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#1
May 3rd, 2006
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Bicolandia Adventure, April 28-May 1 '06; Chronicles of Bashful
Boy oh boy..Sorsogon..534 Km..
Full tank of fuel, bikes are tuned and all ready for the trip.. Tires are warmed and gears are all securely strapped.. This is what we've been planning over the past two weeks, in between work schedules and domestic obligations.. Today is the day! Well gentlemen? Shall we? Chaaaaaaarge! * DAY 1 * We all met up at Shell Felomar in upper Antipolo around 3.50am. AK’s Sir Berong/Michelle, Michael, Steelman, myself; and HRCP’s EagleOne, TMZ (Tristan), DaBlade, Melon, Elyf, Yerba. With final checks on the bikes, strap-on bags, and a quick prayer, we departed at 4.20 am enroute to Bicolandia! Yehey!  The oh-so early morning sky was clear and the cool breeze nestled on the serene communities of the Antipolo-Pagbilao backroads…Sunrise peeped thru the skies as we passed Pagsanjan, riding thru Tayabas, then stopping at Petron Lucena for our quick breakfast.. Off we rode again on Maharlika Highway to our next fuel stop in Calauag, Quezon. The roads in Pagbilao were super-duper bumpy but not rough, a lot of uneven asphalt bulges but no potholes..very manageable riding but definitely comfort was last on the list during that stretch.. Somewheres in the Padre Burgos area, the roads abruptly became smooth, yehey! I’m assuming all bikes went down a notch to power up for higher speed to start enjoying a fast paced ride..and oh yes, the pipes were singing a tune of excitement as well..  Passing thru the coastal towns of Atimonan-Plaridel-Gumaca, the view of Lamon Bay at early hours was a sight to see, calm waters with a prestine bluish film stretched all the way to Alabat Island..pretty sight indeed..sorry guys no pics on this one..everybody was enjoying the roads too much, hehehe..  Fuel stop for some bikes at Petron Calauag Junction, bladder release, and a few cans of sodas. This was our final fuel stop for the Quezon leg. The next stop for some bikes was in Sta. Elena. This was the last bastion of populated communities and also, the 1st town of Camarines Norte. Yehey! After this fuel stop, we all tackled the unadulterated twisties of Labo. Dang, very nice! The twisties were fancy but forgiving; predictable but not boring..corners were open for outer lane peeks and turns. And the view of the surrounding vegetation was a sight to see..Mt Labo was’nt under cloud cover the time we passed, she was probably watching us enjoy the gifts of nature.. Whew! What a run! All 79 Km of twisties and lovin’ it! Shaarap! We all stopped at Daet around 12.30 PM for our lunch-munch and fuel as well. Most dined at Jolibee but TZM, Michael, Steelman, and I, dined at a carinderia inside the public market..Sorry guys, the carinderia was way much more filling..hehehe…  Burrrped-off at around 1.30 PM enroute to Naga. We leisurely passed thru the Bicol National Park at Basud, riding easy, and as always, quietly thanking mother nature in showing-off her riches in such prestine state.. We did a quick coffee stop at a small and quaint strore at the Quirino-Maharlika junction in Sipocot…and to knock-out some sleepiness trying to set in also, hehehe…  Not too long of a stop though, just a cup and smokes and off we went.. Our next and final stop was Pili, passing thru deiversion roads of Naga, we were easily there in no time and no traffic too..Coupla water bottles and smokes, then off to Daraga, Albay..Again passing thru wide and smooth diversion roads of Iriga/Nabua and Ligao, bypassing the heavily populated areas of the City and Polangui town. Then Guinobatan, Albay, Mayor Bandido was out of town so we missed the chance to extend our greetings to our dear friend! Hi Mayor! Okay so this is it, the last stop before Antipolo Knights and HRCP would part ways for the day. Shell Daraga where we exchanged hand-slaps for a trip that was fun and most importantly, safe for everyone to enjoy the weekend ahead. Sirs EagleOne, DaBlade, Melon, Yerba, TMZ, and Elyf went on to rendezvous with Sir Bodique, Homer, and Buangayam in Legazpi City. We turned left going up to Sorsogon, our stay-over destination. Thank you for a great ride guys!!  We than cruised up all 55 Km of it and arriving in our destination at a little before 7pm..yehey! We all dressed-down from our gears and sorted stuff in the house. Had a delivery of Chowking dinner and sodas, then relaxed until about 10.30 PM where we decided to buy stuff downtown for our household and kitchen use…Okay so we wait by the road for a tricycle since we didn’t want to use our bikes anymore, in other word, tamad na to ride, hehehe… Okay it’s 11.30 PM and still no trike, an hour waiting by road and..lord and behold! There it is! We boarded the trike, Prez Berong & Ms Mitch in the cab and me behind the driver. And at midway to town, a faint “ffft..ffft…ffft..” sound. What the heck, probably a loose something common to all public trikes. We found a small store still open near the Provincial Capitol building, almost in front of Fernando’s Hotel. As soon as we disembarked. The driver told me “Sir flat yun gulong sa likod, pagawa ko muna” Hahaha! Ya of course it was flat, I was sitting there. Boink! So, we grabbed chips, water, cans of sodas and San Mig, and i-don’t-remember-anymore stuff and got another trike back to the house. Its’ 12.35 AM, 540 KM door-to-door from Antipolo..everything said-and-done.. We just relaxed out in the front porch of our farmhouse, swapping the usual stories of the day’s ride and next day’s itinerary. Interchanging labor in feeding wood to the bonfire, lazily burning in the quiet, peaceful, star-filled sky night…at town of Sorsogon... Whew! What a day! * Day 2, 3, and 4 to follow * Abangan!!
__________________
AMDG-Petron MC 
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#3
May 4th, 2006
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* DAY 2 *
April 29, '06 - Saturday Ride To The Southermost End Of The Luzon Island.. Lesh wride!! Ho-hummm...up at 6.00 AM for our trip to Matnog, end of Luzon..yeehaw! Bathroom rituals, warmed-up the bikes, geared-up, and off for breakfast at Aling Tinay's carinderia, just a few minutes from the house..the cook is the daughter of my grandad's cook, and as expected, the fare was great and plentiful too! Bicol Ex, eggs, adobo, pusit, and rice, burrrrp. It was definitely a lunch meal disguised as breakfast! Hehehehe.. And off we went thru the Bibincahan highway junction, turning left down to the oh-so lovely towns of Casiguran, Juban, Irosin, then finally Matnog. Riding thru these sleepy and clean towns set you back to the olden Spanish-era, where most houses and churches still clearly bear design & aesthetics of colonial yesteryears.. Having mentioned these sleepy towns with absolutely no industrial and commercial developments, the highway is surprisingly new, well-paved, and wide..and houses built along it have a farther setback than the usual 'homes-along-the-highways' distances..Very well laid out and considerably safe for both motorists and dwellers as well..but dogs not included..hehehe In between these towns are incredible segments of straights and a few batches of curves..the straights are perfect with very, very, few houses along it, and in most parts, none at all! And oh-yes definitely safe enough to do a quick de-carbonizing process, and check na rin if your speed-and-rev limiters really work..  Hoo-ha!Along Juban and Irosin, the magnificent Mt. Bulusan comes into full view..beautiful upper crater slopes and a suttle stream of steam discharge floats into the clear blue skies of the province..completing the sight of Sorsogon's vaunted volcano..no cloud cover as we passed around 10.30 AM, picture-perfect indeed.. We arrived at Matnog and proceeded to park our bikes at the entrance of the ferry terminal. Well gentlemen, we have finally set foot on the Southermost end of the Luzon Island! Yehey! Three Cheers!  A few (a lot nga yata eh, boink!) pics here and there coz there was no loading/unloading at that time, so we had the place all to ourselves! Arc of 'You are now leaving the Island of Luzon' will forever be remembered in our list of ride accomplishments! Engines started and gears strapped, our next stop was the famous Rizal Beach in Gubat, a coastal town East of where we were. We'd be passing a right turn short-cut thru downtown Juban, coming out in the town of Gubat itself. ETO NA!! As we were leisurely cruising down from Irosin twisties, we all abruptly stopped at a sight that caught us with a-million-to-one odds... Mt. Bulusan had just started spewing bursts of ash and debris! We were there at that exact moment when semi-mushroom discharge from Bulusan filled the blue skies! We were taking pics in awe and we'd stop-and-go to get better vantage points for pics and we eventually did in a small barangay near Juban! It was an open field with no visual obstruction of the volcano, the people in the same area were actually Philvocs officials taking pics as well. They even approached Sir Michael if they can have a copy of the earlier pics of the discharge since they were not there when it actually happened...But we were..(naks) hehehehe... Ops! Relax guys, pics definitely to follow! All said and done, we then went on our way to Rizal Beach passing thru the long way since the short-cut would actually pass nearer to the volcano, nope we didn't, sayang naman the paint of our bikes, hehehehe.. And true enough, we were running a few kilometers out when we felt a stinging sensation, it was ash/silica minerals drifting down from the cloud plume discharge!! Itchy but not painful, dang, what the heck, enjoy the chance of a lifetime! Back to the normal again... Running thru Irosin and Juban, our bikes seemed like dog magnets! There was this dang white dog (we eventually christened him 'Whitey') that literally ran to, and alongside our bikes, barking like crazy and chasing us! Now, we were not slow-boating, our speeds were a little over a hundred Kph, I dunnu if theres a ‘super dog’ mafia there And this is out of nothing guys, he just literally started to prepare to run after us whenever we'd approach his spot! I dunnu if Sir Mike had a nice chat with him..hehehe.. Arrived in Gubat/Rizal Beach, and had a very confusing lunch, ..Ms Mitch, Sirs Steelman, Michael, and I, lazily loafed in benches under nipa cover while Prez ‘Baywatch’ Berong took a dip in the cool waters of the Philippine Sea.We left heading back to Sorsogon passing by Gubat palenke to search for Prez Berong's request for talaba, but to no avail..toink! Upon reaching Sorsogon we went to the palengke again, and still, no more talaba, boink! So, we went on to buy tahong (huge mothers!), pusit, and rice for our ihaw-ihaw dinner. A little marinade here and there, wood for the fire…7.00 PM and dinner is served! Grilled blue marlin (Malasugue), grilled pusit, grilled tahong, and rice! Toyo't kalamansi, lemon actually (huge!), from the farm trees.. Fruit sides of kaimito, pineapple, and bananas.. Water, sodas, and San Migs! All laid out on banana leaves, freshly cut and briefly heated from the farm...and the best part is....dumped and served boodle-style! Sharaaaaaap!!Buurrrrrrp! All done with our fill and the clean-up too! The bonfire was up and lazily, giving a nice glow to our surroundings as a bottle of liquor was brought out for Sirs Mike, Steelman, and Prez Berong..I had my usual cup(s) of coffee coz I don't drink at all. Oh ya, and the chips were out too. And as always, the usual kwentos of the day's activities came about, Bulusan, Matnog, etc.. Then someone mentioned (who kaya?) we were this near to Matnog ferry terminal anyways, so why not have a quickie visit to Samar the next day (Apr 30, Sunday), and leave for Antipolo on Tuesday instead? (May 1) San Juanico bridge if possible, and if not, anywhere in Samar will do!! Main point being: Lesh bring our bikes to Samar!! Yeehaw! After a few more chug-a-lugs of spirits (epektib talaga noy!), and me of course with my coffee pushing the idea (little pushing lang..heheh..) A few phone calls for re-hashing our arrival skeds..and...BOINK! All agreed and we go to Samar tomorrow!! Hoo-ha! Sorry guys...but to be continued on posting of Day 3..abangan!!
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AMDG-Petron MC Last edited by Bashful; May 4th, 2006 at 03:04 PM.
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#4
May 4th, 2006
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* DAY 3 *
April 30, '06 - Sunday Quickie Visit To Samar.. Gweat bawls of fire! Up at 5.30 AM and off to Matnog by 7 AM..Lesh gow dawgs! Arriving at Matnog ferry terminal a little before 8 AM, we were informed that the next ferry trip to Samar was at 10.00 AM; loading time was 9.30 PM. Great! We still had a lot of time for a heavy breakfast before leaving. Not knowing the road condition from Samar Allen ferry terminal to San Juanico bridge, Sir Steelman asked two guys bound for Samar some info for our road trip. They said the highway is in bad shape but it would easily take us 3 hours lang daw to get to San Juanico (247 Km) Huh?? 247 Km?? On bad road?? In 3 hours??  I think these two guys are watching too much Moto GP, boink! We later christened theses two guys as Fonzy & Fabio, hahahaha! Fabio was doing all the talking and funny thing was, Fonzy just kept on repeating what Fabio said! Seemed like Fonzy’s was on ‘Repeat’ function. We then chowed down at a carinderia alongside the terminal office..And a lazy half-hour after the meals...it was loading time! We moved and parked our in the shade of a bus as the ferry’s loadmasters were calling in the vehicles one-by-one for loading. And who surprisingly appears with loud greetings? Fonzy & Fabio again! Hehehehe! Same ‘ole info of time travel and road condition, and same ‘ole Fonzy kept on repeating what Fabio was saying. In other words, we were hearing a single statement eight times over! Hahahaha!! Way to go F & F!! We were called-in to load our bikes and our voyage to Samar was underway! Up in the common passenger area, Prez Berong was texting Sir Redge for final info, and it is indeed bad road and will take us around 8-9 hours to reach San Juanico bridge from our point of departure, Allen ferry terminal. Yikes! Okay, we won’t be riding to the bridge. Instead, we’ll ride until we find a good resort to have snacks, drinks, and relaxingly enjoy the beaches around that area. Okay so that’s the final plan when we get there. Crossing the deep-blue San Bernardino Strait and looking far in the horizon made us realize that we are mere mortals in nature’s magnificent world. What a sight indeed!! Disembarking….SAMAR! Yehey!! An hour trip and we were gearing up on the pier to search for a nice beach resort and..Eureka!..while riding Southbound along the highway, we chanced upon the new, and charming, Wayang-Wayang Beach Resort! Nice place! We ordered our likings and loafed in a small nipa hut, facing the wide expanse of blue waters exclusively owned by the San Bernardino Strait …undoubtly breathtaking! Incredible sight! At around 1.45 PM, we all got ready for our return trip to the Luzon Island (naks). Got to Allen ferry terminal, and same loading procedures for our bikes, then off at 2.00 PM on the dot. Way to go! Arrived in Matnog at 3.00 PM, and rode down the same highway again..And again, ‘Whitey’ was waiting to run after us in the same dang spot! Hoo-boy! Dang wow-wows! Hehehehe! Now we just end up laughing whenever we see a white dog! All settled at Sorsogon at around 4.30 PM, we did final checks and adjustments on the bikes for our return trip to Antipolo the next day. We ordered food instead and settled down to start packing our stuff. Lights-out was early, much rest was definitely needed to take on the 534 Km ahead of us again…
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AMDG-Petron MC Last edited by Bashful; May 4th, 2006 at 03:07 PM.
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#5
May 4th, 2006
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* DAY 4 *
May 1, '06 - Monday Knights Ride Back To Antipolo.. It’s 4.30 AM! Everybody wake-up! No 30-minute tawads please! Hehehe.. Rains were pouring as early as 1.30 AM.. As we were gearing-up at around 5.15 AM, it slowly subsided to a slow, misty drizzle..skies were clearing up slowly and we all decided to grab a hot cup, and leave exactly at 6.00 AM. Off at 6.00 AM and a quick fuel stop at downtown Petron, Sirs Steelman, Michael, and I were topping our tanks while Prez Berong/ Ms Mitch were buying bread and buns in the bakery right across the station. This baon would be our on-board breakfast as we do quick-pic stops. Prez Berong topped his tank as well. All prepped and ready, we cruised on average speeds of 70-80 kph down the wet highway enroute to our first stop, the Crab House rest area in the town of Castilla. Pics here and there and off we went. Cagsawa Ruins in Albay was the next stop. We got there and took a couple of pics and also nibbled on the bread and buns..showers started to fall slowly at first, but eventually getting a little stronger so we hastily geared-up and went on our way.. Just out to the highway, rains started pouring and we just had to leisurely run and moderate speed since the highway was oh-so drenched already. Upon reaching Ba-ao (a little past Iriga), we stopped at a Shell station for water/sodas and some snacks. Sir Bodique also arrived with the first batch of HRCP riders, rains had subsided to a drizzle and we rode out okay in that area. We then decided to have a heavy meal upon reaching Naga, so our next fuel stop would be straight to Petron Sipocot. We rode out ahead of Sir Bodique’s group and the weather steadily held slight drizzles in that area. No rains when we stopped at a carinderia in Naga and we were all done in a jiffy. Off we went and the rains started pouring heavily again until we reached Sipocot. A few minutes for fuel and rains really brought it on, geez, drenched as a fish! Hehehe… Sir Bodique arrived a few minutes later with the same batch of HRCP riders, rains had slowed down to a mild shower. Daet was again under heavy rains and moderate ride to the Labo-Sta Elena twisties. Well here it was kinda okay already, rains had completely subsided but we had to deal with the wet and slippery twisties of this 79 Km highway, dealing with mud, loose gravel, and rain-soaked soil patches everywhere on the road, including those dang slippery metal plates used for covering big potholes! It was a slow but safe ride for everybody though. Upon reaching the town of Sta Elena, we stopped for a while and did some minor adjustments on Prez Berong’s rear wheel. We were then off to Petron Calauag for a quick bladder release. Darkness has fallen upon reaching Gumaca, there were a lot of trucks and buses neatly traversing the highway, but we managed to slip through the long line (whew) and easily cruised to Petron Atimonan for our final fuel stop and to rest our behinds, back, legs..okay, okay, all body parts as well! Hehehehe..Toink! Easy ride all the way to Petron Pagbilao for bladder release again and quickly off via Tayabas-Lucban-Luisiana-Cavinti-….Ops!..Checkpoint! A cop brandishing an M-16 (wow ha, the infamous ‘pulis ako’ macho-look) quickly approached us and looked over our bikes (as usual), and even knocked on Sir Michael’s knee/shin armor..hehehe..football anyone? “Parang kayong pootboll player a” Hic! Drowsily riding through Pagsanjan-Kalayaan-Paete-Pakil-Famy- STOP! Petron! We all relaxed for at least 30 minutes to try to knock-out the sleepiness everyone was feeling; creeping in our minds and bodies is more like it. Kapagod a! Glancing at my phone, it was exactly 11.35 PM. From Famy to Antipolo, we all had a little less than hour left of travel time to get home based on whatever time we felt ready to depart. Okay, off at a little after 12.00 MN, passing (more of tackling coz of our drowsiness) the Mabitac twisties, blowing our horns at the legendary Balete tree, Tanay-Baras-Morong-Teresa’s uphill twisties (hayayay..the effort!) and parting ways upon reaching our take-off point 3 days earlier, Shell Felomar in upper Antipolo. We were all home safely a little after 1.00 AM Whatta ride! Adding another chapter in the Antipolo Knights’ list of ride accomplishments! Destinations achieved, home safe and sound. Prez Berong, Sirs Michael & Steelman, kindly do the honors in posting the much-awaited pictures before a riot starts, hehehehe… Next stop? Hmm..let’s check out the other side…Northernmost end of the Luzon Island. Yeehaw! Lesh wride!!
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AMDG-Petron MC Last edited by Bashful; May 4th, 2006 at 03:25 PM.
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#6
May 4th, 2006
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Whew! I enjoyed your ride report so much Sir Bashful! What a great ride! You really made me laugh when you talked about Whitey, Fonzy, and Fabio.
Congratulations to you, Bro Berong, Mam Mitch, Sir Steelman, and the rest of Antipolo Knights who were in this ride! Sobrang kaingit!!!!!!!
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BIGBOYS We just wanna have FUN!
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#9
May 4th, 2006
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Bashful, a very well written account. Thank you for taking us along - at least in your detailed account, parang nakapag ride na rin kami hanggang Samar.
Yeah, i can imagine that - an early morning ride along that shoreline road in Atimonan - amidst a beautiful sunrise (bukang liwayway?). A picture perfect ride scenario - kodak moments. You should have taken time to take em pictures. Well, you can still cherish it again and again in your memory banks. As for the San Juanico Bridge, i can relate with that. I'm sure Berong is now drawing plans to get get us there. We have a score to settle with that bridge, hehehe. Summer will be over soon .. .keep in riding!!
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Honda Wave 150s ( Goldwing Underbone ) CFC, CMC, HRCP, HRC, CTODA
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#10
May 5th, 2006
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Excellent ride report Sir Bash!
SSshhhhhaaarrraaappp talaga ride nyo! Calling Prez Berong! Pics please.  
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ANTIPOLO KNIGHTS MC FINISHER - 2009 PETRON AMDG ENDURO ENDURANCE RIDE
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#11
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
anytime!!! ikaw lang eh!!!
__________________
Check my site and shop: http://motoragon.multiply.com Protection b4 modification My Adventures: http://buangayam.multiply.com It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves. (André Gide)
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#12
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
Actually bud, the highlight of the Day 3 shifted to Fonzy & Fabio, next was Whitey 'Superdog' Wowow..Samar was just a bonus nalang, hahahaha! See you soon bud!
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#13
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
We go when as soon as you get back, with or without jetlag bud, hehehe... Take it easy there bud! Behave! Hehehe...
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#14
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
And I like how you put it for San Juanico bud; 'a score to settle with that bridge' Hehehehe.. Definitely!Bud, when we do get the chance to go back, let's go back with a vengeance..hehehe..
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#15
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
Paging paging! Prez Berong the pics please! Paging paging!
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#16
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
Let's take Sir Pong for a spin as soon as he gets back, and let's not take on his 'jetlag' excuse.. Oh boy, Legazpi is a beautiful place bud, though we only passed by, it's definitely a destination worth every minute of a tireless ride..
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#17
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
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#18
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
'loko mo, my biker friend died because of jetlag... i wouldn't dare therefore!  o well, what the heck! is one weekend of June ok? hehehe
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#19
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
Anytime now Sir Thaddy! Prez Berong will be in the office by 9.00 PM and will be posting pics by then, tic-toc-tic-toc...
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#20
May 5th, 2006
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Quote:
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AMDG-Petron MC
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#22
May 5th, 2006
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Pictures
1st gas stop and breakfast @ Petron Lucena
Pic. 1 Tristan, Elyf, Yerba, Melon, Michelle, and Eagleone Pic. 2 Steelman Pic. 3 Bashful
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 HRCP L.E.R.A.P Last edited by berong; May 6th, 2006 at 01:04 AM.
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#24
May 5th, 2006
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This time sa likod naman. Eagleone is our sweeper and his eye is michael.ro. Itong dalawang ito ang di gaano nakaramdam ng pagud sa ride namin sa bicol.. yun isa naka dekwatro pa! Sarap talaga ng Joyride.
__________________
HRCP L.E.R.A.P
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