Black Saturday Romp: Samal

After a long hiatus, I got back on the saddle today and biked Samal. My trip took me from Babak to Penaplata to Kaputian. It's a trip I've been wanting to do since my biking trip in Christmas 2007. All in all, it was a trip of over 30km, with a lot of uphill sections.

This is the best photo of the trip, taken at Penaplata.


To get to Samal, I had to take this rickety ferry from Sasa launch terminal. The terminal is in a public market found at Km. 11, locally called "onse." There were several other bikers on the trip, though I found out later they were travelling north.


I really wasn't up to the uphill climb. It's been a while since I've been on a bike. And talking about uphill, there were plenty of long uphill sections. I had to take plenty of breaks in between.


I enjoy meeting barrio folk on these biking trips. This roadside barber was right beside a sari-sari store where I stopped for drinks.


This old fellow sells gasoline in softdrink bottles to passing motorcycles. Roadside gasoline stalls are quite common in rural areas.


Kaputian! It was a long trip getting here, but the roadside scenery was quite monotonous. Hence, the fast-forward.


At the beach.


And finally, my souvenir from this trip. I took a hard tumble on a steep rocky road from Anonang to Kaputian. Thankfully, no broken bones, just scratches on my knee and my hands.