Of Bus Rides and Freedom

Since I came to Manila to work almost three years ago, going home to my family in Bicol has been one of the events that I always look forward to. Not that I go home often, which makes every homecoming even more exciting. And while the availability of Cebu Pacific has made travels easier, faster, and more hassle-free for me, I have found that I can’t totally give up road trip – the 10 to 12 hours bus ride to Bicol and back.

Other than the fact that it’s my saving grace when I’m going home on a limited budget, I have also come to love the entire bus ride, no matter how long it takes – and never mind the fact that I arrive home haggard when I take the bus.

In fact, I enjoy riding the non-aircon type, first because it’s not too cold (I get cold very easily), and second because I love the feeling of sitting with strangers and hearing them talk and just being in the middle of the noise – a mere observer. That isn’t usually the scenario inside aircon buses because the people are either focused on the television or are dozing off trying to get warm.

When riding a non-aircon bus, I love that the windows are open, allowing me to feel the breeze (never mind the fact that it’s all dust when the bus is still along Edsa amidst all the other vehicles). There’s a feeling of freedom when you’re inside a running bus with the windows open and you feel like you’re more involved with everything around you, not just with all the other passengers but even with the world that you pass by.

I love to watch people, and I get a whole lot of watching when inside a bus. I also get the time to think. And yeah, I love the feeling of just doing nothing. And when riding a bus, it’s one of the rare instances when I feel like I can give up control and drop my guard. I can let go, just be passive, sit back and relax, and let the driver take charge. For the entire bus ride, I can allow my mind to pause and rest, to wander off and stray, and to just be free.

Yeah, bus rides mean freedom for me. Now that daily life seems to have turned into a rush of events, a sweep of time from one activity to another, a 10- or 12-hour bus ride is a wonderful break from the fast succession of events in my daily existence.