While the pandemic has kept most of us grounded compared to years of travel in the pas, it’s been a good time to rediscover the city and nearby destinations on two wheels. We’ve been biking for years long before the pandemic, and even short errand rides around the neighborhood has kept us sane throughout the different levels of quarantine restrictions we’ve had over the past two years.
Once travel restrictions eased and destinations started opening up again in the last quarter of the year, we started going on longer bike rides revisiting top biking destinations near the metro including Wawa Dam, Mt. Parawagan, Camp Sandugo, and Puray Falls, which ended up being my first Century Ride (over 100 km long).
We kicked off the month of December 2021 with my second Century Ride in the span of a month on a sightseeing tour of some scenic lakeside spots in the town of Baras, Rizal. While I’ve been to some of the spots before by motorcycle, it felt so satisfying being able to reach the places again on pure pedal power.
Most typical guy bikers I know don’t seem to really care too much about the destinations or where they eat during ride, but it’s always nice to go sightseeing and enjoy good food and coffee during bike rides instead of just focusing purely on the distance and elevation (in my opinion).
Aside from being rewarding cycling destinations near the city, I think the main spots we visited will also be of interest for those looking for a relatively chill itinerary for a road trip by car with the family (with kids and seniors in tow) or couple date rides by motorcycles. Everyone seems to be looking for safe al fresco dining these days, and there are a lot of new and underrated places in Rizal.
The main spot I wanted to bike to was Mangantila, a newly opened lakeside cafe and restaurant in the town of Baras in the province of Rizal that I stumbled upon while looking around GoogleMaps. The native open-air restaurant is located right on the shores of Laguna Lake off the main highway, making it a relaxing place to eat and enjoy the breeze away from the city.
For this bike ride, we left Quezon City around 9:00 am, biking all the way up Antipolo and went down to the Manila East Road via Teresa. The downhill ride here is great, though going back up this route can be punishing by bike.
It took us about 3 hours biking at a steady pace to get to the town of Baras, 40 km away, right in time for lunch.
The entrance to Mangantila is a reward on its own for bikers. There’s a beautiful tree tunnel leading in, great for photo ops, if you’re lucky enough to get a clear shot without other people in the background. I have a feeling that this place is going to become a very popular biking and riding destination in the future just for this tree tunnel and location.
The restaurant has a spacious parking area for cars, motorcycles as well as bike racks! No reservations were required when we visited, we just walked in on a Saturday. A guard just gave us a gate pass, which needed to be stamped as proof that we ate in the restaurant.
The name of the restaurant comes from “Mangan + Tila” a phrase used in Northern provinces like Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan translating to “Kain Tayo” or Let’s Eat.
There’s a large open air main dining space for larger groups, but there are also tables in an uncovered balcony area and some umbrellas by the lake, for those who prefer dining al fresco.
Right next to the resto is a native bridge walkway over the water that offers a great spot for birdwatching. You can see the Pilillia Windmills from here. I noticed some huts were still being constructed in some areas near a large watermelon patch, but they looked like a cozy spot for groups.
The resto serves mostly Filipino dishes & seafood, with most served in family-friendly or group sharing portions, as well as a few budget silog meals for those dining solo. We ordered buttered shrimps & ensalada, and found everything delicious. Service was very friendly and conveniently, they allowed cashless payments via GCash.
I just love the simple and natural vibe of places like this and having a view of a body of water while dining. It was a bit overcast & windy but thankfully it didn’t rain, so the weather was perfect for biking.
From Mangantila Cafe and Restaurant, we doubled back to another nice scenic spot along the lake – Kasarinlan Park. Due to pandemic restrictions, the park is only open to visitors from 5-10 am and 3-7 pm for walking & jogging activities only. Vax cards are required. Biking is not allowed inside the park itself, but you can lock up your bikes and take a leisurely stroll here if you want.
We also revisited Celossian Flower Farm, new attraction in Baras that’s gotten the attention of people on social media because of its colorful flowers and photo-worthy spots.
We previously checked the place out in February this year during a rainy Valentine motorcycle ride, but there were still a lot of restrictions at the time so I didn’t really post a lot of photos or write about it, but now that restrictions have eased, the flower farm is another pleasant, open-air and family-friendly spot you can visit if you’re in the area.
As of Dec. 2021, the Celossian flowers haven’t fully bloomed yet, but you can still walk around & take photos with other flowers and garden photo spots. The flowers should be blooming in time for Valentine’s Day.
Right now, there are no more requirements to visit and they allow kids. The farm is open from 6AM-6PM. Entrance fee: Adult: 30 pesos / Kids: 20 pesos
The scenery was pretty peaceful around the other towns like Cardona, and there weren’t a lot of vehicles along the road, which made the ride more pleasant. The great thing about traveling on two wheels is you can make up your itinerary as you go or stop to enjoy the view when you like. Traveling by bike also give you time to appreciate the rural scenery that people in motorized vehicles take for granted (like rice fields or egrets grazing in the fields) because of the slower pace.
The road got a bit busier again once we hit the towns of Binangonan and Angono. We needed a coffee fix to power up for the last stretch going home, so I suggested we stop at Trabi Cafe, an al fresco dining spot in Binangonan. It’s a very pleasant, bike-friendly and pet-friendly spot ideal for dates or special events. It also doubles as an events venue and has a co-working space.
Located just off the main highway, Trabi Cafe serves good coffee as well as main dishes like pasta & pizza from sister restaurant Hiraya in the same space. The first time I went here, the cafe was selling Angono craft beer, but it was sold out during our recent visit. We ordered a couple of the bestsellers, Belgian Chocolate and Spanish Coffee, which were both delicious and gave us a good jolt for the rest of the ride home.
From Trabi Cafe, it was another 20+ km back to the city along the East Bank Road. There were some high-traffic areas and unpleasant stretches where bike lanes were taken over by cars and motorcycles, but going by bike still allowed us to zoom past most of the cars stuck on the road. Biking wasn’t as tiring as being stuck for hours longer in traffic and we made it home in good time for pizza and beer to cap the ride.
Overall, I really enjoyed this bike ride. One of my goals this year was to go on a Century Ride (over 100km ride) just to prove that I can. I’m happy to have done two before the year ended. But rather than the distance, elevation, speed, etc., But it’s really the sightseeing, unique eats, nature scenery and the general feeling that I’m moving forward and going somewhere that motivates me and the most about biking.
This Century lakeside bike ride left me energized and I’m excited to rediscover more scenic destinations on two wheels in the year ahead.
