Roadtrippin’

Last Sunday was the very first time that little Z and I went on a long trip together without my sister. As I mentioned previously, my sister went home last Wednesday and Z and I were left alone for a few days before going home to the mountain city on Sunday.

Given that Victory Liner suspended their advanced booking for about a week or so (I just learned from my friend that as of Saturday, advanced bookings are again allowed. What a bummer!), we had to get to the terminal very early to be able to get a ticket for the 10:15AM deluxe trip.

So here was how our day went:

  • I’ve set my alarm for 5:30 AM to which I woke up at the first ring (thank God!). Z was already awake and was lying down quietly beside me when I awoke.
  • I ran out of gas the night before so I had to heat up Z’s bath water using the rice cooker. LOL! And yes, even if it is very warm here in the big metro, my son still bathes with warmer water than that of the water straight from the tap.
  • While waiting for the water to boil, I fixed his food and fed him. He didn’t finish it and rather opted to play with his teether.
  • I bathed him but didn’t let him play in the water anymore like what we normally do since we were in a bit of a rush, changed him, then let him play on the bed while I fixed my breakfast (which consisted of 3 pieces of toast 😛 ) and washed his bottles.
  • He took a short nap while I packed the last minute stuff that we needed to bring home and took a bath.
while waiting for Mum to be done with her chores...
while waiting for Mum to be done with her chores…

A few minutes past 7AM, we were ready to leave. 😀 Quick, eh? I already did most of the packing the night before so there were only a few things left to pack. I let Z nap for a few minutes and by half past 7AM, we left the house. I had him in a carrier while I carried his baby bag and my backpack that contained his toys. And yes, little Z plus two bags are very heavy. 😀

Good thing a cab passed by quickly and there was no traffic going to the terminal so by a little past 8AM, I was already buying my ticket. The regular aircon buses are leaving every thirty minutes and they were not full. I was actually thinking of just travelling that way but I was hesitant since I was alone with the little boy and I was thinking of his comfort. So I stuck to my decision to wait for the 10:15AM deluxe trip.

while waiting for our ride...
while waiting for our ride…

Since it was still, well, very early, the morning temperature was still comfortable so no fuss was made by the little boy. For two hours, he alternately napped, fed and played. The two-hour wait went surprisingly quickly. By 9:30AM, our bus was already waiting on the side. By 10AM, we were already seated inside the bus.

while waiting for the bus to leave...
while waiting for the bus to leave…

 

For those who haven’t tried to deluxe buses yet, there’s what they call the two-seater and single-seats. The two-seater would mean that there are two seats together and is usually opted for travelers with companions. The single-seat, well, it’s self-explanatory, isn’t it? 😀 It is a seat on its own. The driver’s side is for the two-seaters while the passenger side is for the single seats. And in the middle of passenger side, there is a water closet. Deluxe trips have no stop overs so the trips are shorter, seats are wider and more comfortable since there’s more leg room, too. Oh and they serve you bottled water and snacks. This is the reason why it is more expensive. You pay for comfort.

Anyway, we left the terminal at almost 10:30AM (yes, VLI has a penchant for being late) and were expected to arrive in Baguio by 3PM. Since it was Sunday and there were no traffic going up, we arrived at about half past 2PM. That’s about 4 hours non-stop trip. If we took the regular aircon bus that left by 8:30AM, we would probably had arrived by 3PM. And that would have been a 6.5 hour long trip with two stop overs.

Oh, did I mention that I took the two-seater? No? When I got my ticket, I was asked if I wanted a single seat or a two-seater. I opted for the two-seater, window side. Good thing though that the bus was not full and no one sat beside me. I was able to put our bags on the other seat. Yipee! LOL!

And since I haven’t had enough sleep, I knew that I would doze off during the trip. I fixed Z’s carrier and strapped him to me, kangaroo-style. 😀 It made it easier to feed him and it was more comfortable for him when he slept too.

carried, kangaroo-style :D
carried, kangaroo-style 😀
sleepy but didn't want to let go of Elmo
sleepy but didn’t want to let go of Elmo

And who would have known that the little boy will get bored during the trip? LOL When he woke up after about an hour and a half, he faced the window and was looking out, sighing and groaning as if really bored. Geez! My little Z is showing signs of impatience. A trait I’m sure he got from me. 😀 And what do you do when your little boy screams and yells just for the heck of it? Boy, was I so glad it was a day trip else, I would have probably gotten a lot of angry stares and side comments. LOL!  Here are a few snaps after his nap:

"Mum, are we there yet?"
“Mum, are we there yet?”
"argh!"
“argh!”
"hey, look. houses!"
“hey, look. houses!”

 

"Mum, what's that over there?"
“Mum, what’s that over there?”
20140622_140935
🙂
20140622_141027
and there goes the raspberry…
20140622_141419
the perfect pout
20140622_141446
“Mum, can I take this off yet?”

I was actually worried that it would be raining when we arrive. Carrying a baby plus two bags and an umbrella doesn’t sound easy, does it? So, I was so glad when we reached the boundary and there was no rain, only cloudy skies. And as usual, we stopped by one of my most frequented cafes when I go home – Ebai’s – to eat pancit because I was famished (no photo taken though). We got home at around 4PM.

So, will I go roadtripping with the little boy on our own again? Oh yes! It was not really easy to do when you think about it but I am thankful for a well-behaved son during trips (he’s not fussy or anything like that) and for deluxe buses. It made my life a bit easier during the whole trip. 🙂

Til the next trip! 😀

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    1. thanks, mommy! 😀 i can’t imagine going on a road trip with more than one kid on your own… think i would go crazy LOL.. thanks for dropping by, 🙂

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