Salamat Presidente Cory!

Last Saturday, woke up to the news that former President Corazon C Aquino had finally passed away. Initially I felt, ok - now she wont be in pain and her sacrifices, that have been plenty, would now end. I texted my condolences to members of her family. Hesitating to call as am sure they would be busy in preparing for the funeral.

Then, as the press started showing the ‘83 pictures and video streams of those days of protest, EDSA and her subsequent proclamation, as our new president - it suddenly hit me. The person although, not by herself - but she did symbolize the return of democracy to our country, by getting Marcos’ allies to convince him to leave. The symbol of courage and moral leadership - Cory Aquino -  was now gone. She who had brought us, not just democracy but more important, dignity - to Filipinos all over the world, had passed away!

I felt deeply saddened. Not just for her family - but for ALL Filipinos. What a time to go. Who would now represent the moral leadership that we all need and hope to vote for next year???  Was she able to tell anyone who she would be voting for president next year? (before she got too sick).  That would have been a resounding endorsement. But I suppose it was enough for her to have given US that opportunity 27 years ago. Now it’s up to us.  Let’s ensure that all her sacrifices for this country, will not have gone in vain.

Thank you,  President Cory Aquino.  Rest in Peace.  We wont let you down!

Dreams of trekking and a good hike up a mountain!

Scrounging around the PH blog community earlier this evening, I came upon this great site by Gideon Lasco and Ivan Henares. Both acclaimed  mountaineers and from the pix that they've posted on their site, they seem to have summitted ALL the major peaks here in the Philippines.

Their site provides not only some good looking views of the peaks, but great tips on travelling to & from the jump-off points and other sites.  An example would be an entry for Mt. Batulao:   A store, 30 minutes up in the trail, sells halo-halo and fresh coconut juice. There are no water sources throughout the Batulao trail; 1.5-2 L water is advised. Cellphone signal is present throughout the climb.

If one is into mountain trails and hiking up our still clear and smog-free peaks, you MUST check out their blog.

A definite must browse.   http://pinoymountaineer.blogspot.com/

 This got me day dreaming about my previous hikes. Having trekked up Mt. Pulag 5 times in the past 4 years with JED and his staff on their summer outings to Benguet, I do have a lot of pictures to share. But I will need time to sift & sort out the good photos from the bad. I have generated quite a bunch of stories to share as well.  Hopefully they will do justice to the blog as well. Our last trek up early this year was one of the best. Next one do we bring the bikes?

The 28th Manila Book Fair!

Can you imagine the book fair going on for the past 28 years??

Received an invite from a friend and decided to go early. I missed last year's show. 

It was good to see that most of the big publishers had joined the annual event.  Rex, Anvil, National AND PowerBooks and even good ol Bookmark was represented. Spent a long time browsing and ended up buying a few cook books for birthday gifts. Book Wagon had some interesting music score sheets that I thought never existed. e.g.  Diana Krall, Sting & The Police, They even had a great  Frank Sinatra anthology! aside from their regular catalogue of children's books. I did buy a few back issues from Summit Media. It was disappointing that Emerald Headway were NOT selling their back issues as they used to in the past.  I was hoping to pick up a few back issues of Cycling or Bike magazine. At the regular price of 485 p, I usually just wait for my LBS to get their copy!   What was nice, was that the Coffee Experience booth was right next to the "lounge" so we could relax with our espresso's and browse the latest finds, in real sofa's. Don't bother with their hot chocolate - its not the batirol at all. More like Swissmiss. Definitely, not like the one we had in Baguio… 

Despite the 20% discount, I still found the management and computer titles quite expensive. All in, this year's annual fair was designed for primary and kindergarden schools. Or is it like this every year?  Everywhere I went, the first question the booth vendor's asked of me was; " Hi Sir, what school are you from?"  Not that I looked so scholarly in my "smart missionary" shorts and sandals outfit. I had to say right away that they weren't going to get any multiple orders from moi. Then they left me alone really quick. There were some new outfits too. Like the F & J de Jesus outlet. At least it was the first time I saw them. And they had some interesting books on architecture & home decor that one would only find in Jaime Daez's  Fully Booked store. (Have you visited his latest outlet on Bonifacio High Street? ) Now - THATS a bookstore! Reminds me of the old HMV store in Hong Kong. 

So, if you're looking for some good bargain books, do visit the annual Manila Book Fair. @ the World Trade Center on Roxas Blvd cor. Buendia. They're open only till 8pm and just till this Sunday, Sep. 2nd.  Both  Anvil and BookMark booths had good items in their "Sale" bins. But you have to rummage. Check out the reviews online before you go, so you don't waste too much time browsing. Another good thing this year was that most, if not all the stores, actually accepted credit cards. So no excuse not to get anything,

Now, when will Fully Booked schedule their sale?

Am still here…just a bit under the weather.

Have been trying to get myself to post.

What a difference a few days make! From warm sunny weather to wet muggy floods! And I guess like the weather - I feel really rained out! Must have picked up a bug somewhere…Heard though the 24-Hour race in Muntinglupa pushed through, despite typhoon signals and heavy rain.

That must have been a blast. Hope someone posts pictures and the results. Well, also due to the rains and the usual trails being all muddied up, I finally decided to get some slicks for road use too. Not sure how these will hold, but they look really kewl with these swirling thread patterns.  Let me know if anyone else uses these Kenda KwickRollers. They're certainly lighter than the IRC knobbies.  Would love to hear how they fare with others.

 So Guys, when IS our next ride?

Whoa! Censorship on an eGroup…tsk tsk..

Its surreal. When you've been on the net as long as one has. Moderating several eGroups and being a member to countless others.  Ive been on forums that began with just a few members and have seen them balloon to almost un-manageable proportions - but never have I seen a mod actually REMOVE or delete another member's post. No matter what the offending party had said. 

I can understand and in most cases, agree to certain rules and policies on a forum. Use of profanity, displaying obscene or graphic (inappropriate) images or just plain flaming another member , would be the common indiscretions that "could" have one's message censored. But to have a post completely removed for being "out of topic"  - sounds like pure CENSORSHIP to me.  Or the mod just went on a power trip. Removing it - just because he could.

Boy, talk about our FREEDOM of speech. In a world of unlimited proliferation of tabloids, newspapers, blogs and the internet - a mod simply removes another's message. Whew…. like they say, "only in the Pili-pines."  Wonder what you folks think about this? Are we in Singapore or Russia?

A long overdue weekend break! Where else?….

It has been a while since the major and I have had a vacation out of the city.  So when a friend offered a free stay at the mother of all country clubs in the country, the infamous Baguio Country Club - I grabbed the opportunity. Was also able to borrow my dad's Toyota Innova (ostensibly to verify the claimed fuel consumption) to use for the rather long road trip. Armed with a stack of CDs (and backup iPod), golf clubs and a last minute review of blogs from the city of pines, off we went.  Initially due to some schedule problems I was trying to beg off from using the coupons, but on hindsight. glad we decided to push through.

The drive through the NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) was fantastic and disappointingly short-lived. The asphalt was smooth, lanes were lit and despite the light rain I managed to get the sluggish Innova to release some of that turbo-charged horsepower and cruised at almost 180+ kph. Too fast as per my navigator! Now, this is how ALL highways in the country should be benchmarked.

We were in SLEX by 3PM and 6 hours later at the top of Kennon Road. (am sure we could have made it faster but the stop at the bank in Manila and a few pee stops, made 6 hours quite reasonable!) I always love taking Kennon whether during the day or otherwise. I find it actually safer to use than Marcos Highway. And certainly much faster. I guess its a matter of preference and what one is used to. In fact that night, we were a convoy of around 7-8 cars, and it was just me that continued on towards Kennon from the Rosario junction. After a few minutes of self-doubt and only when a jeepney came down that I knew it was passable. Somehow, I missed the sign at the Shell gas station that provides the alerts for motorists taking this route. I do find it easier to drive up to Baguio using this route.  Soon I saw the old Jade Garden hotel on my left, (and that monstrosity of progress, they're building in front of the Baguio Gen. Hospital) looking for the turn-off towards Camp John Hay. Which is my landmark to BCC.

Despite the late arrival, check-in at BCC's front desk was smooth and event free. Bumped into a classmate who was also checking in with her husband. I did notice though that the guards were extra judicious in their check at the gate. Being guests, we had to show our letter (from the member) before being allowed through. Since the dinner buffet was to close in a few minutes, we decided to eat out. The regular eating haunts that we use after our Pulag treks were all closing and we ended up at a steak place near Dencio's. Driving back into the city was too much, although perhaps we should have. As Doreen Fernandez used to say when reviewing restos for her column,  " don't say anything, if you have nothing good to say." So that ends my review of THAT steak place.

The days were just gloriously sunny and the view from our floor was fantastic. (see top photo). But immediately after lunch the clouds seem to let loose with their moisture and it poured till early evening. We were able to drive around as the major wanted to "see" the old places she used to visit. Mansion House, Mines view, Wright Park, Teacher's camp, Good Shepherd store and a few other spots. The drive to the market through Session Road was horribly similar to Manila. Traffic was bad and the local drivers seemed to have lost the "courtesy" that Manila drivers had lost centuries ago! It was nice to note that some old places were still around. Rumors, Star cafe and Henrico's.    

 Aside from the scrumptious breakfast and dinner buffet's at BCC, we ate at two other restos' as recommended by some bloggers. Chocolate de Batirol inside Camp John Hay (near the mini golf) and lunch before we left for Manila at Cafe by the Ruins. Here are some pictures. And No, we did not try the datura on this trip.

The ride down was uneventful. It took us only 5 hours to make Manila. The view of the falls on the way down along Kennon was scenic as usual.

Oh, and the Innova's fuel consumption? One full tank for 625kms! That's pretty cool. between 12 and 14 km/liter!

And we discovered that Tarlac had the cheapest diesel prices from here to Baguio! 31.90 per liter.

Forest Hills (Cogeo) to Sierra Madre hotel in Tanay.

Last Saturday was a great cloudless day for a road ride.

Met up with JED around 5:30 am, loaded the van and passed for Isaias who was waiting for us on EDSA,  We got to Forest Hills (passed Cogeo and Masinag market) on Marcos highway around  6:15, setup the bikes, warmed up and hydrated - we were off at a little past 6:30 am. The early morning jeeps and trucks were out in full force but once we were past Cogeo, traffic thinned out quite a bit.  Now it was just you, your lungs and the road.

With the occasional errant pedestrian or dog crossing that stymied your cadence.  I was quite impressed with the maintenance of the roadway. It was nicely asphalted, painted and all the curves were properly marked. Perfect for a road ride!

It was the first time for me to take the old yellow racer for a ride since it was restored 3 weeks ago and almost immediately the 20+ year old bike started complaining. First I had to raise the tire pressure, then the alignment of the rear wheel got a bit skewed hampering the roll (almost felt like the brakes were on) and after the first 30 mins. of hard pedalling, the 20+ yr old leather strip on the left toe-clip finally gave!  But continued pushing till I noticed that my shoe had started to rub on the crank and was starting to peel rubber. So no choice but to remove the whole clip.    

It was a good thing that Jed had instructed his driver to follow at a discreet distance behind the last rider.  (a support vehicle ala Tour de France!) I decided to swap the bike with a spare mtb that he had brought "just in case" something like this would happen. But after an hour and half of almost 100% uphill climbs, my lungs and legs just gave up on me! Despite being hydrated - this ride showed how unprepared I was, physically, for such a climb. This road certainly beats " The wall " at Maarat anytime. The continuous uphill climb with very few recovery slopes was just too demanding. I had to rest. (read: stop) So once again, loaded the bike and now myself, into the van. My body didn't stop perspiring even as I reclined and stretched out. Was surprised that I had actually consumed all the water and gatorade that I had brought, in 2 hours!  Around the 53 km marker, we needed to rest as Jed had a bad case of muscle cramps.   After an hour in the van, I had fully recovered and was able to join the punishing pace set by Isaias. After a 15-20 min respite we continued to the Sierra Madre Hotel. Wow! Glad I decided to finish the ride with them, what a spectacular view this place had!  Both sides had amazing scenery of the Sierra Madre mountain range on the North East and  Laguna de Bay area on the West.  There were a few residential developments and the ones around had spectacular views as well. One sales office even provided a roadside view deck , ala " Banawe rice terraces."

The last 4 to 6 kms from the sign to the hotel site was a gruelling uphill ride. But the fresh air and views were worth the pain. Don't mind the 2 dogs that bark and try to nip your heels. After cresting the ridge, inspite of the noon day sun, the temperature dropped and the ride downhill to the   Pranjetto Hills Resort and Conference Center 

was refreshingly cool and at one point I think I went more than 50 kmph! The thought of my earlier road rash experience kept my fingers long on the brakes. The wind rushing against you and the slight rumble of the knobbies on the cemented road was just a great feeling. Despite the fact that my racer had become a single speed!

We were able to fully recover after a nice swim in the center's pool and a quick lunch prepared by Lily, the center's cook. Here, it would be good to call in advance for meals you would like to have. The center's lack of regular customers prevents them from stocking up on too much food. So call ahead and make reservations. More for their services rather than a table. It seems the place is used for team building seminars and they cook specifically for the number of pax attending.  Jed decided to have desert at " The Coffee Stop" around 30-35 mins.   further down the road. Another scenic drive. Lots of zigzags ala Kennon road, leading to Pililia, Laguna. Again road conditions were perfect and lots of bikers. Both pedalling and scooteristas. They serve sandwiches and ala carte orders. Their  coffee beans are from Gourmet Cafe and cakes from Cake Avenue.  Noticed that some deserts they offered - I have'nt even seen in Manila. Have to call Liza A!  All in all, a nice road ride. Maybe next time we do this, I will be better prepared. I read in the PMTB forum that there were 40+ riders that made it that same day! Congrats to all.

New pictures from our last 4th of July trail ride!

Hey

Finally got some pix from Ricky. He took some great pictures from our Sta. Rosa ride last week.

Some of the spectacular views and sceneries were captured. These were taken on the way back to Paseo. First we passed a whole lot (siguro half a hectare) of kamoteng kahoy - cassava. Then a larger plot of corn. The greenery was just stunning. In the background, you can just see Mt. Makiling through the haze of the SLEX. 

My 2nd Sta. Rosa trail ride… and yet another fall!

Angel calls me at 10 in the evening to advise me of the Sta Rosa ride.

Hmmm, why so late? Anyway, despite my excitement of getting the yellow roadie back earlier that evening - I prepared for the trail ride. Was hoping to take out the racer for a spin to flex its old gears, but that will have to wait another day. Perhaps when its not so wet.  

So out with the hydration bag that Raul lent me and put all the remaining bottles of Gatorade in the freezer. Prepared the bike for the ride. (Checked the air and tools etc). Got to Paseo Sta Rosa around 7:30 and started out with sina Boy, Sidney, Udolp and Ricky at 8 am. Having been to the trail a month earlier, I was dreading the thought of hitting 4 hills consecutively. As the photos will show, its now " JUST " one big, kahuna of a hill! Still terrifyingly steep and again - had to walk up most of the way. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as the first time. I  managed to make it to the Bukuhan without having to get off my saddle. That was the 1st 8 kms done.

Someone suggests that having goto might be a good idea. Where was this nice gotohan, I asked? Oh, just nearby… Tagaytay! Oops - didn't like the sound of that. It was going to be a 40-50km round-trip! Good thing the trail master decided to just hit the "piñahan" and "circus" trails. It started off really picturesque and cool. Then when we hit those "rats" - the single trail ruts that had formed from someone's 4-wheel adventure, it became more difficult and not so kewl. Must have fallen 6 or 7 times. Worst was when you put your foot down thinking there's something to put it on, then realising too late its at the edge of a pilapil like structure. So that foot just keeps sinking, way past the point where one can keep the bike standing.  There were a few times my head was covered by the cogon and I completely disappeared from the trail!  Now that wimpy "upak" trail started to sound good.

Somewhere along the way, Ricky has a problem with his seat and Udolp is called to the rescue. Angel helps out and we're back in business. The ride goes through one of the most scenic routes we've taken so far on bikes. A whole area full of camoteng kahoy, then rice fields. Then a coconut grove. All that fresh air sort of congested my lungs! 

Learned quickly that you can't do two things at the same time. Specially, when one is rushing downhill on a bike where the trail conditions vary every second and attempting to put something in your pocket. uh- uh! Next thing I knew …. new bruises!!!  I think Migs had a good laugh as he saw the whole scenario unfolding in front of him!

By 12 am we were nearing the end of the trail and reached the same bridge Cyril, Joel & I had seen the previous trip. Can't believe that was just 24 kms! On our way back to the van, the rains started and it was just good timing. If we had been caught out in the trail, the tracks would have been more muddy and slippery. But would have been more fun? perhaps?

Being Sid's birthday, he treated us to lunch at Kanin Club and the chef even came out and chatted with us. Turns out Anthony too, is a biker and he shared a few more trail tips for us to use the next time we hit the Sta Rosa trails. 

Looks like I can't wait for the next ride to that part of town…. When will it be guys?

My first major spill on the trail. Analysis of an avoidable fall.

"It was going to happen sooner or later" - This was what my friend, JD, said when he caught up with me on the downhill stretch of rough road, leading towards the   Timberland Heights  gate.  I was sprawled all over the trail. My bike's rear wheel still caught in the rut that I had been trying to avoid.  " Good thing it happened now, towards the end of the ride." he added. I actually agreed with him 100%.  We were coming to the end of a 3 hour exploratory ride. Taking the Maarat - Timberland trail and seeing if we could ride all the way to Marcos Hiway towards Forest Hills. This was my third off-road ride and I was just happily buzzing along.

on the way:

It was a stupid endo that could have been avoided. First, by NOT going sooo damn fast. But the thrill and the air rushing past was exhilarating. One couldn't seem to NOT WANT to go fast…. Second, making sure you knew what lay ahead is important. If you do not OR cannot see around the curve, SLOW down. Mixing the front and rear brakes - alternating so the tires were just starting to skid, and then releasing would have been okay on a regular graded road, but this part of  trail was just too uneven for any real traction -  to keep total control of the bike. Seemed like the rains earlier in the week had run little deeep ravines in them. And hey! the thrill of shooting down that hill was just too addicting and I did try to control the speed - unfortunately for me - the newbie in the group. My first ride down that Timberland trail, was just an accident waiting to happen. And it did.

When I came around the corner, I saw the uneven surface and the deep rut on the right side of the trail. I tried to steer the bike towards the left side, where the track seemed more even and with less rocks. But my speed was just a bit too fast and applying more brakes was out of the question. Too late. Tried to do the next best thing or so I thought. Go over the obstruction. I got to lift the front wheel but somehow didn't have enough bounce, to get the rear wheel through and over- and the rut just grabbed it! It was as if some giant's hand grabbed the wheel and shook me off. Next thing I knew, I was all over the trail. My knee aching and I had hit my ankle as well on something. Probably a rock.  Just had enough time to shake off the spots and pour some of my precious water to clean up the cuts, before the other riders caught up.  Well, another good reason we were ending the ride -  I could use as much water as I could to clean up the wounds.

Thank goodness I had my helmet and my paintball gloves on. Or else, the bruises and cuts would have been much worse. So now it was just one bleeding knee and an ego, smarting more than the knee. Specially, when my other friend's 14 yr. old son came by.  The 3 of them were just smiling. I guess they've all been through similar situations.

So, thats what happens when one falls down from a mountain bike at say, 17 or was it 27 kmph!  But boy was it fun!!  Although there was another bit of downhill to pursue - now all cement - it was still a thrill thinking about zipping down.  Well now the air rushing all over the bleeding knee kept my finger on the brakes, just a tad longer. Now, I know why those down-hillers come with knees and elbows protected!  Another item on my "to get" list.

The last 5 min downhill rush was soo anti-climatic. Adrenalin was still pumping when we got to Ka Tobias' store where the other bikers were having drinks and cooling off.  But I had to focus on re-washing my wounds, wipe off the mud and dirt.  And thank goodness too for Betadine!  The smarting is still there, 2 Days later. But the thrill of that downhill rush is still there as well. Kinda overcomes the pain on the knee. But my hand and ankle are also starting to ache. So I just might have to visit another doctor friend and see what else I've managed to damage. 

But you know what, I cant wait to get back on that trail and do it all over again!  Minus the spill this time.

My first real off-road bicycle ride!

Wow! What an experience! 

I was hoping to have started in La Mesa dam or some other Metro Manila based park. (read: more flat). But when I was invited to join a few friends to Sta. Rosa I readily agreed not knowing what I was in for. I had heard about the trails and the downhill racers who "train" there but had never had a chance to visit or see them riding.

Now I know why they call the magazine "Mountain Bike ACTION" !!! 

Overcoming those first two hills was  a major challenge. Perhaps it was my previous bout with stomach flu that had left me a bit dehydrated or I was just plain out of shape! But the initial 2km easy-going cemented road was just all bluff. Nice n' easy WestGrove Heights and South Forbes then wham! Surprise, surprise! the next 20 mins were just killers. The steepness of the hill and the soft, powdery top soil did not help my aching knees and shortness of breath. I was ready to give up and hike all the way back to the car. Fantastic views and landscape be damned.

But, when i was told they weren't returning the same route - I decided I had to push myself. And boy am glad I did.

After another 20-25 mins of rough graded soil, we hit a provincial (dirt) road, a few houses and lo and behold a pit stop. (pix above) We gathered from the manong selling Fresh Buko juice  (called the Bukohan on maps) at 10 pesos each (the preferred choice between a soda or lukewarm Gatarode. ) that many riders had come thru the day before. Including senatorial bet - GOMA. Hey, if he can do this, so can I ! After resting for a few minutes we continued on and the road would change between cement, graded topsoil, rough dirt roads with sharp stones and steep banks. But eventually leading to another barrio (Tabing?) where Boying Remulla's election posters were still evident. We were now in Silang, Cavite's 3rd district. As I knew that was where Boying was running for re-election.

The road then began to rise and fall and all I remember were  those last 15-20 minutes were just exhilarating! 

It was really fast downhill and pointing the front wheel to avoid large rocks and still maintain the speed was a challenge. After making a wrong turn and backtracking we eventually found the bridge that was to lead us to the Sta. Rosa - Tagaytay highway and back again to the Paseo  Sta Rosa complex. Despite it being my first ride, I managed to stay on the saddle - most of the way. There were a few close calls where I had to skid to a stop and step off the pedals OR fall into a ditch or a canal.  But wow! what a thrilling ride.

Can't wait till the next one! 

9th Tour of the FireFlies (last Sunday)

This is my first post here at i.ph for  friends who wanted to see some pix from the recently concluded (9th) TOUR of the FIREFLIES. http://www.fireflybrigade.org/

As mentioned in the linked video, its really a matter of choice that we make our environment last for the next generation's, generation. We must, as individuals, do our part in generating less carbon emissions and as much as possible, promote a cleaner and greener lifestyle. 

Couldn't find a clear 2007 Tour of the Fireflies video.
But found this one. I think it was 3 years ago and illustrates why and how the tour was conceptualized.
Most of us do it for the exercise and camaraderie.
Boy Siojo takes it a level higher, by commuting to work.
 

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGYhw2d1-a8&mode=related&search= ]

 
I've learn't to respect cyclists on the road more, and envy those that do this as a choice. I just hope we can get more people to bike or at least, use their cars less often.
The once a week car-coding ban in Metro Manila helps, but not so much for being pro-environment but more for easing traffic congestion in the metropolis.
I guess every little bit helps. As Al Gore would say.

Oh and as part of the Earth Day celebrations this Sunday, SM is going to show his " An inconvenient truth " documentary, FREE of charge in select movie theaters. Well at least Henry Sy is starting on the right foot.

click on http://www.climatecrisis.net
 
enjoy and here's to seeing fireflies once again in the city?

Rocking with Calliope

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