Anawangin with a Kid: The 4-hour Commute to Pundaquit

We don't have a car but we could have just easily rented a van. However, Hugo and I decided to take the bus because aside from our goal to spend as little as possible for our trips, we wanted to get a taste of what it's really like to "backpack" with a kid. Sure, it is still backpacking if you have a van or a truck but we wanted to take the route where we get to experience the reality of the place (as in experience what it's really like to be with other passengers, vendors, dust, dirt, grime, snot).

If you want to travel by bus to Anawangin, you have two options:

1. Catch a Victory Liner bus bound to Iba/Sta Cruz, Zambales. Note that buses to Iba are not always available in Cubao. Don't look for an Iba-bound bus in Cubao because there's a chance you won't find any. Actually, Iba/Sta. Cruz-bound buses are only few and not easy to catch but your chances are higher in Pasay and Caloocan. Go to the Olongapo window. Tell the cashier and bus conductor to drop you off at San Antonio Municipal Hall. Once there, ride a tricycle to Pundaquit.

Summary:
- Victory Liner bus (Iba) from Manila to San Antonio (4 hrs, ~P260 )
- tricycle from San Antonio to Pundaquit (15 min, P30/head)

2. Catch a Victory Liner bus bound to Olongapo. There are buses to Olongapo in Cubao so this is the way to go if you don't want to go to Caloocan or Pasay. But it is a more complicated option so be ready to get slightly uncomfortable. The Olongapo trip is three hours. Once you're in the Olongapo Victory Liner terminal, wait for a bus bound to X and ask the conductor to drop you off at San Antonio.

Summary:
- Victory Liner bus (Olongapo) from Manila to Olongapo (3 hrs, P206/head)
- Victory Liner bus (Sta. Cruz) from Olongapo to San Antonio (1 hr, P44/head)
- tricycle from San Antonio to Pundaquit (15 min, P30/head)

Check Victory Liner's schedules here. I was pretty amazed they have an awesome website.

Since we're from Antipolo and we hate commuting all the way to Pasay or Caloocan, we took the second option. We decided to leave at night so Sput gets to sleep in the bus and we ride the boat from Pundaquit to Anawangin very early in the am because I heard the waves are gentler before noon. Also, I'm less likely to throw up when traveling at night.

BAD IDEA.

Hugo trying to entertain the bored Sput

As we waited oh sooo patiently at the Olongapo terminal for the next non-air-conditioned bus to arrive, we arrived at a conclusion that either option is more or less the same hassle-wise. First option= hour or so trip to Pasay. Second option= hour or so of waiting for a bus at Olongapo terminal. What makes the whole thing harder is the grumpy kid in tow. It's our fault. We should have just left at daytime. We went a bit extreme, I guess.

Sput was so lively during the 3-hour trip to Olongapo. We were singing " Wheels on the Bus"  countless of times and when I told her to keep her voice down because we're in a public transport, she said " But I'm just being happy!" So cute. But when we were in Olongapo terminal, the little girl was so sleepy. I let her sleep on my arms but I kept moving that she never had a good shut eye. She was teary-eyed and I felt so guilty for dragging her into this silly adventure. But when the bus arrived, she was able to sleep again for an hour.

1 am and on the road

Lesson learned: You absolutely should not travel by bus at night with a 4-year-old kid. Especially if you need to get on and off more than once.

We arrived in San Antonio around 2 am. We asked the tricycle driver to take us to the most reasonably-priced inn. He took us to a hostel/motel called Big Foot. It costs only P400 for 3 hours, P100/hr for additional hours. Perfect. Definitely much cheaper than the seedy Inn across Victory Liner Olongapo terminal which costs P1,500. Bigfoot- It's clean...it's good (but it's not Sogo. LOL).

Our tour guide arrived at our hostel around 7 am. Sput was so giddy and we all can't wait to start the day.

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Quick Tips for Long Bus Rides with Kids

* They shouldn't be traveling on their sleeping hours. If they usually sleep around 9 pm, you better be in your destination by then.

*Bring a toy. A cheap Android tablet perhaps? I'm not a fan of tech but they're pretty useful for long bus rides.

*Bonamine. Barf bag. Water. Diaper.

* Roll the curtains. Let them see the road. What's the point of riding the bus if you keep your curtains down.

* Buy him/her a seat. You can let him sit on your lap aka kandong if you really have to but you all need that space for him to sleep on.

* No shouting, no commanding, no NOs as much as possible. Let the kid explore. Let your parenting "slip" for just a day. It's okay.