26 Nov 25 shack attack

Its going to be a wet one today as we will be setting off from Cauayan for a 200km ride to Baler. The rain has been incessant since we arrived last night and will continue all day as tropical storm Verbena slowly passes over the area.
Desperate attempts overnight to dry kit and buy new,so we have a chance of getting there at least partially dry.
 That was the morning prediction but Russ reckoned the forecast was for the rain to clear about 9am. 
We set off and he was right, bang on 9 the rain stopped for 5 minutes then came back in stairods all day. 40 km of main road then climbing up the hills still on good roads.
The Typhon damage became more apparent with power lines down and trees stripped of leaves.
We descended to the coast, stopping at a resturant  for lunch and snacks.
Onward down the coast...which must have taken the brunt of the storm.
Here whole concrete buildings had been undermined by the sea , some now at a jaunty angle.
Vegitation detritus strewn about despite what has obviously been a major clear up and the start or repairs & construction of the coast road where it had been washed away in places.
It must be one of the prettiest coast roads anywhere but not right now. The road was smooth tarmac as we sped into Baler and into the hotel to try and dry out . Scuba gear would be the best thing to wear.
Meantime here is a vid from earlier in the trip when we were hot



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  They are at it again, Thailand  Welsh Russ, Canadian Greg and the English set of David, Terry, BJ and Mark are off for a little tour of the Philippine island of Luzon.  1500 miles of tropical paradise, or at least that is what Russ has promised us!
Read more

19 Nov 2025 Shakedown ride

Image
An early start and on the bikes ready to roll into the urban chaos. David had planned a 130 mile circular route whilst we waited for Russ to arrive later in the day. 200 yards down the road we stopped for a leisurly breakfast and then into the taffic leaving Angeles city. 2 miles later :  Mark is the first victim with a puncture.  Whilst writing I see that its snowing in Ledury, its a touch warmer here:   All repaired for £1.40 including new tape and valve We soon got used to the Fillipino style of roadcraft as we ducked and dived through the traffic.  Driving standards by the locals is pretty good , shame BJ's wasnt as good as he skidded to a halt having only just in time seen the thin Bamboo pole positioned to stop riders taking a short cut past sped calming barriers, but at least he found his brakes worked unlike Terry who has no back brake. After a couple of hours David had found some good tarmac with plenty of bends along a jungle road. The Honda Xr150's excelle...
Read more

18th Nov 25: Day 2: Bikes, Bimbles, and Bernt

Image
  Everyone finally surfaced around midday, each of us displaying our own unique brand of jet lag. Some looked relatively human. Others… less so. But united at last, we set off to collect the bikes.     The journey over was a spectacle in itself: four large blokes squeezed into two tuk-tuks , puttering through the streets of Angeles City. The locals watched with a mix of amusement and disbelief , fair enough, really seeing BJ ride side saddle! At the rental shop, we were pleasantly surprised. The bikes, despite being five years old, were in great condition. Less surprising was the manager, Bernt. He proudly announced he was 61, though he looked closer to 80. Let’s just say he must’ve had a very tough paper round.  With bikes collected, we rode them back to the hotel to begin the essential modifications: stickers, USB chargers, straps, bungees — the full adventurer’s toolkit. After a bit of tinkering, David, BJ, and Mark headed out for a gentle bimble around Angeles...
Read more