Clark/Angeles City-Manila-Clark-Kadena

Author Message   Larry W. Carnes Senior Member Username: Larry Post Number: 1053 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 12.72.126.15 Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:05 pm:    "I've tried a couple of times from Kadena for a hop but haven't made it yet." While I was in the P.I. there were an average of 2 flights a week, mostly small A/C to Kadena with 30 lb. baggage limit (waived if not all seats filled). Don't know if that frequency will hold throughout the year, or if it was due to temporary increased activity of U.S. military in P.I. I still think the best strategy for getting INTO Clark is go commercial from Sing. You can waste a lot of time and money at Kadena waiting for a hop to Manila or Clark. But SOMEONE has to be lucky....might be you.   Bob Dart Senior Member Username: Bobdart Post Number: 1267 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 76.29.20.239 Posted on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 03:17 am:    Thanks for the insight into PI travel. You really put in a lot of detail that is very useful. I've tried a couple of times from Kadena for a hop but haven't made it yet. May try again later this month.   Bob Dart Senior Member Username: Bobdart Post Number: 1266 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 76.29.20.239 Posted on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 03:11 am:    Thanks for the insight into PI travel. I've tried a couple of times from Kadena for a hop but haven't made it yet. May try again later this month.   Larry W. Carnes Senior Member Username: Larry Post Number: 1052 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.198.77.168 Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 06:26 pm:    "How long were you in the Phillipines this trip?" Flew in from Sing on the 19th, flew out to Kadena on the 29th. "do you just not drink the beverage" I had a cup of tea with the breakfasts, which I assume was boiled water. I also drank the bottled beer, had ice cubes with my cokes and even drank the coconut juice the street vendors sold. Just didn't drink the water out of the pipes. I think Hep A shots are a good idea before going to the P.I......they protect against contaminated food and water.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 254 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 69.143.223.11 Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 05:37 pm:    Larry: How long were you in the Phillipines this trip? I noted your comment of only drinking bottled water. Your hotel served breakfast with a beverage; do you just not drink the beverage or what, as it hard to know whether the beverage has been boiled? The reason I am asking this as when I visited the Phillipines many years ago, I indeed became sick from something, and as you said, others have in the ordinary course, as well.   Ed Williams Senior Member Username: Hooter55 Post Number: 679 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 24.96.141.253 Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 02:30 pm:    Larry, Great to hear about the UC-35...considering the other choices I saw. Sounds like the PI I remember from years ago.   Gary J. Roberts Advanced Member Username: Roadrunner58 Post Number: 400 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 70.128.15.199 Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 01:10 am:    Larry....nice report....sounds like the Space A Gods are with you....so far! Don't take long to get enough of Manila, does it? On our trip we'll have to go there to visit some of wife's family. While there this time, I hope to get out to Corregidor in Manila Harbor. Supposedly there is a hotel of some kind there for overnite lodging and a good tour of WWII sites. Hope you make it to Hickam for the BFB deal in HI!   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1537 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 67.190.52.82 Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 01:09 pm:    Larry-- Thanks for the detailed report. Good work. Gotta love Corinthian leather....   Larry W. Carnes Senior Member Username: Larry Post Number: 1051 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 218.40.160.246 Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 07:46 am:    Decided since this was my 3rd trip to the P.I. that I should finally see Manila. Checked out of my hotel on Perimeter Road on Tue morning, Jan 26, took a Jeepney into town and then another one to the Dau bus terminal on the North side of Angeles City. The terminal is organized caos: about 8 different bus companies use it, and there are no ticket counters. You have to look at the front of the bus to see where it's headed, then buy your ticket from the driver or the conductor in cash. None of the buses appear to have onboard restrooms like Greyhounds, so it's best to pay the 5 peso fee to use the toilet in the terminal before boarding. Or use the ones at either the Jollibee (chicken & burger franchise) or the ChowKing (oriental fast food) adjacent to the terminal. I prefer Victory Liner or Philippine Rabbit buses. They are usually air conditioned. Avoid the ones that say ORDINARY on the front, or if you see open passenger windows. Sure sign they're don't have A/C. The cost of my one-way ticket was 132 PHP. At 46 pesos to the dollar, that's about 3 bucks for the 88 KM trip. It takes around 2 hours. Manila is South of Angeles, and you have a choice of terminals in the big city: The North (Caloocan/Monumento), East (Cubao) or the South (PASAY). I chose to get off at the PASAY terminal on the south side of Manila because I would get to see quite a bit of the city on the way in. Manila is a huge, not so clean place. The kind of place where a lot of people urinate on the sidewalks, and a lot of other people sleep on those same sidewalks at night. I decided to stay in the Ermita district because it is close to the things I most wanted to see. The Lonely Planet guide book recommended the Ermita Tourist Court hotel on Mabini St, near Pedro Gil Ave for budget acomodation. It was a clean, very basic room with toilet & bath, air conditioning, but no TV or Refrig. Cost for a single was PHP 850, cash only, and it included a decent egg, toast, jam, coffee/tea breakfast from 7-10 AM. The main sight on my must-see list was the Intramuros (ancient fortified walls around the old inner city) which also contained the fort where the Japs committed serious war crimes against U.S. and Filapino POWs in WW2. The other item of interest for me was Manila Bay. Not as beautiful as I'd imagined but worth a stroll along the piers anyway. An added bonus was the section of Pedro Gil between Mabini and Taft where all the food vendors set up and cook on propane. It's incredible at night. Manila has a light-rail system, much like the MRT in Singapore. Just not as clean or user-friendly. The steps getting up to the platforms are quite steep, and I didn't see any elevators for handicapped riders. Sidewalks are pretty rough, too....can't imagine how wheelchair-bound people could get around in Manila. By the end of the second day, I was ready to return to Angeles City, especially after calling the Clark AMC rep to learn of a flight leaving for Kadena Friday morning. Checked out of the hotel Thursday noon, went down to the Victory Liner terminal and bought a one-way back to A.C., again for 132 pesos. Upon arrival, splurged on a Trike (PHP 100) for the 10-minute ride back to the Maharajah hotel. Next morning I checked out of the hotel and took an early Jeepney into town, then another Jeepney out to Clark. Had to pay for 2 additional seats on the Clark Route One Jeepney because of my baggage (3x7 pesos=PHP21). Beats the next available alternatives: 200 pesos for a private Jeepney or double that for a taxi. Nearest Jeepney stop is at Recto and Juan Calvo St., about 1/4 mile from the Clark AMC terminal. Show time was 0830 for the 6 projected seats on an Army Cessna Citation (UC-35A?). No other SPATs showed up so I had all 6 rich Corinthian leather seats to myself. Sweet Ride! Two hour flight to Kadena. Got a reservation for 3 nights in billeting ($26 for shared-bath type) in case I don't get out to HIK tomorrow. Randam notes on visiting the Philippines Space-A: A cell phone is worth its weight in gold, since pay phones which take pesos are scarce, expensive and unreliable. My U.S. TracFone won't work here, because of the different frequencies. I bought a very basic new Nokia 1202 at the SM Clark Mall for PHP 1200, plus another 90 pesos for a Philippines-only SIMM card and 100 pesos for a Globe load. Works great for staying in touch with the AMC Rep, checking on hotels, etc. Supposedly it can be used in other countries in Asia by swapping SIMM cards. There's also a business services place on Perimeter Rd. near the Eruptions Nightclub which lets you call Int'l landline for PHP 5/minute. Used that to line up my reservations for Kadena Billeting the night before I left the P.I. A lot of people who visit the P.I. end up getting sick while they're there. I've been lucky: 3 visits and nothing more serious than a San Miguel-induced hangover. But I've gotten my HEP A & B vaccinations. And I'm careful to wash my hands frequently, wash all fresh fruit and the only water I drink while there is commercially bottled. Pickpockets are common, especially in the Jeepneys. Best to leave your wallet and passport at your hotel, and use a neck wallet or moneybelt for your cash, ATM and credit card. One Army retiree I talked to said he'd been picked clean twice since moving to the P.I. in August. Despite the petty crime, health and communications problems, it's a great place to visit. And, unlike Europe, the dollar goes a long way there.