Category: Motoring

Endless Samar Part 4: Ulot River Torpedo Boat Adventure

Any solo traveler will tell you that one of the most painful parts of traveling alone is the fact that you have no one to share expenses with. After riding around the coastal road of Samar on the way back to Catbalogan City, I decide to squeeze in one last activity.  When I passed by the local tourism office in Samar, the three main destinations being promoted were Sohoton Caves Natural Bridge in Basey, the Rock Formations in Marabut and the Ulot River Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas.

I’ve visited the province of Samar on several caving trips and have written a detailed travel guide about it, but for some reason, I haven’t been to those three main and most popular sites. So while riding back from Borongan to Catbalogan City on my solo ride around Samar Island, I decided to stop and try the Torpedo boat ride at Ulot River since it was along the way.

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Road Trip Guide: Laguna & Quezon

Because Metro Manila and many surrounding towns are highly urbanized and congested, a lot of us are always looking for easy escapes for day trips and weekend getaways. Just a couple of hours from the metro, the nearby provinces of Laguna and Quezon are good choices for those who want to experience the “simple country life.” You can spend the day in a farm or natural resorts, stay in cozy bed & breakfasts, dine in artistic and homey restaurants, and visit artist’s studios.

For those who like nature-tripping, art, culture and food, here are just some of the places you can drive to for an easy countryside getaway relatively near Manila (excluding Nuvali and Tagaytay).

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Road Trip Guide: Bicol Highlights

Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth from Manila to my hometown Naga City in Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region. I’ve also gone on road trips with the family to nearby provinces of mainland Bicol: Camarines Norte, Albay and Sorsogon. The Manila to Bicol route passing the Asian Highway 26 (AH26), also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway or Maharlika Highway, is a major road trip route on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

I’ve been getting inquiries from people planning to drive this route whether by car or motorcycle (and even a few long-distance bikepackers), so I’ve decided to compile a suggested itinerary covering the essentials and some travel tips. 

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Endless Samar Part 3: Borongan, Eastern Samar

Everything looks better when the sun is out. The same roads and structures which I found scary the previous night look perfectly ordinary in the daylight. It’s like watching a horror movie with a particularly tense nail-biting scene set at night. Then the scene shifts to a sunny day and you breathe a sigh of relief because you feel the worst is over.

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KRB Off-Road Track in Antipolo

After my Basic Off-Road 101 Training Session in MX Messiah Fairgrounds in Rizal, Coach Mel of Mel Aquino’s Yamaha Off-Road Training Camp (MAYOTC) offered to show the students that day the KRB Off-Road Track in Antipolo City. The 36-hectare natural park offers a more technical course and controlled environment for training. It’s usually reserved for advanced classes where students have to ride through rolling terrain, do jumps, clear logs and rocks.

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What Jaime Dempsey loves about the Philippines

Host and star Ride N’ Seek Jaime Dempsey was in the Philippines during the History Convention 2017 to promote “Journey to the North,” the fifth season of her hit motorcycle travel show. Jaime’s no stranger to the Philippines, as this is the third time she’s filmed the show in the Philippines. In 2016, Jaime got to explore Mayon’s lava trails in Albay and got inked by legendary tattoo artist Fang Od in the mountains of Buscalan, Kalinga.

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History Con 2017 Highlights

The biggest entertainment convention is back, bigger, better, and bolder. Gathering all your favorite stars from History Asia Channel under one roof, History Con 2017 answers the question, “Huh?!?”

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Ride & Camp at Daraitan

If you’ve ever played an RPG, you know that sometimes you just have to go back to a place you’ve already visited because you missed something very important. Maybe your skill level wasn’t enough yet to handle the obstacles or maybe the time just wasn’t right to visit a certain destination. Or maybe you just like the place so much that you want to visit it again. That’s the case for me with Daraitan, the scenic village nestled in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges between Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon.

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Off-Road 101 Training in Taytay, Rizal

I encounter a lot of rough roads when I travel around in different provinces. Over the years, I’ve had a few spills while driving a motorcycle. In Sagada, I fell off an embankment when my tires skidded on loose gravel on a slippery wooden bridge. When we rode from Coron to Calauit Safari Park, we encountered dirt roads that got progressively worse as we drove on. While driving from Koronadal to Lake Holon in South Cotabato, I got stuck in a rut and the bike fell on me while I was trying to drive uphill a trail normally reserved for hikers.

During these instances, medyo napasubo ako kasi wala akong choice. I was driving somewhere and just wanted to get to a certain destination instead of turning back. But somehow, these rides that take you off-the-beaten-path always turn out to be the most memorable and awesome adventures.

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Nature Road Trip in Laguna

When it comes to weekend destinations, Laguna is one of the most accessible provinces near Metro Manila. Most people driving cars usually approach the province from SLEX on the way to urbanized cities like Santa Rosa, Los Banos and Calamba. But from the Manila East Road, you can avoid traffic and traverse easily through the more laid-back towns on the Eastern side of the province.

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