Why I hate abhor dislike traveling from Baguio on a Sunday.
by Kat - March 16th, 2009.Filed under: Baguio.
At 5:20 pm yesterday my Victory Liner bus left Baguio City while Jang trotted off to a dinner with her friends nearby.
When we met at the terminal I was already complaining to her how anxious I was about this trip.
Ok, *deep breath* the main reason I avoid traveling on a Sunday is because of the tourists. This is the day most of those who went up for the weekend flock to the bus terminals to head home. And they come in big groups, and most of them are loud, inconsiderate, gaudy, bastos …
They shout at each other in the bus, they take pictures in the bus (loudly, HOY IKAW NAMAN MAG-SHOT NITO, UYYYY ISALI NIYO NAMAN AKO, ANOBA NATATAKPAN AKO!!!), they take pictures of the most insensible stuff to the point of inconveniencing other people (I totally get this, I do, but come on… there are boundaries between interesting and plain dumb), they are rowdy, they block the way, they act as if they own Baguio, they look down on the locals, I can go on and on.
Of course, there are tourists who are acceptable, courteous, polite (and all its synonyms)… but the subject here are the annoying ones.
I’m sorry, I really am, but I (and Jang) just can’t tolerate most tourists in Baguio, I JUST CAN’T … especially those who make fun of the Igorots who beg for coins, I mean what the fuck? If you won’t give her/him money, just effing walk away and show some respect by not poking fun at the beggar!
I know. I know. I’ve been saying some really mean things about tourists in general and I just want to clarify that I only really dislike the loud ones, those who have utter disrespect for the place they are visiting, those who are annoying, period.
For one, this guy at the terminal yesterday cut me off at the ticket line. Strike one. Then when I was on the bus this group of teenage girls boarded the bus loudly, I don’t even know how they do that: MOVE ABOUT LOUDLY, AS IN MAKE LOUD SOUNDS WITHOUT THE NEED TO. Strike two. And then they started taking photos of each other. In the bus. With their cameras’ effing flash on. While shouting at each other. Strike three four five.
In the past, I’ve done a very good job steeling myself for these kinds of tourists. I had to. Then later on I figured why travel with them? I can travel on weekdays. I only really travel on Sundays when very necessary.
Jang and I have been talking about ‘tourist karma’, meaning, because we are not that kind to tourists (the annoying ones) because we say mean things about them, we look at them unkindly, we make fun of those wearing their winter collection (term borrowed from Kiko), we give wrong directions when they ask (HAHA joke lang) etc.–maybe we are setting ourselves up for bad karma by the time it’s our turn as tourists.
But what the hey, we will be responsible visitors; we will respect the place, the people, and the culture; and anyway we are one hundred percent proper. So I think the one who doles out karma will give us a free pass on this one. *grin*
Anyway, what saved the day for me yesterday was this gorgeous amazing fiery sunset seen from Marcos Hi-way. It was unbelievably orange.
Complaining wouldn’t get me anywhere I know, so by the time we were in La Union I already did a very good job zoning out from all the tourist noise and I arrived at Cubao in one happy piece thank you very much.
March 16th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I have the same pet peeve as you do when it comes to tourists. I think it’s something that irritates you when you’re going to & fro a place you call home (in my case, it’s Manila to Zambales or Baguio and vice versa). It’s ok to show you’re having a great time, but to be rude and inconsiderate to your fellow passengers,the locals is another.
This kind of attitude just doesn’t happen in tourists, actually. I’ve seen a lof of kids act like boisterous brats on the train, which makes me wonder if we were ever like that when we were students.
That said, I take a look back my last tourist trip, when I went to Sagada. Was I nice? Was I respectful? Was I polite and genuinely interested in the culture, place and people? I hope so.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Wow.
Im pretty much sure Christine and I were on the quiet side of the bus on both trips.
Hmmm.. makes me wonder if I’ve done those things in one of my travels.
Hopefully the world learns from this post.
How’s the bangs? You’re not posting pics! Hehe.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
‘I think it’s something that irritates you when you’re going to & fro a place you call home’.
– yep I think so too Kat, naisip ko tuloy, oo nga, pag papunta ako ng Laguna (my father’s home province) at may mga ganitong turista, hindi ako ganoon kaapektado, kasi hindi ako ganoon ka-attached sa Laguna, at least not like I am to Baguio/Manila. I think you did good in Sagada, hehe. (-:
John, sa palagay ko naman hindi kayo kasali sa ‘annoying tourists’ group, not in my book! hehe. (-: bangs photos soon, promise yan.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I also am jealous when people visit Cebu and CDO and act like they own the place. What’s even more horrible is when they do visit the place and act like the locals should be honored by their presence because they’re from the Big City and all.
Makes me yearn fror those days in CDO when you’d turn a corner and chances are, you’d see a familiar face–a classmate, a neighbor, someone you regularly see at church. Days when every face you saw had a name.
I do hope I didn’t act that way when I was in Baguio. I think I behaved. Except maybe for the Pink Sisters photo. =)
March 17th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
hey Kiko, horrible is the perfect word *sigh*
Basta naman you’re not loud and arrogant, you respect the locals and the place (hindi ka nagkakalat, hindi ka naninira ng gamit, etc.), ayos na yon for the most part…
and that Pink Sisters photo, I totally would’ve done the same kung gustong gusto ko talaga makuha yung shot, basta ba quiet yung camera ko, walang flash, at hindi ako nakaistorbo (although lagot pa rin ako kay Lord)
March 18th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hi Kat… annoying little pricks! aysshhh… but medyo nahiya ako.. naalala ko yung first ever visit ko jan after grad.. nagpakaturista ako remember? hehe… But was iI annoying? Di naman Kat, di ba? Kasama kita eh.. hahaha!!! =)
Naalala ko tuloy last Saturday, we were in 8 Waves sa San Rafael, Bulacan. There were these annoying highschool kids who were probably hoping to revive the long-dead TGIS. Aba e pares-pares pa sila and they were acting like they own the effin’ pool, taking photos like there’s no tomorrow and like their lives (and their headshots) depended on it! Nakaka-annoy lang…
March 19th, 2009 at 3:48 am
I just realized that probably we were once annoying tourists as well, wherever it was, and we just outgrew the thought of being pesky and troublesome and eventually matured to the prim and proper travelers that we are now.
Hi Kat! Sarap siguro mag-photoshoot jan sa Baguio!
March 20th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Hi Thet! Hindi ka naman annoying (biased ako e haha)… hinde seriously, ang annoying lang talaga e yung mga nasa malaking groups, yung mga magulo sa jeep, yung mga maingay.
Hey John, yeah naman, at one point in our lives we did something that annoyed someone, miski hindi natin sadya… “and we just outgrew the thought of being pesky and troublesome and eventually matured to the prim and proper travelers that we are now.” — sakto