Re: Far Easterner Rider
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:49 pm
Hi Sunshine and Ceemes.Yes, you will get to know a bit about riding in our country.
What Ceemes said was true... and too many motorcyclists (take note, not riders) die on a daily basis. We don't have a very nice image here because of the Media hype every time one falls down. Urban riding requires different skills. It is not a matter of disciplined riding because everybody else around you will be unpredictable.
But provincial riding is exhilarating. I have ridden from top to bottom, taking ferries and sleeping in rooms that are less comfortable than tents. But there are hotels with amenities too running from $30 a night. My last long ride buddy 7 months ago is a German American fellow Vmaxxer. We covered over 3,000 kilometers in an 8-day ride with four dolphin-escorted ferry rides. There are no exotic foods on the roadsides like the ones you will find in India or China (rats, cats, snakes, monkeys, etc.) but you will have to train you pallet to eat native food like scallops in coconut milk for $.34! That was in Leyte (Creemes mentioned having wanted to ride there) where we found lunch in a small town within spectacular mountain and coastal twisties. Surprisingly, you will always find bottled water or Coca Cola and bakeries.
Provincial road quality is good but not without its obstacles because nobody really complains until the Government repairs. There will be no blinking lights nor pylons to warn vehicles of transitions from cement to dirt. It's really a matter of honing up your road alertness and how you discipline your speed according to what you can see. It's actually universal and the Philippine roads are not all that bad for cruising and the GPS maps are reliable.
Riding in the Philippines is more than enjoying the wind against your resistance. It's even more than smelling the ocean, rain, trees and the fields. You will always be greeted in small town stop-overs by hospitable and friendly locals and you will instantly take a peek at their culture. Security is a concern in some areas but riders have always been spared from bad intentions. In Mindanao, I left my foreigner friend in a major city, Davao while I rode 600 kilometers through a very notorious area called Maguindanao. Though I do not look Malay, I speak fluent Tagalog and know bits of other dialects. It was a bit hairy but I refused not to ride in my own country.
Riding today is not like what it was 12 years ago when there were hardly motorcycles in the countryside. I remember having to walk my bike on 1st gear for about 4 kilometers to get to a vulcanizing shop. They knew nothing about motorcycle tires so I had to do it myself and handed them the tire interior for patching and heating under an old truck piston with kerosene flaming on top.
Today, with the influx of small motorcycle imports, there are motorcycle mechanics everywhere specializing on jerryrigging in times of emergency. I recently had my scooter rewired in a provincial trip when I thought a genie appeared before me. It was a burning harness 200 kilometers from homebase on a Sunday! I found a mechanic who undid all my fairings and rewired the spaghetti in three hours, soldering every connection. Being an old-timer rider himself, he knew what highway robbery was and he charged me only less than $5 for labor and material!
Generally, the Philippines is a socially rider-friendly country. But like in all countries, your lane is your own lookout.
What Ceemes said was true... and too many motorcyclists (take note, not riders) die on a daily basis. We don't have a very nice image here because of the Media hype every time one falls down. Urban riding requires different skills. It is not a matter of disciplined riding because everybody else around you will be unpredictable.
But provincial riding is exhilarating. I have ridden from top to bottom, taking ferries and sleeping in rooms that are less comfortable than tents. But there are hotels with amenities too running from $30 a night. My last long ride buddy 7 months ago is a German American fellow Vmaxxer. We covered over 3,000 kilometers in an 8-day ride with four dolphin-escorted ferry rides. There are no exotic foods on the roadsides like the ones you will find in India or China (rats, cats, snakes, monkeys, etc.) but you will have to train you pallet to eat native food like scallops in coconut milk for $.34! That was in Leyte (Creemes mentioned having wanted to ride there) where we found lunch in a small town within spectacular mountain and coastal twisties. Surprisingly, you will always find bottled water or Coca Cola and bakeries.
Provincial road quality is good but not without its obstacles because nobody really complains until the Government repairs. There will be no blinking lights nor pylons to warn vehicles of transitions from cement to dirt. It's really a matter of honing up your road alertness and how you discipline your speed according to what you can see. It's actually universal and the Philippine roads are not all that bad for cruising and the GPS maps are reliable.
Riding in the Philippines is more than enjoying the wind against your resistance. It's even more than smelling the ocean, rain, trees and the fields. You will always be greeted in small town stop-overs by hospitable and friendly locals and you will instantly take a peek at their culture. Security is a concern in some areas but riders have always been spared from bad intentions. In Mindanao, I left my foreigner friend in a major city, Davao while I rode 600 kilometers through a very notorious area called Maguindanao. Though I do not look Malay, I speak fluent Tagalog and know bits of other dialects. It was a bit hairy but I refused not to ride in my own country.
Riding today is not like what it was 12 years ago when there were hardly motorcycles in the countryside. I remember having to walk my bike on 1st gear for about 4 kilometers to get to a vulcanizing shop. They knew nothing about motorcycle tires so I had to do it myself and handed them the tire interior for patching and heating under an old truck piston with kerosene flaming on top.
Today, with the influx of small motorcycle imports, there are motorcycle mechanics everywhere specializing on jerryrigging in times of emergency. I recently had my scooter rewired in a provincial trip when I thought a genie appeared before me. It was a burning harness 200 kilometers from homebase on a Sunday! I found a mechanic who undid all my fairings and rewired the spaghetti in three hours, soldering every connection. Being an old-timer rider himself, he knew what highway robbery was and he charged me only less than $5 for labor and material!
Generally, the Philippines is a socially rider-friendly country. But like in all countries, your lane is your own lookout.
Man, do you look unhappy.