Last Saturday, I left home with a plan; go to my friend's beauty center in Bulacan for the much-needed eyebrow microblading retouch. I made a mental computation of how long it would take me to get there from Cubao; approximately 2 hours. I have time, I thought to myself and went to the mall to quickly buy a gift for my friend who would be celebrating her birthday the next day.
11:18 am, I reached Baliwag bus terminal in Cubao. As I was about to enter the terminal, an old man walked toward me and asked where am I heading.
Me: Bulacan sir.
Man: Where exactly ma'am?
Me: San Jose
Thinking back, I should have said Baliaug, not that San Jose is wrong but it's a street, which is a tad too specific for a bus ride to the province. This is not my first time traveling to Baliuag, but my last visit was in 2019 and I'm not very good at remembering directions.
He gestured to a bus with the sign, San Jose on it and told me that there it is, that's my bus. I walked toward it and saw a makeshift ticketing booth standing beside the bus.
The conductor asked me where I was going and again, I said, San Jose. The fare rate was around 300 pesos and I was taken aback wondering why it's so expensive. I don't remember paying this much when I went to Bulacan before. I should have raised a question but I didn't. I just paid and got on the bus.
The trip began shortly after that and somewhere along the way I felt sleepy and decided to take a nap.
Then I noticed we had been on the road longer than we should. Did we take another route?
2:20 pm, the bus went for a stopover and I was like, Since when did a 2-hour trip to Bulacan require a stopover? Other passengers started alighting from the bus to either use the restroom or to buy some food from the eatery. I stayed on the bus.
2:44 pm, I checked Google Maps to see where the hell this bus was taking me.
To my horror, we were already in Nueva Ecija. The fudge was I doing in Nueva Ecija?! I immediately messaged my friends asking if this is normal, one of them said that it's not.
Worried, I asked the passenger sitting next to me where the bus was going.
Me: Is this bus going to Bulacan?
Man: (looked confused) No.
Me: I thought this is going to San Jose?
Man: Yes, San Jose Nueva Ecija.
I was like...
I frickin' jumped on the wrong bus!
I shared it with my friends and one of them told me that I should get off the bus immediately.
I looked out of the window and saw nothing but rice fields on each side of the road. What am I supposed to do? Get off the bus and plow the soil?!
I felt a headache coming. I didn't know what to do. Should I just wait until the last stop then from there, take another bus that goes back to Manila or Bulacan?
Wait, I need to think this through. I looked at the window and cursed myself for being so damn stupid. I got myself into a situation that could have easily been prevented had I only thought to ask questions. The fare rate was already a big red flag, why didn't I listen to my intuition?
The best course of action is to inform the bus driver and the conductor so I got up on my seat and walked straight to the front of the bus to advise them of my situation.
I could feel the eyes of the other passengers on me and they were probably judging me underneath their face masks. I mean, here goes this woman who got herself into the wrong bus, and for what?
They say things happen for a reason but I'm not sure what reason is worth taking this unnecessary trip for. Not only did I waste the whole day on the road, but I also wasted my money. Speaking of I was down to two hundred bucks, I need an ATM!
On top of that, I was hungry. The only food I munched on was a small pack of peanuts that I bought from a vendor who got on the bus hours before. Heck, I didn't even drink water because I don't usually drink water when I'm traveling long hours on a bus. I got a small bladder, I don't want to have to hold my pee.
The conductor told me to return to my seat while they think of a way to solve my dilemma. Moments later, the conductor approached me and told me they'd be dropping me to a spot where I could take a jeepney to Cabanatuan Terminal. From there, there are buses that can take me to Baliuag.
There is a small sari-sari store on the side of the road and I approached the woman tending it to confirm what the conductor said. She said yes, there are jeepneys that pass by this road to Cabanatuan terminal. She gestured toward the monoblock chairs and advised me to sit and wait there; so I did.
Finally, a jeep arrived and I stood up to hail it. Now that I found a way to head back, I felt the tension leaving my body. I did ask God what was going on, is there a reason for this or am I just stupid? (or both)?
Since I was there already, I might as well, enjoy the view.
At Cabanatuan Terminal, I took a bus that goes to Cubao but not after I've confirmed with the driver that they would pass by Baliuag.
7:15 pm, after the accidental Central Luzon tour that I didn't ask for, I finally reached Baliuag, Bulacan. They dropped me off at SM Baliwag and that's where I met my friend and her son.
I ended up sleeping over at her place where I met her parents, cuddled with her super cute but smelly dogs, and had the opportunity to be the first person to greet her with a happy birthday.
The next morning, we had suman and coffee for breakfast in her small garden, surrounded by her plants and flowers. It was such a beautiful morning, which I wouldn't have had experienced had I not been lost the day before.
And maybe that was the only reason for all this, to spend this day with my friend and her family, get to know them, and enjoy that beautiful morning. Or maybe it's so that I can have people laughing when I tell them this story. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.