This year, the Urban Roamer has finally accomplished an important personal milestone: to have visited all 4 terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It was a culmination of an air travel experience which began, incidentally, ten years ago when I flew to Boracay out of Terminal 4, AKA the Domestic Airport. It was pre-Urban Roamer so I haven’t really written something about it. And frankly, there was (and still is) not much to write about it anyway., Then in 2010, my flight to Hong Kong provided an opportunity to check out the then quite new Terminal 3, which I got to write about. Then early in March, a flight…
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The Challenge of NAIA Commuting
The Urban Roamer has been quite busy these past few days. Partly because of a personal/work trip coming up later this week. Along with so much work coming in these past few days and some new things coming up, it’s been quite hectic. In any case, this trip is something this roamer looks forward to. For one, this will mark the first time to finally get inside the Leandro Locsin-designed Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). So yes, expect some photos of the terminal soon. Despite the excitement, the Urban Roamer is not looking forward to two things: the traffic going to NAIA Terminal 1 and the…
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Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? (the book sale, that is)
Longtime friends and followers should already know how much of a bookworm the Urban Roamer is. Though perhaps not as avid as others but a bookworm still the same, as evidenced by never failing to miss the annual Manila International Book Fair. Thus you can imagine this guy’s excitement when it was announced that a big book sale was coming up in February. What made it more exciting is the fact that it offers a premise unlike any other sale event held here thus far: a 10-day event that is open 24 hours. Yes, 24 hours. As in no closing times.
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The Henry and The Conrad: Exploring Two Pasay Hotels
Pasay City today is one place in the metropolis which has a conflicted identity brought about by the many changes that came upon this part of the metropolis over the last 70 years or so. There is the Old Pasay, at least remains of the old genteel neighborhood where some of the Manila’s elite families lived, especially before the war and in the early postwar years. Then there is the Modern Pasay of today, suffering in urban squalor, decay, and congestion brought about by the emergence of the urban poor populace who lived in the city as the elites moved out to escape the creeping urbanization. And of course, there…
