I am not an avid fan of public transportation. My definition of public transportation are limited to jeeps, provincial buses and taxis. I seldom leave my home base which is Makati. Living in Makati could make anyone a contended cow. It almost has everything so there's no point in going to another town or city.
Two weeks ago, I was forced to leave my comfort zone. I had to start a new job, in Cubao, of all places. Cubao is the first leisure/commercial area in Quezon City or QC. I used to live in QC and Cubao was one of the first to provide shopping malls and department stores in the Philippines. Unfortunately, it's at the other side of the map. Makati is considered the south side, QC would be the north side.
Taking a cab is not advisable. Besides the traffic that I may experience along EDSA, I would have to pay a pricey amount for cab fare. Just the other week, I came home late from a night out with my batchmates in training and although the streets were deserted, I still got to shell out 150 pesos for a trip back to Makati.
My best option is the MRT. My first MRT, or shall we say train experience, was in Hong Kong, where they call it MTR. There are some discouraging points though. One, I have to climb my way to the train station which is about 2 stories high. Then, I have to bear with the sea of people, trying to purchase their tickets. On bad days, I would be cramped sooooo much in a train that I don't have to hang on to the hand rail to prevent myself from falling while the train hits the brakes. But I eventually got the hang of it (no pun intended) like taking the elevator when it's available or buying a stored value card which could last me for a week. Yep, I'm still alive. Though I really have to allot like 1 1/2 hours for travel time at least, I don't look all stressed out when I reach my destination. You wouldn't see me catching the EDSA bus though. I'd rather pay 150 pesos.
Well, the worst is yet to come. I haven't experienced extreme rains, flooded streets and my worst fear of all, the MRT shutting down due to technical (or mechanical) problems (knock on wood!)
As for Cubao, it's not that bad. My route from the MRT station to the office includes going through the malls: Farmer's, Gateway and Shopwise ... a pleasure to the eyes for a mall rat like me.
Two weeks ago, I was forced to leave my comfort zone. I had to start a new job, in Cubao, of all places. Cubao is the first leisure/commercial area in Quezon City or QC. I used to live in QC and Cubao was one of the first to provide shopping malls and department stores in the Philippines. Unfortunately, it's at the other side of the map. Makati is considered the south side, QC would be the north side.
Taking a cab is not advisable. Besides the traffic that I may experience along EDSA, I would have to pay a pricey amount for cab fare. Just the other week, I came home late from a night out with my batchmates in training and although the streets were deserted, I still got to shell out 150 pesos for a trip back to Makati.
My best option is the MRT. My first MRT, or shall we say train experience, was in Hong Kong, where they call it MTR. There are some discouraging points though. One, I have to climb my way to the train station which is about 2 stories high. Then, I have to bear with the sea of people, trying to purchase their tickets. On bad days, I would be cramped sooooo much in a train that I don't have to hang on to the hand rail to prevent myself from falling while the train hits the brakes. But I eventually got the hang of it (no pun intended) like taking the elevator when it's available or buying a stored value card which could last me for a week. Yep, I'm still alive. Though I really have to allot like 1 1/2 hours for travel time at least, I don't look all stressed out when I reach my destination. You wouldn't see me catching the EDSA bus though. I'd rather pay 150 pesos.
Well, the worst is yet to come. I haven't experienced extreme rains, flooded streets and my worst fear of all, the MRT shutting down due to technical (or mechanical) problems (knock on wood!)
As for Cubao, it's not that bad. My route from the MRT station to the office includes going through the malls: Farmer's, Gateway and Shopwise ... a pleasure to the eyes for a mall rat like me.
