Inside the rural jeepney

Nothing to fear. This jeepney is perfectly in good running condition as tested by several years plying the Bulusan-Gubat road.

Bulusan-Barcelona jeepney commute sardines-style

Karagumoy hats occupy the aisle. These are bound for hat traders in the Poblacion at 6 -7 pesos each.

Free jeepney fare for kids as long as they are not occupying a passenger seat.

Sleeping while seated on a Bulusan bound jeepney is a common occurrence. The trip is almost an hour from Gubat town.

After viewing Elmer’s excellent black and white  photo of a commuter scene inside a jeepney in Manila http://elmervalenzuela.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/journeys-end/, I was inspired enough to post my rural version. My amateurish compositions though  only aim  to  show the contrast of a jeepney ride experience in the rural  areas as compared to Manila’s jeepney commuter’s ride.

Both are no doubt interesting studies of the Philippine jeepney as a public transport system in separate locations.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil
in Bulusan and Barcelona, Sorsogon, Philippines

Front seat view

Shooting rows of karagumoy hats literally below the knees while seated on a jeepney front seat.

Bayong (karagumoy baskets) and Karagumoy hats are traded like top agricultural products side by side with copra and pili in Bulusan.

Nipa thatch roofing known locally as ‘pawud’ for sale along Barcelona road.

Karagumoy bayong pronounced bay-ong by locals is the second most traded handcrafted product in Bulusan next to karagumoy hats. Traders buy the bayong at 7.50 to 10 pesos each. A weaver can easily make around 10 bayong a day.

Kurbada sa Porog (Porog’s Curve) is Bulusan’s most identifiable curve road.

Juvenile mangroves in San Vicente shoreline. Mangrove reforestation obviously needs more intervention here.

Lush mangrove areas of Barcelona town form peninsula-like images viewed from the bridge. These are still untapped as ecotourism attractions but are equally important in the fishing sector of the community.

A pause from the hard toil for this farmer was an unintended pose with Mt. Bulusan as backdrop for a passing jeepney with a shutterbug passenger – me.

Taking the jeepney ride is one of the rural experiences I cherish lately. The tropical colors of green and blue flashes like shifting giant panoramic TV screen scenes as my  jeepney commute rolls from my hometown Bulusan to Gubat with the town of Barcelona sandwiched in between.

Every trip is a kind of adventure in itself. In fact I look forward to the bimonthly jeepney commute and wish it could be more.  I really enjoyed every jeepney ‘journey’ literally. For these trips the destination is not the most enjoyable part – it is  what lies along the road. . . or it is just my uncanny ability to find happiness from the most ordinary. Call it as ‘mababaw ang kaligayahan’ because admittedly I belong to that group.

The photos show what I’m talking about – snapped along the road from the Poblacion to the countryside of Bulusan, Barcelona and Gubat town center. All of these photos were taken while I’m comfortably seated at the  front seat of the jeepney beside the driver’s seat.

Jeepney public commute from Bulusan to Gubat town is daily and runs from early morning up to around 2 o’clock in the afternoon.  Jeepney fare is 38 pesos one way- Bulusan to Gubat town.

Photos: Alma P. Gamil

Moon haiku

Clouds come from time to time —
and bring to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon.

– Matsuo Basho