Category Archives: Motorcycle Rides

Illustrado: Motorcycling around the Philippines

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Experience Beautiful Philippines like you’ve never done before in Illustrado Magazine’s Issue 73: “Escape.” For this issue, I wrote a feature on five destinations in the Philippines (Marilaque, Sagada, Bicol, Puerto Princesa & Siargao) from behind two wheels and listed a few dream destinations for motorcycle tours.

This issue also has a great fashion spread taken in the surreal Kapurpurawan Rock Formations in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Check out the photoshoot in Illustrado’s Fashion Gallery on Facebook. The community lifestyle magazine is available in major bookstores in Dubai and selected Fully Booked Bookstores in Manila.

Motorcycling from Naga to Mayon

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Whenever I go home to Naga City in Bicol to visit my folks, I usually just laze around, enjoy my mother’s home cooked meals, and try out the new restaurants in the city. However, my recent visit this week ended up being pretty extreme. Aside from getting to try out the new ATV tour to Mt. Isarog, I was able to squeeze in a great motorcycling trip from Naga to Legazpi and back with Mac, one of my childhood friends based in Naga.

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Snapshots: Lake Sebu

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With its rough, steep terrain and narrow mountain roads, Lake Sebu is best explored by habal-habal (motorcycle). Located at the southwestern of the province of South Cotabato, this idyllic town is home to a host of natural attractions and points of cultural interest. However, there aren’t a lot of paved roads, so getting around is a thrilling experience in itself. Aboard a motorcycle, you can reach remote areas that can’t be navigated by jeepneys and tricycles.

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Diaries

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“Sometimes it’s a little better to travel than to arrive.” - Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

I started this blog exactly two years ago when I was seriously bitten by the travel bug. It was also about that time when I bought and learned how to drive my scooter Chocobo. Since then, I’ve been pursuing my different passions – travel, photography and motorcycling. For some reason, just doing what I love has paid off. I’ve been able to earn enough from freelance writing and photography in print media and through this blog. The best part is that I don’t feel like I’m working when I’m out there traveling or on assignment.

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Extreme Adventures in Sagada

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So you’ve already gotten chills from spelunking through the slippery rocks and the icy cold water in the Cave Connection. You’ve taken the obligatory photo posing in front of the Hanging Coffins. You’ve woken up at 4:30 am to catch the sunrise at Kiltepan Peak. Plus, you’ve eaten in pretty much every restaurant in the small town. If you’re staying more than a couple of days in Sagada, what else is there to do? Plenty. Here are five other activities you can try out.

  1. Rock Climbing in Sagada

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DIY Puerto Princesa City Tour by Motorcycle

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Puerto Princesa is a gateway to some really great areas in Palawan that require longer land travel. We planned to spend some time in El Nido and allotted most of our travel money for this. But since the city itself is a great destination, we decided to spend a couple of days there before and after El Nido with a more modest budget.

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Rock & Ride Biker Music Bar in Antipolo

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There’s a new biker bar in town!

Rock and Ride Biker Music Bar in Antipolo opened just last December 21, 2012, in time for the “end of the world” according to owner Jowel Rubio Yauder, an artist and motorcycle enthusiast. Jowel, who started working on the place since February last year, has been riding since his early high school days.

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Achievements Unlocked in 2012

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Ah, yes the year-ender post. Where do I begin, when I haven’t written about half of the trips I took this year? Let’s see, bullet points would be the easiest way. The year 2012 has been pretty good in terms of travel. I wasn’t able to go on some of the international trips I had planned this year, but in return I got a lot of local trips, some of which were totally unexpected. Here are the major blog/trip highlights and “achievements unlocked” this year:

  • Domain Upgrade: Upgraded WordPress blog to a self-hosted dot.com
  • Blog facelift: Got an awesome new blog banner designed by the pure genius known as The Creative Dork/The Travelling Dork aka Robx Bautista
  • Fan Likes: Gained more than 900 followers on Facebook (up from 300 the first year)
  • Page views: Exceeded 200,000 page views
  • Page Rank upgrade: Achieved a Google Page Rank of 3 since switching to a dot.com domain

A Motorcycle Tour Bucket List

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Last year, during a trip to Vietnam, I got to explore Saigon on a motorcycle, the most popular mode of transport. In my opinion, it’s the best way to experience the culture of the bustling city (check out the latest issue of TRAVEL Magazine for my article on this.)

This made me think about other countries that would be great for motorcycle tours. Here’s a short bucket list of places I’d love to go to mostly inspired by memorable motorcycle rides in films and TV shows. Continue reading →

A Taste of Baguio an Hour Away

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From the wide windows of the main restaurant, the grove of pine trees and the rolling hills in the distance looked almost Baguio-like. In one corner of the rustic building made of wood and bricks, was a rocking chair in front of a fireplace. The sound of crickets chirping mingled with the tinkling of wooden chimes swaying with the mountain breeze.

It’s hard to believe that Paseo Rizal Mayagay in Tanay, Rizal is just an hour and half’s drive from Manila. Before we left, I was sweltering in the heat of Quezon City. That same afternoon and evening, I regretted not bringing a jacket.

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