GUANGZHOU BAIYUN AIRPORT

It was Christmas Day when we flew from Xiamen to Guangzhou, China aboard China Southern Airlines. For a relatively short domestic flight (1 hour and 15 minutes), they served us only a bag of peanuts and drinks as our in-flight snack. After a very comfortable flight we arrived safely at Baiyun Airport, which is about 20 kilometers (13 miles) north of Guangzhou. It is the largest airport in southeast China, flying to 32 cities in China and major Asian destinations. The airport is the main hub of China Southern Airlines and a focus city for Shenzhen Airlines.

There were only very few people and we saw several foreigners with their newly adopted Chinese babies. (For those who have no idea, Guangzhou, China is known for child adoption programs.) I often found myself staring at these cute and adorable little angels. If I were only a millionaire, I would love to take them all home and give them the best care, the best chance in life they could ever have. Ahhh.. Ok, enough of the reverie. Our check-out was fairly quick and luggage was offloaded soon. Afterwards, we headed directly outside the terminal building to look for a public transport.


Soon we grabbed a bus called Airport Express (operated by the Airport Express Transportaion Company of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport), and headed over to the city center. Lucky for us, queues were relatively non-existence and we saved a little bit of cash. Fare was only 15 Yuan per person and travel time was 30 minutes. The only downside, the bus dropped us off about a 5-minute walk away from Dongfang Hotel. That situation was little inconvenient since we were carrying our entire luggage with us. Plus some locals approached us and made a few offers to go to their hotels but we just ignored them.


Note: There are also Taxi services to and from the airport. But have your hotel address / directions written in Chinese characters as most cabbies do not speak English. The standard fare to central Guangzhou from the airport is about 110 Yuan if metered.

XIAMEN GAOXI INT'L AIRPORT

On December 25th, our flight was scheduled to leave Xiamen at 2:45 pm via China Southern Airlines bound for Guangzhou, the last leg of our holiday vacation to China. We arrived at Xiamen Gaoxi International Airport, which is the primary international and domestic getaway in Xiamen, China. It is about 10km (about 6.2 miles) from the airport to downtown Xiamen. The airport is fairly modern and clean. There are numerous food and beverage outlets, bookstores, handicrafts, leatherwear and toys, pharmaceuticals, a few snack bars and a duty free shop.

We then proceeded to the Domestic Departure Hall located on the west side of Floor 2 of the terminal, where we underwent the following formalities like baggage check-in and boarding pass application and security check. Afterwards, we waited in the terminal lounge near the boarding gate, which are all of pretty good quality. It also offers viewing screens throughout the terminal with many televisions set up.



While wating for our departure, I had to answer the call of nature. As I entered the cubicle, I was completely facinated with what they've done with the water closet. It has a hands-free toilet seat that dispenses a fresh clear plastic seat cover when you push the green button. It assures cleanliness each time a toilet is used. I thought, this is really great especially for us women since we often use the toilet seat, and sometimes it's tiresome for us having to clean the seat or squat over the seat. I hope this will become a standard public facility item.



Overall, Xiamen doesn't strike me as a shopping haven and not much a tourist potential. It is however, a very charming place if you're interested of the rich and dramatic history and culture. And I vouched that during winter season especially the month of December, fresh air and sea breeze will definitely give you a blissful sense of relaxed comfort during your stay.

You can also take notice to the various local festivals. For example, June is noted for the Phoenix Flower Tourist Festival, August is noted for the Gulangyu Piano Festival, and the week of Mid-Autumn Day is noted for the Xiamen Bobing (Cake Gambling) Festival.

SINGAPORE AIRPORT BUDGET TERMINAL

Late in the afternoon it was time for us to get ready for our flight back to Manila, Philippines. We arrived at the Singapore Airport Budget Terminal about 3 hours before our scheduled departure. The Budget Terminal is a 25,000 square metres single-storey terminal, which comprises two adjacent areas for departure and arrival.

The airport Check in Hall has airline service counter, AXS machine, baggage weighing machine, children's play area, custom inspection for GST Refund, lost and found / left baggage counter, POSB automated teller machine, post box and public phones. For those who are a bit hungry, you can grab a bite at Han's Café and Bakery.

Check in Hall Check in Counter Han's Café and Bakery

There are two GST refund operators in the Budget Terminal, namely Global Refund and Premier Tax Free. These are for visitors to Singapore, who are entiled to claim back the Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid on their purchases when they take them home. A 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied on most goods and services. One needs to spend S$ 100 or more to qualify for the refunds. Since we were too early at that time, hubby went first to the Customs officer who is located in the check in hall for GST refund. He just showed the goods together with the refund cheque / voucher, receipts and passport.

After checking-in, we entered the Departure Lounge (Restricted Area). The lounge has a free internet kiosks, free laptop access, free local calls, GST Refund Agencies - Global Refund & Premier Tax Free, money changer, outdoor smoking terrace, prayer room, POSB automated teller machine, post box and TV lounge - Channel 5 and Channel NewsAsia.

Free internet Kiosks and O'Brians Sandwich Bar

There are mixes of retail and F&B outlets at the departure lounge of the Budget Terminal such as DFS (liquor and tobacco), Nuance-Watson (perfumes & cosmetics), King Power (chocolate, candy and delicatessen), Carlo Rino and Hang Ten (fashion apparel & accessories), Times Newslink (books, magazines, & stationery), Mini Toons and Gifts & Accessories by International Gifts & Costume Jewellery Pte Ltd (gifts), King Power (general merchandise), Sports Connection (sporting goods), a mini mart 7-Eleven, Genki Sushi, O'Briens, Killiney Kopitiam and Polar Puffs and Cakes.

(1 photo source from tiffy of BudgetAirline.com)

CEBU-MACTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The fastest way to get to Cebu City, Philippines is by air. There are various airlines which fly to Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The following airline operators are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Philippines, SEAir, Asian Spirit, Cathay Pacific Airways, SilkAir, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Mandarin Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a major trade center in the south for both domestic and international travel. It is located in Lapu-Lapu City which is only a twenty-minute drive away from Cebu City.

(Facade of Mactan-Cebu International Airport)

Located at the pre-departure area, passengers can enjoy a last-minute shopping spree before their scheduled flights. At Duty Free, a variety of imported goods like wine, chocolate, clothing, shoes, etc. are available. Customers should present a valid passport to make any purchase. There are also snack bars, stores that sell wide selections of souvenir items and "pasalubong" (take-home) such as the famous local delicacies - otap, dried mangoes and rosquillos.

(Check-in area)

For each departing passengers, there is a service charge or terminal fee of P200 (U.S. $3.50) for domestic departures and minimal fee for international departures (paid in Philippine Pesos only).

You'll find quite a lot of taxis waiting outside the airport. The taxi stand and car rental desks are just outside the main door. Fixed rates apply for the hired taxis depending on your destination. But if you have few baggages and want a less-expensive fare, you can walk down across the street and look for the sign "more metered taxis upstairs."

Please take note of all the list of prohibited items, which include all liquid substances such as beverages, lotions, shampoos, toothpastes, gels, astringents, and other items of similar consistency, these items shall be placed in the check-in luggage and shall be confiscated if found at the final screening point.

Subject to usual inspection but are not covered by this restrictions are baby formula, breast milk, or juice of a baby or small child who is traveling, prescription medicines under the passenger's name, insulin and other non-prescription medicines and airline crew groom kits.

SHANGHAI PUDONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

We arrived on time at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which is located in the eastern part of Pudong district. It is about 30 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, and occupies an area of about 32 square kilometers. It is a major international getaway into China, and it is curfew free and operates 24 hours a day depending wether its passengers or logistics.

Then we waited a few minutes for our bags to arrive which was brought by our shuttle service.



The gigantic airport is very modern. At a glance, the design of the high ceiling was striking and magnificent. However, the airport terminal was crammed full of passengers and their luggages.


The terminal building is compose of two parts - main building and long terminal concourse, both 3-storey structured, and connected by two passages. The building covers an area about 280,000 m², with thirteen conveying luggage belts and twenty-eight boarding bridges; the area of food and drinks facilities and other leasing service facilities reaches 60,000 m^2.

Kuala Lumpur: Overview & Getting There

KUALA LUMPUR, or KL as it's popularly known, is the youngest Southeast Asian capital and the largest city of Malaysia. The city is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society, consisting of Malays, Chinese , Indians and other indigenous tribes. Malay is the national language of the country.

Kuala Lumpur is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit. The city is clean, comfortable and safe. It has stunning examples of modern architecture like the Petronas Towers, interesting monuments and other places that will kept you busy.

Getting There:
We left the house around 9:30 am. We took the Philtranco Shuttle Bus in SM Megamall for our trip to Clark International Airport (approximately 1- 1/2 hours travel). The single trip ticket costs P300.00 per person. Bus ticket can be purchased on the bus or you may buy it in advance from any Philtranco bus operators.

We decided to book a flight with Air Asia Airline. A Kuala Lumpur-based airline with a ticketless service and a Low fare, no frills Airline. Air Asia's fares are significantly lower than those of other operators. This service targets the guests who will do without the frills of meals, frequent flyer miles or airport lounges in exchange for fares up to 80% lower than those currently offered with equivalent convenience. No complimentary drinks or meals are offered. Instead, Air Asia offers "Snack Attack", a range of snacks and drinks available on board at affordable prices and prepared exclusively for Air Asia's guests.

Finally we arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) around 8:30 pm (4 hours travel). Then the tourist guide from the Borneo Tours Travel Agency picked us up and transported by van to the hotel along with eight Filipino tourists. The ride took us at least an hour.

KLIA is Malaysia's main international airport and is situated in Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about 50 km from the capital city of KL.

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