The Travelling Feet

There are times when life teases you in the most unconventional ways just to test your will. And now that I am writing this article, I suddenly remembered the foolishness we committed last year arriving 5 minutes late on our connecting flight to Bangkok from Cebu. Then on the day I abandoned my home in order to grow up, history played a joke on me which almost cost me a few thousand bucks and prevented me from pursuing my dream to travel Southeast Asia indefinitely.

the only stuff i brought for my backpacking trip

Cebu to Clark via Manila

There are different flights to Thailand from Cebu. I chose SEAIR because of their promo fare offering so I was left with no choice but to book the Clark to Bangkok flight. Taking Cebu Pacific’s Cebu to Clark flight would require me to stay overnight in Clark. But Clark’s hotels are expensive for a budget traveller like me. A Cebu to Manila flight was the cheapest route I could think of and I had a friend’s place to crash. Luckily, Airphil Express was offering a promo fare at that time.

My flight was at 12:15 pm on February 10th. 24 hours before, I signed up for Airphil Express’ web check-In service. I made sure I did this to avoid the hassle of lining up to get a boarding pass.

Time check: 11:00am. Confident that I had guaranteed seats and I could show up at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport 30 minutes before boarding time, I left our place an hour before my flight schedule. It took me 15 minutes to hail a taxi going to the airport. I told myself to calm down since I still got 15 minutes left.

There was a heavy flow of traffic before we reached the last bend leading to the Mandaue-Mactan bridge. (Note: If you are going to the Cebu Airport from Cebu City, you have to pass by either of the 2 bridges that connects Cebu to Mactan Island) I heard the AM radio announced that there was a heavy flow of traffic at the bridge. I thought they were referring to the traffic where I was so I didn’t pay attention to the warning. The cars started moving too so I decided to stay on that route.

bumper to bumper traffic!

Time check: 11:30am. Once the cab made the right turn and entered the road leading to the bridge my eyes widened in shock. I wanted to scream but I got speechless and silently cursed at the sight that greeted me. The vehicles in front of us were not moving at all! The cab was trapped! Then the radio announced that a 10-wheeler truck got stuck in the middle of the bridge due to 2 flat tires. The driver asked me what time my flight was then started giving me a sermon on why it’s best to travel to the airport 2 hours before one’s scheduled flight. I wanted to defend myself and say “Haler! Our house is so near the airport and without traffic, it only takes 10 minutes to reach the place!” “Malay ko ba naay ma-flatan nga trak diri!”

While stuck in traffic, I already imagined how I’d have to dash through the airport’s xray machine at the entrance, run to the ticketing counter, and plead to allow me to board the flight (paranoid mode). I also thought I may have to buy a new ticket as it was impossible to reach the airport on time in that state. I started calling all the angels and saints up above and prayed hard to help me make it. I had a very tight budget you see. Buying a regular plane fare to reach Manila was out of the question.

the truck that almost cost me another plane fare

Time check: 11:53 am. Finally, we passed by the 10-wheeler truck! I silently chanted “please, please, please let me make it” while preparing the cab fare.

Time check: 11:57am. I hurriedly went through the customary luggage scanning process then looked for Airphil Express’ counters. There was a long line. I approached the web check in counter and handed my boarding ticket not minding the person who was supposed to be next in line. The agent received my ticket and after a minute, she handed to me my boarding pass and said “Ma’am here’s your boarding pass. Please wait in Gate # 4. By the way, delayed po yung flight nang 2 hours. Pasensya na po.” I never thought hearing those magical irritating words could become music to my ears. The agent must have thought I was on drugs since I left the counter floating while smiling. Whew! That was close!

I guess that was it! There’s no turning back! One more flight to catch!

…to be continued

The best part about having a brother who is based in Manila is that I can ask favors like picking us up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 when our plane landed from Cebu while on our way to Bangkok Since we were crazy about cheap plane fares, we had to endure the consequence. On this particular trip, we had to follow this route: Cebu-Manila-Clark-Bangkok-Aranyaprathet-Poipet-Siem Reap just to reach our 1st destination on this leg of our Thailand-Cambodia trip.

After meeting up with my brother, he dropped us off at the Victory Liner Pasay Terminal. It wasn’t far from the aiport though. I just want to “inconvenience” him so that we can save on our expenses for this trip (at least I get to bond with him. LOL).

paid P137.00 for an airconditioned bus to going DAU, Pampanga

To reach Clark Airport, which is in Angeles City in the province of Pampanga, you have to ride a bus for a minimum of 1.5 hrs depending on the traffic.

If you still got a lot of time before your flight, you can chill at SM City Clark like that little fellow below

In order to reach the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport a.k.a. Clark International Airport, you can ride a regular taxi or hire one of those airconditioned jeepneys. A regular taxi is very expensive since they only go on special trips.

the airconditioned jeepney going to Clark Airport

Hiring an airconditioned jeepney will cost you P200.00 for the trip (one way) which is why it is convenient to travel in groups so that you can split the cost of the fare. We paid P150 for this trip since we opted not to have the air-conditioning unit of the jeepney on.

The Clark International Airport opens at around 5 – 5:30pm. If you arrive here early, you can find a seat at those tent-covered benches at the departure area or wait at the benches on the arrival area.

Even if you get inside the airport premises early, you still have to wait for the counters to open at 6:00pm. This is the best time for you to have your money changed to dollars or baht (Thai currency) in case you failed to do so. However, there’d be instances when the Foreign Exchange Currency booths inside the Clark Airport would ran out of bahts. If this happens, you can have your money changed to dollars and have your dollars changed to baht when you arrive in Bangkok.

surfing the net while waiting for our flight (photo credit: Soloflighted)

After missing our flight in Cebu, we had to make sure we were early for our Clark to Bangkok flight since we couldn’t afford to miss it again. One good thing about being early is you’d get to head first to the working power outlets inside the final waiting area of the airport and plug your gadgets while you kill time waiting for your flight.

Finally! After waiting for almost 2 hours, we got our queue to board the plane. The best thing with flying from Clark is that if the aircraft is on time and all the passengers have checked in, you get to leave early. I wouldn’t really say that we got the cheapest fare on this trip but it was already cheap compared to its normal rates. I even discovered that one of my closest friend found a cheap flight to Miami and was exiting from Clark Airport too. I saw her on our way to the boarding  gates as she awaited for her connecting flight out of Clark.

in the absence of a Headware, a malong can be useful in long flights

The travel time from the Philippines to Thailand is 3 hours. I only slept for 1 hour from the previous night so I couldn’t wait to shut my eyes on this trip. After an hour or so, I woke up and saw the Thai Immigration Card which needed my attention. You have to fill in those blank spots in the immigration card since you will need to hand them over at the immigration counters of any country you are travelling.

Thai Immigration Bureau: Arrival and Departure Card

don’t forget to flip the other side since there are more things you need to fill in there

When you travel to a different country, whether you have a place to stay or not, be sure to keep an address of a place you intend to stay or just any regular address since that information is needed in the immigration card.

Alas! After 3 hours, I could already see the well-lit highways of Thailand.

Before you get out of the plane, be sure to move your clock one hour late since the Philippines’ time is one hour ahead of Thailand.

To be continued…

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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 – Arriving 5 Minutes Late on our Connecting Flight to Bangkok
#5 – You are reading this now
#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