Todo-todo ba ang ligaya ninyo sa Liberty Center, Mandaluyong at sa SM Southmall, Las Pinas?

Puwes, ulitin natin ang saya sa Super8-Ortigas, Cainta!!!

MOTOKHANA, ang pinaka-exciting na motorcycle sporting challenge sa Pilipinas, ay babalik muli sa 08 November 2009, Sunday sa Super8-Ortigas upang bigyan kayo ng mas mararaming sorpresa at mas matinding mga labanan!

MOTOKHANA is organized first and exclusively in the country by the NATIONAL RACING ASSOCIATION (NRA) and presented by CASTROL ACTIV PREMIUM.

Para sa lahat ng hindi pa nakakasali, ang MOTOKHANA ay isang rider skills competition na kung saan ang mga participanta ay mag-mamaniobra  sa pamamagitan ng mga ibat-ibang klaseng course lay-outs

Apat na motorcycle classes ang puwedeng salihan at puwedeng mapanalunan ng sulit-na-sulit na cash prizes:

• Solo-SCOOTER
• Solo-UNDERBONE
• Solo-SMALL MOTORCYCLES

At, dito lang sa MOTOKHANA ninyo mararanasan at mapapanood, ang:

• TEAM EVENT (2 Riders in Tandem)

Basta’t meron lang kayong currently registered motorcycle o scooter, at riding license na may Restriction 1 — puwede kayong sumali!

Of course, dapat naka minimum safety riding gear po tayo: helmet, jersey o jacket, long pants, gloves, at above-ankle shoes o riding boots.

Ang top six (6) finishers per category ay makakamit ng mga cash prizes, courtesy of Castrol Activ Premium:

• 1^st – P 2,500
• 2^nd – P 2,000
• 3^rd – P 1,500
• 4^th – P    700
• 5^th – P    500
• 6^th – P    300

Madaling sumali!

Regular Entry Fee -                           P 500

Castrol Zoom Club Member –          P 300

or

Bumili ng isang bote (1 liter) ng Castrol Activ Premium thirty (30) days bago ang event, ipakita at ibigay ang resibo (dapat may pangalan ng shop kung saan binili ang produkto at serial no.) — may P 200 off na kayo sa regular entry fee!

Sa mga first time MOTOKHANA 2009 participants, makakakuha kayo kasama ng inyong entry fee, isang Castrol Activ Premium dry-fit jersey, at mga magazines galling sa Manila Bulletin Sports Digest at Playboy Magazine (Philippines).

At sa lahat ng bibili ng Activ Premium oil sa Castrol booth sa araw ng event, meron kayong chance na manalo ng isang magarang Castrol Racing jacket sa kanilang “Pick-a-Prize” promo.

Ano pa ang hinihintay ninyo?!?

Sali na at mag-MOTOKHANA!

Salamat rin sa mga ibang sponsors ng MOTOKHANA:

TEKNIC, AEROMED AMBULANCE TRANSPORT, MANILA BULLETIN DRIVE, BUSINESSWORLD, THE DAILY TRIBUNE, THE MANILA TIMES, CRUISING MAGAZINE, MANILA BULLETIN SPORTS DIGEST, INSIDE RACING, MO2RISTA, SCOOTERISTA, at PLAYBOY (PHILIPPINES).

Ang MOTOKHANA ay isang Partner Event ng www.motorcyclephiippines.com.

Put your skills to the test once again at MOTOKHANA on October 18, 2009 (Sunday) at SM SOUTHMALL, Las Pinas! And if the fun is not enough for you, then let us challenge you once more on November 08, 2009 (Sunday) at SUPER 8-ORTIGAS, CAINTA!

Organized by the country’s premier motorcycle sporting events group, the National Racing Association (NRA), and presented by Castrol Activ Premium, MOTOKHANA is the latest and thrilling motor sports event to hit the Philippine bike scene!

So, what is MOTOKHANA?

All participants need to do is maneuver through several challenging course layouts — in the fastest time and the least mistakes.  It’s that easy!

Or is it?

Find out, then, as we welcome all riders, small AND big bike enthusiasts, to join us at SM Southmall and Super 8-Ortigas for a different kind of biking excitement!

If you have a currently registered motorcycle and a license to ride, then you can participate in the following categories:

• SOLO (Scooter)
• SOLO (Underbone)
• SOLO (Small Motorcycle)
• TEAM

Cash prizes go to the Top Six (6) finishers in each class.

Just also make sure you come in minimum required riding gear — a motorcycle helmet (full or open face) long sleeved shirt or jersey, long pants, gloves, and above-ankle shoes.

Entry fees are:

REGULAR FEE – Php 500

CASTROL ZOOM CLUB Member – Php 300

or Buy one (1) 1 liter bottle of ACTIV PREMIUM thirty (30) days before the events, show receipt or proof of purchase, and get Php 200 off the regular entry fee!

That’s not all! The NRA wants all bikers to enjoy with their friends, so clubs or groups of six or more may get a discount on their entry fee!

Registration opens at 9:00 am.

There’s also freebies galore!

Participants get one (1) free Castrol Activ Premium dry-fit jersey, Playboy and Manila Bulletin Sports Digest Magazines, together with their entry fee!

But the fun does not stop there!

Have free and unlimited souvenir pictures together with the beautiful and sexy CASTROL GIRLS at the Castrol Photo Booth!

Beauty, glamour, and sexiness overflows at MOTOKHANA, so get your cameras ready as the PLAYBOY Bunny will also be there to sign autographs and have a photo opportunity with her!

So what are you waiting for?!?

Register now at the National Racing Association at 45 Big Horseshoe Drive, Horseshoe Village, Q.C. (behind the Nestle Creamery along Aurora Blvd.)  On-site registrations during event day will also be entertained.

For more information, contact the NRA at tel. no. (02) 725-3949, mobile no. (0917) 820 2391 or visit www.motorcyclephilippines.com.

Thank you to our sponsors: Teknic, Aeromed Ambulance Transport, with media partners IRTV, BusinessWorld, The Daily Tribune, The Manila Times and The Manila Bulletin,  Inside Racing Magazine, Mo2rista, Playboy (Philippines), Cruising Magazine and Manila Bulletin Sports Digest.

See you all!

Sa MOTOKHANA — Ang Rider, Kayang-kaya!

NEXT TRACK DAY — 06 DECEMBER 2009 —- AT THE NEWLY OPENED CLARK INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (CIS) IN ANGELES CITY!

The National Racing Association’s Track Day last 23 August 2009 at the Batangas Racing Circuit had as many F words faster than you can say F_ _ _! (That’s for “FUNK” you people!) It had FAMILY, FRIENDS, FOOD, FUN, FERVOR, FREAKS (TD Freaks that is!), FAST riders, FANCY bikes, FAMILIAR and FAMOUS FACES, FASHIONABLE gear, and lots of FANS!

Presented by Bridgestone Tires, the “F”ourth NRA Track Day for 2009, under event director and NRA Prez Jake Swann, drew the participation of more than 80 motorbike enthusiasts (and that’s not counting the ride marshals, who included current and former racers Migs Ripoll, Rod Chua, Jay Carrion, Richie Lazaro, and Jade Lazaro) and quite a number claiming “I’m Only Here to Watch” motorcyclists) from mostly big to small displacements, who all feverishly (another F word!) rode around the 3.7 kilometer track under clear, bright, beautiful skies  throughout the day.

Usual Track Day suspects in attendance were Superbike champs Glenn Aguilar, Toti Alberto, Miguel Bichara, Ryan Medina, and SBK racers John Defensor, Joby Tanseco, Nino Garcia, JC Villanueva and small and big bike ace Dashi Watanabe. Even u-bone expert Jeff Chan was there! But what really got the fans jumping in the stands and the girls screaming “I Love You’s” was not the presence of these bike hunks, but two (literally!) small bike wonder kids, 9-year old Brandel Ortiz, and 12-year old Mokoy Ancheta.

Brandel, son of former Superbike (Expert Class) racer Randy Ortiz, and riding on a shiny yellow Betrakit 75cc, and Mokoy, on an equally bright yellow and blue Honda Wave 100cc, totally held their own against bigger, taller, and more experienced Track Day riders around the huge (at least for these two!) BRC circuit.  Their proud parents, as well as a hundred more spectators in the paddocks and in the grandstands, cheered them on during their track sessions as if actual races were going on (take that you big boys!)

Speaking of parents and their kids, Track Day also became a Family Day of sorts as several riders had their families in tow — wives, dads, moms, aunts, uncles, grandmas, even their little babies!

Track Day fans also had a blast watching two fun races in the afternoon — a 4-lap event for the big bikes, and another 3-lap affair for the small bikes. In the big bike class, the racers and experts, however, became distraught as the “fun rules” restricted them from joining the non-experts. They had a great time, nevertheless watching their friends and fellow riders experience close to what the “real deal” is like at BRC.

A lot more joined the small bike fun race (as the rules didn’t restrict the racers from joining this time) which was participated in among others by Dashi, Brandel, and Mokoy. And what a treat these small motor bikers gave the audience! No prizes though. Just the grand reward of having ridden the impressive Batangas track with these uber-talented racers and fellow bike enthusiasts!

But the excitement of the day didn’t stop there!  TradeTech Marketing, a Batangas-based company, had a display during Track Day too. But wait!  Before you can scratch your head and ask, they’re the exclusive Philippine distributors of MotoAir, a textile riding jacket — with a built-in air bag! (We told you it was exciting!)  TradeTech received a lot of inquiries about these jackets and pretty soon this product will make its debut in the Metro Manila market.

Motorcycle clubs that came in full force for the NRA Track Day were Bikers Unlimited, Disciples, P_k-P_k Riders, Toy Bikes MC, Bagwis Manila, Club R, Motobok, and several from ATAT, Ducati Unlimited Club, and Club 200.

All in all, the NRA Track Day last Sunday was a very successful and most enjoyable affair for the organizers, the participants, spectators, guests, and everyone in general.

Many thanks again to the sponsors of this event which were Teknic, Easy Trailer, and Aeromed Ambulance Transport, together with media partners Inside Racing, Mo2rista, and www.motorcyclephilippines.com.

And a big “Thank You!” to ALL who came and supported the event!

See you all next Track Day!

It is a seminar style retreat for bikers only – begun and ended with a ride from Manila.

Rest & rejuvenate your tired spirit on this retreat designed exclusively for bikers like you.

Ride to Tagaytay City and breathe in God’s marvelous work in the crisp mountain air of Taal Lake.

Spend time with other bikers who have similar life situations like yours.

Make new friendships. Rebuild your relationship with God.

All are welcome – Christians, Catholics, Protestants, etc.

No Religion – Just you & God.

There will be a limited number of 20 slots only.

Your slot is finalized once paid.

Only P950 per head. Payment deadline on Aug. 22, 2009.

Payment thru bank deposit at BPI & Metrobank. Please text Mickie @ 0918.906.73.72 for information.

For other payment methods, kindly coordinate with us.

Itinerary

[Aug 29] Meet Up: Shell, Fort 445am / Take Off: 5am / ETA Tagaytay: 7am

[Aug 30] Home Bound 3pm

FaithRiders Motorcycle Ministry

Established in 2005, we have been silently at the forefront of spreading the word of God in the motorcycle community thru friendly rides, bible studies, biker hangouts, donation drives, outreach activities, ministry rides and so forth.

We can be reached online at christianbikers.faithweb.com or thru our email:  frmotoministry @ gmail.com

You can also reach us at:

09189067409 (Mark aka Kaskasero) or 09189067372 (Mickie aka Angkasera)

Right after RFAC 8 held in Tagaytay City, Cavite, and these kind hearted riders planned the next RFAC. It was agreed to have the next RFAC be held overnight that includes bonding moments for Volunteers.

Numerous places were suggested and it was the above mentioned orphanage to be the beneficiary. Sir Lance27 was the person responsible in finding this orphanage. He was also who took charge in purchasing the needed provisions and most importantly the breakfast waiting for the Riders upon their arrival from Monumento Circle as the starting point.

The scheduled time of departure of 12:15am was delayed for more than an hour from various reasons, some riders suffered mechanical trouble going to the meeting place but due to their eagerness and dedication they find ways to fix their bikes.

One of the Volunteers who cannot join the ride went to the meeting place earlier to distribute a reflector sticker to be attached to the helmet of the riders for easy recognition during the ride. Because of the location of the meeting place was dark he decided to look for a well lighted placing that cause confusion to the riders. The main group from Monumento of 16 riders left past 1:00 am and met with the other group of 8 riders and 2 pillions in Malolos, Bulacan.

First stop was a flat tire in San Fernando, Pampanga, waited along the roadside with cool breeze…not again, same bike suffered another flat tire in Dinalupihan, Bataan the previous vulcanizing shop didn’t remove splinters. From then on aside for gas stop we had a smooth ride to our destination in San Antonio, Zambales where a hot meal was waiting for us.

After a sumptuous breakfast the group headed to the beneficiaries that are eagerly waiting for our arrival. The children welcomed us with big smiles in their faces and courteously greeted each one of us good morning. The orphanage is situated in a compound with lots of mango trees and houses for the children; they even have a concrete fish pond for their needed fish requirement.

Ms. Neptalie Justiniano the orphanage head welcomed us, and gave brief background about their orphanage. The children are all orphans and they have a program in educating the children sort of a school curriculum handled by house mothers that are volunteers too.

The children are so excited because some of the riders showed some magics. They even tried to mount in our motorcycles. Miss Justiniano joking asked if we can donate a motorcycle because their only means of transport was a bicycle. They toured us around their houses and compound.

Before we left, they say prayers for our safe journey back home…

We would like to say thank you to all Volunteers with or without us during this ride for a cause for another successful edition.

Till next Ride for a Cause

Happy and Safe Ride

By click_me

This was one of the most exciting days of my riding career. I just woke up at around 9:15 PM and was rushing to get ready to head out to meet the people who will be riding with me around the northern part of Luzon. I was stumbling all over as I try to carry all my stuff to the bike. A few minutes after I have attached my bag and loaded my stuff, I went back inside to take a bath. After a long cold shower to wake me up, I got dressed and got my helmet. I looked up in the sky right before I mounted my bike and told myself, “this is a fine night to go out and ride”.

I was soon on my way to Quezon city from Marikina where I live. On the way, I was trying to shake down the bike to make sure that the components are all working properly. Switched from my regular lights to the HID I had installed a few weeks earlier in preparation for the night ride. Also tried to get used to the new tires which I had installed only a day before. All I can say is, I was never this excited and scared at the same time for this will be the longest 24 hour ride of my life.

Upon reaching Timog, I immediately scanned the area for a Shell station as I was used to loading V-Power on my bike. Upon reaching shell, I got the chance to finally meet one of the people joining us. Tito and his newly purchased 2nd hand Hayate pulled over to load up also. I introduced myself and told him that I was going on the ride. After a few minutes, we soon headed over to Station 2 where everybody was going to start from.

Upon reaching Station 2, we talked about a little strategy and about our expectations on the ride. Tito was afraid that his tires which were still stock, might not make it all the way. I told him that at least he had rims on instead of mags which ripped through my stock interiors on the Nouvo. Hence the reason why I decided to use tubeless tires for the ride. After a few minutes, Jake, our ride organizer arrived on his Barako. The tricycle bike never looked so good in my eyes. It was all shiny and gleaming as if it just came out of the detailing shop.

As Jake explained the route to us, we were handed our log sheets that we are to fill in during the duration of our ride. Mileage, gas loaded, time and location. This would give us an understanding as to when we needed to stop based on the maximum distance each bike can carry on a full tank. While planning the ride, Noyr on his beautiful CBR150 arrived to lend me his hand pump which I borrowed a day before the ride. We tried to convince him to join but he just came from work and was pretty tired.

A few minutes after, Hercules and Stampedeblue arrived. Herc even had the time to say hi to the girls inside the bar. Some things just never change. LOL! 15 minutes before the scheduled take off, we had one of the waiters of the bar take a photo of the group with Jake holding the map.

Read more here.

The “Night of the Wasp” event held last Friday was a success.  Congratulations to Nonoy Versoza of Mini MotoGP Co. Ltd. for mounting the first ever bikers’ night at the Liberty Center along Shaw Blvd. (Mandaluyong) and for having the Vespa boys in mind for the first of a series of bikers’ nights.  Heard that the one for the big bikers is coming up in December.  I’m sure that one would be equally fun.

• See some more images taken during the event.

by Kaskasero of FaithRiders

“Why don’t we have a “talk” with the bikers who join us when we get to the destination?” I asked.

This was the beginning of an idea handed down from above to do a non-profit, voluntary, public service activity for free to the motorcycle community. The idea was simple enough – to have a regular open ride but with an interesting twist. The twist being a short discussion on a specific topic that was useful to all concerned while or after eating.

So, last October 25, we held our first “Ride & Learn” session. The ride was from Manila to Pranjetto Resort via Marilaque. The topic of discussion was to be “Financial Management” – covering the fundamentals of insurance, investment, savings, budgeting, tithing, economy & other odds and ends of personal financial management. As with any talk given, expertise comes from our very own Angkasera who has been in the industry of finance for over 8 years.

It was a success in that everything planned to be achieved was achieved. With the weather cooperating all morning, the ride turned out to be one of those best ones with no spills, breakdowns or mishaps and the discussion itself turned out to be interesting, engaging and fruitful. Several questions were thrown in with a few inputs and insights from the participants as well. Overall, everyone listened AND talked. None seemed spaced out – proof of a good choice of topic.

One participant even texted after the ride:
“Ok yung Ride & Learn last Saturday. It opened the door not only to share finances (information) but also the word of God. Sana lahat ng rides may talk uli.”

And that is the plan – to Ride and to Learn each time something new. If you’re asking when the next Ride & Learn will be and what the topic will be, just check into MCP regularly in the Rides & Touring Threads. We’ll be posting the schedule really soon. The next one will definitely be in December.

Ride Safe & Godspeed!

Race on the Track. Not on the Streets!
It has always been InsideRACING’s mission to discourage aggressive riding on public roads and illegal racing. For almost five years now, IR has helped open the eyes of many riders to the wonderful and exciting world of organized racing on the safety of a race track. Many have actually joined race events to satisfy their need for speed. We strongly believe that speed belongs ONLY inside a racetrack.

However, not all want to participate in an actual race because of pressure, fear of competition, or simply due to the relatively high cost of participation. Many of you still choose to test your skills and machines’ abilities on public roads and exposing yourselves to unnecessary risks and dangers. It is not a responsible act and disregards your concern for other motorists on the road.

It is NOT a Race
A track day is an organized event where you can ride your motorcycle or scooter on a racetrack. It is open to all licensed motorcycle riders of all bikes and sizes. A rider arrives, registers, pay a small fee, pass a motorcycle and safety gears inspection, attend a Safety Briefing and then you are given lapping sessions on the racetrack. They can ride around as fast as their skill and bike can take them without worrying that an errand jeepney or truck will be going the other way. There are no traffic enforcers, no pedestrians, no animals or unexpected potholes to endanger the riders. There are no winners, no trophies and no pressures as well. Riders can just go fast and satisfy their need for speed, ride with friends or club mates and have fun!

Safety First!
IR Track Days will you a chance for ordinary riders to lap a racetrack with complete safety support. The Carmona Race Track is safer than public roads with run-off areas and barriers. Furthermore, the IR Track Days will have track marshals, an ambulance, and a doctor on site, a timetable and an inspection of the motorcycle and safety gears. Riders will also be grouped according to riding skills and will have equal multiple sessions during the day with enough rest periods between sessions. The maximum riders per session on the track will be limited to 25 for safety.

Affordable, Fun and Educational
IR Track Days will enable more riders to ride on a track with minimal expense. You will be able to ride to your abilities further than you can dare do on the streets. By riding at your limit in a safe environment, you will learn more about your skill and bike’s limitations. You will also be
able to exchange information and learn from other riders. Hopefully, after experiencing a track day, many will eventually realize that aggressive riding on the streets is dangerous and makes no sense at all.

Rider Groups: (Two sets available)

1. Hobby A and B – No track experience
2. Beginner A and B – With track experience/Beginner racers
3. Experienced A and B – Novice racers
4. Pro A and B – Expert Racers

Minimum Rider Safety Requirements:*

1. All groups: Minimum DOT/ECE Certified Full Face Helmet with shield
   (Half face, modular or “flip-up” type are NOT ALOWED)
2. All Groups: Heavy Riding Gloves (Leather preferred)
• Hobby/Beginner: Heavy riding pants with complete armor padding
  (shin/knee/hips), heavy long sleeve riding jacket with padding and at
  least ankle high riding boots.
• Experienced/ PRO: Full Leather Suits with Back protector and Racing
  Boots

Minimum Machine Requirements:*
All groups:

1. Only 4-stroke motorcycles, underbones, and scooters up to 250cc are
   allowed.
2. In general all bikes must be well maintained, fully functional and
   CLEAN condition.
3. Throttle return operation must be fully functional
4. ALL fasteners must be TIGHTHENED
5. Absolutely NO fluid leaks
6. Tires must be in safe and useable tread
7. Brakes must be functional with enough pad material with no cable slack
   or hydraulic leaks.
8. Side mirrors must be removed.
9. Headlights, turn signals, and tail lamps must be taped or removed
10. Levers must have ball-ends.

* Marshals will inspect and deny entry to the track if these requirements
are not met.

Rider Fee:
P300 for three (3) x 15 min sessions.
A rider can register for both groups to increase track time.

Timetable:
7:00 Registration
7:30 Bike and Gear Inspection
8:15 Rider Briefing:
NO RIDER WILL BE ALLOWED WITHOUT ATTENDING THIS BRIEFING
9:00 First session starts
5:30 Track closed

Act fast, a limit of 25 riders per group/session will be accepted

For more info contact 655-3212 or log-on to www.insideracing.com.ph

Contributed by digger921

Ride Participants :

1. Randy Silva, randysilva
2. Ehran Morco, ehrbie
3. Roming Padrejas, mang roming
4. Dennis Guerrero, digger921

DAY 1

2 AM … As previously planned, we met at Shell Balintawak, checked our things, gased up, took a light meal, drank coffee and the smokers had a smoke or two … Before taking off, we got pictures of the odometer readings of our bikes, mine was 6564 kms … We geared up and prepared for the “Journey.”

(Snoozer21 signed up for the Sagada Trip, but wasn’t able to join the group because his child fell the night before and broke her hand and had to be rushed to the Orthopedic Hospital. There, they waited for his child to be treated and was released at 9AM)

3 AM … We took off, with lots of enthusiasm on our Sagada trip. We took Macarthur Hiway and passed through several towns of Bulacan, then headed to Pampanga and Tarlac. At around 5:15 AM, we had our first gas stop at Tarlac, Tarlac, approximately 120 kms aways from Manila, and 120 kms on to our journey. We also had our breakfast and had a little rest.

5:45 AM. We geared up and took off from Tarlac. We passed through Pangasinan and our next gas stop was at Rosario, La Union. That was at around 7:45 AM. After several minutes of rest, we took off for our next stop at Baguio City. We took Kennon Road for this is a shorter route than Marcos Hiway. We arrived at Baguio City after an hour and regrouped at the Petron Station. We filled up our gas tanks again and we eagerly took off for Halsema Highway. This highway leads to our destination, Sagada.

9:30 AM .. We took off from Baguio and headed for La Trinidad and after an hour of travel, we got through La Trinidad Benguet and was at the toll gate of the Halsema Highway system. The highway’s distance is approximately 100+ kms but was so notorious, that the travel time through this road takes 6 hours or even more. After several twists and turns (just like Marilaque, but 5 times more, 5 times the excitement), we reached Atok, and took our lunch there (11:15 AM) … We took a fast lunch and took off, very eager to reach our next stop, the Highest Point, (Philippine Pali). We took several group and solo pictures on that famous signboard (most of the forumers’ avatars were taken with the signboard as their background). The next photo stop was the big rock, shaved for highway use. At around 2PM, we arrived at the arc leading to the Mountain Province, with a signboard saying Dantal Junction (the junction leading to Sagada), 43 kms away. We were very excited to know that we are only a couple of kms away from our destination … But our excitement was broken off to see that the arc leads to the beginning of the highway’s unfinished road. We traveled through the rough road, with extreme caution, because the road was covered with a layer of rocks. We finished traversing the Halsema Highway at around 5:00 PM and was at the Dantal Junction. At last were we very near Sagada. But the rough road did not finish there. The sign only shows the number of kms of additional rough road we had to travel again. On that road, we were met by passing rain, we were told that every afternoon, Sagada experiences rains. We had to wear our raingears. But after a while the rain stopped. Rain also means that the dust becomes mud. We had to pass through a stretch of muddy road and we had to get dirty, so does our motorcycles. At one point of the road, the mud was so deep that we were almost stuck. We had to pull our motorcycles and slowly inched our way from the mud. After some minutes, the rough and muddy road ended, and we reached the town road of Sagada. 6PM, at last we made it to Sagada, safely. Thanks.

We went to our inn and unpacked our things and cleaned ourselves – we stayed at Alapo’s Inn and Cafe. We toured ourselves around town and had our dinner. At 8PM, we went back to our room and prepared to rest. Before doing so, we had a couple of laughs, recounting the experiences we had for the day and a had a couple of rounds of drink. Wheew …

End of Day 1.

DAY 2

6:00 AM. Wake up call. We have a very busy day ahead of us. We have to explore the wonders of Sagada. There are so many sites, but we have only a day. We need the help of a guide. We met a tour group, who came one day ahead of us, and a member also was quite a fan of Sagada, who has come back to Sagada thrice already. We joined them in their destination for the day, which was the Big Falls, or Bomod-ok Falls. Call time was 8:00 and we had to hurry our preparation. We ate our breakfast and went to the Municipal Information Center to fetch our guide. We were told that there was a ritual going on at the falls and we cannot visit that site, instead we will go to the small falls only. We were saddened by the turnout of event for we cannot see the big falls, which was a popular tour site in Sagada. Later, a news came that the ritual was already finished and we can now go to the Big Falls. Whew … we thought that we cannot see the view. We waited for a jeep, but we were told that the jeep will still have to be filled before it will leave the terminal. Since we only have limited time, we cannot wait long, so the tour group decided to ride our motorcycles. There were eleven of us, with only four motorcycles, meaning three of us will have two backrides and the fourth, one. We left the town center and headed to the drop-off point for the falls. We parked our motorcycles and secured them before leaving. We started our trek down to the falls. At the beginning, we were very jolly following our tour guide, Kuya Fred. But, after several minutes of walk, we constantly asked the annoying question of Donkey of Shrek, “are we there yet?” We reached the town below and we had ourselves registered. Then we continued our walk to the falls. After more than an hour of walk, we had the glimpse of the very beautiful view of the Big Falls. The awesome picture of Mother Nature, at its best. We hopped through several big rocks before reaching the water. We took several pictures of the falls and enjoyed the awesome view. We took a dip, the water was very cold. Brrrrr. At 10:30 AM, we prepared and started to trek back to the drop off point. If the trek down took us an hour, the trek up an hour and a half. The heat of the sun, and the walk exhausted us. We went back to the center and ate our lunch. After lunch, we went back to our inn and rested for an hour. After the rest, we called our guide and prepared for the next tour, the Sumaging Cave. We met our tour guide and headed for the cave. Before the cave, we passed through the burial site and took pictures of the hanging coffins and the regular small coffins at the Lumiang Burial Site. After that, we went to the Sumaging Cave. Our guide prepared the gas lamp and we started our descent to the cave. We were very excited because we saw several pictures of the cave and we want to experience ourselves spelunking in the cave. The rocks inside are slippery because of the filthy bat feces and we had to take caution in going down. It took us some time before seeing the rock formations inside. Again, we were amazed by the beauty of Mother Nature. Imagine the rocks inside the cave, carved by water flowing through it, crafting every stalactite and stalagmite hanging on the ceiling, wall and ground of the cave. Very awesome view. We took several pictures of the rock formations and we were very satisfied with our day’s tour. We were out of the cave at around 7:30 and started heading home again for a quick shower. We took our dinner and went back to our room. We packed our things and prepared for the day’s rest. We were very tired, and we need to wake up early for the trip home. Whew … more tiring Day 2 …

DAY 3 …
Because of the tiring tour we had on Day 2, the 5:00AM wakeup call became 5:30 and the 5:30 takeoff time became 6:30. We paid our room bill and went the church for a prayer and a visit. We took some pictures of the place and then went out to eat our breakfast. There at the restaurant, the fathers and sons group of offroaders arrived and we were very glad to meet fellow riders. (sir walang_silbi tsuri po ulit) … we were also told that they also have sirs wildman and batam with them … we took some pictures of them and their bikes. We went to the Information Center and requested for a certificate for our Sagada tour. Our guide arrived and signed our certificates, and lo, we are certified Sagada Adventure Survivors! Batam and Wildman arrived and we also took some group pictures. At 9:00AM, we took off and headed home, this time, we took the other route, the Banaue, Nueva Vizcaya route. Again, we passed through kilometers upon kilometers of rough road. And after several hours of travel, the rocky road ended and the pavement in Banaue began. The beginning of civilization awaits us. There we took the picturesque view of the Banaue Rice Terraces and tried riding the wooden bikes. Awesome, native bikes, ran by gravity. At 11:30AM, we took off and headed for Nueva Vizcaya. At Lagawe, we took our late lunch and took some time for rest. At 2:00PM, we took off and had our gas stop at Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. Before reaching Sta. Fe, we refilled our gas tanks because there are no gas stations at Sta. Fe – Dalton Pass – San Jose route. Again, we met passing rains and we wore our rain gears. After 30 minutes of rain, it stopped and we took off our rain gears and had a minute rest. From there we headed for San Jose City, but unfortunately, before reaching the city proper, one of us had a flat tire. We tried inflating the tire and ran the motorcycle, a cycle we repeated until we reached the city proper. At 6:00PM, and after several hours of travel, we were exhausted, and had a problems on hand. We tried to look for a vulcanizing shop who is capable of vulcanizing a punctured tubeless motorcycle tire, but several shops were already closed, or they cannot vulcanize this tire type. We looked for tire patch kits and we were fortunate to find a store selling these. We had the tire fixed after two hours, a single puncture, resulting to a travel downtime of two hours. Moral of the story, be prepared. At 8:00 PM, we tookoff San Jose City and continued our trip home. Before reaching Cabanatuan City, the patch came loose and again, the tire deflated. We were forced to use tube for the tire. At 10:30 PM, we reconed at Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija and we split ways. Mang Roming invited us earlier to go to Clark’s Fontana to visit her daughter there and have a rest. Ehrbie, Randy and Mang Roming headed to Clark, via Zaragoza and I headed to Manila. I arrived in Manila at 12:30 and was very very tired. They also arrived at Clark the same time I arrived in Manila. Thanks we arrived safe.

End of Day 3.

Day 4

Randy and Ehrbie should have gone to the office, but to the time of this writing, they haven’t gone online. (Randy texted me and informed me that they were not able to head home in the morning and missed office for the day). They should have reached Manila already and probably, Mang Roming is with his daughter still.

More photos can be seen in the ride thread.