A Day in the Life
Or, How to get from the colonial Philippines to historic Malaysia in about 24 hours.
After a pretty nice three week stay in The Philippines, it was time to go. I'll be back soon with a rundown of that time with photos and an overload of meat dishes soon enough... US citizens (and many others) are granted a "free" 21-day stay/visa. It was easiest to make my stay exactly that long. Beyond, things can get a little complicated.
1. Most hotels have a checkout time at noon, but if you ask politely they'll usually let you hang out until at least 2 pm. Actually, in Asia, there are fewer rules than most places- you can often haggle about the price of toothpaste and bottled water at tiny shops- but I guess I can get back to that another time, too. With a 9pm bus from currently very warm colonial Pinoy city Vigan, it was nice to have some extra time out of the heat.
2. Before the trip to the bus station, the best escape from the heat was chain fast food restaurants (remarkable in this smallish city, and due to the large amount of local and foreign tourists) and the odd internet cafe. But the latter can be crowded with both terminals and children playing online dance games and WoW-type role-playing games.
3. Getting to the bus station early was a strategy not easily understood within 5000 kilometers of the Philippines. Bus tickets didn't even go on sale until 15 minutes before my particular departure. While I waited, 4 buses left for Manila, where I was headed and would fly from in the morning. There was a good reason for waiting for a 9pm bus, as the 9-hour advertised journey was usually around just 7 hours, and I chose to have my waiting time clumped before leaving as much as possible.
Bus stand wait: 2 hours
4. The bus is comfortable enough, but nothing could make the ride itself enjoyable or relaxing in any way. Most of the journey between Vigan and Manila is two lanes and fairly curvy. Bus drivers both ways seemed in deathly hurries; slammed breaks, near-miss passes and constant stops kept any possibility of sleep at bay. Note: I would not recommend a hot dog on the way. It might look delicious, since it may have been hours since you've eaten, but inside the bright red tube of animal is likely to be terribly large and soft hunks of translucent white fat. It was only 50 cents; I threw it away.
Bus ride to Manila: 7.5 hours
Bus sleep: about 1 hour
5. The bus arrived at 4:30 am. To avoid another night in hot and sticky Manila, I chose to go straight to the airport. Unfortunately, my cheap AirAsia flight left from Clark airport, another two hours away. While waiting for my bus I watched the sun come up and bus after bus empty, refill, and roll away.
Bus stand wait: 2.5 hours
Bus to airport: 2 hours
6. My flight was scheduled at 11:45, and took off on time, but the airport is new and dull- one of many so-called "low-cost" airline terminals cropping up in Asia to make room for the influx of flights on airlines such as AirAsia. Annoyingly, the airline often has "free-seating" and all refreshments on-board are an additional fee! And, they inflate flight times so even a late flight arrives on-time or even early...
Airport wait: 2.5 hours
Flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 3.5 hours
Plane Sleep: 30 minutes
7. Once at Kuala Lumpur's own LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal), I found a bus to the city center.
Wait: 30 minutes
Bus to center: 1.5 hours
8. Kuala Lumpur has a wide range of public transport, much of it rail-based, allowing for the avoidance of perpetual traffic. I had to make it to the bus stand near Chinatown.
Two Light Rail rides: 30 minutes
9. Once at the bus terminal, dozens of bus companies vie for the attention of locals and tourists, touting their tickets. I chose the first one I saw (prices are usually posted), and bought a ticket to Malacca.
Wait time: 30minutes
Bus to Malacca: 2.5 hours
10. Malacca is a quite touristy, and filled with package tourists from China and Taiwan, as well as Malaysians on holiday and lots of Westerners, but it is still quaint and walkable, which is a beautiful thing compared to congested Kuala Lumpur. Local bus to town center and hit-or-miss walk to find guesthouse: 1 hour
Total Time: 26.5 hours (waiting: 8 hours; travel: 18.5 hours)
Total Sleep: 1.5 hours
After a pretty nice three week stay in The Philippines, it was time to go. I'll be back soon with a rundown of that time with photos and an overload of meat dishes soon enough... US citizens (and many others) are granted a "free" 21-day stay/visa. It was easiest to make my stay exactly that long. Beyond, things can get a little complicated.
1. Most hotels have a checkout time at noon, but if you ask politely they'll usually let you hang out until at least 2 pm. Actually, in Asia, there are fewer rules than most places- you can often haggle about the price of toothpaste and bottled water at tiny shops- but I guess I can get back to that another time, too. With a 9pm bus from currently very warm colonial Pinoy city Vigan, it was nice to have some extra time out of the heat.
2. Before the trip to the bus station, the best escape from the heat was chain fast food restaurants (remarkable in this smallish city, and due to the large amount of local and foreign tourists) and the odd internet cafe. But the latter can be crowded with both terminals and children playing online dance games and WoW-type role-playing games.
3. Getting to the bus station early was a strategy not easily understood within 5000 kilometers of the Philippines. Bus tickets didn't even go on sale until 15 minutes before my particular departure. While I waited, 4 buses left for Manila, where I was headed and would fly from in the morning. There was a good reason for waiting for a 9pm bus, as the 9-hour advertised journey was usually around just 7 hours, and I chose to have my waiting time clumped before leaving as much as possible.
Bus stand wait: 2 hours
4. The bus is comfortable enough, but nothing could make the ride itself enjoyable or relaxing in any way. Most of the journey between Vigan and Manila is two lanes and fairly curvy. Bus drivers both ways seemed in deathly hurries; slammed breaks, near-miss passes and constant stops kept any possibility of sleep at bay. Note: I would not recommend a hot dog on the way. It might look delicious, since it may have been hours since you've eaten, but inside the bright red tube of animal is likely to be terribly large and soft hunks of translucent white fat. It was only 50 cents; I threw it away.
Bus ride to Manila: 7.5 hours
Bus sleep: about 1 hour
5. The bus arrived at 4:30 am. To avoid another night in hot and sticky Manila, I chose to go straight to the airport. Unfortunately, my cheap AirAsia flight left from Clark airport, another two hours away. While waiting for my bus I watched the sun come up and bus after bus empty, refill, and roll away.
Bus stand wait: 2.5 hours
Bus to airport: 2 hours
6. My flight was scheduled at 11:45, and took off on time, but the airport is new and dull- one of many so-called "low-cost" airline terminals cropping up in Asia to make room for the influx of flights on airlines such as AirAsia. Annoyingly, the airline often has "free-seating" and all refreshments on-board are an additional fee! And, they inflate flight times so even a late flight arrives on-time or even early...
Airport wait: 2.5 hours
Flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 3.5 hours
Plane Sleep: 30 minutes
7. Once at Kuala Lumpur's own LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal), I found a bus to the city center.
Wait: 30 minutes
Bus to center: 1.5 hours
8. Kuala Lumpur has a wide range of public transport, much of it rail-based, allowing for the avoidance of perpetual traffic. I had to make it to the bus stand near Chinatown.
Two Light Rail rides: 30 minutes
9. Once at the bus terminal, dozens of bus companies vie for the attention of locals and tourists, touting their tickets. I chose the first one I saw (prices are usually posted), and bought a ticket to Malacca.
Wait time: 30minutes
Bus to Malacca: 2.5 hours
10. Malacca is a quite touristy, and filled with package tourists from China and Taiwan, as well as Malaysians on holiday and lots of Westerners, but it is still quaint and walkable, which is a beautiful thing compared to congested Kuala Lumpur. Local bus to town center and hit-or-miss walk to find guesthouse: 1 hour
Total Time: 26.5 hours (waiting: 8 hours; travel: 18.5 hours)
Total Sleep: 1.5 hours
posted by Maya at 6:06 PM
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