The Complete Idiot's Guide to Riding: Vigan, Ilocos Sur - Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

The title might give you the impression that this is going to be one of those itinerary posts. Well, you're in for a big disappointment. There are plenty of articles and blog posts discussing itineraries and travel guides in visiting Ilocos so please feel free to scroll away from this page 'cause frankly, this post won't help you at all. Well, sort of. Depends on your mode of transportation. *winks*

April 19, 2015. I, along with the crew of Hotel Salcedo, decided to try the whole 'Ultimate Road Trip Experience' differently. Yes, you guessed it right. Nag-motor kami. I was an OBR (Official Back Ride) back then and as usual, I had a lot of observation during the whole ordeal.

Some of our kasamas might have underestimated the trip thus the difficulties we encountered so I'm going to give you some tips in riding as seen and experienced by yours truly so that you will be (hopefully) spared from unnecessary humiliation.

So here it goes...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Going On Long-Rides From An Official Back Rider's Standpoint:

1. Always bring your license/registration papers with you. If you don't have a license, huwag mo na ipilit.


2. Your gear is your armor. I am going to come clean with this. I hate wearing rider gears. Post-helmet looks are never sexy. Plus, imagine wearing a shirt under thick jackets and vests on a sunny day. It's icky. It's irritating. BUT, it can save you. Put aside your narcissism and wear your gears. Safety should always be on the top of the priority list.

3. Check your ride. Ang tunay na rider, marunong ikundisyon ang motor. I get it. You’ve bombarded your sweet ride with set-ups here and there. You have full confidence that it will not falter. But are you really sure? An irresponsible rider would say, ‘Kaya niya yan. Di yan papalya. Vigan – Pagudpud lang naman.’ Time and time again it has been proven that the most humiliating mistakes are often committed by riders who are overconfident yet underprepared. Check whatever needs to be checked. Double check. Triple check. You wouldn’t want to be the cause of delay, would you?

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="852"] Photo-ops habang nagpapavulcanize sila. 🙈[/caption]

This Pagudpud trip was probably the most ‘Ha? Bakit? Paano nangyari yun?’ ride I’ve experienced. May napigtas ang belt. Maraming naflat. May kamuntikang mag-over heat. May nahulog ang karburador (don’t even ask. LT pa rin talaga til now.). But you see, all of these would’ve been avoided if everyone was responsible enough to prepare. It was a good thing we were all patient with each other. It was our first ride together after all. We all laughed about it after. You can’t grow without committing mistakes anyway. Needless to say, the crew became more responsible ever since.

4. Learn the rider’s language. This is very important. You need to be in constant communication with your co-riders. Need to take a leak? Sign. Gas already empty? Sign. A co-rider is experiencing trouble? Sign. Bumpy road up ahead? Sign. I’ve always been amazed by the sign language riders use. It’s concise yet easy to understand. My favourite is the peace sign you do to greet oncoming riders. Peace! *beep beep* Peace!

 

Here’s a quick guide:

5. No soldier gets left behind. You are responsible for your co-riders. Do mental headcounts after stop overs, traffic and sharp curves. If you notice somebody missing, alert the others. He may be in trouble or just stubbornly slow. Nevertheless, no soldier gets left behind.

 

6. Coordinate. Coordinate. Okay. This one I really need to emphasize. Bago pa mag-simula ang ride, dapat nakapag-usap usap na kung saan mag-i-stop over o kung saan mag-ga-gas. Dapat pag nag-gas ang isa, mag-ga-gas na rin ang lahat. Habang nag-ga-gas, mag-cr na mga kailangan mag-cr. I was a little annoyed when we had to stop over every other gas station we passed by. However, I kept in mind the fact that we rode different motorcycles thus we don’t have the same gas consumption. But then again, i-full tank mo na please. Wag mo na tingi-tingiin. Also, if you feel like stopping for refreshments, please tell the group. Wag selfish. If you need to run some quick errands, sabihan mo ka-grupo mo then tell them when and where to meet up right after.

7. Stay on your lane. If you’re the fifth driver in a convoy, stick to your position. That way, mas madali mag-headcount. Hindi rin siya nakakaconfuse. Kahit kating-kati ka na mag-overtake dahil mabagal yung nasa harapan mo, BE PATIENT. Hindi excuse na mabilis ang motor mo. Also, respect the capabilities of your co-riders’ bikes. Kung 110cc lang sila, wag mo silang i-expect na sumabay sa 150cc. Sundan ang phaser. Kung nababagalan ka, sabihan lang ang phaser. May rason kung bakit siya ang phaser. Wag ka na makipagtalo. Kung gusto mo, mauna ka na.

 

8. Trust your driver. If you’re an OBR, trust your driver. Be one with the driver. Kung bet nila mag-bengking bengking, go with the flow. Here’s a tip: Press your body against your driver. Wag mo kokontrahin. Marami na ang nadisgrasya dahil sa nerbyosong OBR. Mag-tiwala ka sa driver. Hindi ka ipapahamak niyan. Malaking factor na kumportable ka sa pag-di-drive ng kasama mo at kumportable din siya na iangkas ka. Driving with a passenger demands chemistry. Kailangan in-synched kayo with each other. Kung hindi ka sanay na may angkas, ipaangkas mo na lang sa iba. Also, try not to talk to your driver especially if you guys are going 120kph and above. Keep your eyes on the road as well. Be the driver’s extra pair of eyes. Wag ka masyadong chill.

 

9. CONTRIBUTE! Sa mundo ngayon, hindi na uso ang libre. Lahat may bayad na. Pag may ambagan, please… Mag-ambag ka. Mahiya ka naman.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Oh, How I miss thee...[/caption]

10. Enjoy the ride. Don’t join an event if you have an appointment that you need to attend to on the same day. Nothing is more annoying than hearing someone say, “Guys, tara na. May meeting pa ako ng 4PM.” Or “Guys, bilisan natin ng konti. Hindi ako nakapagpaalam kay kumander.” Don’t be the cause of everyone’s dismay and irritation. Be there to have fun. Mag-paalam ng tama. Wag tumakas. Mag-leave kung kinakailangan. There are already so many distractions on the road, wag mo na idagdag yang mga problema mo. Always remember: Rides are best taken worry-free.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="960"] PHOTO CREDITS: Jhen Soberano[/caption]

I’ll definitely come up with more as time goes by but right now, settle with the ones I just mentioned. To be honest, the best part about the trip was the mistakes. The learnings. It tested how compatible and how patient we were with each other. It also showed how positive the group can get despite the many kamalasan that occurred that day. Everybody kept their cool. Masaya pa rin. Parang walang nangyari. Tama sila… Filipinos are indeed the happiest people on Earth.