The Dambana ng Kagitingan, which is dedicated to remember and honor the heroism of the Filipino and American soldiers during World War II, is perched on top of Mount Samat. The Memorial Cross sits at the very top, with the altar hall at the lower part. When we asked for directions from a friend, we also asked what other places of interest could be seen along the way. He wasn’t able to answer so we figured there’s none. We were wrong. The trip to the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) brought a number of welcome surprises.

Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)

Expressways getting better. A quick call to a friend, Robel, gave us plenty of hope that we’ll get to Mt. Samat before lunch. We planned to have lunch in Subic on our way back, so it’s important to know if we’d starve. The instructions were simple — get through the NLE and SCTEX towards Subic, get off the Dinalupihan exit before Subic, turn right after the toll gate. Just drive straight. On the way back, pass through Morong, then Subic. In between, we were told, ask for directions.

We passed by the towns of Hermosa, Orani, the Tech City of Balanga, then Pilar. After around 45  minutes of drive from the SCTEX exit is an intersection. We took a right turn. The Dambana ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat is a good 30 minutes away. See Map.

Caltex Mega Station, southbound NLE

Anyway, you’ll notice at the NLE that gas stations in expressways are getting bigger each time. The old ones are just gas pumps with a small grocery store. Now they have Mega Stations, just like the Caltex station on our way back. Plenty of restaurant choices. They have a kids playground and a Nike outlet store. When these outlet stores open in expressway gas stations — even if you just came from Subic where Duty Free stores abound like sari-sari stores, it means something. I haven’t figured out that “something” yet. Perhaps you know.

Road in Bataan

Nice roads in Bataan. The road from the SCTEX to Mount Samat is fairly ok. On the other hand, the roads from Mt. Samat, through Morong and Subic, are good. If I drove straight in my usual style, I figure we’d make it to Mt. Samat in under two hours. I can’t recall how many stops we made to take photos, aside from the gas station stop-over. One doesn’t drive fast in the province. It’s not really for safety reasons. It’s just that there’s so much to see in a provincial drive. The grass is greener. The colors are crispier. Cars and people are fewer. It’s the simple life.

Harvesting Rice in Bataan

Golden yellow harvests. For instance, do you even know how your rice get to your table? It starts at the rice field. Green at the start, the rice plants turn golden yellow once ready for harvesting. Threshing comes after harvesting. The chaff are separated from the grains during harvesting and drying follows, then milling, which is the process when husks are removed. You’ll see the entire process on your drive to Mt. Samat. And a lot more.

The scenery here reminds me of home, but this is nearer to Manila. Our trip coincided with harvest time, so rice fields are golden yellow. This is a masterpiece that could only be truly appreciated in the flesh, as it were. A similar scene painted on a canvass back at the office, though pleasing to the eyes, is farthest from the real thing.

Just drive slow. Bring enough food in case you miss lunch. Enjoying the trip is much a part of the entire experience.

Rice dried on the Road, driving through Bataan

Enough road signs to Mt. Samat. The moment we took the Dinalupihan exit of SCTEX, I the regular sign boards along the highway gave us enough reassurance that we’re on the right way.

The cryptic instructions from my friend was just enough to lead us the way. The “Mt. Samat This Way” billboards at the roadside means you’re not lost. These signs abound in the provincial highway, together with the “No Overtaking Sign” and the “Accident Prone Area” signs that are closely spaced together. Maybe they’re really concerned with safety here. I can’t understand that “No Overtaking” signs when the road paint is broken white. Not double yellow lines. Not even single yellow line. Most of the yellow stuff ON the road is rice. Yes, they dry rice in certain portions of the road.

River in Bataan

Too much road signs to Pawikan Center. After we saw the “This Way to Mt. Samat” signs, we also saw the sign for the Pawikan Center, telling motorists that it is “Straight Ahead”. The signs were also placed on regular intervals. We’ve passed Mount Samat, the Pawikan signs were still there. We passed Tabac, the Pawikan Center was still not there. Then we hit Morong and it was there. I never realized “straight ahead” could almost be a hundred kilometers. I would have loved to drop by the place, as it’s along the way, but my hungry passengers vehemently insisted that we proceed to Subic in haste. It was already 3 p.m. and we didn’t have lunch yet.

Living rivers. We’ve already noted that these days, clean natural bodies of water are rare. The bodies of water that our children could frolic and have fun are usually man-made, including artificial lakes and swimming pools. The bigger and cleaner rivers, like Loboc River in Bohol, are far away from is in Metro Manila. For sure the rivers up north, including in the area surrounding Mt. Pinatubo I suppose, are cleaner. But I never thought of seeing a nice-looking clear flow of water, under the bridge of a road in Bataan.

See the Philippines. The drive, while lasting the whole day over hundreds of kilometers, was never tiring. The air is fresh and the breeze is cool. Green vista greeted us in every bend of the nice roads, framed on both sides by green grass with the mountains as background. We were amazed how beautiful the place is, though the views are obviously simple. Each turn we took reinforces our belief that our Philippines is a beautiful country. We were wondering if only more Filipinos could see this. We were wondering if that could be done.

Buckle Up

DON’T bring a gun (unless you’re an officer on duty). Remember the lawyer who recently shot two people dead? It wasn’t me, but a gun in the car messes with your head (and the lives of others). This is a holiday to remember the dead, not to add one in the list.

ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. It saves lives. Why is it necessary to pass a law to FORCE people to do something that can save their lives? Yes, If you’re not aware that there is such a thing as the “seat belt law” (the Seat Belts Use Act of 1999), now you know. =)

Make sure your vehicle is well maintained and in roadworthy condition, to avoid breakdowns and accidents.

Observe road courtesy and don’t be a careless driver. Remember to use all your signals (and remember that the middle finger is not one of them).

Follow traffic rules and signs. Follow speed limit. No parking. No overtaking. Left lane only for overtaking. SLOW VEHICLES MUST STAY AT THE RIGHT SIDE. There’s a reason why the innermost lane is clear, and that reason is not for you to crawl there.

Don’t be a juggler inside your car. Texting or talking on the cellphone, eating or reading while driving is flirting with disaster.

NEVER drink and drive. If you’ve had one too many, don’t take the risk — call a taxi or ask a friend to drive for you. Or, find a place to rest and get sober before getting behind the wheels.

Ahh, vacation. Everyone is leaving the city. This is good. I’m staying behind. I’d rather enjoy the city without traffic and congestion.

Demonstrating safey features in ZestAir

Then she looked at me again. This time only with a slight smile. Still sweet though, but with a clear sense of purpose in her eyes. It’s obvious she wants to walk towards me. Then she took the first step towards my direction. And for a second or two that felt like eternity, she was in front of me. She was still smiling. She opened her lips. Then she softly whispered: “Sir, please pull up the window shade as the plane is about to take off“.

Tsk. Tsk Tsk. And you thought it’s something else.

Anyway, this is the first and only time, so far, that we traveled with ZestAir. I’ve long heard of this airline, which used to be Asian Spirit before the purchase by its new boss, Zesto‘s Alfredo Yao. I’ve tried Asian Spirit in one of our trips to Boracay.

Once upon a time Philippine Airlines ruled the Philippine skies. Cebu Pacific gave PAL a run for its money, with Cebu Pacific’s low-fare offerings, fresh approach to service and, MOST importanly, commitment to be on-time 95% of the time. It was a great commitment, great until it lasted. I used to fly CebuPac exclusively during that time, but now I’m back to PAL.

ZestAir offers really low prices. But the biggest cause of my hesitation is the thought of this airline being untested. We fear the unknown, I’ve said here so many times. Because we were a big group on the trip to Bohol, it was only logical that we take the cheapest airline — ZestAir.

And boy was I wrong about my preconceived notions about this airline. Our trip to Bohol, serviced by Zestair’s Airbus A320, was full. Service was ok. I never had the experience of a Flight Attendant opening the lavatory door while I was heading towards it, holding a spilled milk bottle with my two hands (yes, I was with my wife and kid). At least they offer free juice (Zesto, of course), unlike CebuPac.

ZestAir Airbus A320

In my morning drive towards work, I always listen to Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee’s radio show over at 89.9 (hey Mo, will this qualify for the 500 grand?). They once spoke about ZestAir, about the clouds getting inside the plane. I thought this is just normal for propeller-type planes that go straight to Caticlan, very near Boracay (I prefer the low-altitude planes, rather than take the jet planes that pass through other airports, with a few hours drive before reaching Caticlan). If I remember it correctly somebody said something about never again riding in ZestAir.

Then lo and behold, as we were waiting at the Manila Domestic Airport‘s passenger’s lounge, we saw Mo, with a beautiful lady beside him, waiting for their flight. There are only two options — ZestAir or SEAir. Most probably they took ZestAir, on the way to Boracay. I could be wrong, of course.

We don’t know anyone in ZestAir and we aren’t paid to write this, but we thought we consumers should give ZestAir a full fighting chance to spread its wings. Forget the minor inconveniences, not that there was any that we encountered. I figure a stronger ZestAir could keep PAL and CebuPac on their toes. We consumers deserve the best service. That means a robust competition.

Airfare, however, may be comparably the same, if not cheaper in certain instances, with that of the other modes of transportation between the 7,107 islands of the Philippines. Here are some tips.

Book in advance. We’ve already said that, but we’re making sure you remember it. Low-fare airlines offer promos in various times of the year (but don’t expect generous promos during peak seasons, like Christmas). Promos booked in advance are much, much cheaper than tickets you buy a day or two before your flight. A P1 round-trip promo will easily become a P4,000-plus purchase, one way, if you buy the ticket one day before the planned departure.

Stick to your promo flight schedule. You’re ecstatic that you’ve availed of a good promo. Then, as the day of the travel wheels (or flies?) nearer, you decide, for whatever reason, to re-schedule. This is the time when you’re going to wish to have read the fine print. Many promo fares are non-refundable and non-transferable. Which means you might end up paying more at the airline counter. It happened to me once. It could happen to you.

Take the first or last flight. Not all time slots are created equal. The first flight (which is usually before dawn) or the last flight (when half the world is already asleep) is usually cheaper than other flights. Of course, we can’t do anything if you hate to wake up early.

Take the Tuesday or Wednesday flight. Days furthest from the weekend are usually less expensive. Would you normally take a vacation in the middle of the week? Most probably you’ll say “No”. And that’s the reason why it’s less expensive.

Choose off season travel. Airlines and other carriers make a killing during peak season, including Christmas. Also, there are usually no promos during peak seasons. Worse, the sea of humanity makes the travel more, how shall I say it, challenging. So, to get away from all these, choose off-peak travel. In the Philippines, that’s June to mid-December.

If you have other tips to share, please use the comment section below. (Thanks to our friends from Jetscape Travel for sharing these tips.)

Check-in counters at NAIA Terminal 3

There was once a time when all domestic travel, except the Philippine Airlines (PAL) which happened to cornered the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal, was heavily concentrated at the Manila Domestic Airport. Imagine the nightmare of missing your flight just because you’re at the end of a very, very long line of passengers during peak season — and that’s still outside the airport. After that, there was another line at the security check area, then still another line at the check-in counter. Now, imagine going through all that mess, only to discover that you lined up at the wrong airport terminal?

The runways form a single airport system, but there are four separate terminals or hubs (or airports, I really don’t know the exact distinction, but let’s not get bogged down on that). The four airports in Metro Manila are:

Arrival area of NAIA 3

NAIA 3.This is the newest of all the terminals. I’m not sure if other airlines operate here, but I’m sure that all Cebu Pacific flights, domestic and international, go through here. It’s a big (not huge) and spanking new airport, so it’s clean and relatively well-maintained. I was glad I wore comfortable shoes when I first traveled to Cebu by Cebu Pacific because our boarding gate, Gate 120, is at the other end of the world. No problem if you believe walking is good (and you’d rather have that compared to cramped waiting areas in other airports). How to get there? Just go inside Villamor Airbase and you should be fine.

Spacious walkways at NAIA Terminal 3

NAIA 2. Also called the “Centennial Airport”, NAIA Terminal 2 is the hub of PAL for both domestic and international travel. I’m really hoping that with an airport terminal all to one’s self, delayed flights will be a thing of the past. (The photo to your right, as well as the picture above, is taken from NAIA 3, not NAIA 2).

NAIA Terminal 1. This is the old international airport, servicing all the other international airlines.

Manila Domestic Passenger Terminal. This is the old domestic airport, currently servicing all other domestic flights.

A tip: If you’re not familiar with the Manila airport terminals, it will help that you ask which terminal you’re supposed to take. The four airports in Metro Manila are near each other, all found in Pasay City, except that the heavy traffic seems to stretch the distance. You’ll most likely miss your flight if you need to go to another terminal and you failed to include some buffer time. There are no subways or railways connecting the four, and they’re not exactly within the “walking distance” if you’re carrying a heavy baggage (but they’re not far away, so as to rule out hiking).

24/7 shuttle service to/from domestic airports: Park 'n Fly

Also, driving your own car is no longer a problem if you have no driver while I experienced leaving my car overnight at the airport parking, it’s something I wouldn’t do again). If you take a taxi from your house, the cost of the cab and the hassle of looking for one would more than offset the daily rate of an airport parking service — just a little over P300. Just drive to office of Park ‘N Fly at the PTT gas station (formerly Caltex), near and along the same street as the Manila Domestic Airport. Get off your car, go to the counter and rattle off the required information (your name, plate number, airline and time of departure, as well as the date, time and airline of the return trip). That’s it, you pay when you come back. If you already have a record at Park ‘N Fly, start with your plate number, every time you go back (your personal data are automatically retrieved). The good thing about it? There’s a free shuttle — a fleet of Mercedes Benz vans — to and from the airport, and the shuttle service will leave even if you’re the ONLY passenger. Save the contact number of Park ‘N Fly (0918-9910000), just text in your plate number (I figured texting your full name is a waste of time, since they know you even with your plate number) and say you’re waiting where after arrival. Voila! Convenience at its best. Thanks to Park ‘N Fly for the years of hassle-free travel, something I really wish I could also say to PAL and Cebu Pacific).

Photos at the Gallery

There are other airports in other Philippine islands and we’ll probably take them up one by one in the days to come (perhaps also the ticketing offices). Better still, you could write something about the airport near your place and send it to us. That way, we could have a more intimate detail of the place.

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). Going to Subic, Tarlac and Baguio is now easier, faster and more convenient with the completion of the SCTEX. Branching separately a few meters from the entrance in NLEX-Clark, one going to Tarlac/Baguio (curve right) and the other (go straight) all the way up to Subic, the SCTEX is a smooth road that also provides a great view.

There are signs warning drivers of radars used to check speed, and I’ve figured out a month ago where this radar is contained. It’s found at . . . wait, I think it’s better not to say it, just for fun. I always pass through a number of cars (and motorcycles) being flagged down at the exit points. It’s almost expected for people to be flagged down — the road is so smooth, wide and traffic-free that it’s almost a sin not to maximize its potential.

North Luzon Expressway (NLE)

North Luzon Expressway (NLE). The NLE is undoubtedly among the best roads or highways in the Philippines. The highway is smooth and nice and travel time is considerably lesser (as compare to, say, SLEX). There’s always the temptation to floor the gas pedal, but there are speed limits – with radars and cameras to enforce them, just like in the SCTEX. Sure, the toll rates are quite expensive (but cheaper than the Skyway, and actually cheaper, on a per kilometer basis, than the South Luzon Expressway).

There’s an “Overtaking Only” lane, which is the inner or leftmost lane. A driver is supposed to use this ONLY when overtaking. Next time you see people violate this rule, honk your horn. If that doesn’t work, use your imagination. =)

Please feel free to add to the list through the comment section below. Thank you.

The long drive along traffic-free expressways (try the North Luzon Expressway or the Star Tollway at the South) and provincial roads satisfies my need for speed. There are, however, speed limits, with radar sensors to enforce them. You could say you got away with it, but I have a number of friends who were apprehended for overspeeding. Still, it’s tempting to step on the gas with a highway as smooth and clear as the the North Luzon Expressway:

Sure, the constant driving along the congested streets of the Metropolis also gives you an adrenalin rush, but it’s more of the negative, hypertension-inducing type. Driving away from the city, in contrast, soothes your mind with the thought of leaving behind, even for a couple of hours, the choking city life.

I used to drive, alone, to Baguio to eat breakfast — park, eat, then drive back to Manila. I would often do the same thing to Tagaytay, having coffee at the crater in the wee hours of Friday nights. I rarely do that now because of work. Besides, older people, even if they’d like to delude themselves in thinking otherwise, don’t have the same stamina.