I just couldn’t understand why most of the motorcycle riders don’t want to wear helmet when in fact wearing helmet will not only protect the motorcycle riders during fall out but also will help the rider from any disturbance in riding like wind, dust, insects and other objects that might hit you while riding.

Everytime I use my Honda XRM motorcycle, I always bring with me the helmet. Not just bring the helmet with me, I always wear it on my head not on my hands.

Besides, I make sure that the helmet that I bought and that I am using is the one that passed the standard quality. This kind of helmet might be expensive but it’s an assurance that the helmet will really help me during fall out.

I noticed that there are other motorcycle riders who wear substandard helmet just to comply with the requirements set by the law when riding motorcycle but rejecting the thought of saving themselves during accident.

Actually, these photos are the results of our experiment in using “Landscape Scene” in taking pictures in motion.

We took a few minute rest of riding 2km before reaching the poblacion of the town of Tomas Oppus. We’re taking pictures of each other when an approaching red 110 Honda XRM motorcycle got our attention. A dog was riding on it as you can see on the photo below:

Click Here To Enlarge

We wondered how the dog seated itself at the tail of the Honda XRM bike. While they’re still far from us, my wife guessed that someone was next to that dog and holding it on there. But she’s wrong because no one was actually supporting the dog. It’s the dog himself supporting its own and did the balancing.

Click The Image To Enlarge

Now, we’re very much curious. So we followed them. I told my wife to took photos of them while I would try to go near with them. When we’re almost at their side, I told my wife to took a larger photo of the dog’s feet for us to know more if the dog was tied up against the bike’s seat. But nothing and no one was really supporting him. The dog supported its own.

It’s really amazing.

After posting this post, I will now start my journey. I will first fill my motorcycle tankc with gasoline that will be enough to run from Maasin City to Sogod, Southern Leyte. In Sogod, I will be again filling up the tank to make sure that I can reach Surigao City without emptying the tank. In Surigao City, I will again fill to full the gasoline tank for my journey down south. And my next refilling will be in Butuan City and San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur.

I think, by tomorrow I will be in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur already.

I might be tired of driving the Toyota Innova from Malitbog, Southern Leyte to Ormoc city via Bato, Leyte then back to Malitbog from Ormoc, but then the accident was really due to the fault of the other guy involved with it.

Yesterday, after driving our family I immediately went to Liloan Ferry Terminal in Liloan, Southern Leyte to fetch my nephew who would be staying here in Malitbog, Southern Leyte on the rest of the days of the month of December 2007. On my way to the Ferry terminal, I was driving at the speed of 70KPH in a slightly curved highway near the Himay-angan crossing when a young man riding his bicycle suddenly turned left crossing my lane. I know I would hit him but I still tried to apply brake on both wheel. The motorcycle almost skids, but I managed to control it until I finally hit the pedal of the bicycle.

We are actually in a letter – T position during the impact. We’re just too lucky that the impact is not too heavy but it still threw us few meters away from the motorcycle and bicycle.

He stood up immediately and told me to get my motorcycle and check its damage. I then told them to forget about the motorcycle because all the damages of it can be repaired. Instead of thinking about anything else, I told them to check his body for any injury.

I can’t really believe that we both had no injuries, even scratches. But my Honda XRM motorcycle and his bicycle were all slightly damaged.

The young man asked apology from me. And I advised him to be careful and not to do the things he did. I also reminded him that the road he’s running was a highway not just an ordinary road, and that vehicles are normally running in high speed.

If what hit him was a 4-wheel vehicle, I wonder what will happen to him and where he is now.

During my last visit to San Agustin, Surigao del Sur, that was on September 2 to 11, 2007, I was thinking what gadget should I buy to avoid accident while talking with my passenger. Yes! I was thinking of a Driver-To-Passenger Intercom that don’t need to push button when talking. I don’t know what kind of intercom is this… maybe a dual intercom system.

So, when I went back here in Maasin City, I immediately search the internet and I found the “Nady PMC-2X Driver-to-Passenger Motorcycle Intercom” at the Amazon.Com.

According to the manufacturer of it, the “Nady PMC-2X Driver-to-Passenger Motorcycle Intercom” has these features:

• Full-duplex communication between driver and passenger
• Soft touch electronic volume control
• Noise canceling microphones with Wind Block- circuitry
• Voice activated radio mute
• Easily connects to optional FRS/GMRS radios and cell phones {a30z03}{b317zx}{c31z35}

I think, this is the one I’m looking for.

The adventure is quiet interesting. Riding the motorcycle from Malitbog, Southern Leyte to Ormoc City via Bontoc to Bato diversion road which took me 45 minutes passing by the town of Tomas Oppus. In Bato, I eat my breakfast at 7:00 AM and then start rolling the highways again.

When traveling from Bato to Ormoc City, you’ll pass by towns of:

1. Hilongos
2. Hindang
3. Inopacan
4. Baybay
5. Albuera

And I spent 2 hours driving the motorcycle at the speed of 70 to 80 KPH.

Rolling the highways with this route is quite interesting and exciting, but then I need to prepare lot of things just to make sure my trip will be safe.

(1) Money

Money is one of the important that I should prepare. Remember that every now and then we’ll be using this for:

1. Meals
2. Fuel
3. Hotel
4. other extra expenses

(2) Clothes

I will be spending several days on this trip. I just can’t take the adventure without resting. And in the first place, I need to wait for the schedule of the roro vessels connecting my Leyte ride and Mindanao rides. And with this, I really need to prepare some extra clothes.

(3) Tools, Airpump and Extra Interior Wheel Shell

While rolling the highways, we don’t of course know what will happen to our wheels and other motorcycle parts.. Therefore we need to bring tools, airpump and extra interior.

(5) Philippine Maps

I think, I need to bring a comprehensive Philippine Maps, with Highways and Streets included. Just in case we’ll be lost somewhere, then we can easily find the right road to take.

Isabel Leyte is about 215 Kilometers away from Malitbog, Southern Leyte when running through the Leyte Highways (as shown on the image below). If I can maintain the speed of 60 Kilometers per hour, then I’ll be running the highways for 3 and a half hours straight.

(from the image above: 1 - Malitbog, Southern Leyte, 2 – Maasin,
Southern Leyte, 3- Baybay, Leyte, 4-Ormoc City, Isabe, Leyte)

I began my journey to Isabel, Leyte (Philippines) at around 9:00AM (Philippine Time). The town of Malitbog, Southern Leyte serves as my starting point. I stopped by Maasin City at around 9:45AM to perform my blogging job. Well, I need to do my job even if I am in the middle of my trips and I don’t have laptop and own internet connection so I need to stop by on places where internet connection and cafes exist.

At 3:00PM, I left Maasin City and started rolling the highways at the range of speed of 60 KPH to 80 KPH. Even on sharp curves and winding roads, I managed to run at 65 KPH without applying breaks. That was really dangerous but I also need to do that as a way of training my self in advanced motorcycle driving. After all, motorcycling became my new hobby now.

I arrived in Isabel, Leyte at 8:00PM. I would be there earlier than that if I was not lost in Ormoc City. I was roaming around the city looking for exit to Isabel, Leyte. And I didn’t find it until I asked somebody the direction of the exit.

About Isabel Leyte

According to the Wikipedia:

Isabel is a 1st class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 38,486 people in 8,303 households.

Isabel is the most industrialized town in Eastern Visayas, being the site of Leyte Industrial Development Estates (LIDE). Some of the companies located here are the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp., Philippine Associated Smelter and Refinery Corp., and Lepanto Mining Corp. It has earned its monicker as “Saudisabel” because of the high availability of jobs. Isabelnons enjoy a relatively high standard of living.

Last Words

Currently, I am here at one of the cafes in Isabel, Leyte as I post this blogpost. I’ll be leaving the town at 12:00 noon.

With regards to my next journey, well, I haven’t planned about it yet. You can invite me to visit your places and let me feature them here. Just contact me here.

Started my trip at 11:00 Noon in Benit, Malitbog, Southern Leyte. After 25 minutes I stopped over Sogod, Southern Leyte and filled my motorcycle tank with premium gasoline. At 2PM I was already in Liloan Ferry Terminal, Liloan, Southern Leyte.

I started my real adventure in Surigao City at around 11:00 Noon May 21, 2007, running through the Maharlika highway down to San Francisco, Agusan del Sur via Ampayon, Butuan City.

I arrived at our hometown, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur at around 6:00PM, May 21, 2007.

See the image below for preview of my trip or visit the map for more details.