Then I remembered Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. I did a Mindoro Loop last February but I bypassed Sablayan due to lack of time. So, I made up my mind. It's off to Sablayan and I started making preparations for my bike trip.
THE GEAR- Surly Troll touring bike
- Deuter rear pannier bags
- Larga handlebar bag
- Deuter frame bag
- Top tube bag
- Multi-tools
- tire repair kit
- Bicycle locks
- Blinkers
- Wireless cyclometer
- H-bar mounted action camera
- Mini-speaker
- 120GB iPod
- 3 power banks
- Assorted clothing, rain jacket, cycling shorts, fingerless gloves
- Cycling helmet
- Head scarf
- Safari hat
- Assorted food items
- Portable butane stove and butane canister
- Samsung tablet
- Nokia Lumia for phone & SMS, Endomondo app
- Sony handy cam
- Vitamins, medicine
- Wallet, money, IDs
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| Selfie inside the CR at Batangas Port. |
All my bags are packed, and I'm ready to go...
I left home before dawn and headed towards the bus terminal at Cubao, Quezon City for the bus ride to Batangas Pier. It was an uneventful trip, and I spent the time taking a power nap. I disembarked at Batangas before 10 am, fell in line, and waited for boarding time for the next ferry to Abra de Ilog.
By the time I reached Abra, it was 2 pm. I didn't waste anytime since I still had a long ways to go. As soon as I left the boat, I began pedaling south. It was really slow-going since I was battling a headwind.
The roads of Mindoro are mostly excellent! Vehicles were few and far between. The rural scenery was a very welcome sight.
Later that afternoon, it started raining, which eventually became a torrential downpour and I was forced to stop and take shelter underneath a waiting shed. I was growing concerned with the dwindling daylight I had left, so I decided to keep on pedaling in the rain.
Fortunately, the rain stopped, but it was growing more and more dark and I was nowhere near my destination.
I've done night rides before, but this Mindoro ride was especially eerie. I did not have the benefit of moonlight nor stars, so it was pitch black, with nothing more than two blinkers to provide illumination a few feet in front of me.
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| Stopped to rest underneath this lamp post. Any source of light is a welcome sight after a long ride in total darkness. |
There were long stretches of utter darkness between barrios, and there were hardly any more vehicles to share the road with so late at night, so I was very much alone in the black expanse for the most part. Just the same, I was crazy enough to turn off my blinkers for several seconds at a time and pedal in absolute darkness before I switched my lights on again. I don't really know why I did that, but doing it was an adrenaline rush. It was really scary and exhilarating at the same time. The darkness was really foreboding. It was always a relief to see even a faint pinpoint of light from a burning candle or light bulb in the far-off distance. I didn't feel so lonely every time I see a sign of civilization.
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| The half-finished waiting shed where I slept overnight. |
At around 10 pm, I decided to pitch camp at the next barrio. I stopped around 20 kilometers short of Sablayan, parked my bike at a waiting shed in front of an elementary school and called it a night.
I woke up the next day and started pedaling again at around 5 am. It was a good thing I stopped last night. The last remaining kilometers was quite void of any people or dwellings and there were a couple of climbs that would have slowed me down. I don't think I would've reached Sablayan and I would be so exhausted that I would be forced to stop in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of night, with no safe place to rest.
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| The journey home. Early morning as I headed back to Abra de Ilog Pier. |
As soon as dawn broke, I had already conquered a major climb, and the rest of the way was easy. I arrived at the port at 12 noon just in time to board the ferry back to Batangas.
I don't remember anymore what time I arrived home. All I know is I was thoroughly exhausted, aching all over, and happy.
I can't wait for my next ride...
