My Riding Journey

This is probably my first time posting about my bike and my riding journey. For the past few years, I have been on the saddle. Its my kind of, therapy. I have to admit that I suffer from depression. Most of the time I feel down. I feel like nothings goin on with me. This is me living the moment. No future, ugly past.  For me, the only way to fight it is thru cycling.

I ride not to compete with everybody else. Im way past my prime. Let the kids grab their awards. My only victory is that I tried and conquered the challenge and become better. No one else. Just me. Me against me. That fuels my fire. 

Its not easy. Im getting old. Its not like before that I can do anything and I felt like flying! Now, its all in my head but the body cant follow. Its like punishing myself. The pain and agony is surprisingly - addicting. 

My last race in clark, i have 8 kms left till finish line. I suffered really painful cramps on my left leg. The entire left leg. From my calves all the way to my thigh. Good thing a passerby (God bless him) gave me some electrolyte capsules. In about couple of minutes, Im up and peddaling again. I finished 19th in my age category plus a new personal record clocking 4 hours , 51 minutes in a 120km ride. 

I have been a fan of Gravel Racing lately. My favorite among the races is when I joined the one in Nueva Ecija called Attck Unrstrcktd. Its a 120km gravel race in the fields of one of the hottest and windiest place on the country. So windy my bike is turning on its own as the gust of wind pushes me. Its hard when the wind pushes you on the side. You really have to pedal hard and fight back. 

Another place where I love to ride is the roads of Sierra Madre. The weather is cold. The canopy of trees shelter you from the raging sun. The long winding road gives you that natural high! I already had 3 Sierra loops under my belt. Naks yabang. 100+ kms of pure riding bliss. 

It also has river crossings and crazy bumpy trails. Exhausting but very fulfilling. Sometimes I do ask myself why I do this? And most of the time I dont know the answer and I still keep on doing it. I just love to push myself. Push myself to insanity. 

By far this is the longest Ived ever ridden. The Laguna Loop. 200km ride! We were riding our bikes as early as 3am and finished almost 8pm.  Well, we had a few stops along the way. That ride was fun. Crazy fun. 

This is my current bike set-up for now. I recently bought the new Panaracer Gravelking Sleek tires. Im riding around Bicol this weekend. I joined this bike challenged called Mayon 360. Wer gonna go cycling around mayon volcano. Total distance of 80kms. Its actually my first time cycling in Bicol and Im really excited. 

Actually theres more stories to share but Im kinda tired. I have to say, cycling saved my life. Without it I dunno where am I now. Its like an outlet. Everytime Im sad, I go for a ride. If Im happy, I go for a ride. If im not doing anything, I go for a ride. Its not just a form of exercise. For me, its an escape. 

Daraitan Weekend Adventure

 

I really enjoy camping. To some people, its stressful, time consuming, exhausting. They are probably right. Who wouldnt want a soft comfy bed with an air-conditioned room with 24 hour room service? In camping, if you dont move, you are good as dead. You will not eat. You wont have shelter. Wolves might eat you. Kidding. I really dont know how to explain why to me its better. Probably the manner of prepping everything your own from food to your bed is actually fulfilling. Plus, being one with nature is something else.  

This is my first time in Daraitan River in Tanay, Rizal. Its quite an experience! We planned this trip probably a month earlier. I really dont know what came to their heads that made them decide to go camping. This is actually the 1st time I went camping with these guys. We usually go swimming at resorts. Hangout in malls. Grab some dinner.  But camping, nahh. Im kinda anxious what might happen. Everything went all smooth. Everyone did their part. We all had a great time. 

The best thing about this trip is that the food is overwhelming. We had so many! We had some BBQ, vegies, soup. We had scrambled eggs. Even fish! Everybody was well fed. We had so much even the dogs and cats enjoyed it. 

Everybody gathered around and did all their thing. Someone is grilling. Another one is prepping the vegetables. Another cooking the rice. I did most of the washing of the dishes and keeping the area clean. Im quite an OC on cleanliness. I just cant stand when everything is a mess. (unless im drunk as hell)

If you love cats, this place has a lot of them. One of the cats even managed to go inside my tent. Woke up with a pussy at my side. Pussy cat it is. They are all over. One even got her claws on the grilled fish! A friend of mine told me that cats not only bring good luck but also keeps the rats away. 

 

This tent I bought from Decathlon is worth it. I just bought under 3k in pesos. Ived been using it for almost 2 years now. Still perfect. It survived heavy rains. No leakage whatsoever. Its quite heavy though. But for under 3,000 pesos, its all good. The brand is Quencha from Decathlon.

 Its been cold. Drizzled a little. Perfect weather for drinking. Good thing the camp area provides a bonfire. We gathered around the fire catching up and even roasted some marshmallows. One of the hightlights of the of night. I had a couple of beers as well. Theres more left actually. These guys, as they grew old, they became weak when it came to drinking. Its probably a good thing.. 

By the way, the name of the place is The Private Camp : Daraitan . Its googable. Just look for it on Google maps for directions. The place is not bad at all. Part of the package are 2 tents that fits 3 each. A kubo where it sleeps 3 to 4. It has a kitchen. Where u can grill and cook. And a dining area. Not bad. The bathroom is common. They dont have running water though. But they have an ample supply of water stored into drums though. Its all good. Best part, it has direct access to the river. 

This is Daraitan River. Water is cold that came from the mountains of Sierra Madre. Its flowing and its not that deep. But when the rains come, it can go deeper and probably dangerous to swim at. Good thing the weather is forgiving. When we checked out, the downpour was crazy. Almost zero visibility. 

There was a bridge before if you want to river cross. Due to bad weather, I guess the bridge washed out. So residents use small boats to cross. It can hold a tricycle with all your stuff. I have to give credit to the boat operators. Tough labor for these guys. I made a video for this trip. Just click on the thumbnail below. Thanks for reading. See you at our next travel blogs.

Back in Sagada

 

Im Back to again one of my favorite place to visit.  North! Where the breeze are cold. The winds are chilly. And the clouds touch your feet. Im back at Sagada! I was once again invited by my good friend Kuya Dhenver to go on a trip at Sagada along with my new found friends. They call themselves Aftersix club since they go down drinking after six pm. Anyways Im just grateful they keep on inviting me along since Kaladkarin naman ako. So anyway. Here we are at Sagada! We stayed at Sagada Sunrise View Homestay. Now its operated by Red Doors. You can see them at agoda.com 

The view of the sunrise makes you wanna cry if youre a sensitive prick. Its really beautiful. By the way this photo is not staged at all. I just went outside sipping coffee and I found this. These are the moments that being alive is simply amazing. Its like flying but your feet is on the ground. I really love this place. If ever you wanna go to Sagada, this hotel got the view that ur looking for. 

By the way, its also my first time to step foot on the Highest Point of our highway system. The last time I went to Sagada is by bus. We had no stopovers and were on another route. This time we went by van and this is a different route. I asked our driver , Kuya Abe, to stop so I can take some photos. I needed to pee as well. 

Driving up north really takes balls of steel. Slippery roads. Almost zero visibility. Plus hard rain causes landslides. Just be thankful if you reach Sagada in one piece. I am. We're on a Toyota Super Grandia compliments of Dewen Transport. That van can really punch it. Its darn fast and powerful. And the comfort inside is superb. Makes me wanna have one someday. 

  

One thing I really miss In Sagada is the food. They have this dish called Pinikpikan. I know the way it was prepped was somehow inhumane but thats the way the locals cook it. It has this certain taste. Its different. Its more flavorful. Plus in this soup, they added Etag meat. Its really good. 

Of course Sagada wont be complete if you aint gonna go exploring. The place got too much too offer. You got rice fields from left to  right. Caves. Waterfalls. One thing that I learned is, always wear comfy shoes. Comfy hiking shoes. I wore sandals from Sandugo by the way. Its nice wearing them though since ur feet usually gets soaked by water. It also has traction. Useful if ur walking along mud and rocks. 

 

This is actually the first time I visited the hanging coffins. Its kinda a creepy and amazing. You got to put a lot of hardwork and effort to place those coffins. In my opinion, i think they did this kind of burial coz maybe.. mountains are abundant in the area and I think cemetaries with flat land seems far so they just kept their dead hanging on the cliffs. I dunno. Just my 2 cents. What do you think?

There was a surprise at the end of this trekking journey and it was sweet. Theres a lagoon! The place is beautiful. The water came from the mountains. Its freaking cold actually. What a way to recharge after that long agonizing slippery walk. Stayed there to cool down and went back to our hotel. 

I just hope Sagada stays this way. Simple. Enchanting. A place free from the busy world where chaos is the norm like Manila. A place to recharge as you sip your morning coffee. A place to think. Clear your thoughts. Meditate.

 When your mind is full of traffic. Information overload. Stress. This is the place to unwind. Just by looking the clouds pass through sunrise is a very relaxing feeling. Its one of those moments that I really miss and looking forward to seeing the next time I visit Sagada. 

This is actually my 1st trip that is well documented on video. Like I said.  I am lazy doing these kind of things. I just realized that life is short and these moments should be treasured. The only way to do that is document it. So, I am now dedicated to make an effort to make videos on my next trips! I hope u like this one. 

Many thanks to Kuya Dhenver fot once again inviting me on his trips. Thank you boss KD. Till our next adventure my friend. Just tag me along! 

Calaguas 2025

Fast forward 2025. I have to admit, I have honestly forgot about this blog. 3 years without a blog post.  Did I  get busy? Well yes and no. Just lazy. Anyway., ived been through a lot of riding the bike lately thats why. I will post some of them soon. And of course, my yearly Calaguas tour. The Island is like the same as ever but better.  What do I mean by better? There are less people. The Island is now in population control. Regulated by the tourism department to preserve its natural beauty. Few years back it was getting ugly due to pollution, over population of guests and the un controlled number of resort operators. Now, Calaguas Island became stricter, Only major resorts are allowed to operate. And the rules became stricter. Hence, the beach is again, worth visiting.

Like before, I still pitch my tent under the tree. As I write this blog, I still remember the fond memories of Calaguas. The time I met Abby. How good it was just chillin by the beach. Drinking while having some bbq. Anyways., it was always good. Always be. Even in memories. Now, i have to make new ones. New memories to cherish. And Calaguas is always a nice place to start.  I really love this Island. For me , the best beach in this country. Been here 22 times. 

 

I met new friends thanks to my good ol friend Kuya Dhenver. Met Kuya Dewen and his wife Ate Owen. Engr Ronald also tagged along with us! Fresh from Siargao. He really wanted to come with us along with his family. Nikki was also there who just came from US. Mariko and Greg also joined us. Its a fun bunch. Many thanks to our tour org  Josh for making this happen.

 

there goes Nikki enjoying her tan. 

What better things to do in the Island? To drink. Good thing Josh provided us a huge tent where we can pitch our tent. Gave us shade and protected  us from rain. Nice!

As always, food was great. My favorite bicolano dish, Sinantolan was served. Also the buttered seafood platter is always a favorite. This is actually my favorite part in the trip, eating. They serve really good food out there. 

   

Many thanks to Calaguas Paradise Resort once again for having us. One of the best here in Calaguas Island. If you are not into camping, there are a lot of villas to choose from. They offer good food and their common bathrooms are clean. If you happen to visit Calaguas, i do recommend this place.

 

No doubt, Calaguas is still my favorite beach so far. Yes Palawan beaches is really beautiful. But generally going to Calaguas is definitely on top of the list. Why? because the place is basically spectacular but will not hurt your wallet. This is just me. An ordinary citizen who earns enough. Going to places like Palawan, Siargao, Siquijor is quite expensive due to the surge of ticket prices and hotel accomodations. In Calaguas, i just spent 6,000 pesos all in for 3 days and 2 nights. With this kind of place, its definitely a bargain.

Here's a video I made from that trip.  Thank you once again. Promise. I wont be lazy this time.