Visiting Camp Crame

Whenever I need to go somewhere I’d never been to and I didn’t know how to get there, there’s always one person to call — our tatay sa bahay, Nald. 

So last night, right before going to PNP Camp Crame, I rang him up and he gave me a cheaper and faster option to my first one, which was to ride a cab. His instructions were specific. Take the MRT to Santolan station, climb the stairs to get to the left side, go down, then walk towards the end of the block and there you’ll be. 

Now I must stress the fact that I am not one of those pathetic damsels who can’t go anywhere unless escorted and in a cab or car. As Zenie once put it, there was never a need to worry about me because I could get thrown anywhere and still find my way home. The technique is as simple as one word: ASK. I know millions of men out there would probably have a hard time following this, but really, so long as you’re not afraid to ask people for directions, you won’t get lost, even in a bustling place like Metro Manila. 

So I knawed on some corn on the cob to stave off my hunger, rode a jeep to Buendia station, and joined the throng of people. Thankfully, I still had the MRT card Neil gave me, so I need not fall in line to buy my ticket. Now what’s so great about the MRT is that it saves you a lot of time and money in getting to your destination. The bad thing about it is that everyone else thinks so too, that’s why it’s always crammed full of people. And by crammed I mean the body-to-body, can-hardly-move, packed-like-sardines kind. Tonight was no exception. I sighed, remembering my auditing days when I used to take the MRT to my client’s office in Mandaluyong everyday. Thank goodness I need not do this everyday anymore!

Thankfully, I got to Camp Crame without getting hopelessly lost. But when I got there, the gates were closed and I wondered if I could still get in. Just then, a guy walked out of the tiny gate at the side and he let me in. I walked two blocks towards Kiangan Hall, where Betang was staying. 

Oh right, I forgot to mention why I had to go to Camp Crame. Betang is having a family vacation in the metro and she asked if I could meet her so she could give me her pasalubong and I could give her the CD of Ultraelectromagneticjam that she hed asked me to buy. Her dad is a cop that’s why they’re staying in Crame. 

When I got to the hall, she brought me to their room, and gave me a bunch of stuff — Tobleron, peanut brittle, daing, dates, peanuts, mangoes. Her mom used to be nurse in Saudi Arabia but she came home for good, hence the welcome back celebration. They had just come from Baguio and planned on going to Enchanted Kingdom tomorrow. We took some pictures, her younger brother being our eager photographer. Then I had to leave because they all had to sleep, and I asked Betang where her youngest brother was, making a short height gesture with my hands. She laughed and indicated our photographer, saying, “Sya na yan!” Yikes! I thought this was the middle sibling. The last time I’d seen the youngest, he was but a kid! My my, I’m really getting old!