It has been a happy six months for me and my 155-cc Yamaha-XSR—cruising between stoplights in the metro, meeting the sunrise on breakfast rides, and enjoying the moonlight for late-night coffee hangout.
What was originally intended to be a commuter ride to bear with the unforgiving Manila traffic, has turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life.
At 33 years old, I thought I had been happy and content with how I shake my stress away and drown my adulting issues by the sea. But a motorbike shows you that there is more to life than eating, sleeping, going on a vacation, and repeating the cycle.
Getting on my motorbike meant meeting new friends, joining new communities, discovering new ways to travel, and unlearning many things I know about vacation.
One of my most memorable rides is the winding, twisting roads of Real, Quezon.
Our three-hour ride began at 6:00 a.m. in Antipolo, City; from there, we are greeted by the lazy Friday morning sun and cold October breeze.
We took the Teresa, Rizal road going to Morong, Rizal. And to my surprise, there are windmills in the East planted in the mountains of Pililla, Rizal.
By the time we reach Famy, Laguna, we are all famished and craving hot coffee and the all-time favorite si-log meals.
After finishing our breakfast at 9 a.m., we ride out to Real, Quezon.
This is where the adrenaline starts to kick in. Riding at 60 kmph, I am the slowest of the bunch of three riders.
Oh wait, I forgot to introduce the group! On this trip, I am with Brant and his official back-ride Mika, and our good friend Alex. It is also the first time my partner is joining me on a trip, so he’ll be on my tail in our Jimny.
It took us another hour and a half to get to Real, Quezon. We headed straight to Real Coast and Surf resort where we will be staying for the night.
What awaits us is a white cabana that fits six people, a hammock, a beach chair, and an outdoor table setting. Our mattresses were on the floor and we are given one huge electric fan.
We did not mind that the cabana is not air-conditioned, the room opens on two sides which allows air to properly circulate and more light to come in—the set-up actually added more energy to the ambiance.
Once settled, my friends started hanging their hammocks by the tree, removing their boots, and walking barefoot on the sand.
They took a quick nap under the tree while I rested my eyes in the cabana for an hour.
But today is not for sleeping, so up we go to visit one of the waterfalls nearby called Nonok Falls. It’s a five-minute ride from the resort and a good 10-minute trek to the falls from the foot of the camp.
Nonok falls is a narrow split atop huge black rocks that delivers cold and refreshing bath water to the community. A good 15-minute dip is enough to wash off the fatigue of an almost four-hour ride to Quezon.
By the time we left, the sun is almost setting. We hurried back to the resort, hung our wet clothes, and ordered dinner—Si-Log.
Real Coast and Surf is a 10-cabana resort that boasts beachfront access and wonderful staff. This resort can be a home away from home. A place recommended for people who want to rest from the noise of the city and the connectivity of technology—yes, there is no Wifi here.
Our silog meals have come and gone, so our beers and liquor are up next. We finished a bottle of whisky, and some bottles of coke and then off to bed for the tired happy bunch.
But just as we are ready to hit the sack, we heard a rather familiar sound of a muffler—one of our friends dropped by and his name is Pete.
He did not stay long, just had his dinner and exchanged stories with us, and off he went on a three-hour ride back to Antipolo.
We slept.
Real, Quezon is known for its sunrise and while I wish to attempt to describe how beautiful it was, my description might seem pale to comparison. But, I will try anyway.
At around 5:30 a.m., we started preparing to greet the morning sun. Unlike the Sunrise in Manila, we see the sun happily shining in the sky covered by clouds.
In Real, Quezon, the sun rises from the Pacific Ocean as it gently paints the sky pink, then a little rust, and slowly brightens to happy yellow. The clouds did their job and made sure it was a romantic morning for a couple seeing the sunrise after getting engaged.
After saying our morning greetings to the sun, we woke up Ate Alona for breakfast. Kidding.
Ate Alona is among the friendliest staff of Real, Quezon. It is people like her that make the place warm and happy.
Yes, we had another round of silog for breakfast. But, the trip won’t be complete without a bit of a stroll to the town. So off with our gears and rode to town “lokal” style.
Should people ask me one day how I would describe Quezon, I’ll probably say it is green. With mountains covered in thick forests and well-maintained community roads, it is a place that invites rest—pretty much what color green ignites in me.
By 10:00 a.m., we are back in the resort and started preparing to ride back home to Manila.