Travel Experiences - Part One of Many

My trip to the Philippines was rewarding in so many ways.  I have always enjoyed learning about people and places around the world.  Being able to experience these things first-hand is an incredible opportunity.  I have always said that I would love to have a job working for Andrew Zimmer or Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel.  Just being the guy who handles their suitcases would be a thrill, as it would allow me the opportunity to travel and experience the cultures of the world.  But . . . I don't see that happening any time soon.  I'm sure there is a long line of experienced suitcase-handlers ahead of me.

Andrew Zimmer and Anthony Bourdain

Honestly, if I could just continue visiting the Philippines, I would be happy beyond belief.  I admit, I was excited and intrigued about the Philippines long before I visited there, but now that my appetite has been whetted, I can't wait to return. The hardest thing about visiting the Philippines, aside from having the finances to make the journey, is the length of the airline flights.

For my recent trip to the Philippines, I needed to arrive at the Albuquerque International Sunport at 4:00 am on a Sunday morning.  I'm not really sure why they wanted me there that early, as the ticket agents didn't arrive until 4:30 and the security screening people didn't arrive until nearly 5:00.  But, having spent a career in the military, I am quite familiar with the hurry-up-and-wait syndrome.  Anyway, my flight for the Dallas-Fort Worth airport left on time, arriving at the appropriate time in Dallas.  I have always liked the Dallas airport.  Even though it is a rather large facility, they have done a nice job keeping travels within the airport simple.  Anyway, I arrive at the international terminal and quickly found my gate for Korean Air.

I'm going to tell you right now . . . if you have a need to travel to Asia, keep Korean Air in mind.  I have nothing but praise for the quality of their services and the professionalism of their crews.  Although the flight between Dallas and Seoul was lengthy, they provided enough entertainment and comfort to make the process relatively painless.  I watched hours of movies, listened to a variety of music, and enjoyed (for the most part) some excellent meals.  (There was one meal on the flight to Cebu that involved a massive chunk of tofu -- it was the only thing on the entire trip that I just couldn't eat).   The flight attendants were constantly in search of ways to serve the passengers.  Of particular note, they were constantly checking on the cleanliness of the restrooms.  I've been on domestic flights where that didn't happen, and it was cause for much unpleasantness!  The efforts of the Korean Air crew is greatly appreciated.

Incheon, Seoul, South Korea

Anyway, after 14 hours in the air, I arrived at Incheon, which is an amazingly beautiful airport there in Seoul.  The architecture was incredible.  The facility was lined with all sorts of shopping and eating experiences.  I will confess that my first "Asian" eating experience involved a $10 cheeseburger at the airport's Burger King -- it was really quite good.  But I admit, it was long way to travel just for a meal at BK.

From Seoul I traveled to the Cebu Mactan International Airport in the Philippines.  The flight lasted around 4.5 hours on another Korean Air flight, and again the service was agreeable (except for the tofu).  The Cebu airport is a little Spartan.  Although it was a simple process to go through customs and immigration, had I needed to spend any length of time there, it would have been a rather lengthy and arduous task (I will tell more about this idea when I discuss the return flight . . . omg).

Mariners Court, Cebu

 I exchanged some US money for some Philippines pisos and proceeded to my hotel room, which was a short (45 minute) taxi ride away.  Being around 1:00 am on Tuesday morning, I confess that I didn't really care what the hotel room looked like.  If it had a bed, that was sufficient.  What I wasn't prepared for was being awakened from a peaceful slumber at 4:00 am by the crowing of a rooster somewhere outside my window.  The hotel was located near the piers that service the ferrys crossing between Cebu and Bohol.  I expected to hear the sounds of dock workers and ships passing by, with their clanging bells and bellowing whistles and horns . . . but a rooster?

That rooster, and all of his cousins scattered throughout the Philippines, was to be an ever present character throughout my experiences in the Philippines.  More about that in future writings.  For now, I will bring this to a close.  Tomorrow (the next time), I will continue my travel experiences, including the ferry ride to Bohol and the van ride through the "province" to Sierra Bullones.