SENIOR BYAHERO
I was sitting quietly at the far end of the Binangonan Pier doing a timelapse video of the sun setting over Laguna de Bay when two young men approached me. “Are you a vlogger?” one of them asked. I said yes. “How did you know?” I asked. “We saw you taking photos of the lake. Not many come here to simply appreciate the beauty of the lake,” said the other.
“We came from Talim Island. We brought our priest back to the mainland by boat,” they explained. “Sir, may we ask how old are you and where you came from?” I replied “61, and I come from Cavite, and I just went around Laguna de Bay, starting at sunrise, travelling on jeepneys.”
Jeepney to Siniloan
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Saying that made me feel victorious. Laguna de Bay loop by public transportation was something I always wanted to do. I have driven along the 210-kilometer route several times, but I wanted to try doing it in a day without the convenience of a private vehicle. I also wanted to prove that a solo senior with a backpack can do it.
I left my house in Cavite at around 4:15 a.m., took three jeepney rides before I reached Alabang few minutes after 5 a.m. It was still early for the first trip of the modern PUV to Calamba, so I decided to catch the sunrise over the bay at Bayanan Baywalk in Muntinlupa. A short jeepney ride and a five-minute walk later, I reached the baywalk and saw the sun bursting in colors as it rose over the biggest lake in the country.
Siniloan Jeepney Terminal
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I returned to Starmall Alabang and joined the line of people waiting to take the modern PUV to Calamba. “₱70 regular, ₱56 for seniors” said the conductor when it was my turn to pay. The PUV drove through SLEX, and after 45 minutes we reached Calamba. I went straight to MacDonald’s for breakfast. I ordered pancake breakfast with coffee. “₱75 regular, ₱54 for seniors.” I am enjoying the perks of senior travel!
After breakfast, I went straight to the terminal of jeepneys going further south. My next destination was Santa Cruz, and I saw a half-empty jeepney waiting for passengers. I asked how much for a senior citizen to Santa Cruz and the driver replied, “₱60.” It took a while for the jeepney to be filled up, but I was enjoying myself looking at the things being peddled at the terminal, from peanuts to sandwiches to mineral water to ear phones.
It was already 10 a.m. when I reached Santa Cruz. I went to the terminal and looked for a jeepney going to Siniloan. My plan was to head straight to Siniloan, but I have never been to Pangil. An hour later, I was exploring the Natividad de la Nuestra Senora Parish Church in Pangil and finally saw the statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary which is said to be a gift from King Carlos III of Spain.
After Pangil, it was a short jeepney ride to Siniloan where I had lunch at a local market before boarding another jeepney bound for Jala-Jala. The ride to Jala-Jala was the most scenic as the jeepney had to navigate through the lakeside road of the peninsula overlooking the lake. I was the only passenger when the jeepney arrived in Jala-Jala. I actually felt guilty asking the driver for senior discount as the missionary route does not get many passengers.
I explored Jala-Jala. I went to its church, its old municipal hall, and I discovered a historical marker dedicated to Paul de la Gironiere, which I later found was a French traveler who stayed in Jala-Jala in the 1820s. I promised to return to Jala-Jala and retrace the adventures of this original French backpacker.
From Jala-Jala, I took another jeepney to Tanay, and then another one to Morong to visit the church of St. Jerome. I saw how hardworking the jeepney drivers were during the trip, how they patiently waited for passengers at terminals, how exposed they were to heat and dust, that I decided not to ask for senior discount.
After Morong, I went to Binangonan where I headed to the pier to watch the sunset, where I met the two young man. “Sir, can we see your channel?” the two asked. I showed them my YouTube channel on my mobile phone.
Sunset in Binangonan
The two young men saw some the videos of my travels. “You did that sir?” they said admirably. “The old people in our island simply stay home and wait for the sun to set. And you go to far places to simply watch the sunrise and the sunset!”
I smiled. Travel really makes us feel young.
(The author is a senior who recently retired from work as an engineer in an auto manufacturing company. He used to be a regular contributor to MB's Cruising Magazine. His taste for adventure has not kept him from travelling, usually via not-so-usual routes.)