Arrivals and Departures

(Manila International Airport, picture taken from here)

I like airports despite not liking to fly.

With regard to airplanes, I can't help it: the idea that there is nothing between me and the clear blue sky except for some sheets of steel and a rug that raises my hackles every time I'm in the air.

But airports-- airports are a different story. There's something about the day of your travel itself, all your bags are packed, and all your papers are in order. There's that heady feeling of potential that you're about to embark into something new (even if your destination is something that you constantly visit anyway).

In the Philippines, you have a choice of airports: the run-down original Manila International Airport Terminal 1 (now called the Ninoy Aquino International Airport); the Centennial Terminal 2; and the NAIA Terminal 3.

The latter two are relatively new so the facilities are still well-kept and maintained. There are less crowds there and the place is better-lit. Though they don't quite compare to international terminals abroad, they feel quite cozy and make you feel ready to travel. (Unlike terminal 1 which can turn travel-day blues into frazzled-and-harassed purples.)

Abroad, I've already experienced passing through a number of airports. These include the Hong Kong International Airport (or the Chek Lap Kok Airport), the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, and the San Francisco International Airport. (I don't remember much about the Changi airport in Singapore: too young at that time to mark the experience.) There is a certain larger-than-life feeling with these airports as you pass through their portals and just before you board your respective planes.

In particular, I've always equated the Hong Kong International Airport with taking long walks given the place is so damn big. But coming after long, inter-continental flights from the US, I took quite a fancy to the option of being able to shower and change at the Hong Kong International Airport. (Not that I've ever tried that.)

But regardless of the size or comforts-- whether international terminals or local ones-- I suppose I can like airports because I really don't have to stay long in one. Just a cigarette or two with your coffee and then off you go into the wild blue yonder.

*starts humming, "All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go..."*