To The Airport!

Tardiness is a Virtue

There can't be a more perfect timing for heavy traffic than when you're in a hurry. There I was on a jeepney, looking at my watch every other minute while the driver waited for people to fill the seats. At only 7AM, that takes quite some time. Should I pay for all the remaining empty seats so that we could get going? Nope, I'm too cheap for that, thank you very much. I'd rather risk missing my bus to Clark... I think.

At 7.45, I was finally off the jeepney and battling my way towards the train station with only my bony elbows for offense and bulky backpack for defense. It was rush hour, so rubbing elbows, shoulders, legs, and armpits was to be expected, including all the nasty scents that come with it, some from body odor, others from musky perfumes. I prefer the former. Kidding.

A few precious minutes and several buckets of sweat later, I was inside the train, on my way to SM Megamall where the bus to Clark would stop to pick up more passengers. Ten minutes and several seconds later, I was again battling my way out of the train and the station, scratch and bruise-free, thank goodness. Then, I ran towards the back of SM, hoping against hope that I didn't miss the bus. But when I got there, the bus was nowhere to be found! With all my might, I screamed NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

It was heard all the way in Hong Kong, caused a few earthquakes and tsunamis, and woke up my dead father from the grave. So, the bus driver turned around out of fear for his earnings. Seriously speaking, the bus was late. Traffic was heavy, or the driver reported late for work, or both. Bless Filipino Time! It saved my ass, and would do again soon. In the meantime, I sat down to catch my breath and enjoyed the feeling of making it in the nick of time once more. I think I need to miss a ride at some point to learn my lesson not to push my luck. But not for now.

At 8.30, the bus arrived, and we're all on our way to Clark. Whew!

Waiting for My Rocket to Come

Going past immigration was rather breezy. The officer didn't even bother checking my itinerary. Guess it pays to be good-looking! Except that the officer was a middle-aged man. Ick, I shouldn't sound too proud.

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport a.k.a. Clark Airport was surprisingly modern despite all the bad things I've heard about it. Although the airport itself was small, the pre-departure waiting area was spacious enough. I guess I expected some crumbling shack or something. We arrived in Clark at 10.45, so I was 2 hours ahead of ETD. Plenty of time to relax! They were showing 300 on HBO, so passengers of all ages, including toddlers, all had a fair share of sword-wielding, six-packed Spartans severing the head, arms, and legs of their enemies. Now that's what I call entertainment!

As always, Cebu Pacific was several minutes late, but nobody noticed. We're all busy watching the Spartans (or dreaming about them). Okay, we're off to Macau!!!