First time to hit Abra solo on a motorbike-scooter

Rough road in Pidigan amidst the rice fields.

Another unplanned motorcycle adventure. The moment I went to the town of Pidigan in Abra, I asked an old lady stranger about the road going to the Abra River. I was alone and it is my first time to hit Abra province solo via motorbike.

Super spontaneous, I just tried if I can do it and I realized, just do it! Doing it will determine if you can really do it. Not just try.

Visited this place called Naguirayan before dark. Uh, the night immediately caught the sunset because the moment the sun goes to the horizon lower, it will be be hidden by the mountains so no wonder why 5 pm here is already not as bright as other towns - less-traveled place at it's best.

I passed through endless fields with cattle grazing ending up at the Abra River. The road was dusty and I bet this becomes muddy when raining. It was hot too, but enjoyable. I was feeling the sense of adventure. I met people along the way, strangers to note, and me as a stranger to the town as well.

I told you, I can say I am not a coward going solo to Abra because it is about to go dark when I left the place and hit the road in Abra at night.

More stories coming here. Keep connected riders!

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Paoay Sand Dunes | Mini-Stranded

The wheel is submerged into the sand. No one was there to help. 

A solo motorbike traverse to the Suba Sand Dunes of Paoay, Ilocos Norte was like close to suicide, uhhh... just because I wanted to break the rules. You have to use 4X4 to explore these sandy desert look alike, and it should be. 

But because it was too expensive, 1 4X4 is good for 5 people who will share for the 2.5 fold of a thousand peso, I used a motorbike. 

 Look what happened? Lols. The bike is slowly but surely getting submerged into the sand under the sun owned by an eldest son, lols. Help help help! And I realized, I was just asking help from my own shadow. 

So with my shadow, I survived it because no other man came to help. Got sun burn, muscle aches, shoes filled with sand and of course, a bunch of stories and experiences to tell. Being mini-stranded doesn't necessarily mean to be tragic, sometimes it is funny. :)

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Paoay | Reaching Suba Sand Dunes, My First Solo >100km Ride

The other day marked another important day (in my life) with this hobby of mine that some are against. It was my first time to go riding solo driving a total of 170 kilometers. I thought I can not do it but yesterday was a test of courage. 

 Reaching the Suba Sand Dunes of Paoay, Ilocos Norte

I found out that I can do it. This will signal a longer motorbike backpacking I have always wanted to do but always failed to realize because of external resistance.

Now that I accomplished this test of courage, I am now ready for a longer solo motorbike backpacking. For some people, please understand that this what makes me happy. So when should I do it? When I become old? I think the right time is now.

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Reaching Abra with a Motorcycle

I have always wanted to do a motorbike ride to the province of Abra but I still don't have the courage before. My mindset was just confined within negative vibes that it would be very dangerous to climb to Abra. But I believe they were just all hearsays. I've been hearing a lot of riders doing it. So if others can why can't I? Under the sun, with my bro, we braved the province of Abra.

It has always been a dream for me to have a photo at the Tangadan Tunnel, the entrance tunnel to Abra. But this chance used to be impossible because I usually ride on a bus.

Thanks to my motorbike! My motorbike is my favorite travel buddy that it allows me to explore each place extensively but with ease.

There are a lot of stories to share about this journey. We were able to go as far as the town of Dolores and took the Kalinga-Abra road! We also went to the banks of the Abra river at the San Quintin town and cross it with a free boat. 

There are a lot of things happened within this day. But the most memorable one is when we were taking the road back home when the heavy rainfall caught us on the road.

We traversed the road for 2 hours under that heavy rain non-stop, going dark, and we were just so wild and wet! To be continued...

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Meet the cycling buddies behind Cycling Philippines

I am so glad that I am the elder brother of my two younger brothers who are in the same way fanatics of motorcycle rides so traveling with them with a motorcycle has always been easy.

Having a motorcycle ride with them has always been fun because we have the same interest so having a motorcycle ride is a great bonding time for us.

My brother Edison, the motorcycle trouble-shooter

Edison was born next to me. He loves motorcycles and he is fond of customising his motorcycle.

This brother of mine is I believe the most well-versed among the three of us if we talk about trouble-shooting a motorcycle. He has a work experience of repairing mechanical troubles of motorcycles and guess what! He has no formal training or education of repairing a motorcycle but he learned on his own! Whoaahh! I am so proud of you bro!

From this, I can conclude that my brother Edison has passion about motorcycles.

Aside from motorcycles, Edison is also a drummer and he has won a local award with that. He can also play the guitar but don't ever ask him to sing. LOL!

Emerson, my youngest brother/motorcycling buddy

Emerson is a graduate of radiomechanics who currently works on a local cable television program. He is also a motorcycle fanatic and he travels to and from his work using his motorcycle too.

Emerson, my youngest brother is the first one who acquired a driver's license among us three.

Aside from motorcycle, Emerson, whose nickname is Melting is in the same way a music lover. He is the best guitarist among us three. He can also play the keyboard and can hit the drum set too.

 Edmar, the motorcycle travel planner

Lastly this is me. I am Edmar, the eldest of the three. I am a full-time practicing nurse and previously a law student (who is currently having a break from stress).

I am the travel planner of the three and I set the place where we can have a joy ride together. I am also the blogger behind this blog.

My interest in traveling with a motorcycle begins with the concept of "worthy traveling." When I travel, I want to explore a place extensively and not just to see what is the famous or what is "cool" in a place. I tend to explore a place deeply and discover new things that others may not know yet.

So with a motorcycle, I have the freedom to observe clearly the environment of a new destination and take even the most off-beaten path. These travel compulsions of mine become easier to realize with a motorcycle.

Aside from a motorcycle, I also love music like my two younger brothers do. I am a vocalist of our church band where my two younger brothers also play. I also play the guitar, the piano and a little bit of the drums. I used to dance but I was just surprised when my two feet became "parehong kaliwa." LOL!

Our motorcycle diaries will be limited to some provinces of Northern Luzon only because we are not yet ready to do an ultra-lengthy motorcycle rides but we are looking forward of traveling the whole Philippines with a bicycle, motorcycle and tricycle soon!

Right now, I (Edmar) will be the main person who will take you to different destinations in the Philippines by traveling on a bicycle, tricycle or a motorcycle. I will be featuring beautiful cycling routes too that can be a good spot for cycling and some encounters along the road with relation to cycling.

We are the E-Brothers and we love Cycling the Philippines! Enjoy this travelogue!

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Cervantes, Ilocos Sur via Motorbike in 6 hours

Me and my brother up above the highest point of any highway system in Ilocos!

I must say that Cervantes in the province of Ilocos Sur is my most favorite cycling destination (whether bicycle or a motorcycle) because of it's great beauty!

The town of Cervantes is considered to be the last frontier of the province of Ilocos Sur because it is located at the eastermost part of the province.

Finally, we reached Cervantes! The last town of Ilocos Sur, Yepeee!!!




The Cervantes town center, at a crossroad leading you to Quirino town and 3 more provinces in Cordillera. Choose where to go!

The town is the crossroad for 4 provinces and 3 of them are from the Cordilleras - Abra, Benguet and Mountain Province.

Of course, the motorbike that we used is Honda Beat. Honda Beat is very competitive on the road. It goes so smooth with efficient engine, we spent around 230 pesos for our gasoline which is way cheaper compared when commuting.



Amazing! There are pine forests in Cervantes!

My brother and I were surprised with what we saw. It was a stunning mountain road filled with free falling waterfalls and pine forests.

The 6-hour butt-numbing motorcycle ride was really worth it and the beautiful sceneries we were seeing were just non-stop as we continued to go higher to the mountains.

I was also surprised that the automatic Honda beat can manage this challenging motorcycling route. We did not encounter any problem and everything just went smooth and clean.



I was taking a nap with the pine trees. The air was freezing cold, I swear!

This motorcycle ride to Cervantes was just epic. There was no convoy - only me and my bro in one motorbike. It feels like we were the owner of the road because it was empty. We were the only people traversing that road although we saw one ambulance and two passenger vans along the way for a span of 3 hours on that mountain trail.

I never heard anyone doing a motorcycle ride to Cervantes without a "group" so if you know someone, let me know. All I know is that we were the only tandem, or one of the few if there are some, who have reached Cervantes in one motorcycle all the way from Vigan!



My brother on a point where we can see the lowlands of Cervantes

We reached Cervantes safely and bravely. If you are from Ilocos Sur, you'll be aware that going to Cervantes using a motorcycle is dangerous and we proved them right.

Yes, there were threats of falling rocks and landslides but I must say the "worth" of the ride outweighs the danger.



Notice the green plastic bag there, that is a container filled with gasoline.

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Suyo, Ilocos Sur | Motorcycle ride, the passion all started here

During a motorcycle ride, one of the most rewarding things is being able to see the beauty of Philippines clearly. Because in a motorcycle ride, there is freedom. That character made us able to enjoy the view of this pointed peak as we traverse the road in Suyo, Ilocos Sur clearly and without any obstruction.

Riding either a motorcycle, bicycle or tricycle has always been fun! I consider it as the best way to explore the Philippines. Cycling is the most efficient and least costly way of traveling.

My passion of traveling using a motorbike or a motorcycle started when I went to the town of Suyo, Ilocos Sur accidentally.

It was accidental because it was just unplanned. That year (2010), I was able to acquire my own motorbike which is Honda Beat, an automatic motorbike. Because I was just too excited to do a road trip using a motorbike, we and my brother headed down south and we traversed the Manila North Road or the Maharlika Highway within the Ilocos Sur jurisdiction.

It was just spontaneous. Out of curiosity, we entered an unfamiliar road at the Bitalag Junction in the town of Tagudin also in Ilocos Sur and out from my expectation, this road trip has stirred my urge and passion to travel with a motorbike.

We just took the road and we didn't know what to expect at all, but we kept hitting the trigger until we were just so overwhelmed by the views we saw that made us forget we were already going far.

More stories will be coming about this motorcycle road trip in Suyo town soon! Suyo, Ilocos Sur, I must say, is one of the best places to do a motorcycle joy ride!



Entering the mountain town of Suyo, Ilocos Sur via motorbike

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