Jet found a biker's route map posted online that we'd follow. Honestly, I didn't check the route at all and just let Jet navigate. That's a mistake in bikepacking. Everyone should know the route.
View the MapMyRide route here
The second mistake I committed was not getting enough sleep. I was out drinking and playing Netrunner the night before so I only had roughly 2 hours of sleep. I woke up at 5:00am the next day to pack my bag and to make sure that my bike's tires have the right pressure. At aroung 5:45am, Jet arrived.
I opted to keep the basket so I can secure my backpack to my bicycle
The first agenda of the day is to get to Alabang, Muntinlupa. We crossed EDSA via Ortigas Avenue and proceeded to C5 via Shaw Boulevard. We then entered the SLEX west service road via Fort Bonifacio. Going through the service road on a weekday meant going alongside jeeps that keep on loading/unloading every 20 meters.
Eventually, at around 7:30am, we arrived at Alabang. I grabbed a quick breakfast in Jollibee and agreed that our next stop will be at Calamba.
Aside from having to wait for Jet in Muntinlupa (he took a "buko juice break"), the ride up until San Pedro, through the national highway, was uneventful. Then in Binan, we had to go through some sort of carmageddon. Both of the north-bound lanes were blocked off for about 50 meters due to road construction. The section was covered up so drivers can't see the oncoming traffic. Those going soutboud occupied one lane on the other side. The traffic wasn't moving so Jet decided to walk his bike through the sidewalk. I followed suit. We did the right move because traffic was indeed hopelessly gridlocked. On the other side, the northbound vehicles occupied all of the lanes. There was no traffic enforcer in sight. Oh well, it looked like there were a lot of people who'd have to take a leave from work.
At around 9:00am, we arrived at Calamba, Laguna. The sun is already up so it was getting really hot. We rehydrated and figured out how to go to the Laguna-Batangas boundary. We also checked on our friends who were traveling by car.
The ride to Batangas is actually an uphill one
We arrived at the boundary at around 10:00am. At this point, we've been covered around 70 kilometers already. Batangas is a big province and we have about 50 kilometers of riding to cover.
Our bikes' Laguna-Batangas boundary shot
After a quick 7-Eleven hydration break, we pushed through. We went through Tanauan and had a quick lunch in an eatery in Malvar. I ordered a plate of pancit canton and Jet opted for gotto with rice. I wanted to drink some softdrinks but for some reason, the town didn't get any delivery that week. The route was a gradual uphill until we arrived at Lipa City at 11:30am.
We then pushed onwards through Lipa City and San Jose. We eventually veered away from the national highway and took some sort of a back road in San Jose.
At around 12noon, we got a call from out friends who just arrived at the Batangas Port. We needed to be in the port ASAP because our boat for Galera will leave at 1:00pm. Jet and I were confident that with a little over 30km to go, we can make it in time. So we started pedaling faster. Fortunately, the route from San Jose to Batangas City was more or less a downhill one.
After 10km, we were already approaching Batangas City. We were pedaling at a pace wherein, at best, we were covering a kilometer every 2 minutes. The time was around 12:35pm. By my estimate, if we maintain the pace, we'd get to the port by 12:55pm. At that point, I wasn't sure what the procedures for boarding were so I wasn't too confident that we'd make the 1:00pm boat ride. Nonetheless, we continued racing against the clock.
At around 12:50pm, we arrived at the port area. I had no idea the Batangas Port was so immense. We eventually found the right gate by 12:55pm but by that time, we were told that we won't be allowed to board the 1:00pm boat. So, we had to wait for the 2:45pm one.
While waiting for our ride, we freshened up (tip: always bring wet wipes when bikepacking) and ate a nice lunch. We had to buy 2 extra tickets for our bicycles. I'm not sure if that's the official policy at the port but we were in no mood to argue. We're just glad our bikes were allowed to board.
Our bikes at the pier
Waiting to be allowed to board
Our bikes were the last ones to be loaded into the boat. They were placed at the front. Unfortunately, we forgot to put a cover on our leather saddles. They got wet with sea water. Good thing there was no damage after the 1 hour ride. Another thing we didn't account for was the chain rust accumulation due to the salt water. Next time I'm bringing my bike to a boat, I'll make sure I pack some lube.
We arrived at Sabang Beach at around 4:00pm. We had to walk our bikes to our resort. A lot of sand stuck to our bikes and the brake pads so we knew we had to clean our bikes soon. Eventually, "after ten year", we saw our friends and we can finally say that we have arrived.
Jet and I decided that on our return trip, we'll just board our bikes on the van via Jet's bike harness. So there's no long biking for us on the way home. I was open to doing it but I'd rather not do it alone that day. Maybe next time.
Shirley along Sabang Beach
All in all, I think it was a good ride for us. If I'd do the ride again, I'd star earlier. 6:00am was a little too late. We had to do the climbs under the heat of the midday sun. Shirley, as usual, was more than capable to do this bikepacking trip. I couldn't be more happier with her. We actually met a couple of guys in Sabang that own Surley LHTs. One pf them actually did a bike tour from Europe to Hong Kong in a span of 3 years.
For me, bikepacking is fun because I get to experience going through the towns along the highway. Cars go through expressways so most people don't get to see much of the sights. I know to some bikepacking is impractical because our 5-hour ride (7 hours total, inclusive of stops) would only take about 2 hours by car. But for me, the riding is all worth it. It's all about the experience of being able to ride a long distance, of being able to go to places in my own terms. A little sweat and some dirt never bothered me anyway.
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