I brought my vehicle to the auto shop earlier. It was a bit overdue for its prescribed mileage tune-up. And since it was already late in the afternoon when I brought it there, I had to leave it overnight for them to finish up working on it. Thus, I had to commute on my way back home.
On my way to the waiting shed, I was trying to decide which mode of public transportation to take going home. The choices were a.) taxi b.) FX, and c.) jeepney.
I have never been a cab-riding commuter. There’s just something about the smell of most Metro Manila taxi cabs that makes my guts turn upside down. Try playing badminton for 4 straight hours. After that, put all your sweat-drenched clothing – shirt, socks, and shoes – inside your sports bag and let it stay there for one whole day. When you open the bag the following day, that kind of smell is what I recall when I open the door of a taxi cab here in Metro Manila. Well, of course, there are exceptions, especially with the relatively new and well-maintained cabs being driven around the metro. I think my description would apply more to those Gemini taxi cabs of the 80’s which are already phased out by now. But still, that has been how my mind was conditioned when you say taxi cabs.
I haven’t been an FX rider either. This fairly new mode of transportation is actually a cross between the earlier described stinky taxi cab, and the distinctively Pinoy jeepney. I am still amazed how ten people can actually fit inside one of those.
But I didn’t take an FX earlier. Coz I decided that I would take the good ol’ jeepney. Yup, the proud product of Pinoy ingenuity. The king of Metro Manila roads. And the object of my ever-expanding vocabulary of cuss words.
It seemed that I really missed riding the jeepney. The smell of Manila’s smoke-polluted air. The langka-flavored body odor of that person beside you. The sight of the oblivious young couple in front of you. The sound of its blasting radio mixing with the zoom of all the vehicles around you. The suffocating heat inside during a traffic jam. And the unwritten in-and-out rule of seating when your side reaches maximum seating capacity.
So, are you in? Or are you out? Riding a jeepney is a total experience. A totally Pinoy experience.
4 comments:
Jeep parin ang the best! yung sound nya kapag nasa highway ka na pauwi yung harurot ng jeep parang lullaby na pampatulog tapos magigising ka kasi biglang mawawala ang hawak mo sa handle bar hehe.. mahihiya ka pa kasi magandang tsik ang nasa harap mo.
Proud to be Pinoy! Im IN!!!
i hate it when they make you put your legs tightly together. "e hanggang dito na lang po talga maisasara ang paa ko eh, may naiipit na po!". so i move out, minsan hanggang dulo na lang ng puwet ko yung nakaupo.
@penovate
Yup, masarap matulog sa jeep lalo na pag mahangin at mabilis ang takbo nito. Basta siguraduhin mo lang na hindi ka lalagpas sa bababaan mo. =)
@duke
Bukod sa sinabi mo, isa pang kinaiinisan ko yung mga taong ayaw tumulong pag-abot ng bayad. Sarap apakan ng paa pag bumaba ka, hehehe.
Naisip ko lang. Di ko nga pala pwede tapakan yun pag pababa na ako dahil nandun siya sa may bandang loob. =)
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