Passenger Talesstories about my experiences as a traveler and passenger

I get irritated when I see couples walking together HHWW (holding hands while walking), being very sweet and all, making gooey eyes on each other, but with the girl/woman on the danger side of the road. Don’t guys know that they should be the ones on the side nearest the street? Is the instinct to protect their mate just history? Was this instinct stifled by women’s lib? That women can take care of themselves and that they don’t need men’s protection? Sure, I believe in equality of the sexes but by doing something so little as walking nearest the side of the street when they’re together or when they’re crossing, men can show their partners just how much they care and value them. On the other hand, women have as much right to protect their men, so maybe they choose to walk on the danger side to show how much they care and value their men. Or maybe, these couples just don’t know any better. Hehehe

What do you think?

When I was young we used to ride the military cargo plane C130 to come here to Manila from Cebu during vacations then when vacation was over, back to Cebu. May parents worked here in Manila while we studied in Cebu. Since commercial airline fares, there was only PAL before, were more than we could afford, we had to find another alternative. My mother was working for a bank in Villamor Airbase that time and their clients were military personnel and they told her about the cargo plane. So during the start of summer vacations we would already pack up our bags and wait for the call from a friendly military captain who would assist us in boarding the military plane. Riding the C130 was always an adventure. We didn’t know when the captain would call so we were always ready to leave at a moment’s notice. When we got the call it didn’t mean that we’d be able to board the plane. I can’t count the times when had to go back home because we weren’t able to catch a ride. It was only when we were airborne that we could breathe easily and looked forward to arriving at our destination. Sometimes we had to wait for a long time at the airbase for the plane and sometimes we barely had time to catch our breath before we were ushered aboard. Usually we didn’t have to line up to board like the others, we just waited at the sides then the captain would motion to us to board.

There were no chairs aboard the plane only cargoes. If we were lucky, we could sit on the floor of the plane but if the flight was jam-packed, then we remained standing for the whole duration of the flight. More often than not, I always felt like a sardine in a can because of the press of bodies inside the plane. There were planes with strong aircondition system and there were planes where I felt like a cloud because of the deluge of sweat pouring out of my body. I can remember an instance when the plane was so full that when the plane took off or landed, somebody would shout for us to move to the back, then we would all shuffle to the back. Then there will be another shout for us to move front and all of us would move forward again. This was to help the plane take off or land. We did not need to hold on to something because the press of bodies kept us upright. There was barely a space for us breathe. It was like LRT during rush hour. I always felt relieved as always a reli off the plane.

I remember my aunt, she was also a C130 passenger once upon a time, telling me that one time she overheard a conversation between two male passengers. One passenger was telling the other, “Safe na safe tong C130 kc nakakabilly land.” It was quite a while before she realized that he meant “belly-land.” Hehehe, Mabuhi mga Bisdak!

Despite the inconveniences, I remember with fondness my adventures aboard the C130. I was lucky that I got to experience them once upon a time. I guess there are advantages to being disadvantaged. Next time I’ll feature some of my memorable rides here.

Of all the scary and dangerous situations I’ve encountered as a commuter, this was so far, and hopefully the last, scariest situation I’ve been in. That evening in February 2004 started well enough. I met my friend Kate, yes the same Kate from Davao, at her hotel in the New Renaissance World to grab dinner at Greenbelt. (I’m starting to wonder if these were just coincidences…hehehe..just kidding Kate ) She was in town for a Conference. She treated me to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Good thing it was a treat because I couldn’t have afforded our dinner. The meal was delicious, the serving was big, the atmospher was relaxed and the conversation fun and long. We finished at around 10:00pm and I accompanied her back to the lobby of her hotel where I took my leave.

I decided not to take a taxi because of all the emails I had been receiving at that time that warned about taking the taxi alone. My best bet would have been the MRT but unfortunately I already knew that I missed the last trip. So I started walking to Ayala Avenue to catch a bus to Crossing. It was quite a long walk and I was a little bit scared because the streets were empty and the stores closed. When I got to Ayala Avenue near Rustan’s I easily caught a bus bound for Crossing Ibabaw. I was barely seated and the bus was just about to climb the overpass to Edsa when there was a firecracker-like explosion and a voice saying, “Hold up ‘to. Walang kikilos o papasabugin ko tong bus.” (This is a hold up. Nobody move or I’ll blow up this bus.)

Waaahh! Those were one of the scariest words I’ve ever heard. When I looked to the front of the bus, there was a guy holding a gun in one hand and a hand grenade in the other. A very scary site indeed, I tell you. My heart was pounding so hard and my teeth chattering. I tried praying but I coudn’t seem to get the words right. Then I noticed that aside from the guy with a grenade, there were three other armed men with him. They shepherded the people at the back to occupy the seats in front then systematically began getting the cellphones and wallets of the passengers. When it was my turn, I quickly turned over my cellphone and wallet. I thought about putting my cellphone in the plastic bag I was holding but I was afraid of discovery and I’m a very bad liar. If the hold upper decided to question me, I’d knew I’d give myself away. The guy riffled through my wallet and took out my money then he gave me my wallet back then he moved on to the next person.

I was seated beside the window while we traversed the length of Edsa in silence. My heart slowed down a little but still beating faster than normal. I looked out the window and saw the people outside going about their business with no idea of what was happening to us in the bus. Our bus was just one of the many buses travelling Edsa. As I looked around the bus I noticed that the woman wearing a Mercury Drug uniform seated ahead of me on the other aisle had her whole bag checked twice. It turned out that she only had P20 with her and the hold uppers were not quite conviced. Fortunately, after thoroughly checking her bag out the second time, they were finally convinced. We passed by Crossing, my stop, and proceeded passed Megamall. I was afraid that we’d be very far away from my stop before the hold uppers would decide they were finished with us. I was very relieved when they got off at the foot of the Ortigas-Edsa overpass near Robinson’s Galleria. They made sure that none of us would get off with them. Once the holduppers were gone, the passengers began to talk. One male passenger was left shoeless because the holduppers took his rubbershoes while a female passenger retained her cellphone by hiding it in her seat. When we reached the bottom on the otherside of the overpass, some of us got off. While walking back to Robinson’s Galleria my co-passengers began talking to each other while I surreptiously looked through my wallet. Imagine my great surprise when I saw that I still had P400 left. My money was not hidden or anything but maybe it was because in the hold upper’s hurry he was not able to see the P400 among the receipts and small papers tucked inside my wallet. I was very greatful to be alive and to still have some money. One of my male co-passengers spotted the police in Galleria and he told us that he was going to report what happened to the police as he hurried toward them. We saw him talk to the police and got in the police jeep, presumably to look for the hold uppers. Another guy passenger also hurried away to get another ride. I was left walking alone with the Mercury woman. We talked about the incident. She told me that it was such a shame since the guy holding the grenade was quite goodlooking and looked clean. She noticed this because he sat beside her while he riffled through her bag the second time. Hahaha, I noticed it too… I told her that not all the money was taken even though I gave my wallet to the holdupper. She said that her P20 was not taken from her. When we reached Robinson’s, we rode the jeepney to De Castro together. She insisted on paying my fare even though the P20 was her last money. People can really surprise you with their generosity even after such a horrible ordeal. I got off at Rosario to catch another jeepney while she continued on.

I was able to go home safely and immediately called my phone company to temporarily disconnect my line. Once I’ve related my story to my mom I went online in Chikka and told Kate, my friend, that the bus I was riding was held up and that I would be cellphoneless for sometime. She surprised me because she replied through my chikka by laughing and telling me I was crazy. It was only after we saw each other again after a while that I learned that she thought I was just kidding her since it was still my cellphone number that appeared in her phone. This was because my chikka ID was also my cellphone number.

It was the first time that I experienced crime at such close quarters. I wouldn’t care to experience it again. Who would? It was quite a while before I was comfortable riding the bus again. A few days after the incident I rode another bus with my officemate. I was really on tenterhooks the whole time. I was waiting for somebody to get up and announce “This is a holdup.” Fortunately, it was a smooth ride even though it felt like eternity to me. Now, I’m happy to say that I’m over my trauma.

An advance Valentine’s greeting from Jennie. Thanks so much Jen!.

My turn to greet my friends Neil, Judc, Nanci, Betchii, Maianne a Happy Valentine’s Day.

My day started badly when I woke up at around 3:00 am to the sound of my neighbor’s voice talking loudly on his cellphone. I was really irritated because I had a hard time going back to sleep. He was on the phone for sometime. The least he could have done was to lower his voice since I’m sure he knows that his neighbors were asleep at that hour. Or went somewhere else in their house where he won’t be heard by the neighbors. Anyway, I was finally able to go back to sleep when he wound up his conversation.

When I woke up at 6:00 am I did not feel rested and was still very sleepy. I even attempted to catch a few winks fully dressed for office while waiting for my mom to finish dressing since we were going to our respective offices together. Our travel to the office started rather well. Traffic was not so heavy going to Rotonda and when arrived there were two taxis waiting for passengers. Getting a taxi in Rotonda is usually very hard nowadays especially on Monday mornings. The journey started well enough. My mom told the driver where the destination was and off we went. The problem started when the driver told us that he will take an alternative route in order to avoid traffic. Ok that is not a problem. I asked him where the alternate route exited because I wanted to make sure that I can get off at San Miguel Avenue. He said at the Mercury Store in Crossing. I told him that it would be better to exit at Shaw thru Sheridan because I was getting off at San Miguel Avenue. He argued that the traffic was heavy and he was conserving his fuel. Why didn’t we tell him when we got in that it would be double drop off. My mom said that everytime we take a taxi it always takes the Shaw route and pass by San Miguel Avenue where I get off. He remained stubborn and said that I can always walk back from Mercury in Crossing. Hello! Who was paying here? I told the driver I would be late if I had to walk back from Crossing. My mom got angry and told the driver to just let us out of the taxi. The driver agreed and said we didn’t have to pay. My mom told him of course we were not going to pay since we were not even half way to our destination. In fairness the driver was not very bastos but just very stubborn. We were going to pay him whatever the meter would read when my mom would get off. Sure it would have been nice to avoid traffic but not if I had to get off farther than from where I usually get off. And what’s with the double dropping thing? I’m along the way if he just takes the Shaw route. He’s not even required to make an out of the way turn. Good thing I was able to get another ride quickly. My mom and I separated since there was only one seat available in the jeepney. Since as an officer she did not need to bundy she pushed me to go first.

Taxi drivers here in Manila can be so arrogant, complain a lot, and dishonest either by cheating you on your change, taking you to your destination in a roundabout way so that you’ll pay higher or only agreeing to letting you ride if you add something to the fare from the meter. I’m not saying that all of them are like that. I have encountered decent taxi drivers but they are few and far between. Maybe the high price of gasoline and the heavy traffic is cutting a big piece of their income but they should also realize that not all who ride the taxi are rich people. A lot of us are also employees with not so great salaries and we also have the same problems with the high price of gasoline, high cost of living, heavy traffic, etc. If we all just help each other and try not to get the better of each other then our country will certainly be a better place to live.

One of the scariest taxi rides I can remember happened in Davao almost eight years ago. I was in Davao that time with my officemate Bob (hi bob!) We were conducting a Survey on Productivity Awareness. I was staying with my grandmother whose house was in the suburbs while Bob was staying at the satellite office in the central district, since it had a place for visitors from the central office. On our second night in the city, I met with Kate, a high school friend who I haven’t seen for some years. We went to the mall for dinner. We stayed until the mall closed since we had a lot of catching up to do then we went to her home where we continued with our conversation. It was around nine o’clock when I finally decided to go home since I was not quite familiar with the place so I was afraid of going home very late. I took a taxi and since I was so busy saying goodbye to Kate, it was only when the taxi was underway that I saw the red eyes of the driver. It was really red like he was on drugs or a very bad case of sore eyes. I could not get off because we were already along the highway going to the suburbs. I was very afraid especially when he would peer at the mirror every so often and I would see his red eyes looking at me. Thinking back, maybe the reason he was peering every now and then was to check the traffic behind us At that time all sorts of wild thoughts were racing through my mind like was this my last taxi ride ever? Was I going to be an addition to the statistics on victims of crime? What about all the things I haven’t done yet? I was still so young and I had my whole life ahead of me. Hehe. All through out the ride I was silently reciting the Memorare until I got home without incident. I was so greatful to arrive at my grandma’s house without incident, thanks to my guardian angel

My friends and I went to Bantayan in July last year to celebrate Emily’s birthday. Yes, another friend’s birthday It was a first trip for me. Bantayan is an island off the north coast of the Cebu mainland. It’s around two hours bus ride to the town of San Remigio plus another hour or so by boat. I was almost convinced by my aunt to forego the trip because July is a rainy season and she was worried about me taking a boat trip. Good thing I did not listen because the ride was uneventful and I would have missed seeing such a wonderful place. It was off-peak season that’s why the place was barely alive with tourists. Something I found enjoyable since I’m not fond of crowded places.

When we arrived at Bantayan pier someone from the resort in Sta. Fe, Bantayan where we were going to stay fetched us. We had a cabin near the beach front. It was quite spacious. Outside was a verandah with some chairs, a table and a rocking chair. Inside the airconditioned room were two beds- a single bed and a double bed, a dresser, a cabinet, and comfort room. It was all very nice but a bit expensive, considering that it was off season and the place was not very commercialized. But on second thoughts, considering the size of the cabin..

We were dying of hunger so that when we arrived went we straight to the restaurant to order lunch. It turned out that we had to suffer our hunger longer because the service was as slow as their rural lifestyle while their prices were Manila-like expensive. The staff were nice enough but still needed one or two Customer Service Seminars. If anyone from DAP is reading this, maybe you can consider submitting a proposal to the resort owner to conduct the seminar. hehehe.

After we had settled in, we went straight to the beach for pictorials and a dip. The beach front was littered with nature’s debris, coconut husks and leaves and seaweeds. It was only on our second day, that I saw resort personnel cleaning up the debris. As we walked along the sand bar we met a fisherman who was folding his net and he showed us some jellyfishes and an asuhos, Judcee’s favorite fish, that got stranded in the sand.

We went exploring in the late afternoon. We decided that we were going to eat dinner outside the resort. We took a tricycle that took us around. We visited their small church then he dropped us off in one of the resorts and from their we started walking along the beach. Along the way we passed a restaurant which I thought was named Hard Rock Cafe but my friend said that it was Hard Kock and not Hard Rock. I was quite disbelieving but lo and behold when we passed by again after dinner, my friend was right.

We came upon an Italian and seafood restaurant called White Sand and run by a half-German, half-French man named Robert. He’s been in Bantayan for quite some time already. He is one of the many foreigners who went to Bantayan and fell in love with the place and settled there permanently. Robert told us that his pizza was something we haven’t tasted before. So we ordered the pizza and some pasta. We also saw drawings of a child in the sand. Beautiful childish drawings. He/she must be an offspring of a fisherfolk.

After our walk, we went back to the restaurant. Pasta was served before the pizza. If they served the pizza first, I don’t think I would have room for it after eating the pizza. The pizza was heavenly. Very cheezy and thick. Commercial pizza parlors in the country can’t begin to compare. One slice is enough to wipe away your hunger. And it was very affordable at just P350. We were so full already that we had the remaining 3 slices of pizza packed for take out. Strawberry shake was the drink of choice. I enjoyed mine very much. We decided to walk off the very delicious dinner back to our resort.

We left the next morning. I was thinking that we’ll be stranded in the island because when I woke up it was raining hard and the sky was very leaden. When I looked at the sea, you can’t see the outline of the mainland due to the heavy rain. Good thing by midmorning the rain stopped. The resort’s service brought us to the pier. But before that, Carlo, my friend’s boyfriend, asked the driver to drop by Hard Kock Cafe to buy a souvenir shirt. hehehe. What was strange in Bantayan was that you had to pay terminal fee twice. I’m not sure if one was for municipal fee then other for the pier itself. Anyway, the payments were just minimal. The boat ride back was speedier because we rode a fast craft.

I would have enjoyed staying a day or two longer. Unfortunately, my flight was the next day and my budget was almost depleted. Here are more pictures of the beach.