Day 3: A Star is Born! Habalabadi - Habalabadu
Captain's Log Stardate 11-5-05

Auspicious beginnings seem to have been the hallmark of this ride, and the beginning of day 3 was no exception. With Mayor Fariñas expecting us at the Laoag City Hall for breakfast at 9:00 am, we knew that we had to leave Pagudpud no later than 7:00 am to get there on time. We partook of a simple, light fare prepared for us at the resort just to tide us over then prepared to depart. The departure, however, was almost compromised. Our president, still suffering the effects of the night of the living dead, was having a hard time getting up. With the rest of the guys already prepped for departure, Migs Oca was calmly snoring away, practically oblivious both to a loss of bodily control and our frantic efforts to wake him up. With many of us actually considering the possibility of loading both him and his bike up on the truck, Migs finally regained consciousness with 30 mins to spare and we departed on schedule. On the brighter side, Jong's Vespa was repaired and running, thanks to the mighty efforts of Romy Lu and Clifford. Once again, all 18 bikes were on the road and running.

Pagudpud Sunrise

As we departed the resort to tackle the twisting and winding road that would take us back to Laoag City, Nani decided to use the last cartridge of film to take videos of the guys tackling the roads. We had begun at an easy pace of about 70-80 kph but then Nani wanted more excitement. Prodding TB to go for it, the pair by-passed the entire line to tackle the twisties at speed. As they passed me at the head of the line, I thought why not get into the action, and started to follow the pair closely, trying to overtake Nani so as to get into the video. As the pair was negotiating a shallow right hander, the unthinkable happened. TB, looking ahead, noticed a deep pothole right on the entry line. To avoid this, he decided to take a wider, outer line, which was the logical thing to do. However, Nani chose just that moment to also go wide and to the left of TB, arguing later that he had wanted to take a shot of TB from the side as he exited that corner. Now physics has taught us that no two objects can occupy the same space. The result was pretty obvious then. Nani ended up colliding with the left rear fender of TB, sending the latter into a wobble that fortunately he was able to control. It all happened in front of my eyes, with me screaming at Nani the whole time. I could not believe it! Nani Juarez, local scootering guru, Dr. Scoot himself, had committed a riding faux pas! And it was all caught on film, taken by none other than Nani himself! Dr. Scoot had just become Boy Banga! Past the twisties of Pagudpud, we would encounter our second army checkpoint, manned by guards armed to the teeth! They stopped us to for inspection and readily we complied. In a flash, TB was again out with the proverbial sheaf of documents. After a brief inspection, the guards then surprised us by asking for a picture taking session, which they claimed was going to be needed for the official report. And so, that official report would include a picture of a bunch of scooter riders waving animatedly at the camera, flanked by army men carrying high powered firearms and grinning widely from ear to ear!

Shaking off Dr. Scoot's booboo, we proceeded to conquer the rest of the twisting, winding roads out of Pagudpud without incident. We would again stop at that small Petron station in the town of Bangui for some much needed gas, and then tackled the rest of the way at speed in order to make our appointment at Laoag City with his honor. On the way, Migs decided to shake off the cobweb by riding ahead of the group at speed, taking the wide, sweeping corners with wild abandon. To keep an eye on him, Phil Naval and I also broke from the group to follow our illustrious leader, who by then was traveling at 110-115 kph, pushing his PX 200 to its limits. His breakaway had a positive effect on the rest of the group as they too picked up the pace. With 30 mins to go to our appointment, we found ourselves at the outskirts of Laoag City, where we would be in for a pleasant surprise.

As I entered the outskirts of the city leading the pack, I was met by a group of guys waving frantically for us to stop. It was Darwin and some of his friends from the Road Warriors, all dressed up in their finest livery (they were actually better dressed that most of us!), there to meet us, as promised, and to escort us back into the city. After regrouping and a round of pleasantries, I gamely yielded the lead of the pack to them and allowed them to take us all into Laoag City. Amid a constant stream of horn blowing and frantic arm waving at all on-coming vehicles, the Road Warriors enthusiastically escorted us into the city at a blistering pace of 40 kph. Needless to say, many of the guys would find managing that speed a little difficult, having gotten used to more daring speeds. Nevertheless, we eventually made it to City Hall, in parade style, attracting crowds wherever we passed. Things were indeed looking up for Euroscoot! At City Hall, we were led to the office of his honor, the mayor. After a round of greetings and a few photo opportunities in his honor's office, we were brought to a large conference room where a sumptuous breakfast of local delicacies had been prepared for us. These consisted of "igado" (my absolute favorite dish which I had not partaken of for almost 10 years! Thank you Mayor Fariñas!) and "pinapaitan." For the sake of those who are unfamiliar with Ilocano fare, both dishes were made of pork and innards, a fact that would pose problems for poor Simon. Because the meal included neither fish nor seafood, and since the pork we were eating definitely had not been thrown into the sea, we were worried that poor, thin Simon would end up only eating rice and egg. But there was Simon, gamely eating the fare like the rest of us. When I asked him about this, he just told me that, because of hunger, all he could do was close his eyes and pretend it was fish! Our escorts, the Road Warriors, also joined us in the meal and we partook of this delicious breakfast while holding sporadic conversations with his honor. After another round of picture taking, and after saying our final thanks and good byes to his honor, we then prepared for our departure to Caba. La Union.

The Euroscoot boys with the Road Warriors of Laoag

As I was preparing my gear for departure, the Road Warriors approached Nani, who was parked just behind me at the time. They carried with them every issue of Scooterista Magazine ever published to date and they proceeded to ask Nani for an autograph on each issue. We were all caught off guard, including Nani, who eventually relented, signing each issue while we, who were around him, looked on in speechless, open-mouthed wonder. I'll tell you, Nani was really blushing during the entire event! His ears were really very, very red! Yet, despite that discomfort, you could tell that Dr. Scoot was enjoying the attention. The cult of Nani Juarez, Dr. Scoot himself, was born up in the north. On that day, in that moment, Nani Juarez rose from just being the local scooter expert to the level of superstar and legend. The guys would later call him "apo," "lakay," and "alamat," to best describe his new found social status. Yeyey said is best when he called him, "Nani ti aminianan" or Nani of the North!

Departing City Hall, we are again escorted by the Road Warriors to a gas station just 5 kms from the city where we gassed up for the push towards Vigan. We then took our leave of the Road Warriors, amid handshakes and invitations to keep in touch, and headed out on the road once again. They were a hospitable and friendly group of guys, wildly enthusiastic about their bikes just like we were. It was a pleasure to have met them and we all hope to meet with them again in the near future.

We then proceed to burn the roads between Laoag and Vigan at quite a fast pace. Leaving Laoag at 10:45 am, we would reach our designated gas stop in Vigan by 12:00 pm. Again foregoing lunch in favor of getting to our destination early, we continued to burn the roads between Vigan and Caba, La Union at breakneck speed, strung out in a long, thin line over the national highway. As I passed the bridge under construction near Candon, Ilocos Sur where I had gone down only 2 days before in a muddy heap, I ceremoniously spit on that ground in pure defiance and as a sign that, despite that setback, my spirit and enthusiasm were neither rattled nor fazed. Taking advantage of the pace, the lead group would eventually arrive at Villa Navarro in Caba, La Union by 2:45 pm with the rest following by 3:00 pm.

At the resort, we were entertained by the owner, Mr. Bong Navarro, a close relative of TB's wife. As we settle down and begin the ever serious business of drinking, he brought us to a choice spot on the resort, a large tree house on the beach with a spectacular view of the surrounding land and sea. Needless to say, it was a great chance for more picture taking sessions. Some of the guys decided to take a dip in the ocean while the rest continued their quest for inebriation. While enjoying the amenities of the tree house, we were treated to the spectacular view of Adonis rising from the sea! There was Al Juarez, walking out of the ocean, wearing his skimpy Speedo swimming trunks, and greeted by the hoots and jeers of the assembly rapidly getting drunk inside that tree house. With his dark upper body and pale legs, TB would give him the sobriquet, Adonis Half and half, much to delight of everyone around.

Tito Boy Navarro, proprietor of Villa Navarro

As we continued to drink, the temptation of the sea became stronger and eventually, most of us stripped to our shorts and took a swim in the warm waters of the China Sea. What an experience that was! We were all so happy, laughing and splashing around, making fun of TB who kept screaming for help because he claimed he was drowning! I had not laughed so long and so hard for a long, long time and that opportunity for letting of some steam was a welcome one indeed! I laughed till my sides and stomach hurt, till I was grasping for breath, till I ended up swallowing some sea water. We laughed at anything, at any provocation, no matter how base or shallow. It was pure and unadulterated laughter. It washed over you like a cleansing wave, making you forget all the worries and the hardships of the past days and the days to come. I felt light and free and I believe the rest of the guys did so too. In those moments, cradled by the warm waters of the China Sea, amid the spectacular vista of the setting sun, Euroscoot rediscovered the meaning of pure joy, the joy of adventure, the joy of camaraderie, the simple, pure joy of being thankful for the life the Almighty had so generously gifted us. Laughter truly is the best medicine, and Euroscoot had just checked into one of its premier hospitals and was in the process of receiving mega doses of the stuff!

Euroscoots' Prez, VP and Ride Director

With sunset, the stars and moon began to come out and we were treated to the spectacular view of the crescent moon with the evening star brightly juxtaposed above it. We immediately realized that this was the symbol commonly seen on flags of Muslim nations and connected its appearance with the celebration of Ramadan. Hence, we were treated to a heavenly display held sacred by more than half the population of the earth, a display first seen almost two centuries ago, prodding a great man to establish a great religion. That awe-inspiring event left us contemplative and humbled. But not for long. Looking up at the sky, TB would raise both arms and scream, "Habalabadi Ð Habalabadu!" a cry echoed by the rest of the guys. Then, we would resume our raucous laughter, amid TB's persistent plaintive cries that he was still drowning in chest deep sea water. Our reverie in the sea was abruptly terminated, however, when word started to circulate that the waters had inadvertently been polluted by an uncontrolled bodily function. This caused the guys to exit the water, en mass and in quite a hurry. Like a the proverbial Johnny Walker TV ad, we hastily rose from the sea, braving the pain on our feet caused by the large rocks near the shore, laughing all the way out. Yeyey then takes a swing at Simon's now infamous aversion to pork by saying, "Pare, baka kainin ako ni Simon!" To which I reply, "Yeyey, kung kakainin ka ni Simon, huwag mong ipakikita sa akin iyon!"

We retire back to the tree house to resume our quest for inebriation. To entertain ourselves, we sing popular songs whose lyrics totally escape us, to the accompaniment of the guitar played by none other than Adonis himself, now with the sobriquet of Miniong Villegas. Hence, his sobriquet of Adonis Miniong or Adonis Villegas, whichever you prefer. Dinner soon followed and we retired to the dinning hall for another sumptuous repast.

Moments before Habalabadi - Habalabadu

After dinner, we spent the rest of the time watching videos taken of ourselves during the last three days. The news of Nani's autograph session is circulated among the boys, and Dr. Scoot who became Boy Banga just that morning, ended up as Lakay Nani, ang alamat ng norte, by late evening. We would finish the video then turn in early for some much needed rest and sleep in preparation for the ride home. Day 3 was wild success, indeed!

Day 3 Summary:
Take off point: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Destination: Caba, La Union
Total traveling time: 8 hours
Total distance traveled: 336 kms

Images care of Bimbo Isidro and Jong Dalupan