Sport Fishing Asia
For information on saltwater or freshwater fishing in Asia this is the place to go. The active forums and picture galleries are used by members from all around Asia.

Planning
(Andrew)
Since Nov. 2002, Rene and me were planning to go to North Luzon for a ride. No big deal. Two guys who love riding will go for a long ride. Just us and the roads of North Luzon. I have done such trip twice and I love to go to the North. No preparation needed. Just normal service on the bike and a big portion of humor. Ergo-we could go anytime. Meantime, Rene's friends from far and near (hearing about our trip) will join us.

Andrew at San Jose

No big deal for me, as far as Rene recommends them. Suddenly 7 extra bikers supposed to go, and humble ME supposed to be an unwritten leader of the group. A leader I don't want to be. I don't want to take responsibility of the leader. What speed to choose for different part of the trip? What roads to choose? How to lead the group safely and in good pace? Rene is the type of the person, which I called "diplomat". He fits to every group of enthusiasts of MC. Others - are the white cards for me. If any problems - I have Rene to rely on. It was "his" idea to take other guys on the trip. I must find some sort of comfort - even small one. As for James - I'm worried how he will "feel" biking 3 days with so different guys. James: intellectual type of motorcyclist. I made some short rides with him before. No any problems as for riding. James gives much of himself when in-group, but he also demands very much from the people of the group. I have to "lead" the group - so requirements will be directed to me. He likes good restaurants and good accommodations. Can I find such places on the remote place of Ilocos Norte? When I was there I used to stay in simple places with basic services. Will it be OK for James? As for Rene, I'm not worried. I have done with him thousands of km. here in the Philippines, and I know about his solo rides here. He has a sense of danger on the roads here. Another biker - Derek from USA appears. He rides a Buell. I guess, that his MC is the first Buell to be ridden in Philippines. Small sensation already before we are off.

(Rene) Derek Harlin is a patient man. The man from Seattle spent four days of his precious vacation time waiting for the customs to release his Buell. He finally makes it to Bike Week, Sunday afternoon. I get to meet him for the first time after he took a short ride to Tagaytay with the Mad Dogs. His face is covered with road grime, but his enthusiasm is not dampened at all by the heat or traffic. He came to the Philippines to ride and he is ready for our four-day ride around Luzon. Planning a long ride is much simpler when I'm the only one riding. In this case, there are more than half a dozen riders with different agendas, riding style, personalities, wants, needs, speed, food/lodging preference, and budget. The challenge is to meet everyone's expectation without sacrificing the pleasure of the ride and each other's company.

Route planning

We focused on flexibility by creating a loose structure that is satisfactory to all. Due to conflict in timing with all the parties involved, two sets of informal planning went into being where we discussed departure time, scheduled stops (Tuguegarao, Pagudpod, Baguio), rider wear and equipment and what if scenarios. We agreed on the following understanding. - We will do our best to stay together, but if the rabbits want to run, run they must. Scenery watchers (like me) will stay in the back of the pack. - Lodging and eating places, will (most likely) be dictated by what's available in the area. Some prefer the turo-turo restaurants, while others like the predictable offerings of Jollibee and McDonalds. - We will strive to have dinner together every night we are on the road. - If there are any breakdowns, no one gets left behind on their own. There must be a partner to accompany the Øbroken' rider while the rest of the pack continues on. Jobo who was also planning to stay at James' house, calls to say that he is not coming until tomorrow morning and another rider is joining us with his girlfriend in tow. Hmmmm, an unknown rider and a woman passenger in the equationé.. as I start thinking. This will make an interesting ride, I thought. Interesting in a negative way, I thought. The all boys club is no longer, and the rider with a passenger will have his hands full as we negotiate through heavy traffic, I thought. So I thought and thought. Boy, were my thoughts wrong! Biboy the unknown rider turned out to be an excellent one and Ann, the female in the all-male equation, turned out to be a great riding companion, able and willing to tough it out with the “boys” without compromising her composure and feminine charm.

Andrew, Derek and I left the Bike Week festivities at The Fort Sunday evening and headed to James' house. James and Pia are celebrating their wedding anniversary with Pia's family and we are invited as guests. James offers his home for the night to Derek so we can all get up early morning to beat the traffic.

The Night Before.
(Jobo) It was already 10pm when I started getting ready and packing my clothes and thinking about stuff I should and shouldn't bring. I got more or less done in 30 minutes. I had one more business with my bike and that is replacing the shift-peg bracket that I broke in an accident a few weeks before. I just had the broken one welded and caused some binding with the movement of the shift lever. Christmas was a little early for me this year. Rene was very kind in helping me get some stuff for my bike from the USA and it included a good condition shift-peg bracket that I won from eBay after a heart stopping last few seconds action on the auction. Just to make sure I'd wake up at around 2:30am, I had set the alarm clock, the mini-component to turn on with the volume way loud, and the alarm on my cell phone. It was already 11pm and I was fighting my excitement so I could sleep. I dunno what time I was finally able to doze-off but I did and I was glad.The first time I went to Pagudpud two years ago, I didn't get any sleep and it took its toll on me everytime we stopped for a break. Back then, when we reached Ilocos Norte, I felt like a drunken zombie.

(Biboy) We finished packing our things close to midnight. Then we went to sleep. I tried but could not. My fear is ever present. I don't want to be left behind somewhere in case my bike fails me again. It will be a dreadful experience for Ann if that happens. Since my ride to Zambales, I have replaced my bike's ailing parts with used parts I got from Ebay. My fear now is, will these hand-me-down parts hold?

(James) I'm finally all packed sometime past 1 am, a scant 4 hours before we takeoff for the Northern Luzon circumnavigation run that for one reason or another, I have always missed out on. Either work, school, family, health or bike reasons--or any combination of the aforementioned have conspired for years to keep me from what I have often been told is the best run a biker can make in the Philippines. Now to catch a quick nap before takeoff. Rene and Derek have been lights out for a couple of hours now. They're going to be fresh and I'm going to be bleary-eyed, lacking sleep but really excited. I'm sure adrenaline will bring me through day 1 of the tour. It has before.

Checking the luggage

An hour ahead of wake-up time, I can't seem to sleep. I can't escape this idea that something's drastically wrong with my packing. At the last second, I had to jettison my backpack idea but something's telling me I'm going to need it. So what's another hour of sleep worth, when you've already had 3? I figure out how to attach my favorite backpack to the carry box on the Transalp. Yes! I needed the extra space. Just have to cinch this buckle and˜SNAP! The darn thing breaks off in my hand. Not good. I remember how I told Rene that on all the previous runs where I'd had a funny bad feeling, ride reports always filter back as flawless and this time, I had not the slightest trepidation about this run. Hmmm. Is this a sign? Could it be that my “luck” is rearing it's ugly head early? I refuse to be stopped by an overpriced, poorly made, signature-brand backpack and remember old faithful, my cheap, local backpack that has served me flawlessly since early college, well over 10 years ago. I get it cinched in the nick of time, as Rene and Derek and are all good to go. Thank goodness I got up an hour early!

(Rene) James woke up early. Our plan is to meet at Caltex in Pasig between 4:30-5:00am. Andrew, who spent the night with Frank, is already texting me at 4am, saying he is on his way.

(Biboy) I was only able to sleep for 2 hours. I was drawing my strength from Ann's enthusiasm. The bike feels extremely heavy. I got a heavy knapsack on my tank, Ann with another bag on her back and me. All of these will be propelled by an aging 750cc engine. I was just waiting for any signs of discomfort from Ann because I will not hesitate throwing in the towel. But she was all psyched for the adventure. So off we went. We met Jobo, gassed up at Caltex Los Baños and headed for Manila at exactly 3:30 am. All went well halfway until I lost track of Jobo. I slowed down and stopped when I heard my phone ringing. It was Jobo and I knew something was wrong with his bike. After a few minutes later he arrived and said that the bolts holding one of his front brake calipers fell off. He forgot to tighten them before he left my house. So we had to improvise and tied the caliper to the brackets. I wanted to blurt out that it was okay if we turn around and head back home. Without the front brakes, it was too dangerous to continue. We then decided to at least reach J. Vargas and from there we will see if want continue or not. We maintained the maximum possible pace hoping to reach the other riders on time. The brake problem slowed us down. But then it started to rain, a prelude to a gloomy day. We were not prepared for it and it slowed us down some more. I don't know if we will be able to continue if it rained hard all day.

If the other guys were prepared for the rain, we will surely be left behind. We were already running late but another stop has to be made underneath the Sucat overpass to assess Jobo's bike. With our brilliance put together, we moved the bolts of the rear caliper to replace the one's missing in front. No rear brake this time. Our pace improved and we reached the others 10 minutes after 5 am.

(James) Derek's Buell sounds like a jumbo jet˜and that's when he's idling. He's kind enough to push it out of our townhouse row before starting up. After all, it's not even 5am. The neighbors would not be happy, let alone understand.

(Andrew) D-day of our expedition round North Luzon is set on Monday, 28 of April. Start time - 5.00AM sharp. I'm supposed to be a leader of this small group of of bikers, so on the D-day I am ahead of time at Petron - gas station on Vargas Street. It is a cloudy and rainy day. 4:45AM two participants appear. Ritchie and Charlie- we shake hands and have small chat over a cup of coffee. Ritchie is dressed correctly. He wears new safety jacket, he has purchased a day earlier at playground of MC Village during Philippines Bike Week. Charlie is dressed terribly. T-skirt with short sleeves. Military type of cotton pants. Seems 5 times of his size. He smiles like Marlon Brando and talks like him. I don't understand a word he says. He is whispering like gangsters in American movies. And he smiles. This guy is the guy you LOVE or HATE. I don't know what side I will choose. But somehow he looks like a real biker. Bad dress - but good hearted. I hope. Both of them ride sport bikes. 4:55 AM Derek, James and Rene appear. They are dressed like the two fashionmongers from the latest fashion magazine for bikers. Nice to have somebody dress like that for a change.

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