Get Out of My Mind, Get Into My Life

Before I came out to Asia, I decided to make my own ‘bucket list’ of sorts to see if I could capture a few enjoyable experiences which would hopefully give me some definite moments to remember this trip by. 

Depending on the country, there were either a lot (sixteen in Japan) or just a couple (three in Singapore), and I certainly didn't set out with the intention of completing them all by the end of my trip.

It was more to give me a chance to reflect on my journey in small stages, and carry out some things which would hopefully provide me with stories when I get back to England. Strangely enough I have also done the same with a list of foods I’d like to try whilst I am away, although there is more chance of me ‘completing’ the activities list as I have to remember less.

Today, as mentioned in my main blog about the day, I had the opportunity to ride in a Jeepney which funnily enough is one of the things I aimed to do when I was in the Philippines.
It’s hardly anything ground-breaking, but I felt like it was quite a unique experience, and therefore wanted to write a separate piece about it to signify that if I do nothing else whilst I'm in the Philippines, I have taken a ride on their most common form of transport.

Jeepneys as the name suggest, are actually just Jeeps which have been customized to look something like a cross between a train and a transformer. Most of the major cities in the Philippines contain then, and they remind me a little bit of the minibuses which helped me to travel around so effectively on my travels to Barbados in 2008.

Having walked my way up to Mines View Park earlier today, I decided that the best way to celebrate my successful navigation would be to brave riding in a Jeepney back into the city. Remember, I had been using these to ensure that I was successfully getting to the right place, so I figured it couldn't be that difficult to grab hold of one heading back towards the centre of Baguio. 

Luckily after I finished taking in the superb view from Mines View, there was one waiting at the top of the hill. After some initial hesitation because it was sitting idly, and I wasn't sure how soon it would be setting off I jumped on board.

My initial impressions were that it was a little cosy and somewhat cramped. Even though I am quite short, my knees were almost up to my chin when sitting on the little bench seats and I wasn't sure that this was going to be the most comfortable mode of transport I'd ever experienced. Jeepneys come in all shapes and sizes, with the one I boarded decorated particularly colourfully on the outside. On the inside it allegedly has room for 21 people, but at the start there were only about seven people in it and also one guy randomly hanging onto the back.

The correct etiquette when inside a Jeepney is to either pay when you get on if you know where you want to go, or pay when you exit if your not sure (I feel into the latter category, and also wanted to make sure I survived before I coughed up!) As we set off on our way back to the city, a couple of people jumped on board at stops further down the road, though I think I make the term ‘stop’ sound way to official! The driver usually bibs his horn at people he thinks look like might need a ride, either that or when he’s stopped in traffic or going slow enough then people will just jump on board.

Whilst payment can be made at the start or the end of the journey, if you’re at the front of the Jeepney, near the driver then you’re expected to act as the conductor with money passed from passenger to passenger until it reaches the driver and you shout out where you want to go. I was sat pretty close to the front so had to send money backwards and forwards as the driver cleverly concentrates on the road, on the traffic, works out how much change he needs to give people and also assesses any potential passers-by who might be interested in boarding his vehicle.

People sometimes jump off when they get close to their destination, and there’s loads of traffic in the way, and once we got fairly centrally, I paid up and got out myself. It was only once I looked at the change in my hand that I spotted that for a twenty-five minute journey it has actually only cost me 10 Pesos (7.5p). I doubt I will do anything more worthwhile for less money in the whole time that I am in this country; maybe not even travelling around Asia.

Overall, the Jeepney experience, as I mentioned, was nothing revolutionary, but at least I can say that I travelled like a native whilst I was here. If I was in China I’d like to ride in a rickshaw, in Thailand I intend to hire a scooter, and I hope that someday I’ll be rich enough to captain a boat into Monaco harbour! This was all about having a truly local experience, and as people use these to travel from place-to-place every day, it would be fairly silly of me to have missed out. I must have taken pretty much every form of transport since I’ve been here, and this was definteily the most enjoyable.

Sounds strange, but I really feel like I achieved something today by having a Jeepney experience, I hope it’s the first of many ‘bucket list’ experiences I can have in Asia, although I have to admit, this one was certainly one of the easiest to accomplish.

Billy Ocean
Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car (One of my favourite songs as a child!)