Trip to Bicol: Getting There.

"mag-ingat ka." (be careful.)

that was mum's text when i told her the bus i was in just left the terminal. mag-ingat ka.

i found that odd. i mean, other than ensuring that non of my body parts are extended outside the bus' window, how else can i be more careful in a bus trip? i'm practically a sitting duck inside. so what might happen while i'm in that bus trip? a busted tire. a head-on collission. a landslide. getting hijacked. a terrorist bombing. none of which that i could do anything about. "maybe she meant it in general terms," a friend texted me when i told him about it. ah, in general terms.

the trip took a little more than 9 hours, no thanks to the slow bus. i mean, i was the first person to actually get off the bus, and there were no delays aside from the necessary stop-overs. the normally 8-hour trip just got extended. i repeatedly tried to reassure mum that i have not missed my stop (which was difficult because i don't know where the fuck i was) and that the bus is slow so it will take a while befor i reach my destination. mum and the cousin who is meeting me kept on sending me SMSes every now and then asking me where i am, and so on.

i should be happy for the show of concern. and i know that i am really imposing on them. but geez, i'm not a kid who's travelling alone for the first time. (and even when i was younger, i actually preferred travelling alone.) the worst that could happen is me missing sipocot and ending up in naga so i'll be forced to look for a motel where i could stay in for a few hours of sleep. that's such a drag.

"ask the driver where you are," my mum said when eventually called. "ma," i answered, "i am near the back of the bus. there is an old woman asleep next to me, a mom with a kid sleeping next to her and a long line of bags on the aisle. i can't just wake those people up so i could stand up and ask the driver where i am then go back to my seat and ruin people's naps." in my mind, i added, "and trust me, i DID thought about asking the driver where we are, but i thought it wasn't worth the hassle. thank you for giving me advise that i wouldn't have thought of myself."

this is why i hate it when i'm travelling to relative's place. mum (bless her kind heart) feels it's her duty to worry and panic at her son's expense.

anyways, i did miss my stop. (ha-ha.) i saw the sign saying i've reached sipocot too late so i got off a hundred meters or so from the my intended destination. still, no sweat. i arrived at sipocot a little past two in the morning. my cousin found me walking back to the gas station where we're supposed to meet up, and accompanied me to my aunt's place where i slept before heading to cabusao for my cousin's wedding.

but more about that later. here's photos. photos. and still more photos.