How to enjoy riding a mountain bike for the first time

Riding for the first time

I think there are no hard and fast rules on how to enjoy riding the mountain bike as a first-timer, but for me, my very first mountain bike ride was enjoyable because I was with a group of close family and friends.

The experience was more than just a bike ride: it became a bonding moment.

Benefits of riding a mountain bike

There are some who might consider that it is a tad late for someone in his 40s to take mountain biking. Aside from being a very physically taxing activity, mountain biking also poses danger to riders from spill overs, getting blind-sided, or tumbling over.

For me, however, the benefits definitely outweigh the risks. Riding the mountain bike is great for cardio and for you legs. It is also a great overall workout for your whole body because biking is more than just pedaling like crazy.

How to enjoy the ride

So here's my own take on how to enjoy the ride based on my experience.

There I was one fine day in October joining a few friends and cousins on my very first mountain bike ride. I was on a borrowed bike and adjustments had to be made. I made sure I had a helmet, comfortable clothes, a water bottle full of water, and of course my sunglasses to protect my eyes.

The mountain bike course

We set our course in a nice but still challenging route in my hometown of Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija, going to the neighboring town of Palayan City. Our destination will be Tanawan, a nice, uphill spot where locals often go to enjoy a panoramic view of surrounding towns and the lush green carpet of rice fields.

We rolled out in our mountain bikes early and since most of us are newbies, we rode at a leisurely pace. The cool, early morning breeze made for a very relaxing ride as we passed by quaint houses, farms, orchards, and endless rice fields spanning through the horizon.

We passed by the military reserve of Fort Magsaysay and marveled at surrounding hills and valleys. The roads are almost empty save for the occasional vehicle or tricycle. Good thing we rode off early.

As a first-timer, I enjoyed the ride immensely, and often, I find myself lagging behind the group because I was really taking my time to enjoy the sights and sounds.

The ride was enjoyable that I almost did not notice that we have already logged in a significant number of kilometers (for newbies) and that we are almost at our destination.

Pit stop

We had our first pit stop at a nice sari-sari store by the road. We stayed longer than we should have because my uncle knows the owner of the store and the customary "kumustahan" had to be made between friends. We parked our mountain bikes near the store.

After a few minutes, we set off again to our next stop.

Tanawan in Palayan City

Although we we’re not able to ride the last kilometer or two going to Tanawan (the road was just too steep for us), it was a very satisfying ride that is worth repeating.

We stayed for almost an hour taking pictures, eating our snacks and just enjoying the view at Tanawan while our bikes are “parked” near a nipa hut atop a gently sloping cliff.

Ride back

The ride back was even faster, because there were downhills that allowed us to go a bit faster. The end of the day was indeed satisfying and all of us were looking forward to another ride.

4 interesting things to do when travelling to Dagupan City in Pangasinan

A highly urbanized city

Dagupan City in the province of Pangasinan is a highly-urbanized metropolis that will always be part of a traveler’s itinerary whenever one needs to explore Northern Luzon.

What is good about Dagupan City is its proximity to other places in the province of Pangasinan, including Lingayen Gulf. This means one can enjoy all the luxuries of city living while still being close to the sea.

Getting to Dagupan

I used to work for a content production outfit, and as part of our coverage of interesting places up north, we took a roadtrip to Dagupan in early September. Our rented van took the NLEX-SCTEX network, and coming from Quezon City, the trip took about 4 hours or so. 

'To do' list

Here are  a few interesting things you can do in Dagupan City.

1.) Time your visit during the "Bangus Festival." We timed our trip to Dagupan to visit the "Bangus Festival," a fairly new but very popular festival drawing huge crowds. The festivities center around the bangus or milkfish, perhaps the most popular export that Pangasinan is known for. The street parties were noteworthy and witnessing the longest grill in the world and partaking of fresh grilled oysters from generous locals was quite an experience.

2.) Hire a boat and cruise Pantal River. Our next stop took us to Pantal River where we hired a few motorized bancas to cruise on the river. It was an interesting experience, as we sailed past communities living on the shore. It was also noteworthy that the river remains clean, despite the number of houses in communities along the river banks.

3.)  Buy some seafood at the Magsaysay Fish Market. If you want to take home some of the famous Bonuan bangus and other seafood, don't forget to drop by the Magsaysay Fish Market. We brought with us our own medium-sized coolers to store those seafood that we took back home.

4.) Eat at Silverio's Seafood Restaurant. They say you can't go wrong if you follow a local's recommendations when it comes to dining. And that's exactly what we did. We went out for lunch at the famed Silverio's Seafood Restaurant and loaded up on seafood, particularly the different dishes featuring bangus belly.

A nice stopover

For the jaded traveler, Dagupan City may no longer be that appealing and that there are more exotic places in Pangasinan that are worth the trip. However, Dagupan City continues to be a nice stopover for those trekking up north.

A journey to Caramoan

We prepped up the 7-seater vehicle, packed our gears, and drove off one early morning. We have a long drive ahead of us, going south. Far south.

It was almost dusk when we arrive to the first leg of the trip. We had dinner in Naga City, then re-traced our tracks to Ragay in Camarines Norte.

We still have a long way to in this journey to Bicolandia and our ultimate destination will be Caramoan.

Caramoan is a small coastal town surrounded by numerous small islands. The town can be reached via ferry. The islands have become very popular because of the reality show “Survivor.” During our trip, there were no less than four “Survivor” editions being shot or have been completed in the isolated islands surrounding Caramoan.

The interesting part of our journey is that we almost did not make it to Caramoan. The ominous looking grey clouds as we drove along the length of Camarines Sur going to the port were not a good sign. And true enough, a storm raged on preventing ferry boats to set sail and go to Caramoan.

And there we were, stuck in a modest hotel hoping and waiting to the clouds to clear up. It was a good two days of waiting before we finally saw the sun peek out of the clouds.

Leaving our vehicle in the port, we rushed to the ferry boat station eager and excited. After an uneventful 2-hour boat ride, we sat foot for the first time in Caramoan town. After securing our accommodations for the night and getting in touch with our local contact, we hurriedly went to this small dock where a moored “bangka” is waiting to take us to the many islands surrounding the town.

It was nice seeing a cluster of mangroves with many sea birds perched among the branches. It was nice seeing emerald waters reflect sunlight. It was wonderful seeing an unspoiled cove, with crystal clear water, and jumping in the water from a seemingly out of place 10-foot boulder gutting out of the beach. It was nice walking barefoot in white sand that is comparable to the world-famous white sand of Boracay.

In essence, it was nice getting away from it all. We were in paradise.