Riding In Tandem

March 3, 2021

BY RICKY MONTECILLO

Last February 27, we had brunch at the popular Father’s Nook in Ibaan Batangas. It is a cozy and rustic restaurant cafe owned by Don Luansing.

They serve delicious Filipino cuisine and Don himself manages the place. He said that they’ve been operating for more than 40 years already. It’s a pretty decent place, decorated Filipiniana style with old wooden furniture and capiz window accents.

They serve the famous maliputo, Lechon kawali and other pinoy specialties. Too bad they didn’t have kapeng barako at the time.

It isn’t a long ride going to our camp destination, Mt. Banoy. It is in Batangas near the City. We passed via Ibaan and the roads near the Fortune cement factory.

I like passing thru Barangay roads. It gives you a feel of the provincial life where the vegetation is thick and the air is fresh.

We rode thru small barrio roads going up Mt. Banoy and as we went further up, the roads became narrower and steep.

And then the pavements became dirt and then as we neared the summit, the road became steep, rocky and rut-filled. And for big adventure bikes, it was difficult and challenging.

The more experienced riders Resty, Sael, Ruel, Mhar and myself twisted on the throttle and allowed the intelligent BMW GS do it work. Man these bikes swallowed those ruts and bigs rocks like small enduros.

As soon as we parked are bikes at the Camp site, we hiked going back to assist the others. When I turned the first bend, there were 2 bikes down. And some waiting.

When this ride was posted on The Long Riders group in Facebook, they said it was “GS friendly”. If friends were this difficult, who needs enemies. But no, the big adventure bikes did make it up but not after many bloopers and bike drops. Luckily, nobody got hurt and it was all we talked about all night.

Speaking of friendly, we meta local who rides a Bristol 500 and who, like us, is also an adventure rider. This local is an all American white dude who stood bigger than his bike.

“A ready smile goes a long way” Erick Flickinger says. And despite his bulky size and towering height, he is quite friendly and he immediately connected with the group.

A 20-year US marine veteran, he lives nearby. He retired from service and is enjoying life in Batangas together with his wife who is a dentist.

“I’m tall and my bike is low. Perfect for any terrain.” Erick always says. This is why we like adventure riding, you meet all sorts of folks in the most unexpected places. Imagine meeting a local who is a foreigner.

Bernard Soriano and his gracious wife Rosalinda was our contact to Mt. Banoy. They know the owners of the tracts of land there. They’ve lived all their lives there.

Bernard runs a small carinderia down by the main road and he cooks a mean adobo. He took care of our needs. He prepared our food, brought lots of drinking water and tables and chairs.

Bernard made our camp comfortable and fed us well. He also sports a ready smile and is very hospitable.

It is amazing that just a few kilometers from the city is a mountain top, a perfect campsite that offers a 360 degree view of Balayan bay, the whole of Batangas City and farther you can see Mt. Maculot, Mt. Malarayat and also Mt. Banahaw.

The weather is cool in the afternoon even with the sun out. It gets chilly at night and the winds keep blowing.

We parked our bikes and set up camp. We marveled at the place. Mt. Banoy is not so high but high enough to get us a feel of being on a mountain top, with the fog and clouds floating around us.

And as the sun was setting it gave us a spectacular show of the golden hour. The orange sun set on the west side and almost at the same time the full moon started to rise. Magical.

It was exhilarating. A spectacular show of nature so beautiful.

Mt. Banoy may soon become accessible to more visitors as the roads get completed. Bernard says that it will connect to Lobo.

There are three towers near the campsite serving as antennas for radio, tv and telecom signals. That’s where the bath and toilets are. Bernard knows the caretakers who are kind enough to let us use the restrooms.

Erick liked The Long Riders group. He said “I like what I see. You guys are impressive. You ride well and I feel the camaraderie.” Guess we will see more of Erick.

Mt. Banoy is only a short ride. But with the scenery, the tough climb and downhill ride, the cold night and cold beer, it was like we rode faraway.

You have time for an overnight adventure? Mt. Banoy is it.

BY RICKY MONTECILLO

February 12, 2021

Sael Requierme intimated to Randy and me how “fast good karma” was. We had just distributed toys, clothes and goodies to the poor children in Tinambac, a poor fishing town next to Siruma, Camarines Sur.

He was feeling good in giving charity and then he gets a text  message from a big client saying he bagged another project.

It is in giving that we receive, goes the prayer of St. Francis.

For The Long Riders Motorcycle group, it is part of our joy to share to the poor people we encounter on our moto-adventures. riding, giving and letting go. This is who we are.

Siruma is about 450 kilometers from Manila and the route is fun- filled with open highways, mountain twisties and intermittent rains.

There are many hidden gems in the Philippines. Natural wonders like beautiful beaches, mountains and rivers and water falls. One such gem is tucked away in the sleepy coastal town of Siruma, Camarines Sur, Bicol.

Our group didn’t go straight to Camsur though. We passed via Daet where Jojel Ecat and his friends met up with us. They again brought us to the Cory Aquino Boulevard in Bagasbas town.

It is said to be “Longest Boulevard in the Philippines”, about 9 kilometers long. It is a scenic ride along the beaches of Bagasbas and connecting towns.

One of them had a resto-bar along the boulevard, in front of the ocean. It was raining intensely, the wind blew strong and the waves of the ocean were rough.

From the South Luzon Expressway where we started, it was already getting late in the afternoon and raining hard when we got to Daet. Drenched and famished, it was such a wonderful surprise that Jojel and company had prepared a sumptuous meal for us. And we were not few. Hats off to Jojel and Company for their utra gracious hospitality.

The plan was to camp right there but because of the weather we decided to ride to Naga, which is a better jump off point to Siruma.

In Naga, we checked-in at the Villa Ceceres Hotel. It is good that Naga seems to be open for business, almost looking normal save for the mask protocols and controlled buffet meals. It is one of the better hotels in Naga. I like Villa Caceres. It is pretty decent and the staff are very friendly.

They also have a covered parking area where our bikes stayed along with our wet boots, jackets and other riding gear.

The following morning, we rode to Siruma. It’s only about 120 kilometers and this time the day was bright and shiny. It took us only about 2 hours to reach Tinambac where we ate at the local carinderia and that’s where we distributed gifts to the poor children.

The fishing village in Tinambac is so poor said the old lady vendor, that she doesn’t believe in government anymore. There is nothing. Some of the children didn’t even have pants on.

Siruma is just a short ride from there. But this is where our adventure riding got interesting.

Mostly riding the biggest and baddest BMWs and Ducatis, while some of us rode all sorts of bikes like Yamaha, Royale Enfields and KTMs. The ride became exciting and thrilling. From the paved road going to Angelica Resort, it led us to a dirt fire road.

And then, the path started to become muddy and bumpy. Some of us slipped, turned and tumbled!

And there it was. Siruma. A beach front with white sand and clear ocean waters. We occupied the end most of the island where there were pine-like trees. We camped there. It is where the river meets the ocean and where mangroves serve as fish havens.

With our big bikes, we camped pitched tents and sleeping bags. We held our usual fellowhip with some spirits. During such campfire gatherings, we get to know more of each other and bond like long lost adventurers wandering in the wild.

I told Doc Ron Sadang that we don’t see many people our age doing what we do. He commented that many young people would want so much to be able to do what we do. Ride, camp and let go.

I wonder why such a marvelous work of nature is not very popular in the country. Siruma would give Boracay, Palawan and other beach destinations a run for their money if it is managed well and promoted properly.

I’d certainly go back to Siruma when I get a chance and when COVD-19 finally leaves us.