hello from the supposedly sunny city of Laoag!  here for Ablan Day and to attend to some KARB WedPrep. 

Funny, it’s my second year to attend said local holiday; also, it’s
their second year to have heavy rains drenching everyone during the
celebration.  Bakit kaya…? Hahaha.

I
took a CebuPacific flight to go here — amazingly, no glitch
whatsoever.  To think we even arrived five minutes earlier (according
to the pilot).

Boarded at Terminal 3 of the NAIA.  How was it?
1.  Shiny nga!
2. Maluwag.
3. Nakakaligaw — kulang sa mga signages and friendly ground staff to direct people where to go. 
4.
Medyo magulo ang CebuPacific (haha, what is new with this statement?)
– my boarding pass states Gate 120, pero the flight monitor stated
Gate 134.  Hmmm.  Not amusing considering magkalayo those two gates.
When I inquired, the guards directed me to just follow my boarding
pass. Yeah, Gate 120 nga — pero sa counter, nakasulat Iloilo naman.
However, the CebuPac people confirmed Laoag Gate nga rin yun.  Sige na,
baka kulang pa sila sa mga signage lang talaga. 
5.
Konti pa lang mga food stalls and stores.  Marami pang blank and dark
spaces along the corridors leading to the gates (bare concrete, no
paint, no life).
6.
The boarding tubes are meant for big planes — hindi kayang idikit sa
mga small aircrafts ng CebuPacific. And so, passengers go through the
tube, then exit and take the metal stairs to walk towards the plane.
Hahaha, pahirapan daw ba ang mga pasahero.
7.
Malaki at malawak ang buong terminal.  Ang Gate 120 ay nasa dulo.  With
all my bags, napagod talaga ako kakalakad.  To think, I even took a
moving walkway (yung flat escalator moving horizontally).  Hahaha, no,
it’s not really just because I am not a fit person.  Mahaba talaga ang
lakad kasi pahaba yung terminal.

The
flight made me reminisce the Giant Swing in Singapore and the feeling
of having ’suspended-tummy’ whenever one is aboard a vehicle which
suddenly went down a bridge/fly-over.  Tapos, super bumpy ride din due
to the bad weather nga!  I normally enjoy mga turbulence; but those we
encountered really made me pray and reach for my rosary!

70%
successful with my Ilocos errands.  Fun bonding with Rosanne, JR, Ella,
and Miah.  Pig-out on Ilocos empanada and isaw/fishballs/kikiam!
Woohoo!

Took
a CebuPac flight back to Manila.  Amazingly, again, no glitches.
Actually, na-delay lang ‘coz our flight had to wait for eight lucky
passengers from the PAL flight who were able to exchange their
tickets.  Kasi, the PAL plane which should have gone ahead of the
CebuPac, nagka-technical trouble.  Tuloy na-cancel ang flight and hindi
makabalik ng Manila yung aircraft.  Wow, na-talo pa ng CebuPac ang PAL
this time! Am I really not dreaming?!

Ay,
yeah, I had a glitch sa flights ko rin pala — maka-katabi ng
talkative  persons.  Hahaha, really wondered if I got a sign sa
forehead ko na "talk with me, please!!!"  Flight to Laoag, ang wide and
ang tindi topics — to the point of me knowing a churchmate of hers
whose kid committed suicide.  Flight back to Manila — a brit who
later on started blaming the Catholic Religion for our people being
delusional etc. Oh well, at least they seem to have enjoyed my company.

Thanks for the sundo sa T3, Betchay!