Ilocos Adventure: It's a Long, Long Journey to Vigan

Feb. 21, 2014

"Vigan, will I ever see you?", I thought to myself as I waited in Partas Pasay bus station. It has been 4 hours since I arrived at the terminal straight from the office. I was tired and sleepy. I could see that my friend, Ate Sabel, felt the same way too. But still there was hope. Our number was close to being called. Unfortunately, the buses suddenly stopped arriving. Panic began to set in. It was already 3:50 am and still, we were at the terminal. Losing patience, I couldn't help but ask the man at the counter when the next bus will arrive. His answer shocked me..

"Ma'am, the next bus to Vigan will leave at around 9:00 am BUT this is still tentative."

Ha?!? o_O You asked the passengers to wait for a bus that might never arrive. You didn't even announce it.! If I did not ask, I would never know this info. Due to our disappointment, Ate Sabel and I hailed a cab to go to Cubao. Good thing that Dominion bus saved the day! :D Thought it was not a deluxe bus, it was clean with comfy seats. Fare is at a reasonable price of 580 pesos.

A pic of the bus during one of our many stopovers, hehe.

The original plan was to take the night bus at 1:00 am to arrive in Vigan before lunch. Due to the earlier delay in Partas Pasay bus station, the heat of the sun caught up with us. I felt its rays as I tried to catch up on sleep. I could not help but feel sad at the bad start of our trip. That is, until I looked out the window.

Who wouldn't fall in love with this wonderful view? My sadness then turned to excitement. Who cares if our plans would be pushed back. The important thing is to arrive in our destination, right? :)