The Bus to Baguio

Location: On the road from Cubao to Baguio, The Philippines
NP: I Monster - Heaven
Mood: Dubious

After receiving good news from the embassy, we decided to pack our bags again and jump on the bus to Baguio. We took a taxi to the Victory Liner bus terminal and were informed that the next bus to Baguio would leave at 2 PM. It was then 12:05 PM. Two tickets to Baguio cost 900 pesos.

The next bus, however, would not leave at 2 PM. It would leave at 1 PM. Although we had tickets for the bus at 2 PM, we were allowed on the earlier bus after the passengers with a proper ticket. There were many people in line with 2 PM tickets.

The bus itself was quite comfortable. The seats had just enough space so that I only took about 1.2 seats by myself, not 1.5 like on Finnair's plane - a significant difference! There was air-con and wifi on the bus. And they played movies throughout the trip, apart for the very last 30 minutes or so, a rise up to the mountains.

Tarlac City

The trip took us 7-8 hours. The bus made perhaps three stops on the way. I only got out of the vehicle in Tarlac - a long city and a province, I am told, reaching far along the highway like a wriggling worm.

'This can't possibly still be Tarlac', I thought. But it was. Ramshackle shacks, partially collapsed buildings after typhoon Hayan, and some beautiful houses of painted concrete and glass adorned the way. And every now and then a large Christian church of painted concrete in pristine condition, bringing contrast to the shacks beside it.

The line between poverty and wealth was made solid by a concrete wall.