Road trip!

I am increasingly finding myself on the road these days. It's because I want to go to Baguio to unwind even for a day and be with my family, rather than spend the entire weekend in the apartment by my lonesome.

So I brave the 6-hour trip to Baguio and back by bus. I think I've even become accustomed to it already! I take the midnight-to-early morning trips so I can sleep the trip through. But sometimes they play songs that are not rather to my liking, or they have the lights on at all times. These make it difficult to sleep.

But adjust I must so I will sleep less when I get to Baguio. And in the quest for making myself comfy in these trips, I found the following handy:















Pillow. I like taking the window seat so I can prop the pillow between the headrest and the window, get into sleeping position, and doze off. I don't take bathroom breaks at stopovers anyway.

There's also this pillow that you put at the back of your neck to support you while you lull yourself to sleep with your mouth open (harharhar). I haven't tried these yet though. There's also an inflatable version of this.














Blanket. Ah yes. I have gotten so accustomed to going to Baguio on weekends that I usually go with just shorts, shirts, and slippers on. What to do about the oftentimes unnatural airconditioned coldness in the bus? Blankets! Pictured is a turban-like thing I bought in my recent Davao trip. I also have the malong, a cylindrical clothing that does the job too in making me comfy.

Aside from this, I also bring a bonnet for good measure. I can pull it over my eyes when I don't want to be disturbed by the occasional turning on of the overhead lights.















Entertainment. When you arrive early, there's really nothing much to do at the terminal and inside the bus. So I bring along a book. I have also installed games on my phone. I wish I can watch movies with a PSP but I don't have one.















More entertainment! I don't have an iPod too, but this mp3 player Chu gave me a couple of months ago does the job. I no longer have to suffer listening to the bus' radio station of choice. I just plug into my mp3 collection and in a matter of minutes I doze off. Yeah, it's quite a waste on battery power but hey, I'd rather listen to my tunes than sit like a zombie and listen to whatever they're playing.















Nourishment. Frankly, the food at the stopovers suck. The bread is dry like it's been there for weeks, the burgers and sandwiches stale. I haven't tried rice meals yet but I don't want to get left behind, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea to eat rice in the bus. Kinda messy, huh? So I bring along my food and water! I get off at stopovers only when I need to use the men's room.

Now, if only I can do something about my snoring ...

Want to share your survival tactics for long trips?