My Thrown Up Memories

I love traveling. It’s a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of the Metro. I love to see sceneries and meet wonderful strangers whenever I hit the road. However, I am no wealthy individual so I do my traveling via commute which is perfectly fine for me. 

But it was not always like this.

Buses are important vehicles for the working class and for the travelers. I, myself, go to work daily riding a bus. In the Philippines, there are two types of buses: Ordinary Bus and Air-conditioned Bus.

Ordinary Bus

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

 Ordinary Bus Interior

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Ordinary buses are those that have open windows and the fare is generally cheaper. On some occasions, these buses are also dirtier. It is so because the dirt and grime as well as the smoke of the main road enter through the open window. You can close some to your liking but you can’t close the entire window because they are necessary for ventilation. Otherwise, the passengers will be drenched in sweat and the interior of the bus will smell bad, given the tropical climate that we have in the country.

Air-conditioned Bus

Photo courtesy of flickr.com 

 

Air-conditioned Bus Interior

Photo courtesy of flickr.com 

On the other hand, Air-conditioned buses are the ones that are generally comfortable because as the name implies, it’s air-conditioned, hence, it’s cooler, plus it’s cleaner! The seats are more comfortable and the smell is better because of the air fresheners. Also, the passengers are protected from the harsh elements of the environment such as dirt, smoke, and during daytime, the sunlight, because the windows are closed and there are curtains that may be opened or closed. I personally favor this over the ordinary bus and this is actually what I ride on my way to work! J It’s cold (although there are some which I don’t know if they are saving batteries or the air-conditioning system is just broken because it’s hot) you can actually fall asleep while traveling. It’s a great way to combat the heat and arrive at your office still looking fresh.

But, like I said, it was not always like this.

When I was younger (like five years old until High School), I have an issue with buses. I didn’t like them. They make me vomit my entire stomach out! (Ewww! Gross! J) When I was really younger (haha), just the sight of the bus, ordinary or air-conditoned, makes me dizzy already and want to throw up. Sometimes, I would actually throw up. As years go by, the issues lessen and lessen; I became used to ordinary bus but not of the air-conditioned bus (because of the smell of the air fresheners that I used to abhor so much!). Then, during college, when I had to do more traveling due to school researches and because some of my classmates live at the other end of the world (chause!) that required riding a bus and the heat was so scorching and makes me drip with sweat, I had no choice but to learn to travel in air-conditioned buses to achieve comfort while traveling. It was hard because I would get dizzy and even vomit sometimes. But I’m glad because over time, I had gotten used to it and now I choose it over ordinary bus and any other “hot” vehicles.

I guess we just have to face our fears and find good things out of it. We should always find positive things from negative situations.

Slán go foill!