Bus (food) fare to Tayabas

I love bus rides. But I hate vendors selling food aboard the buses especially when I’m about to sleep.

They shout at the top of their voices announcing the array of products they miraculously can carry on their two arms – peanuts, quail eggs, kropek, mineral water, beverages, etc. They move hastily along the aisle and unwittingly bump your legs or shoulders – or even stomp your feet. I’m always annoyed at the intrusion and I show my displeasure. But the more I’m irritated, the nearer they peddle their wares in front of my face.

A funny thing happened to me in the bus ride to Tayabas one fine Friday morning. I was with Chris Datol, my constant bus-mate, who I met at around 6 a.m. at the Jac Liner terminal in Kamuning, EDSA. We boarded the bus to Lucena City. (There are several trips daily, with a 30-minute interval between buses.)

We chose that terminal because it is near to both of our residences and a Jollibee is located beside it. We needed a quick breakfast before this adventure.

There’s also other bus companies plying the Manila to Lucena route such as Lucena Lines and Rabbit whose terminals are located near the LRT Buendia station.

The Jac Liner bus is comfortable but it was quite cold inside since there were only a few passengers that morning. Passing EDSA on the way to the South Luzon Expressway, the bus made many stops to pick up passengers. Soon, it was 80 percent full and the noise level went up as the conductor was making the rounds asking passengers their destinations. The bus fare to Lucena City is P190 per person.

The bus slowly crawled up to the SLEX, where the roads opened to light traffic. It was a smooth ride that lulled me to sleep, especially because that was my usual sleeping time. I felt lucky, there were no unruly kids or crying babies inside the bus. There was no one to disturb me.

I thought I heard a hyena laugh in my dreams. But that was from the bus’ TV set. I opened my eyes to see Kris Aquino laughing at the set of her talkshow “Boy and Kris.”

A quick check revealed that we were already in San Pablo and about to leave Laguna and enter Quezon province. It was already 9:30 a.m. and the gray concrete jungle had transformed into a typical countryside scene with greens and browns coloring the canvas.

The bus made a quick stop. Like ants swarming on sugar, four vendors entered and began peddling “mini” buko pies for P20 each. Imagine a whole buko pie divided into four circles, steaming hot and smelling like it was baked only a few minutes ago. Though I was still snobbish due to the shortened sleep, I bought two. How could I resist? It took me a few minutes to take a bite since it was too hot. It was one of the rare times that I actually bought something being sold inside the bus.

Entering Quezon province, the towns of Tiaong and Candelaria beckoned. The bus took a “restroom” stop that allowed some of the passengers to take a quick snack. Then, I saw some boys in white T-shirt and IDs enter the buses parked at the pit stop. The guy who stepped into our bus held four hotdogs on a stick, a plastic tray full of cheeseburgers and a plastic bag full of bottled mineral water.

Amused at the way he was balancing the food for sale, we asked if we could take a photo and he obliged. In return, we bought two hotdogs-on-a-stick and two bottles of mineral water.

After a few minutes, the bus entered the historic town of Sariaya. The bus window offered us a view of the centuries-old houses and some quaint bakeries with wooden interiors. The bakeries were selling a variety of bread called “pinagong” which Sariaya is famous for.

The vendors selling “pinagong” were all over the bus’ aisle. They were shouting their product for sale in different tunes which because of the many voices was becoming to sound like “gong, gong, gong, gong!”

“Chris, I think we have to buy that pinagong... I’m curious,” I said. It was the same kind of curiosity I felt when I was on a bus ride to Bulacan and in a town along Bocaue, vendors were selling “mini-tikoy.”

A half-dozen pinagong cost me P10. Like the mini buko-pie, the pinagong was also hot and it looked like the “mini-monay.” It is shaped like the shell of a turtle, which I presume is the reason for its name.

Surprisingly, I liked it and ate four pieces. It comes better with any fruit jelly though.

After Sariaya, it was only 16 kilometers to our destination, Lucena City (specifically, SM City Lucena). Along the highway, the bus stopped once again to entertain another batch of vendors. (I guess the bus drivers and conductors must get free food to want to accommodate vendors!)

This time, the vendors were selling a type of meringue. As always, their selling pitch was the usual line of – “magandang pampasalubong sa mga bata” (good to bring home to kids) or “espesyal kasi dito lang ginagawa” (this is special since this is only made here).

Chris bought a pack of merengue which costs P10. Although I had enough food for that morning, I tasted one, and ended up consuming the entire pack!

That pastry, which made my blood sugar shoot up, capped a belly-busting bus ride to Lucena City. We arrived in SM Lucena around 12 noon but we were not in the mood to take lunch in one of the fast-food outlets.

At the entrance of the mall, vans of all shapes and sizes waited for passengers going to any of the towns of Quezon. We found the Tayabas-bound vans and paid P30 each for the 30-minute ride. Again, there was another vendor selling some food in that small van.

What should we expect in the next stop – turon, banana cue, barbecue, or perhaps even kebabs and shawarma in the bus? All in mini-sizes, of course, and each reflecting the town’s local delicacy!

The bus ride had made me a changed man. I now appreciated the enterprising spirit of the vendors – who in a way provide travelers a taste of their local food fare.

Now, I promise not to show my displeasure again.