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Bisikleta Iglesia in Batangas

April 12, 2017 2 comments

Each year, bikers across this Catholic country brave the scorching heat of summer to ride their bikes in a pilgrimage of sorts to at least seven churches. This practice has come to be called Bisikleta Iglesia.

Last time I did this was several years ago with a few biker friends from my hometown Binangonan, Rizal. We went to seven churches in Rizal starting from Cardona, to Morong, Baras, Teresa, Antipolo, Tayuman (Binangonan) and concluded in the Sta. Ursula Parish church of our town. It was a fun ride with friends that was in keeping with the observance of the Lenten season.

This year though, I got an invitation from Lima Park Hotel to try the Bisikleta Iglesia they were organizing in Batangas. Heading the event was no less than legendary ‘running priest’ Fr. Robert Reyes. How could I say no to a chance to bike with Fr. Robert? Read more [+]

Exploring the Laiban-Daraitan Trail

February 11, 2016 8 comments
Biking to Laiban Dam

The light at the end of the tunnel

Laiban Dam has intrigued me ever since I first saw photos of mountain bikers visiting this oddity in the Sierra Madre mountains. This massive concrete monolith built during the Marcos era, sticks out of a forested mountainside like an evil lair for a James Bond villain—a structure that’s meant to be broken into, entered and explored.

Laiban Dam was supposed to supply Metro Manila with more than a million liters of water per day. However, concerns over the dam’s environmental impact, and the displacement of thousands of indigenous Dumagats from their ancestral lands, eventually caused the project to be shelved. And now Laiban Dam just sits there unused like a monument to human folly.

I have been itching to ride there and see the goddamned dam for myself. It’s not everyday that you get face to face with some Cold War level coolness. Last week, I finally got to do it. And it was one hell of an awesome mountain bike ride. Read more [+]

Biking to Mt. Pinatubo

May 22, 2015 16 comments
Biking Mt Pinatubo

Like exploring an alien planet

Mt. Pinatubo probably has the strangest landscape in the Philippines.

While biking across its lahar-covered foothills last week, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the deserts of Utah, Arizona and the Sahara. While I’ve only seen those places in magazines and on TV, their resemblance to Pinatubo’s blasted landscape is uncanny.

I’ve been to Pinatubo before. Back then, while riding in one of the 4X4 jeeps that ferry hordes of wide-eyed giggling tourists to the crater, all I could think of was how much fun it would be to get down and pedal across this desolate landscape that looked like something wrenched from a scifi alien planet poster. Last week, I finally got to pedal across Pinatubo’s beautiful desolation. All I could think of was that I was like an astronaut on Mars. Read more [+]

Biking to Palo Alto and Hiking to the Radar Station

July 7, 2014 10 comments
Palo Alto Falls Baras

Palo Alto Falls Baras: clean, clear, uncrowded and reachable by bike

The weather gods probably forgot to take their bipolar medication last Saturday. The sky was having very wild mood swings: one moment it was sunny and clear, and the next moment it was dark and threatening.

I woke up early, looked at the sky and almost cancelled the ride I had scheduled that Saturday for the readers of the blog. The dark clouds on the horizon reminded me of the worst of the Habagat rains from 2012. I wasn’t sure if any sort of fun was to be had in biking in those conditions. Yes, I did say that the ride would push through “Shine or Rain” but I didn’t say “Shine, Rain or Buwis Buhay!”

In the end though, I decided to push through with the ride to the Masungi Rocks in Tanay. It turned out to be the right decision because although the clouds still threatened to unleash hell from time to time, the weather behaved for the most part. You might even say that the dark skies, the short bursts of rain, and the occasional searing sunshine made the whole ride more interesting. Read more [+]

Biking Batanes: South Batan Loop

May 19, 2014 2 comments
Biking Batanes: South Batan Island

A road carved from a hill that plunges into the sea.
Photo by traveling-up.com

Biking around the southern part of Batan Island reminded me of a lot of things. The road reminded me of Pagudpud because of how its rocky cliffs plunged into the sea. It also reminded me of Sagada because of how those same cliffs often towered above the road. Its undulating grass carpeted hills reminded me of Bohol and its famous Chocolate Hills.

But Batanes’ southern loop also had something these places didn’t have. I had a hunch that biking through the towns of Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan and back to Basco would send me through some very awesome vistas. But I didn’t know just how awe-inspiring this place would be.

We started riding out of Basco at a relaxed pace around mid morning. We wanted to start early but there was some mix up with the mountain bike we were going to hire. Because of this the sun was already almost halfway up the sky by the time we were pedaling out of Basco’s town center. It was mid-April and as expected, the weather was already hot. But there was also an ever-present sea breeze that made the ride quite pleasant. Read more [+]