Ilocos Norte | My First (and Probably My Last) Sleeper Bus Experience with Florida Bus

Florida Bus' Sleeper Bus :)

I love traveling yet I consider traveling by land, particularly by bus, an ordeal. I almost always get a headache. I feel dizzy, and more often than not, I throw up. Oh yes, up to now I'm still like that. Except in two occasions: 1) if I could manage to sleep the entire trip, or 2) if I have a companion who would make me talk and talk all throughout. Hahaha...weird eh! Actually, these two reasons aren't fool proof. If the trip is quite long or if I smell something inside the bus (for example, if someone ate something smelly or if someone spray something), I'll get a headache and then feel dizzy afterwads and if I can't help it, I'll throw up.

When I went to Ilocos Norte last year (November, 2013), I tried a sleeper bus, thinking that if I slept all throughout the entire trip, I wouldn't get a headache, wouldn't feel dizziness, and wouldn't get all that bad feelings. In the first few hours, I'm good actually. I can still smile and chitchat with my friend. When everyone else slept, we stopped talking and tried to sleep too. And so I thought I'll get to Ilocos Norte without a hitch. But I was wrong. At around 3:00AM, I felt the need to use the bus' comfort room. I get down from my couch, went to the CR whilst the bus is moving fast. I almost tripped on to some passengers along the way. When inside the CR, I almost banged my head because of the bumpy road, the winding road and the somehow speedy ride. I managed not to, by the way.

I get back to my deck afterwards but I know I'm not good anymore. My head started to ache and I somewhat felt dizzy. I tried to calm myself, thinking that I'm okay and that we would reach Ilocos Norte with me still feeling good. To minimize the effect of dizziness, I tried to sleep but every ten-fifteen minutes or so, I'm awake. I knew and felt every bumps on the road and every stop the driver made, to get a breather I guess. A breather for himself (and some other passengers), an agony for me. The driver and some other passengers took this stop to get out and smoke. So when they board the bus again, they brought with them the hateful smell of cigarette smoke. And I hate it! (I hope smokers learn to respect those who aren't by restraining themselves while still on public places or public transports, in this case.) That made the trip a more agonizing one, all the way. Really!

After an agonizing three hours, at last we reached Laoag City at past 6:00AM. Everyone on the bus got up, fixed themselves in preparation of soon alighting from the bus. Me? I didn't move. I know that even just one move from me and I'll throw up. Only when the bus was parked and everyone else got off did I move and get out. Once I stand up, I knew I'm going to throw up so I rushed getting off the bus and look for some inscupous place and throw up. I didn't even have time to look for the terminal's comfort room as I know the minute I stand up that it's coming. Oh yes, I did throw up! Again! :(

That sleeper bus experience would probably be my first and last. I wouldn't try it again. Instead of feeling more comfortable because I'm lying down, it's the other way around. The couch is a bit small, it's too narrow if you're on the plus-size. And if you're somewhat taller than regular, you can't stretch out comfortably. But it's not just because of these that I'll never try sleeper bus again. It's more because of my motion sickness, actually. But hopefully, as I do long distance travel more often, I'll get rid of this feeling. Hopefully... ;)

Florida Bus' Trip Schedules:

Florida Bus' Trip Schedules

Florida Bus' Metro Manila Terminals:

Sampaloc Terminal: Lacson Street (near corner España), Sampaloc, Manila

Cubao Terminal: EDSA (near Pag-ibig Quezon City Branch), Quezon City