4th Annual Kawasaki Road Tour

Our route from the Kawasaki plant in Alabang to The Oriental Hotel in Legaspi City, Albay

It was another successful "roadgasmic" tour (March 7 to 9, 2014) sponsored annually by Kawasaki for the benefit of its Leisure Bike customers (i.e., those who purchased Kawasaki motorcyles with displacements of 250 cc and above). Past destinations included: Lucban, Quezon (2010); Bolinao, Pangasinan (2011): Anilao, Batangas (2012); and Tacloban, Leyte for the 1st National Meet of Kawasaki Leisure Bike Owners, also in 2012. The 2013 annual road tour to Tacloban, Leyte was canceled due to the devastation brought about by Typhoon Yolanda.

This year (2014), we were nearly 120 riders with about 90 riders coming from Luzon and the rest from the Visayas and Mindanao--the highest number of riders (including, for the very first time, three female riders) in a roadgasmic tour to date. Those of us from Metro Manila converged at the Kawasaki plant in Alabang and commenced our trip at the crack of dawn (Friday, March 7). Most of us arrived at our hotel in Legaspi City by nightfall with travel times ranging from 12 to 15 hours, covering a distance of almost 500 kilometers. I rode with fellow Vulcan owners with Manoy leading the pack at a leisurely pace. We were one of the last to arrive but that's OK. We were probably one of the least stressed as well. I had my fill of riding for the day along with a pair of real sore buttocks.

The following morning (Saturday, March 8), we cruised around Mayon Volcano, stopping at the planetarium (see the "A" marker below) about one-third up the peak of Mayon. I have a sneaking suspicion this would be a great site for paragliding and hang gliding with a little incremental investment on a take-off platform by the government and the cooperation of some landowners for several landing sites.

The road around Mayon Volcano

Most of us spent the afternoon resting, still exhausted from the ride of the previous day. A few (like myself) took a dip in the swimming pool on the second floor while enjoying the breathtaking view of Mayon. This was followed by a hearty dinner and an evening of entertainment, graced by the Governor of Albay, Joey Salceda.

Our view from the swimming pool of The Oriental Hotel, Legaspi City

The last day (Sunday, March 9) was the return trip. Given our leisurely pace, our group decided to leave at the crack of dawn, ahead of most of the riders. We wanted to be in the vicinity of Metro Manila before dark. We were at the Calamba exit of SLEX before 5 p.m. I decided to have dinner and to take a dip in one of the hot springs resorts of Pansol--a reinvigorating break that enabled me to enjoy the last leg of my ride home.

Many thanks again to the brilliant marketing team of Kawasaki Leisure Bikes, headed by Inoue San, Teench and Arnel. Their vision of the Philippine Islands as a world-class touring venue for Kawasaki Leisure Bikes will provide much adventure and enjoyment to many boys and girls in the country today and in the years to come!

The True Tales of Pedring Rabino, Part 1

When I was a young boy and I shared the room with my baby sister, Monique, I recall that one of our maids (Leone, who hailed from Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro) was assigned to sleep with us at night. At times, Monique and I had too much energy to fall asleep and we would press Leone to recount the local horror stories of her childhood. Anything that had to do with aswang, manananggal, kapre, tiyanak, duwende etc. would be just fine and, for a brief period in our youth, these would be our bedtime stories.

During my recent visit to Mansalay early this month (February 2014), I came across an entertaining story by the late Fortunato Tolentino, recounted by his own son, who happens to be our farm manager, Ka Porek. Although it is not a horror story, it is in the same tradition as the local folklore of Leone that we enjoyed as kids. This is the first of the many "True Tales of Pedring Rabino". Although Pedring has passed-away, he is quite a legend in Mansalay in light of his anting-anting or agimat, which gave him special powers. I intend to seek and memorialize Pedring's exploits during my visits to Mansalay in the years to come.

The Stranded Six-Wheeler

There was a carpenter by the name of Fortunato Tolentino. He was born and raised in San Isidro, Batangas, where he learned his craft from his father. After the war, when Fortunato was a young man, he decided to explore the opportunities in the neighboring Island of Mindoro. Fortunato initially settled with his wife in, then, the remote town of Naujan and later moved to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro. At that time, Mindoro was filled with virgin forests with settlers few and far between. It was a haven for loggers, who exploited the timber resources with abandon.

Fortunato would usually have to work far from home to support his family. In these instances, he would return home from work once a week at most, usually hitching a ride on one of the six-wheelers hauling timber through the dirt roads of the province.

In one of these trips home from work, the six-wheeler, which was fully loaded with several massive logs, stalled just as it was approaching the peak of a steep hill. According to the driver, if only the truck stopped at the top of the hill, which had level ground, he would probably be able to repair the engine and complete his trip for the day . . . and get Fortunato home to his family.

Just as the driver and Fortunato were lamenting their situation, Pedring Rabino, an acquaintance of Fortunato, approaches them on foot from behind the truck. Pedring soon finds out their predicament and offers to help, much to their disbelief. Nevertheless, Pedring proceeded to take a spool of thread from his pocket, tied one end of the string to the front bumper of the truck and walked towards the top of the hill--while unfurling the thread from the spool.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Pedring calls out to the driver to steer the truck as he rolls the string onto its spool. And as sure as the light of day, the truck and its trailer with massive logs slowly roll-up to the level ground at the peak of the hill.

Just barely over the shock of what Pedring had done, the driver repaired the engine in relatively short order while Fortunato invited Pedring to come along for the ride to save him the trouble of walking to his destination. Besides, Fortunato had several bottles of coconut wine waiting for him at the stall of Aling Inta at the end of the trip, which he was keen on sharing with Pedring, who had not only accomplished an astonishing feat but also would have brought Fortunato home to his family sooner than later. However, Pedring politely declined as he had another matter to attend to.

And so, the driver started the engine and the six-wheeler continued its journey towards Fortunato's home. After several more hours on the bumpy and dusty provincial road, they finally arrive at the stall of Aling Inta just as the sun was about to set. Much to the surprise of Fortunato, there was Pedring comfortably seated and getting started on his third bottle of coconut wine.

Paragliding in Tandem at Carmona

Just a couple of weeks ago . . . The film clip rolls a few minutes after take-off (when we had gained altitude) up to the point when I assumed the standing position about a minute before landing.

I learned to paraglide with a paramotor (that's an engine with a propeller strapped at my back coupled with a paraglider) about 15 years ago near Torrey Pines, San Diego. I was visiting my eldest sister at Stanford (or maybe attending her MBA graduation) with Mom and my other sisters at that time and I took-off for a few days with the objective of learning the basics and getting airborne on a paramotor. My instructor obliged and my objectives were met within my limited 3-day schedule.

I imported my paramotor and paraglider from Dudek Paragliders, Poland and managed to take this for a spin a few times. However, I was unable to sit properly on the harness each time I was airborne, which resulted in an uncomfortable ride. I concluded that the harness was too small for me (or I was just getting too fat for the harness) or I needed some more training, which was not yet readily available in the Philippines. Further, as my health and athleticism deteriorated in the course of my work, I realized that I could not grow old with this sport. So, I sold the paramotor and kept the wing with the intent of picking-up the sport after I retired from employment--that is, only paragliding without the paramotor.

I have been kiting diligently over the past several weeks under the instructions of Buko, when his schedule permits. I am looking forward to my first solo paragliding flight soon!

Stationary Winch for Paragliders and Hang Gliders

The winch will be installed on the trailer after some retrofitting.

Inspired by the success of Rolf Dunder in the utilization of his 300 hp stationary winch to launch his sailplanes at Rancho Caridad, I commissioned the same individual who created Rolf's winch, Jonathan Tayamora, to create a much more modest stationary winch to launch paragliders and hang gliders at Rancho Caridad. This one has the classic 16 hp Briggs and Stratton cast iron engine as its prime mover and a torque converter to provide the necessary fluidity to launch paragliders and hang gliders into the air. It also has several features for the safety and convenience of the users (i.e., paragliders, hang gliders and the winch operator) including:

1. an idle mode (versus the engaged mode)
2. operator-friendly accelerator handle/swing
3. brakes with dual controls (by the right hand and/or the right foot)
4. a tension gauge (to measure the "pull" of the cable)
5. a guillotine (to cut the cable in case of an emergency)

We are modifying the trailer of my microlight aircraft to accommodate the winch, which we will henceforth be able to transport easily around the airfield.

This undertaking has taken about three (3) years from its inception--starting from my first email to Jonathan (March 9, 2011) bouncing-off my initial choice of prime mover up to the delivery of the winch to Nampicuan on February 13, 2014. It is by no means complete as I am still having the spool aligned and balanced to minimize the wiggle on the winch. I am also having the rope manufacturer run a continuous two (2) kilometer rope for our particular application. Bottom line, it's a homegrown piece of equipment with all of its parts readily available in the Philippines, so we can repair it easily and make it over and over again if we have to . . . cost-effectively.

Then, there's the parachute for the rope, the tow release bridles for paragliders and hang gliders, and the paragliders and hang gliders themselves. This is where the expensive imported stuff comes into the picture.

There's plenty of testing ahead before we launch individuals outside our immediate circle of enthusiasts but it's going to be lots of fun . . . hopefully with minimal or no injuries along the way.

Postscript

Jonathan is fabricating the casing of the return pulley.

After calling several shops that allegedly could undertake dynamic balancing, I finally found Rurex in Malabon, which specializes in balancing turbochargers of large marine diesel engines like the ones Enron operated and maintained at Batangas and Subic. The proprietors, who were young, enthusiastic and hard-working Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs, knew all the managers at the plants. In a few days, my spool was balanced for a reasonable service fee.

I ordered my cable from Manila Cordage Company. The longest continuous length they could produce is 1,500 meters, so that's what I am getting. As soon as this is available, we'll be ready to do some test winching of paragliders in Rancho Caridad.

Farewell Old Tree

If you look closely, you will see a man at the base of the large left branch of the tree.

A brief film clip--Farewell Old Tree

In this age of overpopulation and cavalier exploitation of natural resources, I am keenly aware of the few precious centennial trees we have left at Rancho Caridad. One such tree had expired probably about two years ago. I am not sure exactly when, as I seem to recall her bearing fruits as recently as two years ago. Then, the inevitable. She didn't flower. She shed her leaves and her branches withered to death.

I would have left her alone for her statuesque beauty. However, the certainty of her rotting core, typhoons and her proximity to the house forces me to cut her down. I reflect on the many thousands she has delighted with her sweet mangoes, the birds she has sheltered, the children who have climbed her branches, the snakes and lizards that have burrowed under her roots and the fresh air she has produced for all to breath.

To honor her life and death, we partition her carefully to ensure we use all the wood she has left behind as best as we can. Solid tabletops from her trunk, cooking fuel from her branches, vermiculture fodder from her saw dust--not an ounce wasted and a fitting farewell to a grand old tree.

Casabangan Bay Dives in February 2014

Casabangan Bay Dives, Feb 2014, Part 1

Casabangan Bay Dives, Feb 2014, Part 2

A compilation of a few film clips of my recent dives at Casabangan Bay, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. On February 6, 2014, the Barangays of Don Pedro and Cabalwa conducted a public consultation on the establishment of a 200+ hectare "no take" marine protected area or MPA fronting my father's private forest reserve. At long last, the political will to do the right thing appears to be gaining momentum and the MPA (by way of a municipal ordinance) may become a reality in a few months.

Puerto Princesa and El Nido, Palawan

One of the many spectacular views along El Nido Bay

Selina and I had the chance to visit Puerto Princesa and El Nido, Palawan for about a week (Jan 14 to 20, 2014). As luck would have it, there was a low pressure area or LPA percolating in Mindanao during our visit. Hence, the waves at Honda Bay (Puerto Princesa, Day 1) were stronger than it already is during this time of year, thereby limiting our island hopping (shortly after arriving at Puerto Princesa and freshening-up at La Belle Pension--I would recommend this place) to 2 islands; in particular, Luli Island and Cowrie Island. Normally, we would have been able to hop to 3 or 4 islands, including Pandan Island and Snake Island. In addition, the water was turbid, so our snorkeling and fish feeding at Luli Island were visually unsatisfactory. There were plenty of fish though (big and small), which reinforces an established and repeatable phenomenon--enforce a no-take zone (marine sanctuary) and the fish will multiply and grow.

 

Feeding fish at Luli Island

Snorkeling in turbid waters at Luli Island

As an aside, the tour guides are wondering why Snake Island has been off-limits to the public since the visit of upstart Willie Revillame about a year ago. Rumor has it that the island, which is thought to be public property, has been illegally sold to a private entity. Just can't seem to shake-off government corruption, even when you're just having fun in Palawan.

Another potentially interesting spot at Honda Bay is Pambato Reef, which also appears to be off-limits to the public at this time, allegedly to allow the corals and resident fish to recover from the onslaught of snorkeling tourists.

I did not see much snorkeling at Cowrie Island, so we just had lunch here, returned to La Belle Pension and proceeded to El Nido at around 4 p.m. Arrived at El Nido around 10 p.m. and I think that I don't want to make this road trip as a passenger in a van if I can help it. That said, I would take my Vulcan to Puerto Princesa and tour the whole island of Palawan when the opportunity arises. The nearly 300 kilometers of road was mostly concreted with about 40 minutes of "rough road" scattered throughout the trip. Makes you want to execute the government personnel who obstructed the proper completion of the construction project.

I don't care to remember the place we were billeted on our first overnight stay at El Nido. It was a dump but we were too tired to notice.

Day 2, El Nido. After a few exchanges with my tour organizer (including some expletives), we were transferred to Lolo Oyong Pension (I would recommend this place too). Our island hopping "Tour A" was canceled due to a gail warning and we proceeded to plan our scuba diving excursion as soon as the Coast Guard would allow vessels to leave the bay.

Day 3, El Nido. Scuba diving, 3 dives in all. In short, a disappointment due to turbid waters. Appears to be a combination of strong currents at El Nido during this time of year and "plankton season" (Jan to Feb at El Nido and presumably at most other bays throughout the Philippines). Hence, if you are visiting El Nido to scuba dive, don't come here on January or February. Ideal diving conditions are in April and May. It also appears the months from June to November provide decent diving conditions with underwater visibility reaching as much as 30 meters. Bottom line is, I screwed-up by scheduling a scuba diving trip to El Nido this January . . . which gives us an excuse to return.

Ayala-owned resort at Miniloc, El Nido

In the absence of scuba diving, the tropical island scenery around El Nido alone is worth the visit. Relatively small islands with limestone cliffs, thriving rainforests and, incidentally, some pretty high-priced beach resorts tucked in certain lagoons--like the Ayala-owned environmental-award winning resorts in Miniloc, Pangalusia and Lagen. One way of bypassing the unpleasant 5 to 6 hour road trip from Puerto Princesa is to fly directly to the El Nido Airport. It's relatively expensive though at the current rate of P6k per person one-way.

Day 4 at El Nido. Downtime. There were some extreme changes in water temperature during our dives the previous day, which left me a bit feverish. Spent most of the day resting. Signs of aging . . . much to my chagrin.

A note on the electricity situation in El Nido. Electricity service in the town of El Nido starts at around 2 p.m. and is turned-off at around 6 a.m.--a scenario that is as unacceptable (i.e., there should be electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) as it is an "in your face" statement on the failure of Philippine government. Considering El Nido is a major tourist attraction in the Philippines and practically the closest town (approximately 50 kilometers) to the Malampaya natural gas offshore platform, from which the Philippine government derives billions of US dollars of proceeds from the sale of the said natural gas, there is no acceptable reason that there should be any gap in electricity service in the town of El Nido.

Day 5, El Nido to Puerto Princesa. The following day, we left El Nido at around 6 a.m. to return to Puerto Princesa (ETA around 12 noon; really don't like that road trip sitting in a van) and had a delightful seafood degustation lunch at KaLui's Restaurant. I specifically requested that my tuna steak be seared only, which turned out perfectly in light of the fresh catch. Thereafter, we proceeded to tour the City of Puerto Princesa, highlighted by our visit to the crocodile farm.

Day 6, Puerto Princesa. On our last day of touring, we visited the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Park--a must see about two hours drive from the city center. About a hundred De La Salle University students on tour arrived ahead of us, which kept us waiting longer than usual. But it was worth the wait. Approaching the bay where the subterranean river is located is like entering Jurassic Park--limestone cliffs jutting out of a tropical rainforest by the sea. Upon our arrival, we are met by macaque monkeys and large monitor lizards meandering without much regard for the throngs of human visitors. Folks, it doesn't get any better than this!