The Anatomy Of A Road Trip

The evening of our office audit, I left Zamboanga as the vehicle sped towards Dapitan. With my cousin B taking up the driver’s wheel, C by my side and friends, I experienced a twenty-hour trip from one island to the next, and making it through a mountain range finally arriving in Bacolod.

In general I was just really grateful to experience Bacolod and see what it’s like to ply the route that my cousin frequently takes and got to note the stories of the sugarcane plantations that can be seen at the side of the road. It has a sinister tone to it but I’d like to write a short story about it someday.

 As for what makes a memorable road trip in my opinion, here’s the breakdown of one for the books. 

We took B's Nissan Terra for a drive

A comfortable and spacious vehicle

It was a perfect time to go for a test drive. My cousin B went on this route many times and with different vehicles, but I think it’s the first time for the Nissan Terra. It was absolutely a breeze to be cruising along the beauty of the island of Negros and with a spacious and smooth drive like the Terra, there was a lot of space for our bags and for six people all in all. The back had foldable seats for reclining to make space for our luggage, because C and I both agreed ahead of time to bring luggage, and I always bring an extra backpack, then our friends also brought their respective duffel bags.

To illustrate, our route was to leave from Zamboanga by 8:00 in the evening then arrive by 3:00 AM in Dapitan to catch the boat that will cross all the way to Dumaguete, arriving at around 8:00 AM for breakfast and then resume, passing by Mabinay, Bago City and then arrive in Bacolod by 5:00 PM. Do take note that there are security checks before boarding the barge and that passengers are required to submit their baggage through x-rays and also wait at the terminal before boarding.

With a continuous playlist of acoustic tracks, we made it, with occasional stops for food, especially for breakfast and lunch of course. 

Enjoying the scenery on the way: Church at the Municipality of Hinigaran

A capable driver and a spare driver

We were quite confident with our company in case B couldn’t continue driving because the trip alone was about 20 hours long. But at least we had two more spare drivers who were experienced on highway drives and long-haul trips. C knows the route to Dapitan by heart and R also knew Negros because of countless times visiting. Thankfully nothing happened that required us to switch drivers during our journey on the road.

Another plus with this arrangement is that our designated, capable driver also had a few stories to share about the sugarcane plantations (read: blood sacrifice for a bountiful harvest) but that’s just some eerie bedtime story, (or so at least I think).

Snacks and water

Nobody gets hungry in Negros especially if there are a lot of street side vendors selling fruits and all sorts of snacks on the way. Of course, I brought water and snacks on hand to endure the trip. Dried fruit and mixed trail with nuts sometimes does the job.

Necessary pitstops

Here’s where breakfast, lunch and dinner come in, as well as bathroom breaks. Luckily we had no issues with any of these. Dumaguete alone has a handful of places offering affordable meals and to freshen up before resuming the trip.

On the way to Bacolod as we were nearing, we had a taste of the famous KBL, a spicy stew that’s best paired with white rice. It’s also known as Kansi, Baboy at Langka, and is a good comfort food during rainy days. 

A destination that makes it all worthwhile

There’s supposed to be a storm coming in, but we made it all in perfect timing. I received a call from my father shortly after we arrived in Bacolod where we were staying in P’s home, asking where we were because my parents were worried about the storm coming in, which would mean that we were going to be stranded if we didn’t get to cross Dapitan to Dumaguete.

However, we made it in good time and it was a good experience for us to be able to make that trip and to end 2018 in  P’s hometown. The plan was to immerse ourselves in Bacolod as we took a break from work and greeted 2019 energized and full of hope.

The next day would be another day in Sugarlandia with plans to visit its attractions. It was one of the long but rewarding road trips that will be catalogued in my memory and taught me that the best that a road trip can be is spontaneous and made with good company.

Disclaimer: This post is in no way sponsored by Nissan Philippines, Inc. or its affiliates. All inputs are based on my experiences during the travel described.