637km Motorcycle Ride | A Journey to Remember

"Enjoy the journey as much as the destination." -Marshall Sylver

As someone who enjoys road trips, I'm always excited whenever someone invites me to go somewhere that requires a long drive. I love going to places from places, especially if it's a new one where I have never stepped a foot of mine. For me, going to places where you've never been before is like breathing a fresh air.

Last February, me and my boyfriend planned a trip that was supposed to happen in April. However, since both of us are busy at work and prioritizing some important things, we decided to push the trip in May, which is my birth month. We had two months to prepare, but due to unknown reason, we don't know why we decided to prepare at first week of May. Furthermore, our preparation requires a lot since we're going to travel hundreds of kilometers using a motorcycle. From gears (for safety), to mental aspect, we prepared ourselves.

Our initial plan of going to only one destination was changed. Instead of going to Dingalan, Aurora only, we decided to make it as a side trip, then we will go to Baguio, Benguet, which is a couple of hundred kilometers away from Manila. Allow me to share with you the story of my most memorable road trip yet.

May 23, 2024 -- We left home (San Andres, Manila) at 3:45AM. The destination we put on the Google Maps is La Nuestra Señora dela Paz, a famous landmark in Dingalan, Aurora. We had several stopovers as my leg gets easily numb when I'm sitting longer than the usual. Based on Google Maps, our trip using a motorcycle should only take 4 hours and 21 minutes, but in our case, it took us 6 to 7 hours, stopovers included. We arrived at La Nuestra Señora dela Paz at around 10AM, spent an hour there while looking for a transient inn where we can spend the whole day until next morning.

You might ask, "Why Dingalan, Aurora?". For context, I have never done hiking. I want to try, but I get so tired easily, hence, I tend to experience short-breathing whenever I'm physically exhausted. But for some unknown reason, I love the mountain views (I also love ocean views, but I prefer mountain views). I don't even know why.

Dingalan is famous for its scenery, especially the mountain views. So while we're on the road going to La Nuestra Señora dela Paz, our eyes are filled with the nature's beauty of Dingalan. So if you're a nature lover, you'll be overwhelmed; wide fields to wide ocean view, for sure, you'll enjoy it, like we did.

While we're at La Nuestra Señora dela Paz, we're also looking for a place where we can spend the day and night to prepare for our ride going to Baguio, Benguet. We left La Nuestra Señora dela Paz after an hour, and went to the transient apartment that we saw on a Facebook Page. If you're planning to go to Dingalan, Aurora, and looking for a place to stay for an affordable price, I'm recommending Millicent's Transient Inn (Details will be provided below). Side note: The owner is so hospitable! He gave us a free gallon of water and 5 boiled bananas as "meryenda"! Kudos to Tatay Marvin!

Around 11AM-12PM when we arrived at Millicent's Transient Inn. The only sad thing we encountered that moment is there's no electricity in the area. It was about 5PM when the electricity came back, so we waited for 5 hours from the time that we arrived. We're not sure if the blackout happens every day, or just that day as we weren't able to ask about that. But we're glad that the electricity came back as early as expected. We spent the day and night in Dingalan, giving ourselves the rest that we needed.

May 24, 2024 -- We started our ride going to Baguio, Benguet at exactly 5AM. Based on Google Maps, it will only take us 4 hours and 27 minutes with no rest to get there. But due to multiple stopovers, it took us almost 7 hours to get to Kenon Road, and additional 30 minutes to get to the transient house that we booked.

Our ride from Dingalan to Baguio is one of the memorable road trips I've experienced. Since we woke up early that day, we felt a little sleepy, our arms and legs were numb, hence, we did multiple stopovers during this trip. Around 11:25AM when we arrived at Lion's Head at Kenon Road, Benguet. Both of us have already been in Baguio with our friends, respectively (when both of us are still single. LOL), but we've never been to Lion's Head.

While we're passing the Kenon Road, knowing that we're surrounded by mountains was surreal! Side note: Between Marcos Hi-way and Kenon Road, people said that Marcos Hi-way is way safer than Kenon Road where you will pass through mountains, and landslide might happen there anytime. But people who want to see the Lion's Head have no choice but to choose this path and to pray that nothing bad will happen.

Exactly 12PM when we arrived at Balai Martina Baguio Guesthouse (Details will also be provided below), the transient place where we stayed until Sunday. The place is good especially if you're looking for an affordable place to stay. We didn’t make a reservation, instead, we just called them 3 hours before our arrival and said that we will book one of their rooms as walk-in occupants, fortunately, there’s 1 room available. The staff is very accommodating and the guesthouse feels like home. Our experience there is good!

When we arrived, we took a rest for few hours before we explore the city. We ate at SM Baguio City, then, we enjoyed the city view from the view deck. After that, we went to Burnham Park and enjoyed the rest of the day there. In the next 2 days, we went to some of the famous tourist attractions like Diplomat Hotel, Camp John Hay, Bell Church, Strawberry Farm, and more. Going to Baguio City is a perfect way to relax.

May 26, 2024 —  We planned to start our ride going home at 3PM, but we left Balai Martina at 12PM. We experienced no hassle throughout the ride from Baguio City, not until we reached Pangasinan at around 2PM. Heavy rain poured while we’re on the road to the point that you cannot see the road anymore. We took a stopover for about 30 minutes before we proceed, and more stopovers along the way. We’re not bothered by the fact that is raining and that we might get soaked since we have raincoats. The only thing that’s bothering us is the box that we put on our top box; it is only covered with masking tape, the water got through and some parts of the it are wet. I was bothered by the fact that it can be ruined and I’m afraid that the goods inside will fall while we’re moving. Luckily, while we're driving somewhere in Tarlac, we saw one store and asked if they have a plastic bag, a tape and a rope that we can buy. Prior to seeing the store, we never saw an open store for almost 2 hours, so I prayed to God to give us a chance to see any hardware. I don't even care anymore if the things we need are pricey as long as we get it. God answered my prayers instantly, and He sent an angel in the form of an old lady who owned a store. She gave us two big plastic bags and a rope, plus she even let us used her packing tape for free. One proof that He hears us all the time!

Throughout our journey from Pangasinan, all the way until we reached home is raining. Yes, it was really a hassle, but this particular ride is the most memorable ride that I’ve ever experienced, so far! Why? Let me share the reasons why :)

From the moment that the rain started, this is after we entered Pangasinan, there’s a lot of things that happened along the way which without a doubt, annoying. First, the box that we have that might get ruined anytime because of the rain. Second, the heavy rain that got us soaked even though we're wearing raincoats. Third, our legs that keeps on numbing. Fourth, the different kinds of road we passed; rough and bumpy, flooded, potholed road, roads with lots of frogs, just to mention a few. Fifth, we witnessed few road accidents which is very scary to think about. But at the end, we chose to see the good thing in this journey. Instead of getting annoyed, we talked while my boyfriend is driving, we laughed while we passed through every rough and bumpy road, we made fun of the potholed ways, and we even laughed so hard every time we see a frog in flooded areas. I can still remember how hard our laughs are when we saw one frog swimming in the flood. And the underrated fact that we're safe.

We reached home (San Andres, Manila) at around 12 in the midnight. As per Google Maps, our ride from Baguio to Manila should only take 7 hours (without stopovers), but it took us 12 long hours before we got home. We're both tired and wanted to lay in bed as fast as we could so we can sleep and take all the rest that we needed. But before we slept that moment, we both made sure that we're happy with the ride we did by saying thank you to each other, and of course to God, for keeping us safe.

One thing that got me after this is the fact that despite of many inconveniences, we still managed to laugh and to have fun throughout the ride, and most importantly, to see the good in every bad situation. Sometimes, inconveniences like I mentioned above will really get into your nerves. I admit that it almost got me at one point, good thing that my partner knows how to handle my mood and did his best to make me laugh when I'm being quiet, and he never forgot to ask "Are you okay there?" to make sure I'm okay.

This 637km motorcycle ride showed me that life is like a long drive. There are times when the sky is clear while you're driving on a smooth road with no traffic; you will see how beautiful the surroundings are. But there's also a time when the rain will pour so heavy while you're passing through a rough road that is full of mud, might get stuck in the traffic, will experience any inconveniences on the way; you can get lost on the road. Like the reality of life--- it is not smooth all the time. There are moments when you will have problems, you will be down, you can lose hope. But always remember that despite having these inconveniences along the way, don't forget to enjoy what's currently happening because the ride will teach you many things, and one of them is to enjoy the journey of your life.

Thank you for reading up to this point. As promised, below are the details of the transient houses we booked. In case you're looking for a place to stay in Dingalan and Baguio, you might want to consider to message them:

Dingalan, Aurora - Facebook Page: Millicent's Transient Inn

• We paid PHP1,500 for 17 hours of stay. The room we booked has air condition, 2 beds; 1 double-sized and 1 bunk bed.

• Another good thing about this transient inn is that they also have a store below, so buying foods will not be a problem! PLUS, they are located in front of a beach resort. Tatay Marvin offered us to rent a cottage if we want, in a very affordable price, but we kindly rejected as we don't like to swim that day.

Baguio City - Facebook Page: Balai Martina Baguio Guesthouse

• We paid PHP2,000 for 2 nights + PHP100 for renting the electric fan. Upon checking in, they will charge you PHP500 for key deposit which is refundable upon checking out.

• Check in time: 2PM | Check out time: 11AM

If you're curious about our budget on this trip, and how we managed to make it work, I will post a separate article about that :)

Thank you for reading! Keep exploring! :)