Cosmic Bubblegum

Manaoag, Pangasinan to Baguio via Kennon Road

2009-06-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

The next day when we took pictures before leaving our house in Manaoag. My uncle who I discovered was into mountain biking joined us along with his friend. Wreachelle's bike which we thought was OK, was not OK pala and was starting to give us problems. It was my first time to reach La Union by bike so I had to take pictures. We met up with the other Pangasinan bikers, spearheaded by Chito aka Mangdugas/C5, at Caltex, Rosario La Union. To have met friends who you only exchanged ideas with online, also a fellow biker, is quite relieving and amazing at the same time. The hospitality of the people of the north is unparalleled as I've experienced over and over again. We were a bit behind schedule due to bike problems but Chito and the gang didn't complain, nor did they show off they were stronger or better equipped, the were just there to enjoy the bike ride with us.

Aside from Wifi's bike having problems, my gigicam also bonked out. :( I had no choice but to take shots using my cellphone, bummer!

Welcome to La Union!

Chito and Pangasinan bikers, Jon & Wifi

One biker left his bladder when were near the "Welcome to Benguet" arch. By the time he got back at Caltex, it was already gone tsk tsk. Two of the bikers bailed out, 1/4 of the way coz they still had appointments later this day. Chito and another biker accompanied us going to the Lion's head.

For us mountain bikers, Kennon Road is a better alternative compared to Marcos hi-way as told by other bikers. First, its shorter, 2nd less bus pass take this route coz its narrower compared to Marcos Hi-way and lastly, half-way passed Lion's head its much steeper haha. Though some parts of Kennon are narrow, which keeps a lot of bus from passing here, there are still trucks and speeding vans/shuttles who speed their way up and down Kennon.

Welcome to Benguet!

More of Kennon:

By the time we reached Lion's head it was mid afternoon already, Wreachelle's bike had major problems already. The group decided that Wifi take the jeep instead since its only 7-8 kms. uphill going to Baguio and also to prevent her bike from aggravating the problems. My uncle and his friend went up a bit passed Lion's head and later on went home back in Manaoag cause they also both had appointments. After 2-3 mins., just right after Wifi's jeep took off, came our biker friend from Baguio, Bakulaw (from philmofo.co.cc) on his van. Chito and Baks were insisting that we just ride the van. Jon and Me and Chito's friend were determined to bike to Baguio, Baks told us to take Loacan road instead of Kennon since the latter part of Kennon was congested due to construction which caused a major traffic jam.

From Lion's head going to Baguio was pure uphill, and no recovery. Passing going to Loacan was much steeper but less vehicles pass it and half of the road was not passable due to road construction too. We even passed by the part of the downhill were Epoy Molina died. We reached Caltex Baguio (fronting Victory Liner) before dark and the Baguio bikers, Bakulaw & Eatsmudnrocks, welcomed us. Eatsmudnrocks aka Wrenolf even treated us for free Delmonte drinks, and paid for our first night at the Transient Inn, wow! Bakulaw treated us for dinner, and also food for the next 2 days.

At last! Lion's head!

Ashiong under the Lion's claw

More killer uphills at Loakan road.

Ashiong at Caltex Baguio, nice ride buddy!

Jon with Chito and Wrenolf (Eatsrocksnmud) at the back

We can't ask for more, the hospitality, friendship and generosity of the people up north are unparalleled. Baks, high-five pards! Wrenolf, thank you! Chito and company, salamat sir!

To our friends who asked on the status of our ride thank you guys! Tomorrow we will riding around Baguio. Whew!

Next: 2 days of Trail Riding at Baguio Semplang-University!

That's just our first night!

Jon knocked out by the Red Horse haha

Manila to Manaoag

2009-06-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

Oblation aka Gene was the "promotor" of this ride. The original plan was to bike from QC to Manaoag. PMTB was planning a bike ride from Manila to Baguio, just like last year. Since Manaoag (Pangasinan), is just 67 kms. away from Baguio (approximately), I thought 'why not continue the ride to Baguio the next day. I also won't be able to join the Manila to Baguio bike ride scheduled on June 12-13, so I pushed thru with the ride to continue to Baguio. I also haven't biked around the trails in Baguio, the last time I biked in Burnham was when I was in 2nd grade. So there: visit relatives in Manaoag, meet biker friends in Pangasinan (who I've only met online) and bike with them going to Baguio, meet Baguio bikers and bike with them in and around Baguio.

I had the ride planned out and it was rescheduled twice. A few days before the scheduled ride, Gene bonked out and Mon was still tentative. I wasn't mad nor dissappointed, I was more of frustrated. So I posted the ride in pmtb and philmofo inviting anyone who could join me. Luckily, Jon and Wreachelle joined me. Bakulaw of philmofo (philmofo.co.cc) invited us to Baguio and proposed that he be trailmaster if we ever decide to bike in Baguio, fortunately he also reserved our lodging in Baguio prior to our arrival. Happily we accepted the offer. Mangdugas/C5 aka Chito along with Pangasinan bikers also offered assistance in biking with us from Rosario, La Union to Baguio via Kennon Road.

So the plan was set, with 1 week notice only. I met Wifi (Wraych) near our house and Jon met us up in McDo MCU. We started pedalling around 5:30am, May 30, 2009. Again, I had no sleep the night before the ride (What's new? haha). We got lost around Guiguinto Bulacan and about 30 mins. was lost just so we could get back in McCarthur Malolos.

Calumpit Bulacan and Apalit Pampanga boundary

Chowking San Fernando, Pampanga

Still at San, Fernando

Capas Tarlac

It was cloudy most of the day, even before we met up with Jon it was already raining hard in Santolan corner Edsa. Then it rained hard again when we got to Capas and Concepcion Tarlac. We had lunch in Concepcion at Chowking Luisita Mall, had a break at Paniqui, Tarlac. The towns in Tarlac were quite looooooong! We biked via McArthur Hi-way and when you reach one town in Tarlac, let's say Moncada, after almost an hour of biking you can read the signs and you won't believe that you're still in Moncada. The roads also were getting narrow as we got near Pangasinan. The buses and other motorists have a hobby of overtaking in those areas and one beep means 'move aside'. We were obliged to bike on the side/shoulder.

Concepcion, Tarlac. Luisita Mall:

Pangasinan at last!

When we reached Urdaneta, it was raining hard again, we got lost and ended up in Mapandan. My uncle in Pangasinan said that we should have made a right fronting Urdaneta mall, but we instead went ahead and took Mapandan to Manaoag. We should have stopped and asked but we got too excited (or too hungry maybe), the rain got stronger when we were in Mapandan. Like my Polillo bike trip, we ended up biking at night again under the strong rain and dark roads of Pangasinan with scattered frogs (which Jon was trying to avoid haha). Wifi's bike was already having problems this time which also slowed us down.

We reached the Manaoag church around passed 7pm already and had no timed to take shots. We bought food and went straight to our house in Manaoag. My relatives in Pangasinan were surprised to see me visit them on bike and even got more surprised when I told them we came from Manila. The last time I had vacation in Manaoag was 2 years ago, I was very happy to see my lola, aunts, uncles and cousins.

To our friends who asked on the status of our ride thank you guys! Tomorrow we will be going to Baguio.

Enjoying the Barbecue, Lechon Manok which we bought at Manaoag church

Relatives who thought I was doing Tour of Luzon haha.

DAY2: POLILLO-BORDEOS ISLAND HOPPING

2009-05-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

DAY2: POLILLO-BORDEOS ISLAND HOPPING

The next day, had breakfast before we Island Hop. The rainbow was enough to tell us of the weather for that day. It was an amazing sight to be traveling on the boat seeing the islands around. The water was getting clearer as we arrive near our island destination, we could see the corals, it was an awesome sight. The small island is a paradise, we took pictures, ate a bit, swam and enjoyed the whole island. The crustaceans, corals, mangroves and sea urchins were a real eye candy. Click on the pictures to view the whole photo:

Start of the day, Island Hopping!

Coral reefs, bare naked.

Flowers/plants that grows on the sea bed.

Snake-like pathway, lowtide.

Clear, cold and refreshing sea water.

LSS: Pearly shells. From the ocean lolz

April and Allan (our gracious host).

Aquatic blue.

Island Paradise.

Our original plan was to stay there for 2 days and 1 night. Fortunately (or unfortunately for Gary haha), the boat which was suppose to take us back to the Real port this morning had some sort of trouble, which was what I (or most of us) exactly wanted! With this we can visit more islands today! Whooo!

Beach Bum Marlon

Malvin, wasted, restless sleep and major hang over haha

Blue eyed sea urchin.

Flowers on the mangroves.

Flower boy Marlon, bitch haha!

Big Corals seen during lowtide:

The 2nd island we visited is as amazing as the 1st, this time it had some locals, animals and houses. It was also were we had lunch. We even saw some tiger sharks, sad to say they were dead. We were very disappointed with the locals, because these creatures are tourists magnets and for them the poor animals are just food for the table. Maybe they need to be educated about more about marine mammals? Some of us (including me) took a nap for a while. An hour here felt like 3-4 hours, time seems slow and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Tiger sharks up-close.

Tiger sharks being held by Jon.

By lunch time, we were all starving, and boy did we love what we had. Lotsa fish, fried and with sabaw (soup). After that we tried visiting another island which had caves, but due to time constraints we just sailed close to it. Its really beautiful, the corals on the side of the island cave was the size of a boulder or even bigger.

We then went to this final island we went at, which had a nipa hut where we again had rest (yeah beach bum life man!). The corals, mangroves, crustaceans, and the aqua blue sea was really amazing and awesome! If only I had brought enough battery for my digicam, I could take pictures every minute.

Crusty the crustacean

Roses among the thorns

Dried fish, one of the best food in the Philippines!

More corals beside the mangroves.

The rest house where we took a nap.

Group shot.

More beautiful islands we couldn't get enough of.

Gary looking for more souvenirs.

There was this white house which had a third floor, and on the roof top you could see a bird's eyeview of the surrounding islands. Man, we couldn't get enough of the beauty surrounding us. Thank God for places like this, for the beach, the trees, islands and the beautiful sunny skies.

Lastly, we went to this floating hut, but one wrong move/fall your dead. Why? Sea urchins lurk the aquatic blue beneath. After that my camera went dead, I had no more charged batteries.

Wallpaper anyone?

Bird's eye-view on one of the island's highest point:

Last stop, floating beach house:

One wrong move, you're dead meat.

Sea urchins lurk beneath.

We went home, rested and left the island around 2am. Upon seeing my bike being placed on top of the jeep with the stanchion hitting one bar of the roofrack, I asked the conductor to remove my bike. Me, Gary and Malvin decided to bike back going to the Anawan port. It was raining, dark, cold and muddy, hell what's new? we've ridden in these conditions before haha its just another adventure for us. The rest of the gang rode the jeep with their bikes on top. We were just 15 mins. behind them. Another 3 hour trip back to Real port and 3 hours more for the road trip back to our homes. Its one of the cheapest rides and beach trips I've ever had. We just spend more than 1,500 pesos.

Thanks to Allan for organizing this. Thanks to Gary for the hitch. To the rest of the gang, thanks for the great company, the fart moments and the unending laughter, sober or not. ;)

DAY1: POLILLO-BORDEOS ISLAND BIKE RIDE

2009-05-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

This ride/trip was set last May 8-10, 2009. Due to unpredictable weather changes, forced us to reschedule. Typhoon Emong visited the Philippines a day before our scheduled departure. Knowing the Pacific Ocean and its treacherous waves, we conceded to nature's wrath.

Then we had it resched to May 22-23. It was perfect. The weather forecast for the week for Real, Quezon was a clear sunny weather.

Itinerary:

Meet up -

Place: Tiendesitas, Pasig, Philippines

Time: 3:30 AM

ETA in Real, Quezon port: 8-9AM

Those who attended: Allan, April, Erwin, Drey, Malvin, Jon, Marlon, Gary and me (Drew).

We arrived in Real port before a quarter 08:00. We have 3 friends who biked all the way from Burger King Marcos Hi-way is still on the way and so we have to wait for the 9AM trip. Unfortunately the 9AM trip is already full so we have no choice but to wait for the 10AM trip. We then ate our breakfast then placed the bikes on top of the boat. We can leave the cars on the part to be looked after by the port caretakers.

First group shot/class picture for the day.

Erwin, goofing it out, power rangers style. Gary's foot, kick his boner! lolz

Yeap that's an anchor.

Real, Watch/Light tower

Real, Quezon port.

When the 3 bikers arrived (spearheaded by Jon, along with Malvin and Marlon), food and cold drinks was the first thing they looked for after loading their bikes onto the boat. I salute these 3 crazy bikers coz they had more than 5 hours worth of bike miles, traversing many mountains before reaching the port. I'm not surprised since when I first started mountain biking these guys were already known to be monster speeders in and out of the trails, and up & down the mountains.

It was a 3-hour long boat ride. I slept while the others were bumming out on top of the boat. Drey was fixing a flat. I decided to sleep since I only had 2 hours worth of rest, maybe due to excitement. What's new? Most of my whole day bike rides I had no sleep at all haha.

And after 3 hours, there we were, Polillo Island, Quezon Province. There were lots of old wooden houses and nipa huts (bahay kubo) which was an eye candy for us urban fireflies. Before we bike, our stomachs were again grumbling and had to get lunch at the nearby eatery after the big Welcome Arch. The place was beautiful!

Polillo Island, welcome arch.

Polillo school.

Erwin, taking a shot of the welcome arch.

Worth the trip, the terrain was mostly dirt road, it was hot, fun and exciting!

The road on the way to the summit was very hard (makunat!) and to add to our burden was the hot humid weather. Thank God we were able to bump into the Barangay Captain (Chieftain) of the area and pointed us to have Buko (coconut) near the summit. For only 20 Pesos I had 3 Buko, which was all filled with coconut juice! The natural spring also was refreshing and I poured some onto my head and nape and face as well. That was very energizing!

Beautiful scenery along the seaside:

We love huts!

Yeah its sad, illegal logging is still rampant there.

Before we reached the summit going to Bordeos, there were muddy portions along the trail. The muddy portions of the road was really-really muddy. Soft mud where you your foot will sink if you step on it. I lost my momentum and had to step my spankin' brand new Shimano shoes on the mud :(. I was so pissed off, there were still very muddy conditions downhill and if you ain't careful your ass will french kiss the mud. A friend lost balance and was bruised on the right knee on the muddy part of the downhill.

Mudfest!

My brand spankin' new Shimano shoes, all muddied up :( *sigh

At the end of the downhill we stopped at this dam to clean our bikes, it was a few minutes away from where we will be staying. It even rained before we reached the house. When we reached the house, We were introduced to Allan's older brother and also a family friend who will serve as our Island guide during our whole stay in Polillo Island.

A very refreshing Coconut break, drink/eat all you can, promise ;)

Natural water source near the coconuts.

Cleaned/freshened ourselves up, unpacked some stuff, ate a bit then we went to this house where we had dinner. Afterwards the booze! We were introduced to Polillo's vice mayor and Doctor as well. I can't count how many Red Horse Beer we've had, as far as I can remember I was the first casualty of the night. I was drunk and couldn't take no more haha. Twas an awesome, fun day and a nice ride!

Our rented house, very cheap not as comfy as a 3 star hotel but enough to keep our bikes secure and have a good night's sleep. Mosquito repellant lotion/sprays are a must.Ü

The next day we will be Island Hopping! Wuhoooo!

ANTENNA RIDE - GIVE-BACK CHARITY RIDE

2009-05-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

The day after our Sierra Madre ride, I had a hard time waking up early (nag DOTA pa kase after the ride.) Woke up a bit late than the scheduled meet up at Shell Julio Vargas. I wasn't able to catch up with the guys, and since I'm not familiar with the Antenna trail going to Antipolo, I decided to just go back and take tikling going to Antipolo.

Then I spotted Jubz (Hector), I told him that we go to Redeemer's foundation directly. He insisted that we catch up with the group, since I'm very hard to convince...we went to Antenna lolz. The sun was already blazing hot! Laspag ako, my nape was overheating already. On the way to Antipolo I had to stop a number of times and cool down with cold sodas. Etong si Hector, lakas talga. Iwan ako single-speed pa yun. (Trans: Hector is one hell of a rider, I almost wasn't able to catch up and to think he's on single-speed).

When we got to Antipolo town proper, we each bought 3 kilos of rice to be given to the orphanage. Good thing the other bikers were still there. Only Lui-G fled minutes after they arrived there.

Kakatuwa mga bata, Michelle was kidding me to adopt na daw. Sabi ko kapag may nanay na, ihanap nila ako *hint-hint* lolz (trans: I told them, I'll adopt when there's a mom already, find one for me lolz)

Before we went home since its so effin' hot, we decided to have lunch at Tapsi Republic, sulit ang 80 petots, tapsilog, mountain joo, and banana con yelo (15 petot lan!). After that uwian na.

SIERRA MADRE VIA BOSO-BOSO Traverse TANAY-MORONG-TERESA ANTIPOLO

2009-05-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

Since its been raining lately I decided to do road for the meantime. Karen asked me if I could bike with her to Sierra Madre. So I texted up some friends and only Allan (aka Uphiller) was the only one who confirmed to join me, the others were tentative.

It was a good day to bike since it was mostly cloudy during the morning up to lunch time. Karen, Abby and the rest split up with us at Mang Vics since they went to the road going to Pinugay.

The rain caught up on us when we reached the eatery with Videoke, where we had 2 cans of century tuna for lunch. We even spotted Empoy and his group already (reached Sierra Madre Hotel) and going back to Marcos Hi-way.

After having lunch, me and Allan to Sierra Madre Hotel, its much more beautiful there compared to the last time I've visited. They charge P1,500 per day (14 hours) for the room.

We saw lotsa kids who had a conference there. When I asked one kid they told us they're from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, Mormons from Cavite.

After that downhill bliss and a long traverse going to Sampaloc-Morong then Teresa Antipolo. It was a good day for road biking.

The reverse of what we did will be harder. Empoy asked me to do this ride next time, hope to ride with you sir.Ü Allan nice ride!

A Muddy Rainy Summer's day (05072k9)

2009-05-07T03:46:00.000-07:00

Note: click on the pictures to view the whole photo.

The rain was an all-nighter. Should I go to the office today? Should I just stay in bed? A colleague sent an SMS: "See you in a while."

After a while we already had coffee.

And we had coffee with one of our superiors, giving us tips etc. It was fun and educational hanging out with the 'bossing.'

The office had a Baguio-like breeze, we bought 'Putok' and 'Ishpaneesh bread' for our baon then off we went to the field office. Ocular inspection.

Then after a while we had chocolate.

Boy was it fogging all around the office:

I forgot to brush last night so after eating chocolate, we decided to use the toothbrush given to us by the 'bossing.'

We also took a bath at the office, the whole day we were dripping wet. Enteng had a poncho, which makes me overheat. So I decided to stick with arm warmers.

Enteng the mountaineer ;)

It was already lunch, we passed by at another cubicle with a group of older men who invited us for lunch and also for a few shots of drink, they had this huge Fundador

which looked like a gallon. We declined, quickly finished gulping our sodas and junk food coz the group seemed persistent on inviting us for a drink.

The sprinklers were still on the whole day, a bit windy too.

At last lunch time, a reward for all that hardwork.

By this time, Allan (Kirkmeynard), just finished talking to me on the phone.

We finished with the field work at around 2PM but was able to go home at 430PM due

to the heavy downpour. When I passed by UP diliman, I texted Allan the reasons why we shouldn't push through with the Polilo trip.

Good thing I went to work instead of just staying in bed. lolz

Taken at Licao Terminal last Oct. 06.

When I got home signal no. 1 pala the whole day, kaya pala mahangin sa office.

Talim Island

2009-05-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

Talim Island

Where is Talim Island?

Still clueless? View the picture below.

If you're still unfamiliar with the location, either you're not from Luzon or you're not from the Philippines.

One of the most memorable rides I've had this year is in Talim Island. Why Talim? aside from our love of outdoor scenery, me & my bike buddies were looking for something different. Talim is not too far from the metro. To get there you need to go to the Binangonan port just kilometers away from the Taytay-Binangonan junction.

We started off pedalling from Tiendesitas Pasig. 18 Fireflies was the initial headcount.

We arrived 30 mins. later at Binangonan port, of course I'm just joking.

When we arrived at the port, some started to board the bikes on the bangkas, some carboloaded at the nearest fastfood & carinderia, some took lotsa pictures (like me) but all were excited. Headcount: this time 28 Fireflies.

Oliver & Nhan

Love bird, Rush & Adrenalin.

Off we go! wait I'm not in there yet!

The locals were quite curious seeing a lot of bikers loading their bikes. Some of us sort of need to explain where and why we are doing this just to feed their curiousity.

Empoy's relative, and the other people who assisted us were really friendly and helpful. Obi and Empoy planned this nicely. They had the bangkas scheduled, the meals cooked ahead as well and they even had CB radios, Obi was trailmaster and Empoy as sweeper.

As we journeyed to Talim Island, we were quite saddened by the fact that the water is very much polluted. Not as polluted as the Pasig though. One even tried dipping his hands and pouring the water over his arms to see only mud left. Not only is it muddy the water is quite smelly too, to give you an idea, try going to a nearby creek. The travel was more than an hour, perhaps an hour and a half..feels like it.

My shoes which I prayed to make it till the end of the ride.

Probably one of the caretakers of the fishponds resides here.

At last, Talim we are here!

When we got off the bangka, the locals started to build up, of course curious as to why we were there and where we came from. The start was cemented but after a few meters beautiful trails. The rocks there are quite different, they appear to be darker. The initial trail was a rock garden followed by a partly muddy trail, a must-bike for outdoor hungry bikers. One good thing about the place is that there are lots of trees.

There were short uphills which were very steep. Since we're first timers around the area, there were uphills which had narrow roads which we didn't anticipate to be that long, in the end we had to walk. The uphills were very rewardings (not only makes you stronger) because of the beautifl sites which you can see in the photos below.

The rest of the crew posing.

Couples adrenalin & rush.

Eric aka BM5er.

Offroadie Andie.

Andie & Milo.

Urban night-rider slash videographer Obi.

Karate kid stance by Milo: "Heeyah!"

After the uphill, what do you expect? Downhill bliss, there was a long downhill after that awesome view. The first casualty, that I know of, is Rodel. He had a flat tire. During the whole ride he had 3 flats total.

Merienda time again. The store owners family were kind enough to chat with us, we told them why we were there and they told us that we were quite unfortunate because they had their fiesta last May 1, wherein the food was free for everybody even strangers like us, not to mention the booze. The weather was perfect, it was cloudly most of the day though it was still quite hot around the island.

After that short merienda there were a variety of terrain, there were muddy and very rocky, cemented then very very rocky. Even before lunch my shoes were starting to give-up. The right shoe's sole (rear) opened up, thanks to Obi for the cable ties, during the rest of the ride (only after lunch) I tied a fishnet, and additional 2 ropes around my shoes.

Literally killer-joy, if not for Empoy and his friend's (sorry dint get your name sir!) helpfulness and patience.

There were hike moments like these, I can't imagine how the women pulled it off on the trek parts.

The guys going back, got lost for a bit.

A day before the ride, I texted Obi if the ride will be mostly trek, he said that bike shoes are recommended. I don't blame him, nor do I blame the guy who I bought the shoes from. It was a good thing to wear the shoes so I can test it. It was not battered nor abused but by lunch time it wasn't fit for biking anymore. When we started to trek on the site of the island, I was already having a hard time walking and had to stop by a number of times because of the trouble the shoes was causing. Before I tied the ropes and fish net, I tied an electrical tape and rubber band (for slingshot) to my shoes but also was worn out as we were walking. It was a test of upper body strength during the island-side trek, because you had to carry your bikes, we weren't sure how deep the water is and the rocks were either sharp or too big.

When we arrived at Empoy's cousin's place, it was a food fiesta! Though the guys had enjoyed the food, I was more concerned about getting flip-flops (tsinelas). I then removed my shoes first and kindly asked Empoy's cousin where I could buy a pair. Surprisingly, the cousin got me one and told me to pay at the store outside there house. Thank you sir! I dint enjoy much the food (not that I'm complaining) but for me as long as I ate rice with something I'm OK. I was determined to continue this adventure even with sandals only.

My uber comfy sandals, which I bet Rodel envied ;p

After the lunch time off we go again but this time there were more rideable trails. Our main concern this time was the bamboo trails. The thorns would get to your tires or your arms/legs. There were single tracks were you also had to walk because it was too slippery and too dangerous since it was beside the cliff, one wrong slip and bye-bye biker, just send us a post card lolz. Still there were beautiful sites along the way. Some were unlucky this time, the bamboo thorns got thru their tires.

Rodel's 2nd flat

Rodel's 3rd and final flat for the day.

Andrei's only flat.

Roche aka Whoopi.

At last, the trip going home!!!

Small fish na dinaing (Dinaing meaning they dry up the fish under the sun).

When we reached the end of the ride, some of the guys discovered they had flats. They must have had the thorns stuck to their tired along the way. We were all (or most of us) smiles by this time, telling each other "What a nice ride!", some posing pictures, others eating snack or having sodas. Not that I've mentioned it, Rodel mentioned that most of the stores sold softdrinks, and he added the children will be the casualties of these sodas.

Changing interiors, Mt. Makiling at the back.

Drey

Laguna de Bay

Ann & Malvin pointing at Mount Makiling

When all was set we then enjoyed the view of the island. We saw the long and gruelling areas we traversed. There were moments when we just laughed or had that smile realizing how hard and crazy what we did all day when we could just have stayed home, watched dvd or went to the mall see a movie and eat at a fastfood. Had I known it was that hard would I still have showed up? Hell yeah! Did we enjoy the ride? Of course! Will we be coming back again? Not anytime soon, at least for me, but we'll be back, God willing.Ü

Talim island junkies.

The 4 awesome ladies who bike, trekked and carried their bikes throughout the trip.Ü

I got home almost 9pm, I even went back to Tiendesitas coz I thought the guys will grab a bite there but the pack disbanded surviving another day of craziness, sore legs/butts and for some a long (but meaningful haha) argument with their missus. I told my mom about our ride and also showed her my shots, I was surprised coz she told me some of our cousins live there, had I only known sooner tsktsk.

Obi and Empoy thanks for organizing and taking care of the whole pack. Empoy thanks biggie to you also and your relatives, we mean it!

Day 2: Quirino to San Emilio (Ilocos Sur)

2009-04-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Date of bike ride: April 11, 2009

Day 2: Quirino to San Emilio (Ilocos Sur)

NOTE: I've got a long story to tell. So if you don't wanna read just scroll down at the pictures, but if you decide to read on it'll be worth it, promise.

The next day, when we woke up, the Marfil family prepared breakfast for us. What a treat! tsktsk we were already in debt to them the night before and still they kept on being generous. Manong Rene's parents (the Marvil seniors) visited their son and we had a bit of chitchat with them.

We shared stories of our family and their family's history/background. We learned that their baranggay is "Madapoy". We are really grateful for the generosity they showed. To the Marfil family we owe you a lot! To our suprise they even provided us pabaon. tsk tsk thank God people in the province really have good hearts.

above: Some of the Marvils leaving to visit their relatives at another town.

below: Ate Mildred with Junio and Vei

After the pictorials me and Vei started pedalling. Barely a kilometer away from Madapoy is the Abra river. One word describes it- WOW! Man, all the uphills, flat tires and technical downhills we went thru truly was worth it! Speaking of flats, right after the arch sign of the nearby baranggay my front tire went poof* This time its easier to vulcanize since were near the rice fields' water system.

The Abra river is really really vast and wide, some portions were dried up but still it is one big kickass river. As we were biking along the side of the Abra river, we came across a sea of rocks, it was hard to bike on it coz it was a bit slippery but it was fun!

We couldn't tell where we need to cross, then we asked the local fisherman and saw this line on the river where the jeeps pass. After crossing, there was still this small town/baranggay where in we paid a visit to the local police. We asked for the vulcanizing shop and eatery. Vulcanizing shop was closed. After eating we asked around for directions going to Tirad pass. The police was very kind and even gave us directions and drew a map for us.

The Abra river and the Ilocos mountain range

A sea of rocks

Crossing the Abra river

above: Vei looking at another town in Quirino and the mountains we need to assault

Below: Quirino Municipal Hall

There were even locals who thought we were with Romy Garduce's show haha (but ey anything's possible). Then we came across this basketball court where there were 2 roads, one going left and the other, right. The house on the corner said that the both roads lead to Tirad pass but the right one is more bike friendly, the left is for trekkers only. We asked if they right road will lead to the Tirad Pass monument they said yes and that is also the way to "Skyline".

It was already noon and boy was it hot. The Sagada-Besao cool breeze was gone. After a few pedals/uphill we were already sweating heavy. The 1st 2 mountains we biked was really hard because of the heat, though there were mostly shaded parts of the road.

Vei's bike chain broke.

Then single-speed Vei's chain was pushed to its limits, it broke. Buti nalan, we kept a few of the links from the earlier derailler incident. Still the view still amazing. We could see the river where we came from and somehow told us that we were high above ground. It showed us the mountains we crossed.

When our water was already half empty, we saw this campsite and found this natural watersource the police was describing to us. It was time to refresh.Ü

Vei freshening up at a natural water source.

Awesome view of the Abra river and the towns/mountains we've crossed.

Then there was this short downhill which again had lots of sharp rocks. I had my tires lose some air but was too soft for the rock garden we just passed. My rear tires's interior had 3 holes back to back, so I had to patch 6 holes total. Vei was kind enough to lend me all his remaining patches coz I only had 1 left.

We kept on biking till we saw this view of the Abra river and the towns we were at this morning, boy were we high!

It was again getting dark, the view of the Abra river was getting a bit blurry and it was also getting cold, meaning were near the peak. So far no signs points to the Tirad Pass. Then we reached what Manong Rene Marvil was talking about: "Skyline", where you could see almost everything, Abra, Ilocos Sur sea and sadly we saw Tirad Pass which was 2 mountains away from us. We were a bit dissappointed because we wanted to reach Tirad Pass and see Gregorio Del Pilar's historical monument.

After pictorials, we rested for a bit and decided to pedal since it was already getting dark again and also cold. Again, the same as yesterday, we are still at the peak and we have no idea how far it is from the nearest town. This time there were less rocky downhills but portions were still very steep and a bit slippery. My bb7's were put to its maximum test, good thing we had good lights with us which made possible to nearly an hour of downhill to the nearest town which is San Emilio.

We ordered sodas and ate the rice the Marvils gave us along with the Hunts Pork&Beans I brought with me. The girl who was at the store offered us kakanins. People in provinces really have good-natured hearts. The boy who gave us our 2nd order of coke, even guided us to the nearest town plaza, after we finished watching "Cast Away" at Studio 23. The boy named Emilio, rode his motorbike and assisted us to the nearest basketball court. We slept at the stage, which was just a few meters away from their church.

Again it took us nearly 12 hours for this ride.

That's how dark it was on the mountain peak. 1hour downhill in pitch black.

Our campsite, San Emilio, Ilocos Sur town plaza on an Easter Sunday.

The next day we packed our things and took pictures around for the last time. Its already Sunday and its work day the next day. We have decided not to bike to Candon from San Emilio, due to the fact that the hours of travel will be long, it will be hard to catch a bus coz many will go back to Manila after the holidays and it will be traffic along the expressway. From San Emilio its just an hour travel to Candon, by jeep.

Packing up our bikes for the trip to Candon, Ilocos Sur.

Candon, Ilocos Sur

When we reached Candon, we went to Chowking. It what was we were daydreaming for the past few days. The Chowking Candon branch was the best tasting Chowking food I've had ever! Along the way I still took a few shots but we had to take an ordinary bus since it was already 11am and we were standing waiting for a bus to Manila for an hour already.

It was quite a trip. We'll be back in Tirad Pass that's for sure. Thank God for people like the Marvils, the Rogers, the local people who helped us without hesitation or knowledge of who we are, may God continue to bless them. Thanks again to Vei, my patient and fun riding bud. Thanks to those who ready my long effin' blog, it took me a lot of hours to recall our trip and upload these pics, I appreciate your patience. I hope you enjoyed viewing and/or reading my photoblog.

Vei: Man, this was just what we were daydreamin' days ago!

The best tasting halu-halo I've had!!!

Tofu and Fish in Tausi Sauce

EXPLO BIKE RIDE: SAGADA TO ILOCOS SUR (PART 1)

2009-04-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Date of bike ride: April 9, 2008 (Sagada to Besao), April 10, 2009 (Besao, Mt. Province to Quirino, Ilocos Sur).

above: Google earth view of our destinations, click to zoom.

NOTE: I've got a long story to tell. So if you don't wanna read just scroll down at the pictures, but if you decide to read on it'll be worth it, promise.

(My friend Vei on a bus from Baguio to Sagada)

Part 1: Sagada to Quirino, Ilocos Sur

Here we go again. Biking to a route we've never tried before with no SAG vehicles, nor GPS, only maps to guide us. Thanks to Vei, my college classmate and bike buddy during this whole trip. I biked with him last Dec. during my bike trip around Banaue-Batad-Mayoyao-Bangaan and also Banaue-Sagada.

We left Manila almost 1am. Though our ticket going to Baguio indicated 11:45pm. The trip to Sagada was already sold out a week before. Arrived at Baguio around 7:30am. We boarded the G/L bus headed to Sagada which left exactly at 8:00am. The trip was quite long and the bus arrived in Sagada around 2:00pm. We already messaged Steve (aka Dayuhan) through text that we will be passing by his pad before we head off to Besao.

We unpacked our things and headed off to Steve's place. The rain caught up on us and we decided to stay for a while at Steve's till the rain stopped. Boy was the rain still freezing cold during these months up there. It was fun seeing Steve and his kids again, Joey who's an incoming freshman at UPd and Jenny, an avid American Idol fan, who was so "batugan" that day. Steve knew of our plan, this is just a continuation of our December 08 trip. We asked him again the route going to Tirad Pass and then Candon, Ilocos Sur.

After the rain, which was almost 5:00pm, we biked going to Besao. From Sagada to Besao is 8 kms. the 1st 4 kms. purely rough road, lots of rocks and lots of uphill, the last 4 kms. is a mix of cemented and rough road and lots of downhill already. We even bumped into 3 bikers from Baguio, one of the guy was named Andrei.

above: Jenny, Steve, Vei, Joey, Me

Sagada, surrounded by clouds

Besao

Upon arriving at Besao, Baranggay King'iway to be specific, we paid a visit to the Police Station, informing them of our intentions/purpose of being there etc. We asked permission to sleep at their 'plaza', where we will be setting up a tent to spend the night.

After the super sarap meal (thanks to Dong - one of the locals at Besao) we setup our bikes and tent and slept early. I was awaken a number of times by the creeping cold. I dint bring any pajamas nor sweater, thinking it was summer and it won't be that cold up North. Big mistake! I put on my sleeves, socks, even my full finger gloves and used the bike bag as blanket, which helped warmed my chilling body.

Our tent at Besao's town plaza

The next morning, Dong was playing smash, but obviously he was just keeping an eye for us since we are guests in Besao and also potential customers. Dong again cooked for us and we even got to know that he's originally from Davao, his wife is from Besao and that he studied in Manila in the 90's and we exchanged a few more stories after heading off to Patiacan and Quirino. Dong gave us some tips/pointers on the baranggay and route we should be taking.

No Globe signal in Besao, a weak signal in Sagada. Smart comms is the recommended SIM card here.

Vei, Dong, Me and one of Dong's kids

Awesome view of the rice terraces

Just a few kms. from King'iway, Besao, was a majestic site. An eye candy for the outdoor hungry adventurers like us. "Sulit ang pagod!" (trans: every sweat is worth it!) was what me and Vei were saying to each other with smiles on our faces.

We're kinda lost here, no signs going to Ilocos, good thing there was a local

It was still early but it was starting to get hot, not to mention the very rocky route we were taking. The air was still cold though, once you stop pedalling or passby a shade aircon ulet! Every sweat was paid in return by the awesome sceneries on our side. Every turn and uphill was rewarded by beautiful trees, mountains and terraces.

Then I had a flat, man! It was very frustrating by this time coz the uber rocky trails (and I mean sharp big rocks), was giving my battered tires a hard time. My rear tire had a small cut on the side. I had to patch it from the inside, rugby it on the outside and then wrap it up with electrical tape a number of times. That helped a lot. Good thing we brought the necessary tools in case something like this happened.

Then I had a rear again in front, I tell yah, the trail is quite a virgin. I patched up the interior and decided to switch the front and rear tires since the bagback (approx 40L worth of baggage) I had was causing too much toll on the rear. This took a lot of time from us.

Vei's signature pose

Vei was quite worried since he downhilled a few mins. ahead of me, I passed by some kids informing me that Vei was at the gate. Every local that we come across we greeted Good morning/afternoon with a smile, they cheerfully greeted back with a smile and a bit of curiousity. We stopped at a store and had a few crackers and softdrinks for lunch, it was already pass 1pm but we weren't that hungry since we carbo loaded at King'Iway.

Chit-chatting with one of the locals, having biscuits as lunch

Then after going downhill Vei's rear derailler was sucked in by the spokes and bang! it was cut loose. We had to cut the chain so that he could go granny for the FD and set the chain at the rear at somewhere in between the cassette. This is a major pain since Vei is literally in single-speed and we are still mountains away from our destination. We're not halimaws pa naman.

Then we stopped by this small ruined building beside the hanging bridge. We had a small chitchat with the locals, and as usual they asked us things like where we're from, what we're doing, where we're headed off to etc. They were generally friendly, we just smiled and greeted them, and mostly answered back with smiles and a nod.Ü

above: Vei's rd broke. below: wrapped electrical tape around the tear of the tire

Vei taking a dip, cooling our Coke too.

Our water was almost out, we rested for a bit at a house and asked for 'danum', we had a few mins. of chitchat explaining the what, where, how and why just to lessen their doubts and curiosity. There were even locals who kept on speaking in pure Ilocano though we were saying "Dyakamawatan" yun pala they just don't know how to speak Tagalog.

We have already passed Patiakan. By this time I'm not sure how many mountains and valleys we've crossed but the dark is already catching up on us. We're tired/exhausted and hungry. At the peak of this certain mountain there was a 'Y' portion of the road where there were no signs leading to Quirino.

It was already pitch black up the mountain but were still kms. away from civilization. We had no choice but to downhill the uber technical trail going to Quirino. Boy was it scarry! Scarry coz we don't know how long or far are we still going to downhill, my tires were already battered, Vei is on single speed, we're both hungry and tired. Despite those things we were still determined to make it to the nearest town. The lights were getting closer and closer and alas! We made it to civilization! It took us an hour to downhill the sharp rocks of Quirino, and it was not downhill bliss since it felt like we were jackhammering all the way down. My mech brakes really got my hands tired.

We stopped by this small compound with a store. We munched on the biscuits we could down, since they told us there were no restaurants or eatery available in the area and that the way to Candon was still very, very far ahead. When we were asked if we already had dinner, we told them that the biscuits and sodas was already our lunch/dinner and that we hadn't eaten any rice yet. We asked them if they could cook for us coz we were glad to pay them for it but they declined. After a few more mins. the store owner's son was inviting us to have dinner. We declined a number of times but they kept on insisting. This time the parents and children were all inviting us to have dinner.

As in wow! thank God for good samaritans like these people, they prepared 3 different viands. It dint stop at that, they offerred us a room for us to spend a night, though we just asked a space in their compound where we could put up our tent. The Marvil family, manong Rene and manang Mildred, were very kind to provide us with more than we asked for and dint ask anything for return. We showed them our pics of our trip and their neighbors flocked and continued conversing in Ilocano. Some talked to us, curious of the why, how, what etc.

It took us 12 hours for this trip. This includes rest stops, repairs, bath, meals, and not to mention approx 40L worth of backpacks. Dayuhan even lifted my bag and gave us an evil grin saying: "This should be fun."

above:Left or right? No locals no signs going to Quirino, Ilocos Sur

above: Vei with the Marvils (Rene, Mildred and Rene Jr.)

Sagada Trail Ride

2009-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

This ride was on: June 1, 2008

The next day, Sunday morning, around 9am we headed off to Steve's place (aka Dayuhan of pmtb forum) to check out my crank. It had a grinding sound the night before, but disappeared as soon as it got wet thanks to the rain.

Photos:

Joey, Steve's downhiller kid (one helluva rider!), checked out my cranks and derailleurs which had no problem. Then I tried oiling my chain and voila! The grinding sound was gone!

Steve and Joey took us to their playground, I love it! My butt was a bit sore and numb at the same time because of the Banaue-Sagada ride we did the day before. They took us to awesome sights and to the place they call Marlboro Country haha.

The ride was from passed 9am up to approx 12noon. Since my Cateye cyclo got reset, my approximate was it was a gruelling 15-20 kms. Only a few flats. No cemented part, all technical trails (Steve correct me if I'm wrong please), my almost roadie-looking, worn-out Maxxis Ignitor added problems not to mention my lack of rides in the past weeks (I'm only a weekend rider fyi). Highly recommended: full sus rig and thick tires.

After lunch we had some rest back at the Greenhouse Inn. Afterwards, we went back at Steve's place and had more trail riding. We did an 8-km trail ride, but believe me when I said it was the hardest 8-kms ride I ever did! We did it for 2 hours. I was able to video some of Joey's downhilling, boy is he one amazing kid.

Again the view was awesome. Then we again headed off to the Yoghurt house and I had their special for merienda, where it had some bananas, strawberries, grains and something I couldn't remember. After some rest, we headed back to Steve's place for some booze and a lil chitchat in their fireplace.

I'll be coming back to Sagada! Steve thanks again for your warm welcome! Joey, stay crazy pal, teach me what your Yeti did haha. Whew!

PS: I had the best Yoghurt at the Yoghurt house! ^_^

Above: The Green House Inn.

Below: Nanay, a native of Sagada, owner of Green House

The next day prepared our bikes for a trip to Baguio and then Manila.

Having coffee at Kidlat Tahimik's coffee shop. SM Baguio at the back.

Baguio, Mount Sto. Tomas in front of the clouds.

Date: June 1, 2008

CROSSCOUNTRY: BANAUE-SAGADA

2009-04-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

This bike ride was on: May 31, 2008

Total distance: approx. 70kms. (maybe more, coz my cyclo is not accurate during breaking when downhilling)

Duration: 10 hours

Terrain: technical (though there are cemented roads)

My college friend and colleague, Vei, left Manila at 10pm Friday (053008) and arrived at Banaue around 8-9am Saturday (053008). From there we setup our bikes, bought souvenirs, and carboloaded.

It was one hell of a ride, with having only a few hours sleep during the bus ride, we headed off towards Bontoc. Before Bontoc, we passed by Banaue. Amazing sights I tell you, traveling only by bike was great! You can stop and take shots anytime you like. This is not a ride for the newbies (as in you just got recently into biking), unless you plan on doing it for days.

We had lunch at Mount Polis, where fog invaded the town. After that, downhill bliss. But it got very uncomfy during the downhill. From Mount Polis to down to Banaue Rice Terraces, the downhill was approx 40mins.! My Fox fork was used to the max, a full sus is highly recommended.

When we got to Bontoc, it was still 7 kms. before the junction (a Y-road), the left going to Baguio and to the right going to Sagada. It started to rain in Bontoc, puro ambon lan naman. Upon reaching the junction, 10kms of pure uphill pa! All technical terrain, my worn-out Maxxis Ignitor which I used for more than a year felt almost like a roadie tire hehe.

My crank (or so I thought!) started to squeak, as if it were grinding something. Which was a problem pala with the chain, not being greased well. (Determined at Dayuhan's house at Sagada na.

The night caught up on us, when we were barely a few kms. to the Sagada town proper. Boy were there hordes of dogs per house. We settled at the Green House Inn at 8pm.

Next: Sagada trail ride with Steve (Dayuhan) and Joey (his son)...

Crosscountry Biking: (Day 5) Sadaga-Besao

2009-04-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

This was on: December 30, 2008

When we woke up the next day, again the place was surrounded by clouds. It wasn't raining at all in Sagada but it was colder there. When I asked Steve about this, he said that Sagada has a higher altitude. The water way colder compared to that in Mayoyao, Batad, and Bangaan. That didn't stop me from taking a bath last night haha.

We both cleaned our bikes first and Vei had to do some tweaking coz he's still having a bit of a problem with his brakes and derailler. Vei's friend, John (if I'm not mistaken) whose family owns the Dapdapanan Lodge, was kind enough to serve us free breakfast. We had hotdogs, omelet, Cauliflower dipped in vinegar (binuro sa suka), chopseuy, fried rice, coffee and milk all for free. Yummy!

We still had 5 kms. of biking to do since Dapadapanan is 5kms. away from Sagada town proper. The 40L of Bag was really a burden so we just reserved our strengths by not mashing the pedals. We took our time. We had a flexi IT anyweiz.

When we reached the town proper, we had to get some more oil (for sewing). WD40 kept of the dirt but its not a good lubricant. Vei was still tweaking his bike when noon caught up on us. Another biker we met, Duds, was using Steve's bike. He mentioned that he was from Baguio, failed to bring his bike, but Steve insisted that he bike around and allowed him to borrow his bike. He biked to Besao that day with Joey.

Vei was having a hard time with the derailler, and I'm not that good a mechanic either so I persuaded him to go again to Joey and have it checked. Nahihiya na talga kami (trans: we're so embarass for having you guys attend to our troubles), but we had no other choice. Again Steve and Joey thanks! Had a chance to take each of their pics, Jenny was kind enough to pose for me too, thanks guys! We owe you a lot!

Steve was busy with his rafting business he was starting up. If you wanna try rafting up Sagada give me a heads up and I'll refer you to Steve ;) Twas already high noon when Joey finished fixin' Vei's bike.

Yoghurt house was where we had lunch. Again I had Yoghurt! Then I heard the thing that I dreaded to hear the most. Vei was already asking me if its OK to cut the trip short. I asked why, then he said that his niece was rushed to the hospital because of dengue. I had to agree. As much as I still want to ride for 3 more days, family still comes first for us. I respect his decision. So we stayed at the Green House Inn (just like last time we were in Sagada last June).

Since I was so bitin (trans: wants more), I asked Vei if its ok for him if we ride to Besao instead. He agreed. We left our things and brought basic bike stuff. Before starting we bumped into Steve again and invited him if he wanted to ride. He said he was busy with the rafting thing and were just waiting for some people visiting the caves. He told us that Besao is 8kms from Sagada, 4kms going uphill and 4 kms. dowhill and vice versa.

I enjoyed it very much, it was a rock garden mostly going to Besao. There were few portions of cemented road though. Now I know why Joey and Steve loves going there. Once you've paid your dues (4kms. uphill), you can rest since the next will be downhill. When going back its the same thing, uphill then downhill. I love it!

We cleaned ourselves up and bought some pasalubongs. I again went back to the Yoghurt house to have some Veggie sandwich and Strawberry Yoghurt! I was suppose to bike to Besao the next day but got too lazy to get up.

The next day (Dec. 31, '08) we had our pictures taken with the owners of the Green House Inn. From Sagada we rode a bus going to Baguio then a bus going to Manila. We had lunch at Morning Star which was halfway to Baguio. We got to Baguio around 430PM, just had lugaw & tokwa for a while then we left at 530PM. I was in Manila by 10PM, 2 hours before New Year fireworks and smoke invade the city. This was Day 5. I already miss the Mountain Province.

CROSSCOUNTRY BIKING: (DAY 4) BATAD-BANAUE

2009-04-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

This was on: December 29, 2008

Batad. It was quite a trip yesterday. Bike and trek, what more can you ask for? Waking up today was bliss, still cold but this time we saw the sun. Sunrise at Batad is a new experience for me. We were surrounded by rice terraces.

Vei's mountaineer friend was about to go so we asked him and his relatives to have their pictures taken with us. He wished us goodluck since Tirad Pass is quite a beast (as also told by Steve). I had tuna-veggie for breakfast and tomato-cheese omelet. Packing up protein for our ride later.

Then after packing up we bid goodbye to the landlady and also asked them to have their pictures taken with us, just like in the past days.

We then started to trek, and was aware that the 2-hour downward trek we had yesterday will be double the effort today. This time we will be trekking uphill with our towering backpacks and bikes. The trail was very muddy, rocky too. I was glad to bike upwards on some trails, though mostly were really not bikeable.

We met lots of tourists along the way. Foreigners would have long chit-chats with us, and some (pinoys/foreigners) would have their pictures taken with us since we were the only bikers they met there. The adjective they used was "Crazy!" (Hellyeah! lolz).

When we reached saddle, Vei was starting to have problems with his brakes. He told me that his brake pads may have been worn out. When we went downhill Vei asked me to go ahead. I can feel he was already pissed off with his brakes. I then enjoyed going downhill, playing with mud and the beautiful rock garden!

We continued to pedal going to Banaue and more mud splashed onto our faces. We're told that there were only 2 bus trips going to Sagada that day. One was 1PM and the other was 2:30PM. We reached Banaue at exactly 2PM. We even saw Mimi's and his relatives. Too bad the bus going to Sagada, was already full and no space on top where they can load our bikes.

Luck was on our side, coz we saw a jeep going to Bontoc. The driver said that there's a trip going to Sagada there and we can still catch it if we leave soon. We dint bike Banaue going to Sagada since we already did that before and we're way behind schedule. The trip was our rest. I still took some more shots along the way.

When we arrived in Bontoc we loaded the bikes on top. We also rode on top. Top load kami chong! (Trans: we rode on top of the jeep dude!) hehe another unique experience. Most locals are used to it. Vei also is used to it. The breeze was very cold and if you're not hypertensive like me you better wear a poncho (raincoat/jacket).

Sagada. At home at last, yeah I feel home ;p. I saw Jenny (Steve's daughter) biking around. I texted Steve that were gonna pass by his place after dinner. Were in a bit of dilemma. Most places we asked were full. Good thing Vei had a contact also around the area. Bad thing? His brakes were good as null. So we decided to passby Steve's place first. Joey (Steve's son) was kind enough to help us out. Joey changed the brake pads (from one of their bikes) on the front caliphers. He let Vei borrow the Avid BB7 brakes for the rear. Joey even lent me 2 pairs of brake pads for my Avids.

While Joey was fixing Vei's bike, we went to one of Steve's room to look at his Topographical map. We then asked for the way to Besao, Patiacan, Quirino, Tirap Pass, 3 sisters and then Candon. Steve gave us good directions and reminders as to what we will be facing in the next days.

It was nice to see Steve and Joey again. Thanks to both you guys! Your place is a bike haven!

We then proceeded to Dapdapanan Lodge (5kms downhill from Sagada). But it was not easy since Vei's brakes had to be cleaned and was pitch black along the way. We spent the night there and I again handwashed my clothes haha. Great day, great night. Snore fest! ^_^ This is Day 4.

CROSSCOUNTRY BIKING: (DAY 3) MAYOYAO-BANGAAN-BATAD

2009-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

This bike ride was on: December 28, 2008

Note: Long entry again and pics aren't that good coz of the rain and fog.

Mayoyao, Ifugao. When we woke up, the breeze was as cold as yesterday. Like Sagada, Mayoyao has lots of tourist spots. They have waterfalls, caves and many more. I also learned that Congressman Chungalao is from Mayoyao, if you're a mountaineer you probably know him.

We went up the police station to get more shots of the town proper. Had small chitchat with the police. He said that he saw 2 bikers yesterday going up Mayoyao, we told them that it was us who he saw. Pinapahirapan daw namin sarili namin (trans: the police said we're being too hard on ourselves literally speaking by traveling on bike). But honestly, we dint feel much pain on our butts coz we were excited to bike everyday.

Then Vivian (the store/inn owner's kid) called us for breakfast. Fun kid. Mahiyain daw with the other kids, her mom told us, but was playful with tourists like us. Me and Vei had 2 sunny-side up for breakfast. Yummy! Since it was also sort of a convenience store in the area, I bought 2 small packs of Bear Brand milk. Then we also got 1 box of Cloud 9 chocolates and 1 plastic full of Jelly Ace.

We then packed our things, and wore the same clothes we had yesterday which I handwashed the night before we slept. We had no choice. As soon as we pedalled and got past Mayoyao it was already starting to get hot coz of all the pedalling we were doing. The uphill we biked yesterday was downhill bliss today. I just got pissed off becoz my stuff kept fallin' off my bike's beam rack about 3-4 times. Nonetheless, me and Vei both enjoyed the very muddy, rocky, slippery downhill along side the mountains.

It was already 1pm but were still miles away from Bangaan. So when we got to Ducligan, we decided to rest and have lunch at a sari-sari store. We had 2 packs of spanish bread (5 each), 1 can each of Tuna and softdrinks for lunch. We still have biscuits, chocolates and jelly as trail food in case darkness catches up on us. Bait ng mga locals, the store owner had a lil chit-chat with us. She was just all smiles.

When we were near Bangaan, it was again raining, very muddy as well. We had coffee. Saw some foreigners again. Met some peeps also from Manila. One was even complaining that he got his shoes dirty and had to clean it right away, then he saw our shoes. He just shrugged off his complaints haha. We packed our 30-40L bags. Also tied up our additional baggage on our bike's beam racks.

Then pedalled all the way to Batad. I had a flat when we were just starting going to Batad. Lost a spring in one of the rear wheel's skewer. Biking all the way up to Batad was really challenging. Why? It was raining and a bad combination for rain was the rock garden and very muddy trails. Rock garden meaning the road was filled with large rocks which can get slippery and hard to bike since it was going uphill and we had an awfully big bag (as Steve told us) as added burden. Not to mention it was also freezing cold again in Batad. I was delighted to see our breath fog up as we exhaled!

When we reached the place they called Saddle we just rested a bit then decided to trek down going to Simon's. It was already very dark. It was still raining so we dint dared biking even though we had our bike lights (which I lost, still can't find it up to now). Again, the trek going down Batad was very dark, slippery, very, very muddy some parts also very rocky. One wrong slip and you'll be french kissing the terraces in a few minutes.

It was a challenging trek downwards since we had to carry our bikes on some parts of the trail, and the 40L bagpacks on our shoulder sometimes keeps us off our balance. I thought we were at muddiest but we were wrong. It took us 2 hours trekking downhill at Simon's and then we coincidentally met Vei's mountaineer friend Mimi's. We asked for directions since we plan to bike from Sagada, Besao, Patiacan, Quirino, Tirad Pass, Candon.

We were freezing cold and our order took 30 mins or more to be cooked. I ordered 1 rice but as you can see the rice was enough for 2 persons.

I cleaned my bike, handwashed again my used clothes, cleaned my shoes too. Sorry OC ako sa bike ko eh pati sa amoy ko hehe. I even took a bath, even when it was freezing cold. We slept peacefully and I bet it was a snorefest again.

Tomorrow we're gonna bike back to Banaue and ride a bus going to Sagada. This is Day 3 of 5.

CROSSCOUNTRY BIKING: (DAY 2) BANGAAN-MAYOYAO

2009-04-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

This ride was on: December 27, 2008

The next day, we had hot choco for starters (thanks Vei for the warm, yummy Choco Fudge), then I munched some Jelly since my tummy was grumbling. When I opened up the window, whoa clouds were everywhere! No wonder it was darn cold all-night and probly all-day.

Had pancakes and omelet something, for breakfast. What a view! We savored every bite and treasured every breath. Thank God for places like these. We checked out but decided to leave the humongous bagpacks at the restaurant. We set-off going to Mayoyao and plan to be back late in the afternoon or evening. We didn't bring any clothing, food, just plain bike tools/stuff and also money.

As we pedalled again in the freezing cold, we passed the muddy, slippery towns of Bangaan but rain stopped as we reached Ducligan. There were cemented roads but still mostly was rough road. One wrong brake and you're off the cliff for good. Not to mention lots of dogs. Sa dami ng aso, I think I'm not scared of dogs that much. When you see houses it equates to dogs hehe.

Then we reached the Welcome sign in Mayoyao, the uphill started from there, less than 20kms more. It was sunny down the mountain. But as we approach near the summit about 12-10 kms. from Mayoyao it started to rain again. The numbing cold was also starting to creep within us.

We miscalculated. It was already 2PM but we were still 10kms. away. All uphills. We were not wasted as in exhausted but we felt weak because of hunger. There were no stores when you reach the middle of the mountain and upwards. Now I know how the guy in the movie who ate the butt of his dead comrades felt when their airplane crashed up the snowy mountains. Good thing me and Vei were both determined to still keep on pedalling.

I was psychin' myself out. Tellin' myself: "I already ate and I'm hungry again?" or "Is this all you've got? Bring it on!" When we saw the first sari-sari store (still 5 kms. away from Mayoyao town proper), we munched on whatever available food they had. I had 3 rebiscos, 1 hansel and 2-3 more biscuits which names I could no longer recall. It was an oasis! It was the best tastin' biscuits I've ever had! The best tastin' Royal also!

We were a bit full, hunger ceased but not fully. At least we had energy again. It was already freezing cold. it was almost 4pm by that time. The coldest, hungriest bike ride I've experienced so far. Thanks to Vei for bringing extra ponchos or else I would be singing Jingle balls with Jack Frost haha.

When we reached Mayoyao, with our asses still freezing, we decided to eat first at the first store we saw. The best tasting sardines ever! Good thing the restaurant was also a General Merchandise store and also an Inn. After having dinner we bought some clothes at an Ukay-ukay. We both got tees, sweaters and jogging pants which is a major necessity in a city surrounded by clouds/fog and chilling atmosphere.

We met the store owner's daughter, Vivian, who was super kulit! We were an eye magnet for the locals, it was their first time to see tourists on bikes. Being interviewed by curious people and telling them of our misadventures was a very unique experience.

One of the best sleep I've had in months. We'll bike going to Bangaan then Batad tomorrow. This is Day 2. We still have 3 more days of mountain biking.

Crosscountry Biking: (Day 1) Banaue-Bangaan-Ducligan

2009-04-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

This ride was on: December 26, 2008

Note: Apology for the not so good pics since it was mostly rainy/foggy during the whole trip (thank God for my waterproof Dicapack!).

After a 9-hour trip from Manila to Banaue, Ifugao, me and my college friend Vei (the same guy I was with when I biked from Banaue to Sagada last May 2008, unpacked our bike bags and had breakfast first.

It was very foggy that day. 7am, purely clouds invade the town proper. As we pedalled the drizzle had a numbing effect on our faces. It felt like it was aircon all-over the place and as if somebody also had the electric fans on. Numbing cold. It was very hard to pedal since it was cold and the road was either very muddy, muddy, or muddy and rocky.

With 40 Liters worth of bagpack, not to mention the added baggage on our bike's beam rack, we pedalled to Bangaan. Somebody mistakenly named Bangaan as Sanga-an in Google Earth, so when I was still doing a recon using it I had a hard time finding Bangaan. It was not our destination (no not just yet). Mayoyao was. So we decided to rent a Nipa Hut and left our heavy baggage there. We were told that Mayoyao was still mountains away, so we just brought the basic bike necessities.

Upon reaching Ducligan, we saw a sign that Mayoyao was still 20kms. away. Meaning approx. 20kms. uphill. It was 3pm back then so we cancelled and headed back to Bangaan to spend the night there. It was 7-8km uphill back to Bangaan. Spending overnight at Bangaan was quite an experience, seeing rice terraces around, heaving a meal with mountains and clouds all around you, with the super friendly locals who would never fail to respond to your 'good mornings' while chewing their 'moma' (nga-nga). I felt at home!Ü

It was a good thing they had electricity at the huts, we recharged our batteries and cellphones. When night time set in, it was already pitch black outside. We slept like we were in Never-never land and I bet it was a snore-fest lolz! Pajamas, bonnets, sweaters/jackets were a necessity, a blanket was not enough. You won't be able to sleep because of the creeping coldness if you're not wearing the right clothes.

More pics to come in the next albums...we had 5 straight days of biking around lots of mountains, mud, rain, rock gardens. This is just day 1.