A Perfect Ride Day In Jala-jala Via Buruwisan

January 23, 2012
Back tracking, sharing these photo collection of our unplanned ride with some of our friends to Jala-jala, Rizal. It was a holiday and a long weekend, yet Ahlie and I have no plans for anything. Ahlie was busy the whole week and I was sick lately when an invitation from our friends Franz, Ferdie and Jing, Jeffrey and Shirley came. They wanted a ride, even just an easy one and they want it different from the typical city rides the group does during week-day night rides. They wanted a ride that needs no planning. No hassle, no pressure and no limits. So they thought of going somewhere not so far like the towns of Rizal, just anywhere nearby.

Ferdie generously offered to bring his truck so the group can just load up the bikes coming from Pasig and just start riding them once we are in a less polluted and less traffic zone in Rizal. The idea was good for us since I am still recovering and not that fit yet to do usual long rides, and Ahlie barely got some saddle time lately. Also, the good thing about riding with ladies is that there will be slower pace and there will be expected plenty of rest stops.

Along the way one of our friends, Jeffrey, who has a place in Siniloan Laguna suggested that we just go straight to their place where we can safely park the truck then we can bike to Jala-jala which is adjacent to their town. Everybody agreed to the idea and in no time we were unloading our bikes in this surprisingly amazing place. 

The blessed Siniloan, Laguna which is about 84 kilometers from Manila is a cradle to a series of magnificent waterfalls along Sierra Madre mountain ranges. To name the five popular ones are the Buruwisan Falls, the Batya-batya Falls, the Lanzones Falls, the Majayjay Falls and Taytay Falls.

This place is a regular destination for professional and neophyte mountaineers, light backpackers, day trekkers, horseback riders and some bikers too. It is well loved for its densely populated forest that shelters a network of trails ranging in different levels. The water here is freshly crystal clear and cold, you will have the hard time to plunge into the water for the first time but once you're there it is difficult to come out because it is very refreshing.

With proper fastening all our 6 bikes fitted in the truck well.

Jeffrey de Guzman is a mountaineer and his parents owns this piece of property in Buruwisan.

Looks familiar?

After setting up our bikes we had a moment of prayer and some briefing. The group decided to do a 30 kilometer out to Jala-jala then turn around to give us 60 kilometers of total ride.

We see to it that we pray before every ride. Nothing beats God's protection.

Starting to ride out!

Ahlie was greeted by a local farmer on a horse.

To reach Jeffrey's place you have to pass through a stream.

Over the bridge, everyone's sky high for this ride.

There is a long steep descent going inside Buruwisan, but on going out it will be a climb. The ladies found it wiser to walk and push on the way out.

Not very far from where we started we met another biker along the highway, a true biker for life! She is Nanay Conching, 67 years old. Behind her bike she carries a box for her newly harvested vegetables. Ahlie had a very meaningful pep talk with her while the rest of us amusingly watch her pedal with ease in such a fair speed.

Along the way we have passed by a field with rice stalks. Jing was so delighted to see for the first time these fresh grains still attached to the stem. So we stopped by for some picture taking, while Franz and Shirley had fun playing on the rice paddy. Rice fields never fails to remind me of my childhood days and its always refreshing to look at.

Is that Mr. Scarecrow? He doesn't look scary, he's funny!

One more unforgettable encounter along the road. As we stopped by a store to have some cold drinks we saw Tatay Rogelio who is a decade older than Nanay Conching, he is 77 years old. Really amazing! He is very smart and still very active with cycling. Another thing that caught our attention is his bike that has a small sidecar which Tatay Rogelio built himself. It was highly accessorized in spite of its size and it was accented by a rooster in front, something that speaks of his favorite pastime, cockfighting.  

The day is getting hotter towards noontime and we decided to stop by a big mango tree along the road to catch some shade. Not very long we heard a familiar sound, it was the jingling of a popular ice cream cart bicycle, what a perfect treat in this time of day. How about that, an instant ice cream party! If there's still something lacking maybe the multi-colored balloons. 

Let's Volt In!!!

Finally, somewhere in the middle of that long flat bay road of Jala-jala our distance registered to 30 kilometers. Because everyone was enjoying we all hardly noticed the distance. But even if the girls still got fresh legs we need to stick to our plan of turning around. It was 12:50 pm and our lunch is waiting for us in Buruwisan so we need to speed up a little or we will be starving on the way back.

On the way back we find it more challenging not because our legs were tired but because we were going against a very strong headwinds and crosswinds. It caused us more rest stops and gave us a longer time to get back to Buruwisan. But it only made our ride more fun as we enjoy the scenery better with our slower pace.  

Break time again. It realy helps to rehydrate regularly during day rides like this. 

An awesome view of a church on the hill along Siniloan - Jalajala Road.

Before touching down we dropped by a fruit stand in Famy to buy a watermelon that Ahlie has been craving about from the very start of our ride. It was a blessing to have carriers or racks mounted on your bike, in situations like this it will not be a problem how to carry big stuff like this. Ahlie had a better idea and suggested to cut watermelon int halves and we divide the load. 

Care for some watermelon? Ahlie was so eager to get one of these huge watermelons along the highway.

We got the lucky one!

Now, we have to divide and load up. A half on Ahlie's carrier... 

...and the other half on mine.

Almost there, the final stretch! Everyone's seems getting a second wind as the pedaling gets a lot faster  nearing the last turn to Buruwisan. But the truth is it was because of our lunch long waiting for us.

Ahlie before re-entering Buruwisan.

Ferdie doing a steam crossing while Franz carefully watched.

Jing is all smile when she reached the stream again on the way back. Congrats Jing for the big ride today!

We touched down by 4pm with the exact distance of 60 kilometers. What a very precise reading for an unplanned ride. The table was all set when we arrived courtesy of Jeffrey and his mom, and the watermelon was also enticing so all of us dived into the table, said a prayer of thanksgiving and in no time the only thing left on the table are empty plates. We also had some fresh buko (coconut) treat.

It's watermelon time! We are so happy because we got a really sweet and juicy one.

Munch, munch, munch! What a well-deserved feast.

Extra treat to rehydrate, fresh buko (coconut) for us.

It's time to cool down, we had a chance too to have a taste of the famous crystal clear waters of Buruwisan. A perfect way of refreshing our bodies from the hot day ride before heading back home.  This unplanned ride was really a blast!

Woaah! It's shivery in here. But why is it Franz doesn't seem to bother?

Jeffrey and Shirley's  baby Ziv, very used to the cold water of Buruwisan.

What a wonderful day for all of us! No plans, yet wonderful! 

Thank you Ferdie and Jing Alvaran, Jeffrey and Shirley De Guzman (with Ziv), and Franz Geronimo for the wonderful experience. Rides with not much planning yet awesome. More rides like this to us! 

Proverbs 16: in the Bible says, "We make the plans, but God has the  last word."
It is always better to let God's plan work in our lives because He is never wrong and He never fails!