A flamboyant means of traveling

Catch a smoke-belching jeepney for the smokiest ride of your life! The jeepneys were originally made from US military jeeps left over from WW2. They are now the flamboyant, fashionably decorated icon of Manila that have come to symbolize the supremacy of American culture in the Philippines (more on that in another post).

Riding around town in a jeepney is a cultural experience in itself. Sit close to the driver and you’ll be on change duty, for the driver never stops the jeepney to hand out change. Watch out for the head, too! Keep that neck crooked or you’ll bang your head constantly. Oh, and keep an eye out if you board an old jeepney: the many holes in old jeepneys will probably allow you to see straight to the ground.

Odd is the fact that every jeepney proudly displays a non-smoking sign. I guess that smokers don’t feel the pinch too much, for a regular 15 minutes jeepney ride in heavily polluted Manila will give the smoker every chance to inhale his daily dose of cancerous substances. At 15 cents a ride, jeepneys provide better (smoking) bang for the buck than cigarettes. :)

Exiting the jeepney couldn’t be easier for there is no door. More complicated is where you’ll be dropped: you’ll be lucky if the driver pulls over to the side of the road to allow you to disembark; you won’t be so lucky if the driver chooses the middle of the road, a common occurrence that forces you to dodge speedy cars and trucks to reach the sidewalk.

Love it or hate it, any visit to Manila must include a jeepney ride!