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Travel

Photos and stories from many of my travels in the past 5 years

Flying AirAsia from Manila to Bangkok

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Feb 06, 2024
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Bangkok, Thailand, Travel

Date: January 16, 2023

After spending nearly a month in (mostly) Manila, it was time to say goodbye and fly out.

Air Asia Manila airport morning — I checked in at Air Asia

Ninoy Aquino International Airport morning check-in — This was NAIA Terminal 3 early in the morning

Manila NAIA airport food court — I was upstairs checking out the food court

McDonalds hershey Manila airport — There were some gift shops as well, such as a Hershey’s store

Once I was done wasting time (I checked in early), I went back down and cleared immigration.

Kate Spade Manila NAIA airport — NAIA Terminal 3 is currently the largest airport in Manila but isn’t very impressive by today’s standards

Manila NAIA airport gates Philippines — I moved to my gate after browsing the duty free shops

Manila airport morning Sheraton Marriott — It was gloomy skies as the sun came up as it had rained in the morning

Manila’s NAIA is notorious for delays but fortunately my flight departed on time.

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Philippines: Getting a glimpse of ITZY in Manila, and the shocking cost of fresh food

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Dec 20, 2023
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Philippines, Travel

I know. That’s such a weird mix of a title for the blog post but I didn’t have enough photos to dedicate a blog post for each topic. So since this is the final post in this Philippines series, and I’m going to squeeze in a mixed bag of photos from different dates and talk about different things.

January 9, 2023

After finishing my work, I decided to head to Ermita via Pasay.

Malate river Manila Philippines — I took the MRT to Taft Avenue station

Pasay interchange walkway Manila Philippines — TAFT Avenue/EDSA interchange is a very busy junction

In 2011, when I first arrived in Manila, I stayed in the Pasay area at the famous Kabayan Hotel. Although a hectic area to be in, due to its proximity to Manila’s airport, Pasay is a convenient location if you want to get around via the city’s metro network; you can hop on the LRT 1 (Green line) and MRT 3 (Yellow line) from Pasay.

Taft Avenue EDSA MRT station — I walked towards the LRT1 line to take the metro to get down at Pedro Gil station

Since I arrived in Manila, I was hoping to catch the sunset by Manila Bay. But unfortunately, since arriving in mid-December, the skies in Manila had been grey and cloudy. Manila Bay — and the Philippines in general — offer some of the best sunrise / sunset views!

Ermita Robinsons Place road Manila — But looking at the clouds today as well, I dropped the idea

Al Noor restaurant Ermita Manila Philippines — As I was walking around the area, I came across a few Middle Eastern restaurants in Ermita

Al Noor restaurant menu Ermita Manila — This is the menu of Al Noor restaurant

Shawarma snack center White Palace Condotel Manila — Also nearby was Shawarma Snack Center, which is adjoining a hotel Whit e Palace Condotel

I was drawn to their shawarma section:

I was craving good shawarma from people who knew how to cook it right, so I went in. What I mean is, I had shawarma once from a Filipino chain and found the chicken meat mixed with some sweet-ish sauce — bleh!

Continue reading “Philippines: Getting a glimpse of ITZY in Manila, and the shocking cost of fresh food” »