AS soon as I posted the video of my 55-hour bus trip from Manila to Zamboanga on YouTube, my channel started to be flooded with positive comments from viewers and subscribers. “Wow, this trip takes a lot of sacrifice, patience and stamina.” “Intrepid individual. Am getting a vicarious experience from you, great admiration for your (coming) fun adventure.” “You mean 55 hours or 2 days plus no shower?” My YouTube channel has somehow created a following among elderly people who still enjoy doing some travels every once in a while. “We watch your videos to get ideas for our next travel destination” is the comment I often get from subscribers.
One of many ROROs that carry us closer to Mindanao. PHOTOS BY JOSEPH T. BAUTISTA
I travel simply because I enjoy discovering new things, and I get to share these discoveries through my newspaper stories and social media channels. My latest one is something I am very proud of because I was able to conquer what is considered to be the longest bus trip in the Philippines, which in this case took 55 hours by land and by sea.
People often ask why take the bus if you can fly direct to your destination. It takes shorter time and sometimes costs less if you get promo tickets, they argue. For some people who must bring heavy luggage and cargo to places very far from the airport or the seaport, traveling by bus is the most practical. It is also a romantic way to travel, like the two elderly couple I met during the trip who travelled together to visit their hometown in Negros.
Somewhere in Mabinay, still chasing the road to Zamboanga.
I enjoy travelling long distance because it allows me to see the Philippine countryside from my bus window. It also gives me a chance to see towns and cities — big and small — along the way, and to get a glimpse of their plazas, markets, municipal halls, and churches. It is also a great way to meet people, from all walks of life, and listen to their stories and learn from them.
The road to Zamboanga
Taking the bus to Zamboanga City is nothing new. This has started decades ago when the Pan-Philippine or Maharlika Highway was opened. The Maharlika Highway ends in Zamboanga City at Kilometer 1977 and people have always been curious about how to reach it by land. I have a friend who did it during the 1980s with his wife. He mentioned that the trip was so long that he and his wife fought most all the time during the trip that they almost filed for separation when they reached Zamboanga.
Rolling on and sailing through as the journey to Mindanao continues.
Nowadays, the trip to Zamboanga City uses the Western Nautical Highway because it is actually shorter. Ceres Transport presently has four times weekly trips to Zamboanga City that leave their EDSA-Kamuning Terminal at 8 p.m. Bus fare from Manila to Zamboanga City is P5,200. Seniors and PWDs get the mandated discount. The bus fare already cover the fare for the three roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ferry crossings, as well as terminal fees.
Luzon leg
Ceres Transport uses its terminal in EDSA-Kamuning for the Zamboanga trip. When I arrived there two hours before departure, I saw the Zamboanga bus already being loaded with big boxes of cargo. I later learned that long distance buses like this now also handle cargo deliveries.
The bus was also full of passengers, an indication that many people still do land travel. I was lucky to get the front seat because I booked a week earlier.
Moments away from setting foot in Mindanao at the Port of Dapitan.
The bus left the terminal a little past 8 p.m. It drove through Timog, then Quezon Avenue, and then entered Skyway via G. Araneta. It continued its drive to South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), made a brief stop at Sta. Rosa Integrated Terminal (SRIT) to pick up additional cargo, returned to SLEx, and then continued the drive via Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) tollway.
It was already past midnight when we reached the Ceres Terminal in Batangas City. We were told to get off from the bus, to rest, and to wait for the scheduled ferry ride at 8 a.m. I took this chance to charge my mobile phones and catch some sleep.
Me and my ride to the far south — Zamboanga, here I come!
By 5 a.m., we returned to our bus, and drove to the Batangas Port to wait for its ferry loading. While waiting, I had breakfast of the saddest looking tocino and rice for P180 at the terminal’s carinderia. By 7 a.m., we were allowed to board the Starlite Ferry bound for Caticlan, our first of the three sea crossings.
Visayas leg
We left Luzon Island at around 8 a.m. An hour later, we had to return to the Batangas Port to unload an electric vehicle that would not stop buzzing its alarm system because of the very tight parking space at the vehicle loading area. They could have disabled the sensor instead. Anyway, we lost at least two hours and arrived at the Caticlan Port 11 hours later instead of nine hours.
From Caticlan, the bus drove through Aklan and Iloilo via the nautical highway, arriving at Ceres Iloilo Terminal six hours later. At the terminal, the bus picked up several boxes of Guimaras mangoes to be shipped to Dipolog. From Iloilo, the bus drove to Dumangas Port for the second sea crossing to Bacolod.
1,977 kilometers later… Hello, Zamboanga!
We arrived at Bacolod Port at 5 a.m. After a brief stop at Ceres Bacolod Terminal, the bus started its drive through Negros Island, passing through endless landscape of lush sugar lands. We arrived at the Dumaguete Port with enough time to do the last ferry crossing to Mindanao.
Mindanao leg
We arrived at Dapitan Port four hours after we left Dumaguete. The bus made a stop at Dipolog Terminal to unload passengers as well as cargo, including the boxes of mangoes picked up in Iloilo.
From Dipolog, we commenced our last stretch of land travel through Zamboanga Peninsula. This was the time when I kept myself awake because this was my first time travelling through this part of Mindanao.
I was actually feeling worried for the final stop-over in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay before heading to Zamboanga City. In 1995, Ipil was attacked by heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants who fired at civilians, took hostages, and burned the town center to the ground. When we arrived in Ipil, I saw none of that. Instead, I saw a peaceful and modern city with many commercial establishments, hotels, and a Jollibee outlet.
We arrived at the Zamboanga City Integrated Bus Terminal at 3 a.m., 55 hours after we left Manila. I thought I was going to be tired and sleepy after the long trip, but I wasn’t. I spent a few more minutes at the terminal reflecting what I just did — I conquered the country’s longest bus trip. Beyond the conquest, the trip was a journey filled with discoveries and understanding.
