Motorcycle Philippines

Forum member Tat joins the Faith Riders as they travel to the 12th Annual Convention in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Best let him tell the story.

If I’m going to ride the longest ride of my life, it has to be with some of my most trusted friend bikers. I have to feel safe and welcome. I must feel that there’s somebody there to help me out whatever happens. Most of all, I’ve got to have FUN.

My decision to ride to this monumental event in Vigan and Laoag with the Faith Riders proved to be a good decision. The ride was really long that it took us almost 9 hours of riding going to Vigan and more or less 13 hours of riding going back to Manila from Laoag. Yes, we were tired and the heat of the Sund didn’t help to ease the trip. Yet, really had a GREAT time out there!

Day 1 – We saw some familiar faces in the event. Along the way, we met Hercules and the Bagwis Makati club. We saw great bikes. Some are new models, some are exotic and rare. We found great places to stay, well, not exactly. The first beach resort we found called Don Juan’s Beach Resort where the ATAT club also stayed ruined our first day in Vigan. I don’t want to elaborate more on that bad experience with that beach resort because it starts to piss me off. Well, the good thing is that when we decided to look for another place to stay, my friend Mon who rides a Honda Fireblade 954 recommended the place where they’re staying and from there, we got a room good for 7 persons. It was a nice room to relax after 9 hours of riding. During the night, we went to Vigan Plaza and check out the event and there we saw some of the best looking bikes in our country.

Day 2 – After a good night rest, we woke up at around 6:30am to prepare to ride to Laoag. We were able to catch up with the event’s convoy and there, we rode with hundreds of bikes from different clubs and places. I specifically remember riding along with LERAP because their club uniform’s color, yellow and black, is the same with my Joe Rocket Reactor jacket. It felt like I’m a member of their club and my ride buddies noticed it too. It was a fun ride to Laoag I should say, as we took a lot of pictures. In Laoag, we took our lunch then asked the even marshalls where the nearest and nicest beach is. They pointed us to the beach just right beside Fort Ilocandia Hotel called Buena Agua Beach Resort. When it comes to customer service, Buena Agua is the exact opposite of the Don Juan’s Beach Resort. Buena Agua’s people are so nice and accomodating, unlike Don Juan’s.

We were allowed to use our tents in Buena Agua without extra charge. No entrance fee. We just have to pay for the cottage we rented for only P500 (overnight) and P10 for using the shower rooms.

For me, the highlight of this trip was when we spent the whole afternoon in Buena Agua to talk about the Bible. That was the first time I have experienced how the Faith Riders study the holy scriptures and I enjoyed it too much that I forgot about the event the whole afternoon. They don’t intend to change my religion or anybody’s religion. They just want to study the Bible altogether and share life experiences. They just want me to have a personal relationship with God and I tell you, it may sound sissy for most people but for me, it was awesome!

Night came and we went to where the convention is being held. There’s nothing much to see anymore. Nevertheless, Kaskasero and Angkasera had a chance to distribute the fellowship booklets they personally created for bikers who might be searching for the truth. I missed the big part of the event when the games were held and the other fun stuffs but it’s ok with me. I had more fun than I expected with my friends.

Day 3 – We woke up at around 5:00am and prepared to go back home. Along the way, we took some more pictures. I was surprised to know that it was Jon’s birthday that day! When we reached Vigan, we had our breakfast at McDonalds and Angkasera secretly bought a little mango flavored cake at Red Ribbon. We sang happy birthday to Jon as we surprise him about it. It was so fun! We continued the celebration at lunch time when we ate at Pizza Hut in La Union.

The ride home was so tiring because of the traffic and the heat. Good thing Steelhorse knows some alternate routes that made the trip better. Our last stopover was in NLEX. Sorry I forgot what gasoline station that is but we just have a quick snack at McDonalds and said goodbye with each other. I got home at around 9:00pm with a very big smile on my face.

It was the longest ride of my life so far and it is the BEST. The Faith Riders club will definitely last more than any other motorcycle club around me simply because it has a very strong foundation…. the Bible.

List of Riders:

1. Steelhorse with her backride Melissa.
2. Kaskasero with her backride Angkasera
3. Jon with her backride Duds.
4. Tat

A lot of photos available in the 12th Convention Ride thread.