DAY 1 - Marikina City to Daraga, Albay - 505 kilometers
I left home at around 5am to begin a trip of a lifetime. I had been prepping for days and I got everything that I needed with me on the bike and in my bags. The fuel tank of the scooter was a measly 2.5 liters so I had a gallon of fuel with me to cover for long expanses where I would not have enough of an opportunity to refuel.
The plan was to go via the South Service Road to Alabang, then take the highway from there all the way to Calamba in Laguna. From Calamba, I would cross over to Batangas then Quezon before finally entering the Bicol region. The ride from Marikina to Batangas was largely uneventful and I took my breakfast at the McDonald's in Batangas en route to Quezon. The food came with coffee (and later refill!) and got me back up on edge. I later make it to Gumaca in Quezon and take my lunch at a Jollibee there. By noon, the sun was bearing down hard and I had to change from my thermal jacket to a much thinner riding jacket.
Around 3pm I was seriously getting sleepy and had to stop for some coffee and snacks. The ride was beginning to wear me down and I had to admit that I needed some rest. At a store somewhere on the way to Naga city, I stopped to take a break. While snacking, a pair of youngsters on a motorbike also stopped and bought cigarettes at the store where I was snacking. They took an interest to my outfit (I was wearing knee and elbow pads) and asked questions as to where I was headed and what I did for a living. These questions greatly unnerved me and I started to get a feeling that these youngsters were up to no good and were probably casing me as a possible target for mugging. I finish my snack and hurriedly prepared to leave. The youngsters also got up and were sort of hesitating in whether or not to leave as well. This really got me to suspect that they may be up to no good. Either as muggers or spotters for a gang, I knew I had to put some distance between me and them.
No sooner had I started the engine did I speed off to make some distance between me and those kids. I knew that I could easily outrun them since there were two of them on their motorbike and only one of me on mine. And as soon as I passed a nearby checkpoint, I made it a point to let the officers know of those suspicious youths. Though I failed to get their license plate, I'm sure the police were alerted to their possible presence.
I make it to Daraga in Albay past 6pm. It was already dark and I was debating whether I would push onwards to Legazpi city for the night (which was another 5kms away) or I would stay in Daraga which was closer to the diversion road to Sorsogon. I chose to stay in Daraga when I saw that there were plenty of places to stay as well as places to eat.
At the inn that I chose, I marveled at how dirty I was and greatly wished that I could already take a bath at that moment! But I knew that I needed to rest first before I could do so. But when I did get to take a bath, the mere touch of the water on my feet caused me to shiver uncontrollably! And the water wasn't that cold! I must have been so tired that the bath had such a profound effect on my body! After that bath, I hunkered down to bed as I watched some soaps to let my adrenaline subside.
DAY 2 - Daraga, Albay to Catbalogan, Samar - 273 kilometers
I was on the road at 5am yet again. And shortly after leaving Daraga I spring my first flat tire. Apparently my rear tire was too soft and it caused me to have a pinch flat as I came across a bumpy stretch of road. Fortunately for me there was a vulcanizing shop nearby and I was able to get the problem fixed. The flat had cost me the inner tube but fortunately for me I had a spare that did the job.
Back on the road and barely 30 minutes after my first flat, my front tire goes flat. Fortunately yet again I was close to a vulcanizing shop and this was quickly addressed. Apparently some steel fibers from inside the tire tore into the inner tube and caused the flat. The good man at the shop made sure that it won't happen again and I was soon back on the road. Those two flats cost me almost 1.5 hours of travel time but I was still able to roll into Sorsogon city by past 8am for breakfast.
I arrive at the port of Matnog past 10am and quickly make preparations to get the motorbike aboard a ferry boat bound for Allen in Samar. The ferry leaves and I make it to Allen shortly past 1pm. I take my lunch there just as light rain begins to fall. The trip to Catbalogan was made challenging by the light rain causing the roads to be wet and slippery. Coupled with the many roadworks along the way, it was a slow and tiring ride. I roll into Catbalogan city past 4pm and I debate on whether to push onwards to Tacloban city since it was only 2 hours away.
I chose to stay the night at Catbalogan since I sort of wanted to go around the city and know more about it. I find a decent hotel in the middle of the city and get some much-needed rest. After some chicken dinner at a nearby restaurant, I go to a nearby spa for a much-needed massage. Back at the hotel, I hunker down and watch some tv as I rested for the night.
DAY 3 - Catbalogan, Samar to Anahawan, Leyte - 272 kilometers
The plan for day 3 was to roll into Tacloban, rendezvous with my sister at the airport, and then travel with their hired van to Anahawan. Their plane wasn't due until 4:30 in the afternoon so I had plenty of time to kill. I first ate breakfast at Jollibee before hitting the road at 8am. I was already at Tacloban airport before noon and decided to take my lunch at a nearby roadside eatery. When the plane finally touched down at 530pm, I was dead tired from all the waiting! And when we finally set off again at 6pm, it was already dark and we still had 130+ kilometers of road to cover!
I drive off in the lead and eventually make it to my mom's hometown at around 830pm. Tired and hungry, my 1,050 kilometer journey finally comes to a close! I know I could have finished it a lot quicker, but I guess it was all for the best.
Would I do it again?! HELL NO! I'd rather bike 300 kilometers from Anahawan to Maasin and back than make that crazy trip! But hey, it sure was fun in its own way. That's one item crossed out in my bucket list!
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