Manila to Zambales

My cousin Zaldy picked me up at 6am yesterday. We were trying to avoid the traffic. He hired one of his suki (regulars) with an SUV to drive us to the bus station. Cost: 1300PhP (32USD)

After buying our tickets to Candelaria, a town in the northern part of Zambales, we had breakfast at the station. Well, Zaldy had rice and fish right there, and I got a ham and egg sandwich to go. The bus fare is about 400PhP each and Zaldy said the trip takes 6 hours. We sat all the way in the back of the bus where there was room for my handcarry and we each took a window seat.

I ate my ham and egg sandwich and took a short nap. An hour into the trip, we stopped at a rest area and we got a chance to use the bathroom and buy food for lunch. Apparently, the bus won't stop at another rest area again.

I bought bibingka for 38PhP. The bibingka is like a fat pancake, about six inches across and a half-inch thick, baked on top of banana leaves and topped with salty eggs.

When we got to Olongapo, vendors came up to the bus to sell their wares. I got a pack of boiled peanuts for 20PhP, but the guy didn't have enough change for my 50PhP, which was the smallest denomination I had, so I bought a pack of six bird eggs for another 10PhP. He gave me 20PhP in change and was happy for the extra sale. He gave me two small plastic bags to put the peanut shells and the egg shells in.

I dug into the peanuts right away, and although the quality isn't that great, it was all gone when we got to Subic. The peanuts reminded me of a time when I was a college freshman in Manila. During a class, some friends and I surreptitiously shared a big bag of boiled peanuts in the back of the class and even passed it around. Eating in class was unheard of, but our teacher was a good sport. At the end of the class, the floor was littered with peanut shells.

Around noon, we arrived at Iba where the bus stopped for a while. I ate my bibingka and bird eggs. Then a vendor came up the bus and I bought three packs of linga (sesame seed candy) for 100L. Linga is one of my childhood favorites and I ate an entire pack.

Zaldy had moved to a seat halfway up the bus, but he pointed out Amungan to me. I had a brief look at the land of the Basangs and the back half is thick with trees. I can't wait to go and see it up close.

When we got off in Candelaria, Zaldy hailed a tricycle and they were able to load up the big suitcases in the back and tie them down. I sat in the cab with my handcarry and Zaldy hopped on behind the driver. Cost: 20PhP