The Jeepney
I remember my (former) boss, a German national, commenting that half of the Filipino men are seafarers around the globe and the other half are jeepney drivers. He was particularly happy during days of jeepney strike as it’s the best time to be on the road, one of the few times that somebody like him who is used to driving fast on wide and clear highways can really enjoy hitting the Philippine roads.
Considering our population of about 80 million: let’s just say 75 percent of that relies on public transportation, so there are probably more jeepneys running around here than our roads can accommodate.
Your Filipino experience wouldn’t be complete without riding the jeepney.
Sakay na, P 7.50 lang!
Going back to my (former) boss: ” So Glo, what does your father do? Does your family own a rice field back in Bicol?” He asked during one of our “jeepney conservations”. To which I cheekily replied: “Yes we have a small rice field but my father is no farmer, he’s a jeepney driver.”
His hypothetical statistics is probably correct, my brother’s a seafarer.
1 Comment
[...] You’ll know you are in the Philippines when all public transportations, from jeepneys to tricycles are tuned to mellow radio music. Most public places are too, like restaurants, terminals, etc. Even in the laboratory where I work, soft mellow music is being consistently played in the background. (One foreign national even commented that: “if you listen to mellow touch the whole day, I think you’ll get spongy brain!) [...]