could not wait to see their families and present their kidswith the pasalubong that were lovingly bought from hardearnedmoney. They patiently stood, tightly holding on totheir bags and trying to contain their smiles.I’ve never looked at my trips quite this way before.In my fast-paced world, I often fail to notice other peopleand never bothered to care why they were travelling. I felta rush of emotion. These people may be strangers to me,but we shared a journey and I somehow felt connectedto them. We docked at Cebu and I was happy to see themreunited with their families. They were finally home. But Istill had some work to do and had to feed this new hungerfor more learning before I could get back to mine.At the port, my group and I were shuttled off tothe SuperCat terminal to take a boat ride to Tagbilaran,Bohol. <strong>2GO</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> has a <strong>Travel</strong> Link transfer systemthat gives passengers a seamless travel experience whentaking “connecting” rides to reach their destination.All passengers have to do after disembarking the shipis to head to the terminal and go through the Scan andShoot process where attendants will scan the ticket andtake a profile photo for security purposes. This processis practiced in all <strong>2GO</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> terminals, and takes justabout 30 seconds to complete. After the Scan and Shoot,passengers bound for Tagbilaran may enjoy some snacksfrom various kiosks at the clean and spacious terminalwhile waiting to board the SuperCat. Our boat leftimmediately after all the passengers had boarded and wewere in Tagbilaran after an hour and forty five minutes.It was a hassle-free trip, without a single delay at theterminal and during the ride.We spent only a short time in Tagbilaran and wereback in Cebu that same afternoon. We left the next dayto again take the same <strong>2GO</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> vessel back to Manila.This time, I was determined to learn more aboutwhy some people choose to travel this way. I wantedto invite my friends to go cruising and had to beprepared to answer all their questions. I had a chatwith Teresa Cabal, the Vessel Security Officer (VSO),who proudly told me that <strong>2GO</strong> <strong>Travel</strong> is committedto making cruising a real experience for all theirpassengers. Their vessels are newly-renovated and arecomplete with facilities that would cater to the all theneeds of the passengers. Aside from the dining areasand the rooms and cabins, SF12 has a conferenceroom where training seminars for HRM and marinestudents and other functions are held, an arcade andcellphone charging station, a salon, a clinic with aresident doctor, a multi-purpose room, and a prayerroom. She readily told me that all their crew membershave enough knowledge about safety and that theyhave weekly drills to keep them alert and prepared foremergencies.On the way back to my room, I saw a studentstanding at attention in a hallway near my room.For a few minutes, I sat at a bench a few feet awayfrom him, contemplating whether or not I shouldspeak to him. I was not sure if talking would earnhim a demerit, and standing stick-straight with eyesstaring blindly ahead, he looked like one of those nonspeakingmarshals assigned to guard a monument. Idecided to take a chance anyway, and to my relief,was rewarded with a response. John Michael Tingcalis a 2 nd year Marine Transportation student from theLyceum of Iligan who was undergoing training atthe vessel. He told me that students needed a totalof three years experience in a ship before they canofficially work onboard. In a few weeks, he wouldapril - june 2012 travel time 79
have his Safety of Life and Sea (SOLAS) training where theywould be taught various emergency preparedness and lifesavingprocedures, including fire-fighting, CPR and otherrescue operations. That day, his class underwent training atthe bridge, where the captain and his crew are stationed. Afterdinner, he took his post at the hallway where he was to standguard until 12 midnight. A Vessel Training Officer approachedhim, instructing him to confiscate the IDs of HRM students,who were then undergoing a month-long training onboard,who would sneak out of their rooms past curfew hours. Notlong after the officer left, one of the cabin doors opened and aParty OnboardDifferent passenger groups enjoying the food, drinks andentertainment on the way to their destination.80 travel time april - june 2012
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