(photo courtesy of Vexel9)

Approximately 82 kilometers southeast (or is it southwest?) of Manila and about 500 feet above the mean sea level lies San Pablo City - a place known as the “City of Seven Lakes.” Right at it’s heart is a suburban hub bustling with people, commerce and the resulting traffic; but the backroads still possesses the rustic, rural ambiance with cool and fresh winds fanned by the swaying coconut breeze against the backdrop views of Mounts San Cristobal and even Banahaw on a clear day.

Yesterday, the Vespa Club of the Philppines (VCOP) headed to that direction upon the invitation of two of our members (brothers-in-law Enjo & Jojo) who are based there. Ironic as it may sound, it’s actually my first time to join a VCOP out-of-town ride. By car, San Pablo is just a 90-minute drive via the expressway. The VCOP boys took-off past 6AM and took the longer but scenic route of the Sierra Madre foothills (via Famy) which clocked approximately 3 hours to get to our destination riding for 153kms. Just before heading to San Pablo to meet our gracious hosts, we stopped by the Calauan Church to meet-up with our friends from Scoot66 who took a different route and arrived there ahead and patiently waited for us.

After a short rest and some chitchat outside the church, we headed to the city and were met by our gracious hosts by the roadside who then led us to this sprawling school property (special thanks to the owners of Blue Danube School)  which has a perfect view of Mt. San Cristobal. [READ MORE...]