2
march
2010

YBR Tour to Boracay

3rd Yamaha Touring Adventure, Boracay Leg in the Visayas«

My motorcycle riding group, the Team YBR CDO, Inc. was among the very lucky organizations chosen by Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. to participate in an all expenses paid motorcycle touring adventure from February 24, 2010 to March 2, 2010, dubbed as »The 3rd Yamaha Touring Adventure, Boracay Leg in the Visayas«.

This is St. Vincent Cottages where the riders were booked in Boracay Island

Five delegates from our group were chosen. Me as president of our club, our vice-president, the assistant treasurer in behalf of our treasurer who is not available, and two board members in place of the other two officers, the secretary and the auditor, who backed out from the tour earlier.

The destination...the Boracay Island in Caticlan, Panay in the Visayas Region of the Philippine Archipelago.

This is me with Ybro Ron Stenier at the back with our YBR mc's before boarding St. Peter of the Apostles, the ship that brought us to Iloilo City

Dakak Beach in Dipolog City, where we passed by during our voyage to Boracay Island

We boarded the ship, St. Peter of the Apostles together with our Yamaha YBR 125 G motorcycles before midnight of February 24.

But the ship started its voyage at 7:00 A.M. of the following day, February 25, from Cagayan de Oro City, Northern Mindanao to Iloilo City in the Visayas Region for 15 long hours.

Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center in Iloilo City

After 5 hours of our voyage, we passed by Dakak, a well known tourist beach in Dipolog City, where some of the passenger disembarked.

At 4:30 in the afternoon, our voyage continue for another 10 long hours until we reached the Port of San Pedro in Iloilo City at exactly 2:30 in the morning, February 26, Friday.

After disembarking and paying the necessary fees in the Iloilo Port, we then proceeded to the heart of Iloilo City on board our motorcycles to Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center where we are already booked courtesy of our sponsor, the Yamaha Motor Phils., Inc.

(L-R)VP Ybro Lando Santos, Member Ybro Ron Steiner, Treasurer Ybro Vic Notario, Pres. Ybro Manny de Lara. Taking the picture was Member Ybro Randie Asuncion

We were the first delegates who arrived, followed by the 5 delegates from Manila. Then 14 other riders from Bacolod City arrived with a lady rider among them. The rest came from the towns of Antique, Caticlan and of course Iloilo City.

We are 47 riders all in all with paramedics and an ambulance, emergency pick-up and two SUV back up vehicles.

(L-R) Yrbo Randie Asuncion, Ybro Ron Steiner, Ybro Lando Santos and me. Taking the picture was Ybro Vic Notario

Team YBR CDO, Inc and Team YBR Luzon North

Anyway, we address each other »Ybro« short for »YBRothers«. As you can see the first three letters are YBR as in our motorcycles' name.

Me during our first dinner night in Iloilo City

We spent one night in Sarabia Hotel and the following day the 260 kms ride to Carticlan begun. It was a five hour tour with two stop-overs in two different towns of Antique.

One rider from Bacolod overshoot a curve and ended up in a ditch. While his motorcyle is no longer usable, he was fortunate to sustained minor injuries only.

Night time bonding on the roads of Iloilo City

That glowing vest is very good during night touring rides

His motorcycle was boarded on the emergency pick-up he was made to back ride on his co-rider.

Me during our first sto-over in the town Antique

The other delegates in front of Yamaha 3S shop in Antique

Team YBR CDO, Inc.'s Vice-Pres. Ybro Lando Santos

Our VP trying to be funny

Second stop-over during the tour near the town of Caticlan

Our team with Alex, a rider from Bacolod (standing third from right)

In the town of Caticlan, while waiting for the barge that perried us and our motorcycles to Boracay Island

This is Ybro Randie Asuncion

Our motorcycles on board the barge going to Boracay Island

When we reached the town of Caticlan, we waited for thirty minutes and then boarded our motorcycles in a barge that perried us all to Boracay Island.

It only took us thirty minutes to reach this wonderful Island, it's a paradise!

Fun and excitements filled the air with the different activities that we had.

We also toured the island until we reached it's highest peak on board our motorcycles.

Me with the other riders on the second deck of the barge

All of the delegate riders on the highest peak of the Boracay Island

We went for a swim during the night before the fellowship night. We managed to hiked for more than one hour on the following morning to give our lungs the chance for a pure and unpolluted air along the longest beach I have ever seen in my entire life. And after our lunch and a short rest we again hit the road for another 260 kms ride going back to Iloilo City. Another rider from Manila lost control on a curve, sustained minor injuries and still managed to ride his motorcycle again after uninstalling the damaged accessories.

We arrived in Iloilo city around 8:00 in the evening. The following day both motorcylces that crushed during the tour were immediately fixed by Yamaha mechanics and all damaged parts and accessories were replaced with brand new ones.

While the other riders already left bound for their respective destinations, we stayed in Sarabia Hotel for another day, go out during the night and visited some night spots, and enjoy the hospitality of the people of Iloilo city.

This is a part of the long stretch of the beach of Boracay

We finally boarded again on the same ship, the St. Peter of the Apostles homeward bound to Cagayan de Oro City ay 10:00 P.M. on March 2, Tuesday for another 15 hours long voyage.

We arrived in Cagayan de Oro City the following day.

It was a very exciting and unforgetable moment that I'm sure will linger on my mind for long, long time.

And that's me, trying to strike a good pose

And I said to myself... I shall return to Boracay Island... One day soon.

About the author of this page
	Manny e-mail: wLJx4BQVjZQENM21unJjhL29gMzS websites: teamybr.multiply.com www.cagayandeororealestate.ph YBR 125 owner since 02.2009 till today driver's licence since 11.1972 current motorcycle: '09 Yamaha YBR 125 G additional information: blog startpage