The joys and Woes of Commuting ..

It  s 6:30 in the morning, rush hour…..from my seat I can see people lined up on the road, no matter how dusty (DPWH is doing its  job)..waiting, straining their necks for jeepneys and buses and commuter vans…it’s the rush hour…people running after any form of transportation!!!..

 

Whew. thankful that I do not need to wait along the road, braving the dust , the rain and jeepneys passing by …Lucky my place is near the terminal of vans and FX  UV Express. I am lucky my husband usually brings or drives me to the office .  And so many friends with cars, pass by my place that if I just stand there early in the morning , somebody is bound to pick me up. So commuting per se is a foreign thing to me.

Well this morning, it is a little different. My husband  cannot bring me to the office, my friends are not going to the office since it’s a Saturday. The service I usually take has already left ! and I am to commute going to the Museum…I know it’s a Saturday and maybe a few thousand people will not be out on the street and yet I asked my husband to get me a cab if there is no FX/Van leaving immediately since I might be late if I wait for the FX to leave. Of course this is half true …I do not want to commute!!! But I am torn since a cab would charge me from 250-300 (with the meter down) plus the toll fee! There is an FX parked and waiting for commuters to fill up the seats. Lucky me! There are only 3 seats left which means we will soon be leaving. But of course , this FX usually take the Baclaran route which will mean I have to get off somewhere near Buendia and take a cab or a jeepney and walk a little farther,  to reach my office. But lucky me, I asked the dispatcher if the Van will take the Macapagal route since I need to get off  somewhere in Macapagal.

Well, you won’t get it if you don’t ask …and I asked and got it. The dispatcher asked the other passengers if anybody is getting off  Baclaran if not Macapagal here we come.!Got it. Nobody is getting off anywhere near Baclaran….

At 7:15 we were already in Macapagal and I asked the driver that I gave 100 and if he has the change for it. He said wait …ok Then we were almost at PNB , I got off, thankful that I would only need to cross to Hobbies of Asia and I will be  at the Office Sweet Office.!!! I got off and readied to cross to Hobbies , which by the way, is a dangerous undertaking. Cars are whizzing pass you and the pedestrian lane is as faded as can be as if there is really no pedestrian lane.. Lucky me, there are a few cars  whizzing pass Macapagal, it is still early . So I did not have any difficulty crossing ! Then boom! I remembered, the driver did not give  me my change!!!! I got charge double the rate of 50 pesos since I gave 100 pesos!!! Sigghhhh….seems all the “conveniences” I got from the dispatcher and the driver have been paid for!!!

Well thank GOD for little mercies, I still save P200 by taking the van and being dropped off at PNB…….!!!