The public transit system is cheap but somewhat of a mess. One can get from Banaue to Manila Via air conditioned Dangua bus for P160. The only thing the travel information desk in Banaue didn't tell us is that seating would be limited. The system is first-come first- served. Sometime during the night the bus arrives in Banaue. To get a ride on the bus you simply get up and get on the bus. The only trick is to do it early enough. The bus leaves at 7:00am and by the time we got there at 6:30 it was already full. There were about five seats left, scattered all over the bus. From our newly acquired seats we watched countless other people get on, look around in disappointment and trudge off to find other transportation. A jeepney headed in the correct direction looked to be the next best option.
The first Dangwa bus trip we had taken to Banawe three days earlier was comprised mostly of local people carrying a few items for their homes. This trip back to Manila was laden with tourists and backpackers. The entire back portion of the bus was stacked to the roof with backpacks and luggage. The overhead racks were too small to place anything but the smallest articles but on this trip they were full. A local had collected some type of plant cuttings and stuffed them in many of the compartments.
Once the bus was totally packed about 12 more people were added. By the time the bus pulled out of Banawe at 7:00am the aisles were filled with people. They sat on the floor, their luggage, or whatever they could find. I was cramped up next to a rather large Canadian woman that was sick and spoke little english. I thought I was bad off till I tried to imagine what it would be like to sit in the aisle for eleven hours. I decided to make the best of it and be happy.
This was the same bus, driver, and conductor that we had for the first trip several days ago and we followed the exact same procedure. One lunch break, one fuel stop and two short bathroom breaks. Upon our arrival in Manila we took a taxi back to the Malate Pensionne hotel.
Book Your Trip To The Philippines Right Now!Manila Bacolod Baguio Cebu Davao Palawan Banaue More Airline Reservations Tours Destination Guide |
