How to Enjoy Your PNR Train Ride

The Philippine national railway or PNR is a chain of train stations that I’m taking more often recently. It’s a cheap alternative transportation and I’m quite comfortable using it.

1. Don’t go during rush hour. It’s the worst time to take the train. I took it once during a rush hour and the experience of the extreme violation of personal space, the struggle to get in,  the effort required to be aware of my valuables, was more than I can handle if done repeatedly. 2. Know the train schedule. There are times when the train arrives every hour and every 30 minutes. The station I take has a train scheduled to arrive every 1:08pm and if I miss it I’ll have to wait till 1:38pm.
2. Travel light. It’s a hassle having to guard your valuables all the time. Bring less so you have less to guard.
3. Guard your valuables. Be aware of your situation. There are pick pockets wherever you go. So don’t leave your guard down.
4. Don’t lose your ticket. They charge you double if you lose your ticket and or get off at the wrong station.
5. Enjoy the ride. Embarrassingly my first comment when I took the train is “this is so ghetto”  that was rude of me. It it but the ride was beautiful. I spend my day sitting down at work and for about thirty minutes a day I get to stand and practice my balance. I get to observe people. Wonder where they’re going and listen to conversations. See real people. You can take the time to meditate and pray while you’re waiting for your stop. It’s more fun than you think.

Written on March 9th, 2014 by Kevin Olega