A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
The Gigantes Group of Islands, popularly known as Islas de Gigantes or “Islands of Giants” in Spanish are a remote cluster of islands in the northernmost part of Iloilo province in the Philippines. The Gigantes Islands consists of about ten islands: the two largest being Gigantes Norte (North Gigantes) and Gigantes Sur (South Gigantes).
For riders, just hitting the open road, regardless of the destination, is an adventure in itself. But if you’re planning to ride all over the Philippines, you’ll realize it can get pretty complicated trying to transport a motorbike around since the country is made up of 7,641 islands. While there are some small amazing islands great for exploring by motorcycle, it’s more convenient to just rent motorbikes from there. For those coming from Manila who have their own bikes, your best bet would be to ride around the mainland of Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Philippines.
The motorcycle market in the Philippines is really growing with more people using bikes for leisure and commuting. To serve the growing demand, Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI) has introduced their newest lineup of Honda Big Bikes, under three main categories: Street, Sport, and Adventure. The eight new Honda Big Bikes are the CB500X, CRF1000L Africa Twin, X-ADV, CBR500R, Rebel 500, CB650F, CB1100EX and CBR1000RR FIREBLADE SP.
These Big Bikes are meant to entice thrill-seekers to go on adventures that would require tougher bikes with higher engine capacities. They’ve all been designed to deliver the appropriate speed and performance meant for highways and rough terrain. Continue reading “Honda Philippines Big Bikes 2018 Lineup”
The Honda XRM 125 is one of the top-selling underbone-style motorbikes produced and sold in the Philippines. Given the quality (or lack) of roads in Metro Manila and around the Philippines, this model was designed for both on and off-road use.
The 125cc segment is the popular workhorse category for urban commuters and casual weekend riders. The Honda XRM 125 is light, nimble and minimalist, making it reliable for daily use, but at the same time, it’s a tough dual sport bike loaded with quality features like great suspension, comfy seating and close handlebars that make it easy to maneuver even on long rides.
Continue reading “Review: Honda’s All-New XRM125 DSX”There are lots of different modes of transport you can use to get around the Philippines. But my personal favorite is just getting on a motorbike, riding around and exploring on your own. Motourism is on the rise and more tourists are discovering the Philippine islands on two wheels.
Cebu is one of the most developed provinces of the Philippines and one of the country’s top tourist destinations. Over the years I’ve traveled back and forth here for various work trips, media tours and solo backpacking trips. While I’m familiar with the main tourist spots within Cebu City, it wasn’t until I had to complete tasks while exploring the island on my own on a motorbike as a finalist for Wrangler’s #TrueWanderer campaign in 2016 that I really fell in love with the place.
Learning how to scuba dive is just one of those things that’s always been on my bucket list. I enjoy snorkeling, but have never tried diving before. I have no second thoughts jumping from crazy heights for extreme activities like skydiving and bungy jumping, but for some reason the thought of drowning and suffocating underwater scares the heck out of me.
Inflatable Island is the biggest floating playground in Asia. Located in Olongapo City, Zambales, this seaside water park near Subic is a playground for adrenaline junkies. You can fly through the air before landing in the water in their Human Launcher, climb up a giant floating rock wall, swing from their Giant Tarzan Swing and Slide, jump on their gigantic Unicorn trampoline or just try not to fall into the water as you navigate through the crazy Wipeout-style obstacle course.
UPDATE: The Querocep Bridge along the Marifanta Highway which was damaged by a landslide in December 2015 is still being reconstructed. As of January 2018, what used to be a makeshift wooden bridge is now a steel bridge and is PASSABLE to all types of vehicles. The alternate route to get to Infanta is to pass through Real and Famy.
NEW STEEL BRIDGE (January 2018)
Continue reading “Marifanta Highway: The Road to Infanta, Quezon”
Corregidor, an island at the entrance of Manila Bay, mostly attracts history buffs. Known as “The Rock” because of its rocky landscape and the heavy fortifications, this historic island is a great destination for bikers as well. Traversing the island’s well-paved roads and jungle trails on a bicycle and getting to visit the different ruins and landmarks offers a totally different experience from the usual day trip tour onboard a tramvia.
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