Category Archives: Travel

Trip Report: Beijing to Manila with China Eastern Airlines

07 Thursday Sep 2017

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Oh boy, this is fun.

(If you want to read about the flight experience, scroll further down until you see the second photo)

I had the opportunity to try China Eastern Airlines last month when I treated my mom to a vacation in Beijing. The frugal side of me prevailed and booked the mentioned airline instead of Philippine Airlines.

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After four days of roaming around Beijing, it was time to go back home. Our flight to Shanghai Pudong, MU 563, was scheduled to depart at 5:15 in the afternoon. We left our hotel after having lunch and arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport T2 at around 2 in the afternoon. Continue reading →

Trip Report: Manila to Beijing with China Eastern Airlines 中國東方航空公司

11 Friday Aug 2017

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These past two years, I have been sticking with Philippine Airlines more and more for my travel. Why? Mabuhay Miles, of course. It may not be as powerful as other loyalty programs because of PAL’s non-membership to any of the alliances but it suits my needs fairly well.

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There are exceptions though. When the airfare is too good for me to ignore, I grab it. Case in point, my recent trip to Beijing. I promised my mom that I will bring her to the Great Wall on her birthday. I was about to book two tickets to Beijing via Philippine Airlines at 545 USD when I saw China Eastern Airlines’ promo — 400 USD for two. I booked the tickets immediately.

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Memories of Madras

27 Sunday Mar 2016

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Some time ago, I left my job as a software developer in IBM for a technical role in one of the global banks. I felt it was the right time back then for me to explore other opportunities so I took it. Little did I know, I was in for a roller coaster ride that lasted for almost four months.

See, when I took that job, I thought my life will finally have some normalcy. I saw myself getting thrown to different locations in my first job so I wanted a bit of change. Imagine how surprised I was when less than a month into my new job, our team was told that we’ll be sent to Chennai.

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Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, east of India. It’s the fourth-largest city in India and is known as the safest city in India.

Before I begin describing the experience, let me just say that I was not excited at all when I found about the trip. My idea of a business trip, based on my previous role, was in Singapore. Maybe Kuala Lumpur. Probably Jakarta or Bangkok. My other friends even went farther like New York, Istanbul, and London. But Chennai?

Finally, I just thought everything will be fine. Or maybe not.

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Trip Report: Sriwijaya Air from Semarang to Jakarta

20 Saturday Jun 2015

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This is some sort of a continuation of my previous post.

When I was booking for my flights within Indonesia, I used Tiket.com. Due to my preference in flight times, my inbound and outbound flights to Semarang were of different airlines. My flight back to Jakarta was with Sriwijaya Air.

Sriwijaya Air is Indonesia’s third largest airline. It is considered a medium-service airline – not a low-cost carrier but not quite a full-service one. They mostly serve domestic flights but they do have some international flights within Asia.

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Trip Report: Batik Air from Jakarta to Semarang

14 Sunday Jun 2015

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It’s impressive. Amazing. Extraordinary. Those words pop into mind whenever I recall my Batik Air experience.

Before this flight, the only other non-flag carrier I’ve taken outside of the Philippines was Jeju Air. I didn’t expect much from Batik Air when I was booking my flights within Indonesia, I just booked the most affordable ones that fits my schedule. I really wanted to fly Garuda but because it was twice as expensive, I opted not to.

Batik Air, by the way, is a new airline whose parent company is Lion Air. It first flew in May 2013. It’s a full-service airline though currently it only flies within Indonesia.

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Excited for Indonesia

03 Friday Apr 2015

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Finally! After four years, I will be seeing my favorite country again.

Photo from my first post about Indonesia.

People often wonder why I love Indonesia so much. So much so that I’ve chosen to prioritize learning Bahasa Indonesia over Mandarin Chinese. My fascination with Indonesia has a long “history”, all the way back from my childhood. I also find Indonesians to be a very friendly group of people. Their attitude is quite similar to that of Filipinos but it seems they are more respectful. Continue reading →

Hotel: Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

23 Friday Jan 2015

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In 2014, I spent some time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I usually try staying in different hotels but recently, I stay in Starwood properties as much as possible.

In my trips to Malaysia last year, I chose to stay in Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur situated along Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Beautiful hotel near the city center.

It is conveniently located near the Medan Tuanku KL Monorail station and the Dang Wangi LRT Station. There’s also a newly-opened mall, the Quill, across the hotel. Inside the hotel, you will be greeted by a beautiful staircase that is part of the classy and charming interior. Continue reading →