…no kidding…). I think it has something to do with its warm people and I am really thankful for knowing the likes of the great Olan Embusacado, the hyper active and kalog Renz, the very accommodating MJ Maranion and Kim Ignacio, the very patient CJ Salas of and the super sweet Marcus Castle. Special thanks too to Ria and Andrew for introducing us to the owner of Lachi’s and letting us taste all their delicious meals and super yummy cakes! I still can’t forget about that Durian Cheesecake! Another thanks to Andrew for the meat bun, siopao and were those tarts? which was equally yummy courtesy of Mam Beb’s Bakeshop. And of course, Grab-a-Crab for the wonderful lunch and those mouthwatering crabs! Then also to Apo View Hotel for continuously providing each tourists in Davao the chance to experience the rich culture of Davao. And lastly, to Joanne, someone I never expected to meet in a place where no one knew me. Thank you for your kindness as you helped me adjust and get to know Davao.

One thing’s for sure…Davao, I shall return!

Can you resist a beauty like this?

I am still not done with my Bangok to Siem Reap trip series and here I am again, starting on another one but this time it is about the awesome coves in the Philippines. Only a few tourists go here but I have a feeling these coves are going to be huge attractions in the future.

Now what am I talking about?

It’s actually my trip to Zambales – that trip I took a couple of days after our Bangok to Siem Reap trip. And again, thanks to Cebu Pacific’s reliable promo fares back then, we were able to book this trip for only P114.00/head for a round trip fare from Cebu to Clark. I hope Cebu Pacific goes back to selling those cheap roundtrip airfares for less than P500!

Almost 26 days after our Bangkok-Siem Reap trip, funds not yet replenished, I still doubted whether I should push through with this trip since I haven’t recovered from the previous one – financially, that is. In fact, 10 days after my Zambales trip, I was scheduled to go on another adventurous trip again, this time to Sagada…but this one’s for another series of travel stories I can’t wait to share with you guys

Looking back, I wonder what came into our minds when we booked those consecutive trips. I guess no matter what, I am still grateful for being given the chance to visit two of the most popular travel destinations in the Philippines: Zambales and Sagada.

So let’s talk about Zambales first. Honestly, there’s so little information I know about Zambales. Mt. Pinatubo and the Aetas. Who could ever forget Mt. Pinatubo when this sleeping volcano suddenly decided to throw up tons and tons of magma back in 1991? Then there’s also the Aetas, the indigenous people who live in Zambales. Other than that, I have absolutely no clue what to expect in this side of the Philippines.

sweet serenity at Nagsasa Cove in Zambales

Then I saw this blog post about the serene Nagsasa Cove from fellow blogger Winston Almendras last 2010. The photos I saw from his site were really stunning! And then I forgot all about it until the day we had to decide where we need to go for the Clark trip. You see, we only had two options: visit the coves of Zambales or go surfing in La Union. Upon further research, we discovered that it was cheaper to check out Zambales than to go to La Union. And with the limited budget we have for the trip, Zambales was the winner by TKO. LOL.

This trip was originally booked for 3 heads but since 1 head is now enjoying a new life found in Singapore, Ed and I decided to ask fellow travellers who were interested to travel with us to cut on the costs of the entire trip. Luckily, Anton and his wife were game to join us. There were also other travel buddies who promised to go with us but backed out the last minute.

So on the 18th day of February, we flew from Cebu to Clark, travelled from Clark to Olongapo, Olongapo to Zambales and started our cove exploration from San Miguel to Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove on a very beautiful Saturday morning

Next…check out the video of the scary boat trip going to Nagsasa Cove first and stay tuned for more updates!

——————————————————————–

This is a series of travel stories on my trip to Zambales last February of 2011 to explore Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove and Capones Island. If you haven’t read on the first posts, please check on the links below and please wait for the rest of the series….;-)

• The Scary Boat Trip Going to Nagsasa Cove
• How to Get to Zambales from Cebu or other destinations

Who would have thought that even after all the preparations I did, I’d still end up like this? Late! Argh!

Ed and I agreed he should pick me up at my place at around 6am since the taxi’s normal route going to the airport passes by where I live. I woke up at 5 after a 1-hour nap. It was raining. By 5:30am (I think), Ed called me on my mobile phone and asked if I’m all ready. I told him that I was still taking a bath (yes, I bring my phone in our bathroom whenever I want to) and I’d just call him back when I’m done.

That was my mistake. I should have asked him to leave his house, hail a cab and wait for me once he reaches my place. The travel time from his house to mine was enough for me to get ready. Instead he left his place when I told him I just stepped out of the shower. He arrived at 6:15am. Since it was raining, the driver was careful in driving us to the airport.

The line outside the airport was long and I know we wouldn’t make it. I was about to go to that line when I saw Ed went straight to the entrance door and heard him call me. I didn’t know that was possible – to insert in the line He asked for the passengers to let us in first since we were already late for our flight and they gladly agreed. Still, we arrived 5 minutes after they closed the check-in counters. We tried to plead to the Cebu Pacific personnel to reconsider us since it was raining. I think there were 10 of us who were late. They wouldn’t budge. We were doomed.

blaming it all on the weather

Our only option was to become chance passengers on the next flight or book for a new flight. I immediately opened my laptop and checked the prices online. Either the cost was so expensive or the flight schedule won’t allow us to make it to our Clark to Bangkok trip. We decided to book as chance passengers and pay 3x the rate of our original plane fares. My Cebu to Manila ticket originally cost Php 1,359.68. But after the incident, I had to pay Php 5,656.00 for the rebooked ticket which covers the price difference of the original fare and the penalty fees. Ed had to pay 5k for his plane fare. Super Ouch!!!

The good thing was that Ed brought his credit card to pay for the plane tickets. If not for those plastic cards, we wouldn’t be able to travel. But we need to go on. So we swallowed the exorbitant amount just to be able to push through with the trip.

While waiting for the next flight to close its counters, Ed kept saying he won’t go to Siem Reap anymore and will just stay in Bangkok after loosing that amount of money. I had to convince him that we should still go to Siem Reap but he was half listening.

Then we impatiently waited for the the next flight to close its counters so that we can grab our chances on those seats where no one showed up for that scheduled flight. Even before they started calling out the names of the chance passengers, we were already behind the counters and Ed was quick to give our names. I was so relieved that we were the ones who were accommodated first. They tried to call a passenger’s name which was 1st on the list and since there was no response, we immediately told them that the person wasn’t there. So the person behind the counter got our names and processed our new flight schedule.

This was the first time I experienced this. Although it was a bad thing, to me, it was really a good learning experience. Not only did I learn how it’s like to suffer paying for something so outrageous because of being late but it also allowed me to experience how it is to book as a chance passenger. Although I had no plans of doing that again, at least when it does happen again, I’d be prepared. I just pity the guy whom I think was also on that list. A few minutes before they started calling out the names of the chance passengers, he asked if they were calling our names. We told him “No” so he walked away. When you happen to be a chance passenger, you have to be vigilant and if possible, stick your nose behind the check-in counters instead of being complacent since others would definitely get ahead of you.

It took some time before we finished checking in since they had to run the plastic cards. And after we got our tickets, we immediately heard our names being called to board already. Waaaaa. I think we were paged twice. After hurrying to pay for our terminal fees, and after the final xray, we  were running towards our boarding gate.

When we arrived in Manila, I happened to chat with this person while waiting for cabin doors to open. She said something like “Ganito talaga ang mga nala-late, nagmamadali makalabas.” I thought she was referring to us being late to board the plane so I kinda explained that “Na-late kasi kami kaya nasaraduhan kami sa counters kanina kaya nag chance passenger kami dito.” To my surprise, she said “Eh kami nga eh, 6:00 am dapat flight namin.” Whatda?!?!? Does that mean that the 6:00am flight got delayed and we were on board the flight for the supposedly 6am trip? I’m also not sure if Cebu Pacific Air joined the 6am and the 7:20am passengers in one plane. That may probably explain too why I never heard them announce back in Cebu that the 7:20am flight boarded already – that’s because they were still there waiting!?!?!

Upon hearing this, I didn’t know how to react. Was I supposed to be happy knowing that we arrived in Manila earlier than our original 7:20am flight? If it was indeed a blessing in the sky disguise, it was not funny. Not funny at all.

To  be continued…

P.S. This was not really an official connecting flight since we bought the tickets from Cebu to Clark and Clark to Bangkok separately but with the same airline companies – Cebu Pacific Air. The time interval on the two flights is 12 hours.

————————-

This is a series of blog posts documenting my trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap and back in January of 2011. If you haven’t read the first posts, please check on the links below:

** Off to Bangkok and Siem Reap
#1 – The Accidental Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap in 2011
#2 – Trip to Bangkok and Siem Reap: The Planning Stage
#3 – How to Create Your Bangkok to Siem Reap Itinerary
#4 – You are reading this now
#5 – En Route: Clark to Bangkok
#6 – Touchdown Bangkok!
#7 – Suvarnabhumi Airport a.k.a. Bangkok International Airport
#8 – Bangkok Train Station: Waiting for our Train Ride to Aranyaprathet
#9 – My First Taste of Authentic Thai Food

Unfinished Series from my 2008 Trip…
My First Train Ride From Bangkok to Aranyaprathet
Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok
My First Trip To Bangkok

You might also find this useful:
Modes of Transportation in Bangkok
Things to Consider When Planning Your Travel Itinerary
The Cheapest Way to Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi Airport

If you are from Cebu or anywhere in the Visayas and Mindanao region, there are two options you could take when going to Zambales to check out the famous Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove and Capones Island.

#1) Through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)

Upon arriving in Manila, you need to take a bus that travels to Zambales. There should be a couple of buses but I only know of Victory Liner. The earliest trip is at 4:00 am at their Caloocan Terminal. Travel time is approximately 4 hours. Fare is Php 250.00/head.

Advantages:

- You will arrive in San Antonio, Zambales at approximately 8:00 – 9:00 am. This will give you ample time to buy what you need for your camping/day trip in their public market. This will also allow you to visit 2 destinations – Capones Island and a choice between Anawangin Cove or Nagsasa Cove.

- 1 bus ride from the Caloocan terminal to San Antonio, Zambales

It is advisable to visit Capones Island in the morning as the waves tend to get rough in the afternoon. So you can either do this on Day 1 of your trip or simply leave early from your camping site the next day to check out this island. In our case, we chose to visit Anawangin Cove first and we arrived there at around 10:30 in the morning and left for Nagsasa Cove at 3:00pm but was greeted with the scary boat trip going to Nagsasa Cove. We spent the night in Nagsasa Cove and left at around 9am the next day for Capones Island.

Disadvantage: You need to be in Manila in the evening, unless of course you book a flight that will arrive in Manila 2 hours before 4:00am. This means you either wait in the airport before you head off to the bus terminal for the 4am trip or you spend the night at some cheap hostel or stay at a friend’s house.

Though you can still book the first flight to Manila and arrive in Zambales after lunch, you or your boatman may have the tendency to cancel the trip if the waves are too big in the afternoon.

#2) Through the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, also known as the Clark Airport

Cebu Pacific is most likely going to give away cheap fares for the Cebu to Clark route. This was the route we took when we went to Zambales. We only paid Php 114.00 for the round trip fares which was booked on 2010′s Independence Day promo

Advantage: The time it will take for you to sit in a bus and travel to Zambales will only last for approximately 2 hours.

Disadvantages:

- Cebu Pacific flights from Cebu to Clark are scheduled once daily. Your usual time of arrival in Clark will be around 6:30 pm onwards. This means you have to spend the night in Clark or Olongapo before you head to Zambales the next day. I would suggest you spend the night in Olongapo since the hostels there are cheaper. You can rent a room for 12 hours at P500, which is good for 2 heads.

- You will ride 2 buses to reach Zambales and this may be inconvenient for those who doesn’t like to transfer buses to reach their destinations.

Bus 1: Dau Bus Terminal in Mabalacat going to Olongapo (Travel time: ~1.5 hours) Fare: Php 130.00
There are vans that will take you to Olongapo at the same rate. The downside is you have to wait for the van to be filled before it leaves the terminal (in our case, we waited for more than 1 hour before the van left). You can also wait for the Victory Liner bus that will pass by the terminal and hop on one. Always ask around to know what time that bus will pass by the terminal.

vans going to Olongapo are waiting outside the DAU Bus Station

Bus 2: Olongapo to San Antonio, Zambales via Victory Liner (Travel time: ~1 hour) Fare: Php 59.00
These buses are the the ones coming from Caloocan so you have to be very quick in getting inside the bus since there will be a lot of people waiting for this trip too. I am not too sure though if there are also designated buses that leaves for Zambales from Olongapo via Victory Liner. Better contact the bus company to inquire.

a very cheap lodge is sitting above the Victory Liner Terminal in Olongapo

There may also be other bus liners that travel to Zambales from Olongapo but I have no knowledge what those are.

On going back, you can ride any bus from San Antonio to Olongapo and ask to be dropped off at the Victory Liner terminal or near it. Then immediately book a ticket going back to Manila since the last trip leaves at 6:10 pm. If you are exiting Clark Airport, it is best to leave San Antonio early and consider the ~1 hr travel time to Olongapo and another ~1.5 hours trip to Clark.

Bus Fares

Via Clark Aairport-DAU-Olongapo-San Antonio, Zambales
50.00 – Clark Airport to DAU Bus Station (airconditioned jeepney)
130.00 – DAU to Olongapo (bus or van)
59.00 – Olongapo to San Antonio (bus)

Via San Antonio-Olongapo-DAU-Clark Airport
59.00 – San Antonio to Olongapo (bus)
130.00 – Olongapo to DAU (bus or van) – fare is tentative since we didn’t take this route going back to Clark
7.00 – DAU to Terminal near SM Clark (ask the driver to be dropped off near 7-Eleven)
200.00 – SM Terminal to Clark Airport (rent of non airconditioned jeepney; fare is good for 1 head up to the jeepney’s maximum capacity)

jeepney to Clark Airport

Via Manila-San Antonio, Zambales
250.00 – Caloocan Terminal to San Antonio, Zambales (via SCTEX)

Via San Antonio-Olongapo-Manila
59.00 – San Antonio to Olongapo
240.00 – Olongapo to Pasay Terminal (via SCTEX)

These are bus rates as of February 18-21, 2011. These fares may be subject to change depending on the never ending price increases of transportation here in the Philippines.

So there. After considering what route to take on your Zambales trip, book that flight, plan your IT next and enjoy your adventure!