Comments on: The Tricycle Diaries – Severe Road Punishment

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:29:27 +0000

dodong, yes – it was very tempting to go on to Northern Luzon, but so far I always had troubles in the mountains, which proved to be costly. So like you said, I probably would have to change either the sidecar or get some more horsepower/ccm first. Currently I don’t want to invest that, so will go back sometime later to check the sights I missed, with lighter luggage for sure. Especially I’m interested in Baguio, Banaue, Vigan and Pagudpud.

By: dodong flores

dodong flores — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:33:34 +0000

Glad to read your reply, Chris. The P999 SmartBro you’re talking about is indeed fixed in location, I can confirm that since that’s what we are presently using now at work. It’s not using 3G but instead a 900Mhz radio band. It’s using a Motorola canopy to be mounted on your roof top so you can’t bring it anywhere. It also needs line of sight from the cellsite to receive good connection. The USB dongle is using 3G so as long as you have your cellphone signal, you’ll likely get your mobile broadband connection as well.
Before I forgot, I am just wondering if you had taken notice of the tricycles in Tagaytay City. They’re low-ride and gorgeous I was contemplating to buy one from there on my retirement. Your sidecar could be a bit bigger with bigger capacity too but you can’t simply resist admiring the low-ride design of the tricycles in Tagaytay.
In my personal opinion, I guess you can make it to Northern Luzon and other mountainous areas using a tricyle. You just need a new motorcycle unit and a newly-fabricated sidecar – a much lighter one (because you don’t need to bring extra luggage). You may get a second opinion about this idea from long time tricycle drivers and tell me what’s on their mind about it.
Good luck and enjoy the Bicol region…

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:57:54 +0000

Dodong, the new article is up since about 30 minutes after your last visit, although I changed the theme a bit.

The trip goes on and we enjoy it tremendously! I can confirm – the people are really friendly, especially the older generation and it’s always a pleasure to chat with somebody new. Black sheep exist of course in every country and are not counted, as long they are a minority. The bike is holding better for the last 2 days (almost 500 km without trouble).

Yeah, about the SUN 3G, I was seeing that also back in Manila, too bad they don’t offer that country-wide (yet). SmartBro offers a flatrate also for Ph 999, but only if you have a fixed address (and even fixed line?). That makes it somewhat immobile. Yup, I will probably write a more detailed post about 3G internet on the road; thanks for the tip!

Currently in Bicol – I’m a bit sad, that we had to skip North Luzon for now, the bike is simply too weak for the mountains around Baguio and Banaue and then there are 3 Typhoons forecasted to hit Luzon still in July. Ooops! The increasing traffic, jams and pollution when hitting the southern outskirts of Manila then made that decision a bit easier.

Probably have to return with lighter baggage someday to check out Northern Luzon in more detail.

By: dodong flores

dodong flores — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:02:30 +0000

Hi, Chris. Glad to hear you’re now in Tagaytay. I’m fidgeting waiting for your article about Caticlan and Boracay
I haven’t heard yet of somebody who toured around this country using a tricycle. And if there’s one, it is not publicized. But then again, the nautical highway just only started a few years back. The big possibility is that nobody had ever did touring around the country using tricycle. It’s not that easy here considering the splits of islands the Philippines is. This is quite exactly opposite with the countries in Europe where you can travel even across borders on solid land.
In my personal judgment, it’s not wrong to purchase that beat-up motorcycle. Since you were considering your budget (I assume), it was just right. Of course, a brand new motorcycle is still the best beat but not practical if your requirement is only for short-term. For the second hand, just expect for minor fixes every now and then. Here in the Philippines, the engine you’re using is just right for a tricycle. Some are even using 100cc. I still have to see yet in this country a tricycle with 400cc engine, while this is most common in the US. Well, a bigger engine is still better when you would like to explore mountainous areas.
Filipinos are peace-loving people in general and very hospitable (especially to foreigners). You can always seek help in times of needs. But it cannot be denied that there are still a few who would take advantage of strangers and would always think that foreigners have lots of cash – you know what I mean. Just be extra careful though.
It doesn’t take an SLR or a point-and-shoot to take nice photos. It takes a skill. If you think you can be more skillful in taking photos using your point-and-shoot camera, I think that’s fine.
I’m using too a 3G/HSDPA USB dongle modem for my Internet at home. I can’t use it to travel though since my Internet provider, Sun Broadband, has still limited coverage as of this time. It’s unlimited for a fixed plan. Prepaid is more expensive for me.
I suggest you should also write an intensive review/comparison between Globe and Smart broadband. A lot of techie Filipinos are always Googling for such information. I guess you’re one in the best position to write such review with the kind of mobile and travel experience that you have.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:57:02 +0000

Lorraine, sounds like I would like my holiday also. We spent a few days in Caticlan (instead of Boracay) and explored the surrounding beaches and villages. It was quite nice also and maybe next time then it will be Pandan.

Randy C, yep, the repair and maintenance costs are quite low, although I’m a bit worried that I have to fix *something* so often. So it kinda adds up. And not to mention the time spent at a garage – but then, I have all the time in the world, so it’s probably better this way.

Regarding internet: I’m using a Laptop and 3G/HSDPA internet. Either SmartBro or Globe Visibility – both prepaid. So far, SmartBro is much better in regards to coverage and reliability. Also their Upload Speed is phenomenal, that’s why I can upload all the pictures so quickly. I’m pretty happy with it, as I suffered from less than dial-up speeds for the last 6 months in India. Globe on the other hand is a disappointment compared to SmartBro – Smart is almost everywhere, while Globe only in the bigger towns. Mainly Globe is also slower, they have problems with POP3 mail (can’t send, only receive with Desktop Clients), although I like their shorter timing (5 Peso for 15 minutes, instead of Smart’s 10 Peso for 30 minutes).

By: Randy C

Randy C — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:02:16 +0000

Chris – I’m amazed at how inexpensive and easy it is to get the trike fixed. Seems to have been a good choice in that regard.

Sorry if you’ve covered this elsewhere, but I was wondering how you update this site and Flickr. Do you carry a laptop with you? Do you use free WiFi, or go to internet cafes, use a service like SmartBro…probably a combination of all?

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:43:01 +0000

Now I can see why you weren’t able to explore Pandan :-) I was there the whole month of April and I guess I was luckier because it wasn’t mud but dust. It was awesome though not doing anything but walk through miles and miles of endless beach, swim, snorkel and and drinking coconut wine with the fisherman at any time of the day.

By: Sosauce Blog : The Saucy Side of Travel.

Sosauce Blog : The Saucy Side of Travel. — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:25:34 +0000

[...] and how travel can expand one’s global perspective and possibly even help save the world. The Tricyle Diaries – It’s no secret that bicycling is not only a cheaper alternative to travel, but also a more [...]

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:52:12 +0000

dodong, are you sure, that this might be a first time for someone attempting to surround the country in a tricycle? Having traversed my own country multiple times as a sales executive (although not in a tricycle) – that’s hard to believe for me. One thing I can agree, is that it really is an adventure here in the Philippines, although a very pleasant and positive one! Having made that (maybe) wrong decision to go ahead with a veryyy old, low-powered and strained bike, I’m surprised about the support and help I’m getting from the people here, when we have a break-down again.

So far it looks though (now here @ Taal Lake in Tagaytay), as we have to skip the more mountainous areas of Luzon (like Baguio and Banaue) for South-Eastern Luzon and Samar + Leyte.

The reason why I never used a SLR instead of a pocket camera, is that I was always too blur to use one. The point and click/shoot principle suits me much better. And yes – please use the comment form for links back to your own site, after all; your claims are perfectly backed up with not only facts, but ‘more meat to the bones’.

By: dodong flores

dodong flores — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:09:06 +0000

Onboard a tricycle traversing this country is quite an adventure, especially for a non-Filipino like you. And I’ve never ever hear yet of any Filipino doing such. I guess you’re the first to do it (or maybe somebody else must have done it already but is not publicly known)
As for the 4-stroke engine, I’m sure of it the way it looks. And since you said you just fill in gasoline and it runs, so that’s it. 2-stroke engine needs mixed gasoline to operate. I was raised up in a remote coastal village in Agusan del Norte where everyday in my life were pumpboats, chainsaws and motorcycles here and there. So, it’s hard for me to commit mistakes in engines like these. Hehehe… And yes, 4-stroke is guilt-free
=D>
I can understand if you’re only using a pocket Casio for your travel camera. I’ve read from Steve’s What NOT To Bring Backpacking: 10 Things To Leave At Home advice about SLR and travel, and that probably must have influenced you. But hey, I’d been taking photos lately using my cellphone camera [link] so I’d say it’s not really the camera that matters at all. You also need to have an eye for beauty
I hope you don’t mind if I included here in this comment some link references back to my site. That’s my way of supporting my claims at some point