passport renewal at DFA
Had my passport renewed at the DFA this morning. Got there at around 8:30am, finished by 11. Not bad. I think I could have made it faster if I took the earliest schedule, though. The lines were already long when I got there. (At the DFA passport application website, they tell you that you will only be allowed in the processing area 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment, but this is not so. When I got there at 8:30, the guards were already letting in those scheduled as late as 10am. I had a 10:30 appointment, and was let in at around 9.)
Taking down these transportation notes for the next time I need my passport renewed:
How to get to DFA from the Ortigas/Pasig area
1. Cab - relatively fast, most convenient, most expensive (around P250 from Ortigas Ext. to DFA, but worth the cost if there are at least three of you traveling)
2. Ayala FX to Buendia, then MIA/MOA bus to DFA - second most convenient, but you'll get stuck in traffic during rush hour
3. Anything going to Crossing, then MRT to Taft, then MIA/MOA bus to DFA - least convenient (two transfers + rush hour crowd at MRT), but probably fastest
I went to the DFA with my aunt and my cousin, so we took a cab. I wasn't able to try out the other two options, but they look correct. The bus I took from MOA did pass in front of DFA.
How to get back to Ortigas from DFA
1. Exit from Gate 1 (the gate with the food store) and walk past S&R until you reach another big road (Roxas Blvd), then take any bus headed North and get off at Crossing or Megamall - convenient because it's only one ride, but traffic at EDSA could be bad
2. Again, exit from Gate 1 and walk past S&R until you reach Roxas Blvd, then take any bus headed North and get off at MRT, then take the MRT to Shaw or Ortigas - quicker but there's one transfer
I took neither of the above options because I didn't know the S&R side road led to Roxas Blvd. I just figured it out on the way home. I took a jeep to MOA, and then a Cubao-bound bus, which passed by DFA, circled the Coastal Mall, and ended up on Roxas Blvd, where I saw the S&R. (What can I say, Pasay is not included in my Areas of Expertise. XD)
Taking down these transportation notes for the next time I need my passport renewed:
How to get to DFA from the Ortigas/Pasig area
1. Cab - relatively fast, most convenient, most expensive (around P250 from Ortigas Ext. to DFA, but worth the cost if there are at least three of you traveling)
2. Ayala FX to Buendia, then MIA/MOA bus to DFA - second most convenient, but you'll get stuck in traffic during rush hour
3. Anything going to Crossing, then MRT to Taft, then MIA/MOA bus to DFA - least convenient (two transfers + rush hour crowd at MRT), but probably fastest
I went to the DFA with my aunt and my cousin, so we took a cab. I wasn't able to try out the other two options, but they look correct. The bus I took from MOA did pass in front of DFA.
How to get back to Ortigas from DFA
1. Exit from Gate 1 (the gate with the food store) and walk past S&R until you reach another big road (Roxas Blvd), then take any bus headed North and get off at Crossing or Megamall - convenient because it's only one ride, but traffic at EDSA could be bad
2. Again, exit from Gate 1 and walk past S&R until you reach Roxas Blvd, then take any bus headed North and get off at MRT, then take the MRT to Shaw or Ortigas - quicker but there's one transfer
I took neither of the above options because I didn't know the S&R side road led to Roxas Blvd. I just figured it out on the way home. I took a jeep to MOA, and then a Cubao-bound bus, which passed by DFA, circled the Coastal Mall, and ended up on Roxas Blvd, where I saw the S&R. (What can I say, Pasay is not included in my Areas of Expertise. XD)