Travel Footprints

So we’re planning a major trip soon, one that would require at least some decent physical shape. What better way to train than to go riding up the mountain! Perfect excuse to get Mrs. Rono to finally use her bike again (it’s been our loaner bike for some time now, waiting for that guest that would want to try our local trails). But now, bike and rider will reunite once again!

So last weekend I took her up Maarat. Home turf. This is where I started riding, this is where I first rode with other mountain bikers. This is where I first crashed. Decided to do the basic trail with some ’shortcuts.’ Usually we’d park at the base of the mountain then pedal up either via Shotgun or The Wall. Nice place to start eh?

But this time, we took it easy. Drove most of the way up. Rode up the Basic Trail, then took a very nice detour via Roxas. Weather was fine. Trail was dry and dusty. Perfect trail conditions to ride . . . or I guess walk. It’s either your heart’s into it or not when you ride down Roxas. Get that flow, and the trail opens up and you experience utter bliss and psychotic happiness. Get a little grain of fear, and you bounce left and right, and end up walking most of the way.

Mrs. Rono hard at training

Anyhow, we discovered the wonderful HD vid capability of the Lumix LX-3 . So here are some clips to give you a preview of the ‘intense’ physical training we intend to do in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully Mrs. Rono will be in shape to join us for a ride up in Bataan on the Lakbay 44 Trail. Nice scenic route from Mariveles to Bagac, mountains on one side, beaches on the other. No need to mention that it’s a whole day ride huh?

Now I just need to find a way to strap that Lumix to my helmet.

Whenever foreign guests arrive in Manila, we always make it a point to share a bit of Philippine culture however short their stay is. Normally, I would recommend a day trip to Corregidor Island or Taal Vista Hotel. It’s trickier if their schedule for leisure is tight (read: business trips).

Luckily, I discovered that Barbara’s Restaurant not only serves superb Filipino dinner buffet but also hosts Kultura Pilipino, a Philippine Cultural Show showcasing Filipino traditional dances by the NCCA Sayaw Pinoy.

It’s also a great convenience that Barbara’s Restaurant is situated right in the heart of Intramuros so that our foreign guests would have a breather from the concrete jungle of the city’s commercial business districts. This short tour gives them a chance to catch a glimpse of history in what was once the walled city of Manila and then some

Photo shows our international expert from Brazil showing us his dance moves (“this is definitely not samba!”) and our Canadian partner being led to do the tinikling herself. The cultural shows run Tuesdays to Fridays at Plaza San Luis Complex with a Filipino buffet dinner served by Barbara’s for only Php495/person.

How to get to Barbara’s Restaurant? Just park at the San Agustin Church and you won’t miss it!

Last Saturday was an adrenaline-filled ride on my favorite biking trail called Killer Loop, one among the many wonderful bike trails in Bataan. In total, it took us about 6 hours and 4,000 calories to complete this 35kms loop!

Steep technical climbs, punctuated with spectacular views of Mt. Samat on one side and the South China Sea on the other, the trail definitely offers a great way to commune with nature while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I’m so glad I have the Real Leaf Green Tea with me on this trail ride, it was a great reward after the ‘killer’ climbs and I was so looking forward to chugging it all down when we reached the top! It takes one bottle of Real Leaf Green Tea drink to recover energy during a pit stop of the grueling whole day bike ride in Killer Loop to be able to share a laugh with fellow bikers

Killer Loop consists of fast flowing technical descent especially along Joyce ‘trail’ that just plasters a smile over your face…

…or makes you want to jump for joy!!!

Was a really good day to ride. Weather was cold. Sky was overcast. But still you can see patches of blue skies. It’s another weekend spent intimately with the trail they call ‘Killer Loop’ in Mariveles, Bataan. This is my third time to ride Killer Loop, and remains to be one of my favotire rides, no matter how wasted I am afterwards.

Apparently the story behind the name Killer Loop is that, several years back (circa 2002 or 2003), some ‘classic’ members of Pinoy Mt. Biker (PMTB) rode this trail in Bataan which passed through several barangays starting from Liyang. Initially, it was called Death March Trail by the local bikers. After the ride, the PMTB folks just had to say, ‘This is not Death March. This is a Killer Loop’. And so the name stuck since!

Blood, sweat, and tears. Killer Loop tests the endurance of both man and machine. Though morbid, I like this photo as it somehow captures the spirit of mountainbiking. Blood and guts. We ride no matter what.

Lester’s chainstay broke (the tube between the crank and the rear wheel). Some trail side repair shown here. Using combined technical knowledge in physics, mech engineering, and medicine, he was able to repair his bike. Not a perfect fix, but at least it will help him finish the ride.

There’s a tweezer inside the tube, wrapped with some heavy duty medical tape, reinforced by a wrench (like a splint), further reinforced by a climbing rope. Don’t ask why Troy was carrying a set of wrenches on a bike ride. But good thing he did.

We were lucky that the weather was really really nice. I carried about 2.5 liters in my pack, 500ml on my water bottle mounted on the bike, plus another bottle of Real Leaf Green Tea stowed in my pack just to be sure. This time, this lasted me until we got down. Last time, I had to drink from the stream up top.

Group got lost a bit through the web of tracks going down (and at one point even once group was going down a trail and the other going up!)

Yes boys and girls. That’s my new bike.  A Chumba VF2, mix of aluminum and carbon fiber goodies. She can ride right through anything as long as you have the courage (going downhill) and the power (going uphill). Point and shoot.

Got a bit of history lesson as well, as Eboy described for us how the Battle of Bataan went. Nothing like being in the middle of the mountain to make history really come alive. Apparently the trail we rode was the old artillery road. And we were complaining about pushing a 30lbs bike up the mountain. Imagine the soldiers back then!

Went down via the lovely Joyce Trail, but Eboy took us beyond that and into what Arnel now calls Captain America hehehe. Basically very fast, very smooth singletracks all the way down. Pretty surreal, since the sun was fading, the wind was howling, and you were just flying down (to the tune of Defying Gravity from Wicked ).

Alas, not a lot of pictures on the other side, going down. It’s just too much fun to ride vs. stopping from time to time to take pictures.

So just imagine with me . . .

Imagine the sun slowly fading, soft light washing over the mountain
Imagine nothing but the breeze of the wind flowing over the mountain
Imagine riding on top of the rideline, flowing left, right, hearing nothing but your tires and the wind
Imagine going like this for about 30 mins.

Nothing else exists except you, the bike, and the trail . . .

Surreal, like a dream.

And so another history lesson of the Battle of Bataan is over. It’s time we learn something new – the Death March! Planning to ride with what the Bataan Trail Riders call Lakbay 44, an epic 50+kms ride from Mariveles to Bagac, passing through some spectacular sceneries. Ride starts from Zero (0) km of the famed World War II Death March Marker in Mariveles to the 0 km marker in Bagac.

Now just have to find other riders crazy enough to go along with me (and look for a place that Mrs. Rono can hang out (maybe Anvaya Cove in Subic?) while I do another epic ride in Bataan. But first, need to get that helmet cam so I can capture more!

Special thanks to the Bataan Trail Riders Eboy and Lester!

There was a whole lotta travelling for the Ronos this year! If it’s any indication, I managed to rack up about 20,000 miles in Philippine Airlines’ mileage program so it is fascinating to see how much of the Philippines and Asia we have covered just for this year.

Instead of blogging about the places one by one, which we obviously do not have the luxury of time for, we thought we would just dedicate our first entry for the year pinning the dots to the cities and countries we have visited for 2009 starting with our international travels –

1. Jakarta, Indonesia. Second time to visit the city, still amazed me at how they can actually pull off the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in their main thoroughfare while we in Manila can’t. Loved Hang Tuah Boutique Hotel and Cafe Batavia near the Kota (Museum) area which was very similar to our own Intramuros, Manila.

2. Hong Kong, PRC. Third time in Hong Kong and what I remember most is food, food, food - the Caribbean-themed restaurant Satay King around the Causeway Bay area and a wedding-themed restaurant called Palace near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

3. Macau, PRC. Second time in Macau but first time to see bee-a-utiful Venetian Hotel. Still loving Portugese-inspired food and managed to go up the 59th floor of the Macau Tower to eat yummy lunch at the 180 Degrees Restaurant with ice cream for dessert at the Observation Deck at the 57th floor. No bungee-jumping still, though!

4. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Second time in Vietnam. Made my way to Halong Bay on a tour package by myself with a bunch of European backpackers. A-ma-zing! Not at all surprised that it was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site. The caves of Halong Bay was being pitted against the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs for the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Loving the environment around Hoan Kiem Lake and discovering hole-in-a-wall coffee shops. Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City is still a slice of heaven!

5. Bangkok, Thailand. Ninth time in Bangkok, had a wonderful time taking pictures of the city with my new Panasonic Lumix LX-3 while on a Chao Phrya River Cruise with dinner buffet. Still marvel with how Thailand’s progress has overtaken the Philippines in leaps and bounds. How do they do it and what happened to us? Sigh. Of course, still loving Thai food and shopping!

6. Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Penang Curry and rotti!!!! Yum! Went everywhere ‘touristy’ in Penang and Kuala Lumpur with the staple ‘I Was Here’ shot in Petronas Tower. Discovered a very cozy restaurant in Penang called Kafe Edelweiss, owned by a nice lady from Goa married to a Swiss. Kafe Edelweiss serves Emmenthaler (Swiss) Cheese fondue.

My domestic travels around the Philippines has been extremely hectic this year because I am doing consultancy work requiring me to travel nationwide for project monitoring and evaluation. We do have days where we can squeeze in a travel for a short vacation in-between work. Here goes our travel footprints in the Philippines for the year that was :

Benguet * La Union * Vigan, Ilocos Sur * Laoag, Ilocos Norte * Baguio * Sagada, Mt. Province * Tuguegarao, Cagayan * Aparri * Bataan * Tagaytay * Batangas * Clark * Puerto Princesa, Palawan * Calapan, Mindoro * Legazpi, Bicol * CamSur, Bicol * Iloilo * Bacolod, Negros Oriental * Cebu * Tacloban * Zamboanga * Davao * Butuan * Agusan del Norte * Sta. Rosa, Laguna * Bolinao, Pangasinan * Manaoag, Pangasinan * Gerona, Tarlac

These die-hard fans of Philippine travel LOVED these highlights for 2009 :

1. CamSur Watersports Complex in Bicol! We loved the yummy food and free wi-fi, the clean accommodations as well as the Winch Park where beginners like us can practice our wakeboarding style! It took us two attempts to get here (first was when our flight was cancelled due to a typhoon!)
2. Climbing Mt. Pinatubo and biking Lahar Valley in Pampanga. Anyone can do this as long as reasonably fit, like moi (Mrs. Rono). Oh, and of course, taking in the experience of a wildly bumpy 4×4 ride up to the trail head of Mt. Pinatubo was also memorable.
3. Surfing lessons in Bacnotan and San Juan, La Union for the first time (for Mr. Rono)
4. Biking in the mountains of Bataan to get to Quinaoan Point, a beachfront village where hungry bikers can eat and relax by the beach after the ride.
5. Staying at The Boutique in Tagaytay to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (yihee!) and staying in Fort Ilocandia while in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
6. Travelling by bus for the first time from Manila to La Union and taking the 6-hour bus ride from Cagayan de Oro City to Butuan City (not my first time to do this latter though!)
7. Doing the Underground River cruise in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Breath-taking. WOW Philippines talaga!
8. Doing the Balatoc Mines Tour in Itogon, Benguet and be a miner for a day! Tour includes making visitors do the drilling and experience how it’s like to have dynamite blasting inside the tunnels. What a rush!
9. Experiencing a 5-6 magnitude earthquake while on travel in Butuan and Agusan del Norte last November. This was the same week when Mt. Mayon in Albay showed initial signs of aggression. Isn’t Philippine travel exciting?
10. Capping off the year 2009 in a pollution-free environment of Sagada, Mt. Province where we celebrated our New Year’s Eve in the company of family and friends with fantastic buffet dinner by French chef Aklay.

So what’s in store for the RoamingRonos for the year 2010? Oh, it’s going to be the honeymoon year for us so there are some plans that we hope will fall into place somehow especially one involving the highest mountain in the world! *cross fingers* We hope to do a better job at writing down our adventures in this website too (hehe!)

Cheers to 2010!