Thursday, February 20, 2014

I entered the building, dropped my bags at the scanning machine and vwalla, I am inside NAIA Termina


The day has finally come, 12th of December 2011 . It was the most awaited day of the year, the day that I will finally experience flying (oh yeah, I will fly for the first time in my 19 years of existence). I really don't know what I am feeling that time, a feeling of excitement and nervousness combined. Exactly the same feeling I felt when I tried doing my very first solo travel last April. 
My plan was to spend my whole night at SM Mall of Asia, wait there 'til it closes at around 11 PM then commute to NAIA Terminal 3 by jeep (thanks to Lloyd for the advice). Then at the airport, I'll wait for my travel buddy and plane ride mentor, Brenna of thephilippinetravelogue.com .
Ten hours prior to the scheduled flight, I was already on my way to Mall of Asia, with me is my 5kg backpack, 2kg snorkeling equipment (yup, tinimbang professional tracking ko talaga muna bago ako umalis ng bahay), a body bag that contains all my very important travel stuff like camera, ID and cash, and of course my beloved wide-brimmed straw hat.
I did people-watching and window shopping around Mall of Asia just to kill the time until the mall closes. I also seated beside a Christmas tree with flat screen decors where I enjoyed watching a bunch of awesome trailers of the upcoming movies of 2012. I was there from 8:30 until 11:00 PM. When everyone seemed to be going out of the mall already, I prepared myself for my journey to the airport.  
From MOA, I rode a jeep bound for MRT/Pasay Rotonda, the fare is only P8.00. I reached Pasay Rotonda professional tracking after a fast 10-minute ride, the place still looked so busy even at the late hours of Sunday. professional tracking When I got there, I did not see any Nichols-bound jeep so I thought there were no more jeeps that ply that route at that time. I asked a security guard if there will still be jeeps bound for the airport but he nodded professional tracking with uncertainty. He told me to cross the street and ride a bus instead.
I was about to cross the street professional tracking when I saw a jeep with Nichols/NAIA Terminal 3 displayed on its headboard. Oh yeah, I quickly hopped professional tracking into the jeep and prayed for a safe trip to the airport. I was nervous the entire time I was inside that jeep, I kept on looking at other passengers' faces, observing their movements and hoping that none of them will declare hold-up (ako na ang paranoid). I paid another P8.00 for that 10 minute professional tracking ride from Pasay Rotonda to Terminal 3. It felt good when I reached Terminal 3 in one piece, and felt even better knowing professional tracking that I only spent P54.00 (P38.00 spent on commute to MOA) on my way to the airport. (Mission#1 - accomplished) professional tracking
When the jeep reached the rotunda with a huge bulb-like monument, I alighted the jeep. I found myself standing in the middle of the busy road, still unsure where to go next. So I just kept on walking until I saw the car park and the building with "Ninoy Aquino International Airport" signage.  professional tracking
I walked towards the car park, alone along a well-lighted road. But for like 10 minutes, I was still searching for the entrance to the car park. I continued walking despite the fact that my heart was pounding very fast everytime I see people along the way (thinking that they will suddenly grab my bags). It took me 3 more minutes before I managed to get inside the car park.
By 11:45 pm, I was standing at the vicinity of Terminal 3's arrival area. I was not sure where to go next so I messaged professional tracking Brenna that I was already at the arrival area. She then told me to go to the departure area and wait 'til she arrives at around 3AM.
I entered the building, dropped my bags at the scanning machine and vwalla, I am inside NAIA Terminal 3. I looked around until saw the word "DEPARTURE", so I headed there. I was wondering why I was the only person walking around the departure area, so I went back to the arrival and I saw that I entered the "International Departures" pala. The "Domestic Departures" was on the other side of the terminal. I saw a group of Koreans running towards the "Domestic Departures" so I followed them. They led me to a place filled with food stalls and shops so I guess I was already on the right place. I was a little hungry by the time I arrived at the departure area. Jollibee, Yellowcab and Ministop, Mister Doughnut are among the the food stops around. But since I'm a kid loyal to Jollibee, I went to their counter and ordered 1 Piece Burger Steak.
After the midnight meal, it was only 12:45 AM. I still have three hours before Brenna arrives. I strolled around and noticed that a lot of waiting passengers were sleeping on the floor and waiting chairs. I decided to try sleeping professional tracking along with these waiting passengers since it's part of my Mission-First-Plane-Ride. I stayed on one corner and fell into slumber. (Mission#2 - accomplished)
It was already 2:50 AM when I woke up. I checked my phone and read a message from Brenna that she's already at the departure area. By 3:00 AM, I was with Brenna already. We're still too early for our fligh

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