The Jeepney Chronicles

Hello world...

I have been a passenger of jeepneys ever since I learned to use mass transport as a means of travel. In Zamboanga City, there are only two means of public transport, the tricycle, which is sort of taxi in our part of the country, and the jeepney. The tricycle is like a taxi here. The drivers charge an expensive fare and once you flag one down, you become the exclusive passenger. Unlike in other parts of the country where the tricycle can pick up several passengers along the way. I am not fond of riding tricycles. My preferred means of transport is the jeepney. I only ride the tricycle only when absolutely necessary.

This post is the start of a series of post about adventures in riding the jeepney. I rode the jeepney everyday, except Sundays. I ride it on my way to work and in going to town. When I started working in an agency (short for government agency), particularly in our local university, I was fortunate enough to ride just one jeepney on my way to the office. The minimum fare way back 2001 was still P4.00. When I got married in 2002, we moved in a barangay which required me to ride the jeepney twice, once in going to town then another one in going to my office. When my pregnancy was near its full term, I had no choice but to ride the tricycle. But, the fare back then was cheaper than it was now.

We moved to a barangay where my parents live. I only have to ride the jeepney once in going to the office. The fare became P5.00. Today, the minimum fare is P7.00. The fare to my destination is P8.00. So you see, the fare has doubled in seven years. This is mainly due to the rising price of oil in the world market. But I won't delve much into that.

According to Wikipedia and its related sources, Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II, and are well known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have also become a symbol of Philippine culture. The word jeepney comes from two words, "jeep" and "jitney". Accordingly, it is called the "King of the Road."

Well, this is all for now. More stories from a jeepney ride to come...

Mabuhay!!!

Sweet Reunions

Christmas is that time of the year when you just have to set aside a day for reunions.Last Christmas, I did not expect to have booked not only one day, but lots of days for sweet reunions.

Here is a picture of me with my cousins. At last, they invited me to join them on their night out...Actually, I invited myself...hehehe. It was a Saturday night. I attended our high school alumni homecoming when I saw my brother at the school. He told me that after the homecoming he will join my cousins for some cocktails at Catribo. Since I don't have a ride home, I joined them. Wow...I did not regret my decision. Being the eldest among all cousins present, I relegated myself to being an observer and let them run the show...With our generation gap, I find it strange that they enjoy this kind of entertainment. My brother warned me beforehand, no comment please. I would have nejoyed a more relaxed and quieter ambience. Oh oh..I am getting older...hahaha.

How about this picture, minus me, of my high school classmates during our alumni homecoming. I was the one taking the picture. I like it that way...just a wallflower, a casual observer, taking it all in in my little corner of the world...I can't express the happiness I felt when I spent some time with my high school pals. We will host our alumni homecoming six years from now. We have lots of plans and hopefully we can make it happen when our time comes. Hello to Maxxy who came all the way from Kuwait just to be with us and her family this Christmas season. Thanks for sharing your time with us Mems.

Here's another picture of my high school pals this time at 3rd Cup with Jerico Marcos, who have resided in Davao. He was in town to attend his brother's wedding and we could not pass the chance to meet him. It has been six years since we had been together. Four hours lounging in a relaxing atmosphere is not enough when conversations are full. We can;t seem to run out of topics to talk about. He's planning to migrate abroad with his family. It seems to be the trend these days. Much as we like to do the same, we just don't have the financial edge to go for it.

Well, this is a sum of my reunions with my family and friends. No matter how short the time that we spent together, it's much better than not having spent time at all. To my family and friends, thanks for making this Christmas season one of the most memorable time in my life.