It was May 10, 2008; I woke up very early in the morning to catch up the first morning trip of the Ferry Boat bound for Virac, Catanduanes. To be exact, I rose up at around 3:00 o'clock to take the earliest possible transportation going to Tabaco City Port. An enlisted man has instructed me to be at the Coast Guard Station at exactly 0530H.
Since it was still very early, I hitched into a bus coming from Manila as there were no regular trips yet on such wee hours of the day. While on board, I noticed a foreigner sleeping soundly in the seat just in front of me. He seemed to be unmindful of everything around him until we reached the Bus Terminal. As usual, porters immediately boarded the bus like bees coming from just anywhere. Everyone was trying their luck in getting a customer.
One man approached the foreigner and said “WANNA TRY SIR, WANNA TRY?” the white man whom I suspect to be an American tourist, perhaps still regaining his senses from a deep slumber, retorted “TRY WHAT?” The man just kept on saying “WANNA TRY SIR, WANNA TRY!” “I SAID TRY WHAT? The foreigner asked again. The two seemed to be in a deadlock and I was so amused to learn, the man was offering his “TRICYCLE”- a three-wheeled improvised vehicle made of a motor bike with a sidecar, to the foreigner.
Seeing them almost coming to a senseless altercation, I explained to the tourist what my countryman really wanted to say. The tourist was very thankful. In fact, he was looking for one actually, to bring him to the hotel. Indeed efforts to communicate sometimes are really amusing. “Wanna try?”
